Boom!
Time flew by. On the battlefield, the two figures fought like tireless machines.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their speed was swift, and their attacks were fierce. Sitting to the side and enjoying the scene, Fukai occasionally made a few comments, looking for all the world like someone watching a movie.
During the battle, "A" treated Killer Bee like a real enemy. Only this way could Bee quickly gain actual combat experience. As for whether Killer Bee lived or died, A didn't even need to consider it. Due to Bee's unique kekkei genkai (bloodline limit), A wasn't afraid of accidentally killing him. He kept increasing his speed and power, only ready to stop if Bee signaled before running out of chakra.
Drip. Time passed quickly. By the time their battle ended, the sky had already turned dark. Killer Bee lay on the ground, completely motionless, breathing heavily. Soon after, he fell asleep from exhaustion.
Howl—
That night, the forest echoed now and then with the cries of nightingales and other wild beasts.
Under the night sky, a full moon hung high like a disc, casting moonlight like flowing water. Under its glow, two figures could be seen racing through the forest. They were none other than Killer Bee's teacher and older brother, A. However, Bee was now fast asleep on A's back. By the time they reached their destination, it was already deep into the night.
Time passed, never to return.
In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by. During this mission, no new enemies appeared. In that month, under the "abuse" of his teacher and older brother, Killer Bee's combat experience skyrocketed. Thanks to Fukai's guidance, he also learned to combine lightning-style chakra with weapons. In just one month, he fully mastered this technique—something that greatly surprised Fukai.
After all, it had taken Fukai himself half a year to learn the same thing! What shocked him even more was that Killer Bee didn't just learn it—he actually surpassed him. When Bee infused a kunai with lightning, its power was more than double that of Fukai's own version. He couldn't make sense of it, unaware that Bee was using natural lightning—pure elemental chakra from nature—which naturally had much greater power.
Just like his teacher had said, Killer Bee was like a giant sponge, constantly absorbing all kinds of knowledge and experience. He was a person seemingly born for battle—like a beast in human skin.
A genius-level talent, unwavering determination, and a personality that refused to give up or admit defeat—all these qualities came together to create the Killer Bee of today.
After just one month of training, A couldn't even find a weakness in Bee during their fights. Unless he fought at full power, he couldn't defeat him. Otherwise, he'd just have to wait for Bee to run out of stamina and chakra. This was remarkable, considering A was at the peak of jonin level. Even when holding back, ordinary jonin were no match for him. This meant Killer Bee's strength had already reached the level of a regular jonin—aside from his chakra capacity, which was still only at the chunin level.
Yes, Killer Bee had indeed reached the strength of a regular jonin. Thanks to the boost from Sage Chakra, his chakra—though only chunin in volume—was of a completely different quality. With his mind-reading ability and abnormal regeneration, he functioned at the jonin level with ease.
In the forest, two streaks of lightning collided, occasionally accompanied by explosive sounds. The ground was riddled with craters and debris.
"Heavy Stream Storm!"A shouted, gathering chakra at his elbow. In an instant, he struck Killer Bee with thunderous speed, sending him flying into the air. Then he leapt upward, grabbed Bee, and roared:
"Liger Bomb!"
Boom!A gathered all his strength and chakra into one point and slammed Bee hard into the ground. With a thunderous explosion, a crater five meters wide appeared—but Killer Bee had seemingly vanished.
"Lightning Release: Hot Thunder."Killer Bee's voice suddenly rang out.
Boom!In a flash, A was knocked flying—right toward Fukai, who had been watching like a spectator at a show.
Killer Bee now stood where A had been, gasping for breath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet he laughed heartily:"Stupid big bro, I knew you'd try to sneak attack me! Good thing I used a Lightning Clone just as I got hit, and my real body turned into lightning and got away!"
"Single Blade Style: Steel Slash."A voice came from behind Bee—it was none other than his teacher.
Clink.That was the sound of a sword being sheathed.
"Ugh…"By the time Killer Bee realized what had happened, he had already been cut in two.
"Tsk.""I knew my student would try that move. Good thing I used a Shadow Clone as bait," said his teacher with a smirk, provoking Bee into frustration—but there was nothing he could do.
"All right, all right," Fukai said. "Bee's chakra is almost depleted. Let's call it a day. Tomorrow we rotate back to the village. Since you've performed so well, big bro here approves your application for the chunin exams."
"Yeah!"Killer Bee cheered. "I'm finally getting paid!"
———
That night, under the hazy moonlight, a small figure lay on a mat, sleeping soundly. Not far away, two middle-aged men were chatting. The sleeping one was Bee, while the others were his teacher and older brother.
Over the past month, Fukai felt this had been the most peaceful time since becoming a Jinchūriki. Ever since he was made a host for the Eight-Tails, he constantly struggled to keep control of his body, as the beast tried to take over. Life had been difficult. Every three days, he needed medicine to suppress the tailed beast. But strangely, during this past month, the Eight-Tails had quieted down—so much that Fukai no longer even needed the medicine. Life had become easier.
Inside the Eight-Tails' mind:This past month had been peaceful. Through Fukai's body, it had observed a child who reminded it of the Sage of Six Paths. Yes, it could sense the boy's aura through Fukai—a natural aura. The Eight-Tails could feel that the boy's chakra was of the lightning element, and the purity of that lightning was even greater than that of the Sage of Six Paths. It was deeply curious.
How could all the chakra in Killer Bee's body be composed of pure natural energy? Natural energy was notoriously hard to control—one small mistake could result in the body exploding. But what surprised it most was that Bee's natural aura calmed its own rage. Sometimes, it thought: if only this boy were its Jinchūriki—it could become friends with him, just like it once did with the Sage of Six Paths.Sometimes… it even wondered… what if…