Yamanaka Shinno frowned as he recalled the battle against Dodai and the results of his wide-range sensory detection.
At the time, the Third Raikage and his son were the first to rush toward Dodai's residence.
Killer B followed slightly behind them.
Several other elite Kumogakure shinobi had also moved in the direction of Dodai's residence upon hearing the commotion.
The key issue was that Shinno hadn't sensed any particularly strong presence around Killer B. There were no assassins nearby who could pose a real threat to him.
Then how...
Did he lose control?
Why?
Shinno was certain that there was no record of Killer B losing control after becoming a Jinchūriki.
In the original story, by the time of the Third Great Ninja War, Killer B had already mastered the Eight-Tails' power well enough to fight alongside the future Fourth Raikage against Namikaze Minato.
To reach that level, the first step was getting his body accustomed to the Tailed Beast's chakra.
Then he needed to subdue the beast in direct combat before finally achieving a mutual understanding with it.
None of that could be done overnight.
Even Naruto, the destined protagonist, took three years of training under Jiraiya before he could even start controlling the Four-Tails transformation of the Nine-Tails.
While the Eight-Tails wasn't as powerful as the Nine-Tails, it was still not to be underestimated.
By that logic, at this point in time, Killer B should have at least adjusted to the Eight-Tails' chakra and established some basic communication with it.
So why did he suddenly lose control?
Did he fall into the same trap as the previous Jinchūriki, Blue B?
...
"What exactly happened?"
The Third Raikage's expression was heavy. With his arms crossed over his chest, he exuded an imposing aura that made the surrounding shinobi tremble in fear.
"Boss, there was nothing unusual with Lord Killer B before tonight," the Anbu tasked with guarding Killer B reported cautiously. "He was preparing to assist Elder Dodai, but for some reason, the moment he stepped out the door, he twisted his ankle... When he tried to leap onto the roof, he smashed his head into the eaves—"
The Anbu's voice trailed off as his expression turned increasingly bizarre beneath his mask.
Twisting his ankle could be considered an accident. Hitting his head due to a misstep? That could still be chalked up to bad luck.
But after landing, he staggered and fell straight into a filthy drainage ditch.
Before he could even get up, a chunk of the roof he had just broken off came crashing down on him, slamming him face-first into the muck, forcing him to take a mouthful of sludge.
In just under three minutes, one absurd mishap after another had occurred without pause.
And the end result...
Killer B lost control.
Then, after thrashing around for a while, just as the Third Raikage and the others arrived and Killer B was about to pass out—
The Eight-Tails inexplicably retracted itself back inside.
"..."
The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed as he glared at the Anbu.
Was this some kind of joke?
Could a person really be that unlucky?
Losing control out of nowhere, then regaining it just as suddenly when he arrived on the scene—
Did that even make sense?
Was the Eight-Tails scared of him or something?
Impossible.
That stubborn beast never backed down. Even when he fought it to exhaustion and sealed it away, the Eight-Tails never once admitted defeat.
"I think I get it now..."
Shinno's ears perked up as he listened in on the hushed conversation taking place near the massive crater. Quietly, he deactivated the effect of his black trait: Ominous Duel.
Ominous Duel (Black): When activated, if anyone within the user's sensory range issues a 1v1 challenge, the target is compelled to accept. Both combatants lose all fate-related advantages, and they enter a state of misfortune, greatly increasing the probability of mistakes, illness, accidents, injuries, and even death.
The trait had been active for a while now.
But Shinno had never actually issued a direct challenge to anyone, nor had anyone challenged him. He had also refrained from using large-scale sensory jutsu to avoid exposing himself.
Who would've thought...
Tsk.
Killer B must have gotten himself caught up in it.
He probably had some casual banter with the Eight-Tails before heading to assist Dodai.
And then...
Disaster struck.
...
The Third Raikage's face was dark with frustration. It took considerable effort to suppress his growing rage.
His gaze flickered toward Dodai, who was being carried on a stretcher, followed closely by over a dozen barefooted shinobi. His voice was low and commanding as he asked,
"Any leads?"
"None. The enemy has likely already withdrawn."
"Who do you suspect?"
"At first, I thought it was Konoha," Dodai admitted. "Given my position and the enemy's use of kenjutsu and ninjutsu, Konoha seemed like the most likely suspect. But no—it's not them."
"Speak plainly."
The Third Raikage frowned at Dodai's reluctance to get to the point. If not for the fact that the man had just survived an assassination attempt and suffered irreparable injuries, he would have lost his patience already.
"We have two layers of protective barriers—one on the surface and one underground. There aren't many ways to bypass them without triggering an alarm," Dodai explained. "Moments ago, our Anbu detected lingering chakra traces of the Hydrification Technique near a ruptured underground water pipe."
"Our Anbu are currently tracking it."
"...Kirigakure?"
A cold glint flashed in the Third Raikage's eyes as his suppressed Lightning Release chakra flared dangerously within him.
Including last night's attack on Reidby, there had already been ten assassination attempts.
Aside from Dodai, who barely survived, every other target was dead.
Had it not been for Dodai's testimony, the mixed traces of Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind Release at the crime scenes would have naturally led them to suspect Konoha first.
But now, the most critical piece of evidence pointed directly at Kirigakure—
As if the other clues were left deliberately to mislead them.
And Killer B's sudden episode...
It reminded him of B's mysterious rampage in the past.
No memory, no reason, no clues even upon reflection.
Kirigakure!
This was their doing, wasn't it?!
Faced with repeated provocations, the Third Raikage's anger finally exploded.
It had been years since Kumogakure last experienced a mass assassination campaign of this scale.
"If Kirigakure wants war—then we'll give them war!"
His sharp gaze swept across the gathered Kumogakure higher-ups, their eyes already blazing with fury. His cold voice carried a chilling finality.
From his perspective, the truth was already clear.
Kirigakure would never admit to what they had done. Their inquiries from the previous night would yield no meaningful response.
In that case, he would let his fists do the talking!
Ding!
S-Rank Mission 'Alter Kumogakure's Strategic Target, Instigate War with Another Nation'—Completed.
Rewards: Trait Extraction x2, Trait Gift x1, Random White Trait Upgrade x1.
Hearing the familiar system notification, Shinno watched from afar as the crowd of enraged Kumogakure shinobi roared in agreement.
He smirked to himself.
Just a single declaration, and the system considered the mission complete.
The Third Raikage's influence really was unparalleled.
As for Kirigakure...
They were about to get hit with a massive, steaming pile of blame.
Kirigakure:We swear we're innocent!!!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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