That single punch
instantly gave the Eight-Tails the same sense of helplessness that Matatabi had just felt.
What kind of monster hits like this?
So the Eight-Tails had no choice but to let Killer B try to escape.
After all,
if the Jinchūriki dies,
the tailed beast inside would die too,
and it would take time for it to naturally reincarnate in the wild.
There was no point in that—
the tailed beast had no desire to regrow.
Seeing this,
Killer B tried to run.
But that punch
had practically churned his internal organs like a blender.
Where would he even find the strength to escape?
The Eight-Tails, realizing this,
had no choice but to take over directly.
As a tailed beast, its tolerance was naturally far stronger than the Jinchūriki's.
Facing Baiye, still in his punching stance,
the Eight-Tails' only thought was:
Run.
There was no reason to fight this monster.
With that in mind,
it wrapped itself in its tails,
using its enormous body as a center, and began spinning wildly.
"Tailed Beast Eight-Spiral!"
The violent rotation generated a massive tornado,
with rocks, trees, and debris whipped up into the whirlwind,
instantly multiplying its power several times over.
But for Baiye,
this had no effect at all.
He remained standing calmly,
unmoved by the hurricane sweeping across the land.
'As expected… a monster.'
Seeing that his attack was useless,
the Eight-Tails' resolve to escape only strengthened.
The tornado grew larger,
reaching the desired intensity.
The Eight-Tails knew: the time had come.
"Take this!!!"
With a roar,
ink erupted from its tentacles,
caught up in the whirlwind,
and instantly dyed the entire tornado black.
Seizing the moment,
the Eight-Tails used the tornado's force
to launch itself forward.
Its massive body became like a cannonball,
propelled by the powerful centrifugal force,
achieving maximum speed in an instant.
"Success!!!"
The Eight-Tails rejoiced.
At this speed, it had a real chance to escape.
"Whoa, pretty fast, huh~"
"Showing off a bit too~"
Just as the Eight-Tails thought it had made its getaway,
a familiar voice reached its ears.
The teasing tone… even while flying,
sent chills down its spine.
Glancing to the side with effort,
the Eight-Tails saw Baiye calmly flying beside it.
At that sight,
a suffocating sense of dread washed over it.
How could it possibly fight this?
But desperate to escape,
the Eight-Tails fired a rapid series of instant Tailed Beast Bombs at Baiye.
Boom—
Boom, boom—
The furious bombardment forced the Eight-Tails to slow down.
But to its despair,
through the explosions,
Baiye emerged perfectly unharmed from the smoke,
a look of mild impatience on his face.
"This is over…!"
"What kind of monster is this?!"
Panicked, the Eight-Tails fled frantically,
its massive body smashing through the forest.
But for the already bored Baiye,
this was painfully slow.
Boom!!!
With a deafening crash,
the Eight-Tails' fleeing form was knocked backward.
Baiye had somehow appeared in front of it,
and a single punch sent it flying back.
And that wasn't the end.
Terrified,
the Eight-Tails was pummeled relentlessly,
each strike driving unbearable pain through its body.
It wailed uncontrollably.
Before Baiye could knock it out,
the Eight-Tails retreated back into Killer B.
Originally, the Eight-Tails had hoped to trick Baiye,
maybe lose a limb, and escape.
But Baiye, familiar with all Naruto plot twists,
knew exactly where the Eight-Tails would try to run.
Trying to sever a leg for escape might fool a second-rate opponent,
but to prevent escape,
Baiye had used his super speed beforehand
to tie all eight of the Eight-Tails' legs together.
Only then did the relentless pounding begin.
Seeing that escape was impossible,
the Eight-Tails gave up struggling,
shrinking back entirely into Killer B.
The large clearing was left with only an unconscious Killer B.
Seeing this,
Baiye, now thoroughly bored,
simply picked up Killer B and returned to the camp.
After the hurricane the Eight-Tails had created,
the cloud-village front-line camp was completely destroyed,
leaving only a spiral-patterned terrain behind.
Konoha's camp, however, remained intact,
thanks to earth-style ninjas reinforcing it in preparation for the battle,
avoiding unnecessary losses.
"They're back! They're back!!"
"Master Baiye!!!"
"We won! We won!!!"
"Woohoo!! Long live Master Baiye!!"
Watching Baiye fly in holding Killer B,
the Konoha shinobi cheered loudly.
Among them,
some faces were sour—
Itachi Uchiha and others,
rushed over in a panic to protect the Jinchūriki,
only to find the subject whisked away.
Left dumbfounded,
they could only follow in hot pursuit.
Arriving at the camp,
they witnessed Baiye wreaking havoc.
The terrifying display of strength—
wielding the Two-Tails like a weapon—
made Itachi wonder aloud:
"Grandpa Third Hokage… does this monster really need us Genin-level shinobi to protect
it?"
Meanwhile, Izumi Uchiha and others busied themselves
preparing Baiye's camp.
After all,
as a personal maid, everything from food to shelter had to be perfectly arranged.
With their first victory secured,
Konoha held a celebratory feast,
allowing the troops to relax briefly before the impending war.
Watching the joyful faces around him,
and the Uchiha family mingling in,
Itachi felt a pang of confusion.
He remembered Shisui's last words,
his own original plans…
But in this time, with his family changing,
and the village's attitude shifting,
Itachi no longer knew where he stood.
Everything was indeed moving in a positive direction—
then what was the meaning of Shisui's death?
If Baiye knew what Itachi was thinking,
he'd have plenty to say:
"I didn't expect it, and by the time I did… Shisui was gone. Besides, I just got stronger being
a spoiled brat. Grandpa Danzo never controlled Shisui's eyes, so how could I be spoiled?
How could Danzo turn into the image in my mind?"
Compared to Itachi,
Baiye's camp was far more lively.
"Why did you bring her in here?"