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At the end of the crater-scarred earth, Juugo lay with half his torso gone, teetering on the edge of death.
Killer B improvised a eulogy. "Moths to the flame~! The weakling's last wish~! Pitiful and tragic~! Worthy of a song~?!"
Suigetsu rushed to Juugo's side, face pale. "Damn it… this wound…"
Juugo's voice was a dying whisper. "Suigetsu. I'm done. Finish me."
CLANG! Suigetsu planted the Explosion Blade: Splash beside him. He scooped up Juugo's broken form with one arm. In his other hand, he gripped the Flying Thunder God kunai given by Orochimaru.
"I hate sappy shit. Absolutely hate it. But right now, I guess I gotta be the guy I hate. The only one who can save you… is Orochimaru."
"No." Juugo rasped. "We haven't gotten Fugaku's eyes. Calling Orochimaru and Sasuke now… it'll ruin everything we've done. And Pain… Pain is still trapped in that space. No way out."
Suigetsu stood, holding Juugo up.
"Screw the details! All I know is if we don't act now, you die."
"What will you tell Sasuke?!"
"If that dream was real… Sasuke would want this too! If he has a problem with it… I'll knock some sense into that bastard myself!!!"
His words final, Suigetsu began channeling chakra into the kunai.
SHINK!
Kisame Hoshigaki yanked Samehada from the ground and strode forward. "Suigetsu. Put him down."
Suigetsu froze. "What?"
"If you want him to live… put him down."
The command left no room for argument. Suigetsu obeyed without thinking.
Kisame released Samehada's hilt. Shushushushu… The sword's handle, adorned with a skull, snaked out. It coiled around Juugo's wrist.
Gulugulugulu…!
The Eight-Tails chakra absorbed by the chakra-eating slash poured into Juugo's body.
"Samehada's chakra regeneration is absolute," Kisame stated coldly. "As long as the heart's still beating, no matter how grave the injury, it'll heal completely. In seconds."
Gulugululu… Flesh buds sprouted from Juugo's severed midsection. His missing half regrew before their eyes.
From his vantage point, Obito frowned behind his mask. Kisame… you did something unnecessary.
Bee! The Eight-Tails roared internally. They're weakened! A Bijūdama now will finish them!
Killer B was uncharacteristically silent. "Sorry, bro… I can't. Even if they're enemies… I can't strike them down when they're helping each other."
You idiot. Don't regret it if they kill you later…
Killer B burst into a booming rap. "Yo~! Yo~! I'm a fool~, I break the rule~?~ Life and death~, just catch my breath~?~ The rapping shinobi's playlist~ has no 'Regret Track'! Rap like the wind~, with luck, I win~! Eight-Tails Killer B, rep myself to the end~~~~!"
The Eight-Tails sighed, but with a hint of fondness. You… are a hopelessly honorable fool. But that's exactly why I like you.
Kisame watched, noting Killer B's restraint. That octopus bastard… infuriatingly respectable. A shame. Whether you attack now or not… your fate today is sealed.
Shushushushu…!
Samehada injected the last drop of Eight-Tails chakra. Its swollen blade shrank back to normal size.
"..." Fully regenerated, Juugo stood. He tore off the tattered remains of his Akatsuki cloak. He picked up the one Kisame had discarded earlier, cut off the hem with a kunai, and wrapped it around himself. He looked at Kisame. "Thank you."
Kisame hefted Samehada onto his shoulder. "Don't. We're temporary allies. That's the only reason. I used the Eight-Tails chakra in Samehada to save you. You'd better prove you're worth the investment." His shark-like eyes narrowed. "Seems that little episode… triggered it for both you and Suigetsu. The Mangekyō Sharingan. I hope its power doesn't disappoint."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan??"
Suigetsu jolted, only now realizing the world through his eyes seemed… sharper. More detailed. "How do we know what abilities our eyes have???"
"I asked someone who awakened the same eyes once," Kisame replied. "He told me: 'Look at your heart with your eyes. Your heart will show you.'"
"Look at my heart…"
Suigetsu stared at his own chest. "I don't see anything. Do I have to cut my chest open??"
Beside him, Juugo fell into deep thought.
He had practiced meditation-like techniques before, trying to control his murderous urges. He'd failed, but the foundation was there.
He raised a hand, lightly covering his left eye. In his mind, he envisioned his own eye… gazing inward, into the core of his being.
A spark of understanding ignited.
"Ah… I see. This eye…"
"Shark does his job~! Octopus does his thing~! Homeless boy scouts~! Time to say goodbye…!!!"
FWOOOM! In the distance, Killer B reared his head. A Bijūdama began to coalesce once more.
Zzzt! Juugo looked up, gaze piercing the distance. Through his fingers, the four-leaf clover pattern of his Mangekyō spun and trembled, erupting with ocular power!!!
― Prasavati!
BOOOOOOM…!!!
The not-yet-fully-formed Bijūdama… detonated violently right above the Eight-Tails' gaping maw.
"GYAAAAAH…!!!"
The Eight-Tails crashed to the ground, head bleeding from its own attack.
Juugo crouched, clutching his searing left eye, sweat pouring down his face. "So this is the power of the Mangekyō… The strain… is immense!!"
Suigetsu: "What did you do…?"
Juugo gasped out: "Prasavati. It bestows misfortune. Any theoretically possible misfortune for the target, even with a one-in-a-million chance… will manifest as reality!!"
Suigetsu's eyes widened. "Then… that Bijūdama explosion just now…!"
"An extremely low-probability misfortune. For the Eight-Tails."
Bee! The Eight-Tails roared in their shared mindscape. What was that?! Letting your own Bijūdama blow up mid-formation—a rookie mistake! You're way past that stage!!!
Killer B groaned. "Agh… must've used it too many times today!! Octopus blunder~! Slap slap~!"
Lucky it wasn't at full size. Getting taken out by your own signature move… our enemies would die laughing.
FWOOOM!
The Eight-Tails staggered to its feet, shaking its throbbing head. It began gathering chakra for another Bijūdama!!
Juugo shouted, pain lacing his voice, "The window of inflicted misfortune… lasts only one minute! And the same specific misfortune won't repeat within that minute! End this fight… in the next forty seconds! It's up to you now…!!!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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