Sora, disguised as a medical-nin, sat on a chair in the infirmary and waited patiently.
Soon, there was a knock on the door.
B entered the infirmary.
"I'm here to get the medicine," he said.
Sora took out a piece of paper, pretended to make a record, and then removed the bottle of genjutsu pills Orochimaru had given him. He handed it to B.
"Please take this," he instructed.
B looked at the medicine doubtfully. "Is it different from what I usually take?"
Sora explained calmly, "This is a new drug. It will help you sleep well."
"Really? Thanks," B replied.
Without giving it much thought, B took the medicine and left.
Later that night, B had fallen into a deep sleep.
Sora entered B's room silently. Looking at the Jinchūriki's peaceful face, Sora whispered, "Now, let me fill that hole in your heart."
B's eyes suddenly snapped open at the sound, but Sora's hand immediately covered his mouth.
Sora revealed his true identity.
B tried to call out, but Sora's hand remained firmly over his mouth. He attempted to struggle, but found he couldn't summon any strength.
"It's useless," Sora said coldly. "What you took was a special genjutsu pill. Life as a Jinchūriki is painful, isn't it? You became a Jinchūriki for this village, yet you're discriminated against everywhere. That's unfair, don't you think?"
He continued, his voice emotionless, "To a Jinchūriki, this world simply isn't worth it. So let me free you from the restlessness and pain of being a Jinchūriki, with guidance from the realm of death."
Sora pulled open the clothes on B's chest, revealing the Iron Armor Seal that contained the Eight-Tails.
He raised his right hand, chakra condensing at his fingertips.
"Five Elements Unseal!"
Sora pressed his hand directly onto the Iron Armor Seal on B's chest.
"Now, come out, Eight-Tails. It's your turn to perform."
The Eight-Tails broke through the seal, bursting through the house and appearing above Kumogakure.
Sora stood on a nearby rooftop, his eyes already transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Fall under the Sharingan!"
Using genjutsu, Sora saw the Eight-Tails' eyes briefly mirror his own Mangekyō Sharingan pattern before returning to normal.
Now under his control, Sora directed the Eight-Tails to begin wreaking havoc throughout Kumogakure.
Sora positioned himself on a hilltop outside the village, watching with cold eyes as the Eight-Tails destroyed Kumogakure.
The tailed beast was like a natural disaster. In just a short time, it severely damaged the village and caused heavy casualties.
Kumo shinobi assembled their forces and attacked the Eight-Tails.
However, countless ninjutsu techniques rained down on the beast with little effect. The attacks neither hurt nor bothered the Eight-Tails, failing to stop its destruction.
Then the Third Raikage A arrived, leading a group of elite ninja.
"Lightning Style: Armor!" he shouted.
The Third Raikage concentrated Lightning Style chakra throughout his body, covering himself with a layer of chakra and lightning.
This technique, called "Lightning Style: Armor," could activate his body with lightning speed while greatly improving his defense. At the same time, the lightning surging through his body increased the speed of his nerve conduction.
As his Lightning Style chakra intensified, both his defense and speed increased proportionally.
The Third Raikage used lightning-fast movement to appear instantly above the Eight-Tails, delivering a powerful punch downward.
The Eight-Tails was knocked to the ground by the Third Raikage's blow.
Its massive body crashed into the earth, kicking up clouds of dust.
But the Eight-Tails had already begun to form a Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth.
If the Tailed Beast Bomb were successfully released within Kumogakure, the village would suffer catastrophic losses.
"Ultimate Lightning Style: Armor!" the Third Raikage roared.
His hair stood on end as he channeled his Lightning Style to its maximum output. This was the Third Raikage at full power.
He jumped with tremendous force, the ground beneath his feet cracking under the pressure.
The Third Raikage struck the Eight-Tails directly on its chin.
The Tailed Beast Bomb, not yet fully formed, was immediately disrupted.
"Restrain the Eight-Tails!" the Third Raikage ordered.
Elite ninja rushed forward with chains, attempting to bind the tailed beast.
However, the Eight-Tails' power was overwhelming. It broke the chains and killed several elite ninja with a single sweeping movement.
Then, right before A's eyes, the Eight-Tails' horns pierced through another elite ninja.
Seeing his comrade's tragic death, A's eyes burned with rage. He leapt directly toward the Eight-Tails.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain: Chop!"
A concentrated high-intensity electric current formed by Lightning Style chakra in his hand. He swooped down and sliced off the left horn of the Eight-Tails.
"A, move aside! Eight-Tails!" shouted the Third Raikage, holding a jar-like vessel.
The Eight-Tails roared in anger.
The lid of the jar opened automatically, and the Eight-Tails was sucked directly inside.
Sora narrowed his eyes when he saw this. It was one of the ninja tools left behind by the Sage of Six Paths—the Amber Purifying Pot.
The Amber Purifying Pot could seal anything into itself as long as it responded to the holder's words.
The Eight-Tails' rampage ended as quickly as it had begun.
Though the tailed beast had only appeared briefly, it had caused devastating damage to Kumogakure, demonstrating the immense power these creatures possessed.
Sora, watching from the mountaintop, looked thoughtful.
The Third Raikage's speed after activating his Ultimate Lightning Style: Armor was probably faster than Sora's Thunderbolt Flash technique.
A, even without activating Lightning Style Chakra Mode, had moved with impressive speed, only slightly slower than his normal pace.
If A had activated Lightning Style Chakra Mode, his speed would likely have matched Sora's own.
Sora sighed. "There are many people stronger than me right now. I still can't afford to be careless."
His mission was complete. While this operation wouldn't seriously damage Kumogakure's long-term strength, it would certainly keep them occupied for a while.
Sora turned and departed, making his way out of the Land of Lightning.
After learning that Sora's operation had succeeded, Orochimaru immediately led Konoha shinobi in a counterattack.
Due to the Eight-Tails' rampage in Kumogakure, the Kumo shinobi forces in the Land of Hot Springs were demoralized and were defeated by the Konoha shinobi under Orochimaru's command.
Previously, Konoha shinobi had struggled to hold the border. Now the situation had reversed, with Kumo shinobi forced to retreat.
When a tailed beast leaves its Jinchūriki's body, there can be only one outcome for the host—death.
B's death was inevitable after being separated from the Eight-Tails.
Kumogakure, due to strategic necessity and to maintain the balance of tailed beasts, needed to replace their Jinchūriki immediately.
A and the Third Raikage decided to seal the Eight-Tails into Killer B's body, making him the new Jinchūriki.
With Sunagakure and Kirigakure too preoccupied with their internal troubles, and Kumogakure having suffered serious losses from the Eight-Tails' rampage, the balance of power had shifted.
Sensing the change, Iwagakure began to avoid direct conflict with Konoha shinobi in the Land of Grass.
The entire ninja world had fallen into a strange, temporary peace.
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