That night, the moon waned, its light tilting, and the silvery glow quietly streamed in through the window.
Killer Bee lay beside A, eyes closed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. Slowly, his thoughts unconsciously drifted back to the time when he had just arrived in this world.
Back then, although he liked the environment of this world, at the same time, he also held a certain fear toward everything unfamiliar around him. Yes, it was fear. He believed that even if someone else were in his place, they wouldn't necessarily have handled it any better. After all, to be suddenly transported from the safe 21st century to this dangerous world—no one could possibly accept that so easily.
However, as time slowly passed, Killer Bee gradually began to adapt and even grow fond of this world. He liked the air, the environment, the food, and the lack of that restless urban atmosphere.
Over the course of the year, aside from Motoi, his good friend, he also took on a teacher. Speaking of Killer Bee's teacher, even he himself found it a bit unbelievable.
It happened on a moonlit night. Killer Bee still remembered that night clearly—he was feeling restless and had been swinging his blade randomly, trying to grasp the essence of swordsmanship. Yes, he was frustrated. Even after swinging the sword for a whole month, he couldn't get a feel for it. It was then that he realized how hard it was to learn kenjutsu without a mentor. He almost gave up.
"Would you like to become my disciple?" A voice suddenly rang out. Under the hazy moonlight, Killer Bee saw a man carrying a sword on his back. His sharp senses instantly told him that this man was a strong ninja.
There was no way Killer Bee would pass up such a golden opportunity. Without hesitation, he replied, "I would!" Before the man could even react, he knelt and bowed, leaving the man no room to back out. Just like that, he officially became his disciple.
And so, Killer Bee inexplicably gained himself a convenient teacher. Perhaps it was fate! Killer Bee didn't think too much about it.
Later, Bee learned through conversation that his teacher's name was Fukai, an elite jōnin of Kumogakure. In the moonlight, Bee looked up to study him. His master's shoulder-length hair was composed of two colors—green and white. There was also a purple paint mark on the left side of his face, making him rather memorable.
What Bee didn't know was that this man was actually the same teacher as Killer Bee in the original story, and also the current Eight-Tails jinchūriki of Kumogakure. Maybe this really was fate.
Time flew by. In just a few months under his teacher's guidance, Killer Bee's understanding of kenjutsu deepened. Interestingly, his teacher never taught him any actual sword techniques during this time—only theories and corrections to his improper sword form. He focused on refining Bee's accuracy in slashing, hacking, and other movements.
Even now, Bee kept practicing those basics. If his weapon broke, he would simply use another object to substitute it for practice. Only then did he begin to understand the essence of swordsmanship—and even created a pretty powerful technique of his own.
Of course, during this time, Bee didn't neglect his training in lightning control either.
That night, moonlight filtered through the curtains and draped Killer Bee in a silvery glow. Unknowingly, he fell asleep—until morning came…
"Bee, get up!" A's voice rang out.
Killer Bee rolled over, letting out an "Oh!" as he quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. Then, he took the clothes his big brother handed over and swiftly got dressed before following him closely.
The morning air was fresh and invigorating. Bee followed his big brother A as they headed toward the village gate. Through their conversation along the way, Bee learned that today was his brother A's turn to receive a mission with his partner. All he needed to do was buy breakfast and gather at the village gate.
After purchasing breakfast, the two quickly arrived at the gate and waited.
Whoosh! Almost as soon as they stood still, a figure appeared before them. Upon seeing Killer Bee standing beside A, the figure froze slightly, wearing a look of confusion. Just as he was about to speak, Killer Bee excitedly exclaimed:
"Teacher!"
When Bee saw the man, he finally realized—his teacher was actually his big brother's partner! He should have figured that out earlier. In Kumogakure, his teacher's kenjutsu was famous throughout the village. He couldn't believe he hadn't guessed it!
Hearing this, A was a bit stunned. After a moment, he said, "So you two know each other! You—Fukai, when did you take on a disciple? I didn't know at all."
Fukai responded, "Bee became my disciple last year—it's been almost a full year. Honestly, I'm not even sure how it happened. I was just passing by, and before I knew it, I had accepted him as my student."
Indeed, even he didn't quite know how to explain it. He was merely passing by at the time and inexplicably opened his mouth to take Bee as a disciple. They ended up talking a lot, and before he could process what was happening, Bee had already bowed and sworn himself in. There was no way out! If Bee hadn't been just a kid at the time, he would've thought he was under a genjutsu.
"Wait a minute."
Suddenly, Fukai frowned as if something had just occurred to him. "You didn't bring Bee along to do a mission with us, did you? He hasn't even graduated from the ninja academy yet! How's that supposed to work?"
"Haha," A laughed. "You really are my old friend—you guessed it right. But don't underestimate Bee. His chakra control is already at the level of a chūnin. Don't worry, just keep an eye on him. He'll be fine."
"Really?" Fukai replied with a skeptical tone. Then he turned to Bee and said, "You haven't slacked off on the basic movements I told you to practice, have you?"
Bee answered, "No way! I practice them for at least three hours every day! I even came up with a sword technique of my own. It's not perfect yet, but it's pretty powerful."
"Is that so?" Fukai took the breakfast A handed over and said, "Then let's find a time to see if you're bluffing."
"Mm," Bee nodded, continuing to eat his own breakfast.
At that moment, A, while munching on his food, asked, "Old partner, what kind of mission did you take today?"
Fukai glanced at Bee, then gave A a reassuring look and replied, "Just a C-rank mission. We're to guard the western border in Zone C for a month. It's a C-rank mission, but it could escalate to B or even A rank. After all, we're still in the middle of the Second Shinobi World War. According to the intel, Iwagakure ninjas have been getting bolder lately."
"Mm," A nodded in acknowledgment. Then, seeing that everyone had finished eating, he said, "Alright, let's move out."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! In the blink of an eye, the two adults and one child vanished from their spot.