Chapter 14: The Eye of the Storm
The idyllic image of Kumogakure, a village nestled among peaks that kissed the clouds, was shattered. Now, it was a portrait of pandemonium. The ground trembled with every earth-shaking step the Tailed Beasts took, their roars drowning out the frantic screams of the populace. Buildings, once proud structures of stone, crumbled into avalanches of debris, choking the streets with thick, grey dust.
For the shinobi of the Cloud, this was not a time for panic. It was a time for action.
"Section Gamma, secure the eastern district! Prioritize the academy! Get the children out first!" a chunin commander yelled, his voice hoarse. "Section Delta, with me! We create a perimeter! Containment is our only objective!"
From a high vantage point, Darui, one of the Raikage's most trusted shinobi, watched the chaos unfold, a grim look on his face. The air crackled faintly around him, not with the energy of the battling titans, but with his own tightly controlled lightning chakra.
"Dull," he muttered, his usual apathy replaced by a razor-sharp focus. "This is all sorts of dull."
A younger shinobi landed beside him, his face pale. "Lord Darui, what are your orders? We can't get close! Their chakra is… it's monstrous."
Darui didn't take his eyes off the battlefield. "The Raikage needs to know. C!"
A tall, blonde-haired ninja appeared in a flicker. "I'm on it. Sending a high-speed messenger now."
"Good," Darui said. He then pointed towards a residential block directly in the path of Shukaku's rampage. A multi-story apartment building was groaning, its foundation fractured. "Forget the beasts for a moment. Save the people."
With a burst of speed, Darui and his squad vanished, reappearing amidst the screaming civilians. As a huge chunk of the building's facade broke loose, threatening to crush a panicked family, Darui's hands flashed through seals.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
A panther made of crackling black lightning erupted from his hand, leaping into the air and shattering the massive piece of concrete into a thousand harmless pebbles. "Now move!" he commanded, his voice a calm, authoritative anchor in the storm of fear.
---
The battle between brothers raged on, oblivious to the mortals scrambling beneath them.
Shukaku, maddened with the thrill of freedom and destruction, pounded his chest. The percussive sound was like a war drum. "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
A sphere of hyper-compressed wind shot from his mouth, not aimed at Gyūki, but at the village itself. It tore through a row of shops, the concussive force turning them to splinters.
Gyūki roared in fury, not with battle lust, but with protective rage. "You've lost your mind, Shukaku! These are B's people!"
He coiled his massive tentacles around himself, spinning with incredible velocity. "Tailed Beast Eight Twists!"
The resulting tornado was immense, a vortex of wind that acted as a shield, catching the second of Shukaku's air bullets and deflecting it harmlessly into the sky. The sheer pressure of the wind, however, flattened the already damaged structures around him.
"They are insects!" Shukaku shrieked. "And you are a fool for protecting them!"
---
Miles away, in the Raikage's heavily fortified office, the Fourth Raikage, Ay, slammed his fist on his desk, the solid oak groaning in protest.
"Report!" he boomed, his muscular frame radiating impatience.
A messenger ninja, breathless and covered in dust, knelt before him. "Lord Raikage! It's an emergency! The One-Tail has materialized in the center of the village! Lord B has transformed into the Hachibi to engage it!"
Ay's head snapped up, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and pure fury. "Sunagakure's beast?! In my village?! What is the status of the battle?"
"Lord Gyūki is holding the line, but the collateral damage is catastrophic!" the messenger replied, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"B…" Ay growled, his voice a low thunder. The air around him exploded with an aura of blue lightning, his hair standing on end as he activated his Lightning Release Armour. The sheer pressure cracked the walls of his office. "I'm going myself!"
Without another word, he burst through the wall of his own office, a blur of lightning and rage streaking across the mountaintops towards the heart of his besieged village.
---
Back in the village, Darui's team had successfully cleared a sector. He watched as Shukaku swatted away a barrage of kunai from a nearby squad as if they were flies.
"His sand is absolute," C noted, appearing at Darui's side. "Conventional attacks are useless."
"Then we don't use conventional attacks," Darui replied. He drew his massive cleaver, the broadsword gleaming. "C, buy me an opening."
C nodded. He flashed through hand signs, and a blinding light erupted from his body, aimed directly at Shukaku's eyes. The giant tanuki roared, momentarily disoriented.
That was all the time Darui needed. He charged forward, his body coated in lightning. "Gale Style: Laser Circus!"
Multiple beams of light shot from his hands, curving around Shukaku's sand defenses to strike his body directly. Simultaneously, a dozen other Cloud Jonin unleashed a coordinated assault of high-level Lightning and Water Release jutsu.
The attacks struck home, causing Shukaku to stagger back. But it was only for a moment. He laughed, the sand on his body reforming instantly. "Annoying gnats! Is that all you have?!"
He raised a colossal sandy claw, preparing to bring it down upon them.
---
High above, Naruto took a slow, deliberate sip from his drink, a look of profound satisfaction on his face. He watched the black lightning, the blinding genjutsu, the Raikage's approach, the terror, the destruction. It was all so perfect.
Beautiful, he thought to himself, a genuine, serene smile gracing his lips. Just beautiful. Look at them scramble. Look at them fight back. This is the truth of their world.
Kurama's voice was a low grumble in his mind. You've done it. You've pushed them to the brink. Are you satisfied?
Naruto's smile widened, his sharp fangs glinting in the chaotic light of the battle below. He lowered his binoculars, his gaze shifting from the village to the Raikage's now-empty fortress in the distance.
Satisfied? Oh, no, my dear furball,Naruto thought, his eyes gleaming with a cold, predatory light. I've only just set the stage. With the king off the board, the castle is left undefended.
This was never about Kumo. It was about creating an opening.
He chuckled softly, a sound that was utterly lost in the maelstrom below.
Time to collect my prize.