This is an Actor: Not a demon. I am a Soul Reaper.
Curly-haired Guy: Oh no, here we go again. These lame cold jokes aren't funny at all! And honestly, you're even worse than Aizen in some ways. At least Aizen wouldn't come up with something as messed up as "date a cactus," right?!
This is an Actor: You never know.
Curly-haired Guy: Hey! Don't go acting like you're really Aizen, you bastard! Aizen at least has some morals! …I think? He should have some, right?
Doujin Artist: Who are you even asking? You're the one who said it, and now you're doubting yourself? Are you okay in the head?
Curly-haired Guy: I don't know anymore! I have no idea what kind of person Aizen really is! A perverted housewife lover? A sadistic torturer? Damn it, my brain is breaking!
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Uh, aren't both of those just different flavors of messed up?
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Pretty much.
Li Mochou was catching on fast.
She didn't even need an explanation to understand what Gintoki meant.
Doujin Artist: Instead of "your brain is breaking," maybe it's more accurate to say you've never had a normal thought in your life. You silver-haired, naturally curly freak.
Curly-haired Guy: Excuse me?! I'll have you know I've been voted Kabukicho's Outstanding Citizen five years in a row! Show some respect, damn it!
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Isn't Kabukicho basically a red-light district? Getting that award there… doesn't really prove anything, does it?
Doujin Artist: If anything, it just means his mind is even more messed up than we thought. It might already be rotten.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Yeah. Rotten.
Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Welp, time to bury him on the spot.
Curly-haired Guy: You damn women!
Gintoki gritted his teeth in frustration.
But he had no comeback.
It was pure suffering.
Amegakure Village's Angel: I have to head out for a bit. You guys keep talking.
Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Where to?
Doujin Artist: Is Aizen making a move again?
Amegakure Village's Angel: Yeah. This time, the target is Kumogakure Village.
At that moment, in Kumogakure Village…
The Fourth Raikage, A, was leaning back in his chair, reading a letter under the dim light of his office.
As he read, his expression turned into one of pure disdain.
"Hmph. What nonsense."
*Boom.*
His right hand, still holding the letter, slammed onto the desk.
The wooden surface groaned under the force, letting out a deep, heavy sound.
Finishing the letter had put him in a foul mood.
He felt like someone was messing with him.
And honestly? He had every reason to think so.
According to the letter, some Konohagakure ninja named Aizen Sosuke planned to sneak into Kumogakure tonight and steal the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails?
What kind of joke was that?!
Aizen Sosuke…
Yeah, A knew him.
Half a year ago, at a diplomatic meeting between Kumogakure and Konohagakure, he had met the boy.
Brown hair, glasses, a bright, friendly smile.
During the event, the kid had even demonstrated his Genjutsu skills.
His talent was impressive, sure.
But that was all it was—talent.
Turning talent into real strength took years of training, discipline, and battle experience.
That kid was, what, barely thirteen? How strong could he even be?
A brat like that… trying to rob Kumogakure of its Tailed Beasts?
Unless the higher-ups in Konohagakure had lost their minds, there was no way they'd approve something this insane.
So was this letter just a bad prank? Or an attempt to stir up conflict?
And more importantly, the fact that it had been placed directly on his desk, without anyone noticing, meant someone had done it on purpose.
Whoever pulled that off…
Was no ordinary person.
Thoughts raced through his mind as A locked his eyes on the signature at the bottom of the letter. The Akatsuki? What kind of group was this? What were they trying to achieve by stirring up conflict between Kumogakure and Konohagakure?
One question after another swirled in A's mind, leaving the Fourth Raikage restless. He had a bad feeling—something big was about to happen.
Boom!
A deafening explosion suddenly shook the air.
A's expression changed as he quickly turned to look out the window. A blinding white light shot up from the southwestern part of the village.
"That's… Bee?!" A recognized the location immediately—it was his brother Killer Bee's home.
Crash!
With a sharp crack, A smashed the glass in front of him with a single punch. In the blink of an eye, his figure turned into a streak of blue lightning and disappeared.
Swish.
In mere moments, A arrived near Killer Bee's home.
Because Bee was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, he rarely interacted with the villagers. His home was tucked away deep in the forest, far from the crowd.
But now, the once lush green forest had been reduced to a barren wasteland. Killer Bee's house had been completely destroyed, leaving behind only scattered blackened debris. The smell of burning filled A's nose.
What happened here?
A's sharp eyes scanned the area. Where was Bee? Had he been fighting someone?
Then—
A's gaze locked onto something, his face showing utter disbelief.
A brown-haired boy with black-framed glasses stood in his line of sight. Beside him was a woman with short purple hair, her expression cold and unreadable.
"Ah, Raikage-sama." The boy spoke with a warm smile, his tone just as calm as the first time A had met him. "It's been over half a year. I'm glad to see you're still in good spirits."
"Aizen Sosuke?!" A froze, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Why was this Konohagakure ninja here, near Bee's home? Could it be true—was he really here to steal Kumogakure's tailed beast, just like the Akatsuki's letter had warned?
No. Impossible!
A refused to believe it.
His brother, Killer Bee, was a perfect Jinchuriki. He could fully transform into the Eight-Tails without losing control. There was no way some kid could defeat him.
More importantly, neither of them had a single scratch on them. Their clothes weren't even wrinkled.
They looked like they had just taken a casual stroll—there were no signs of a battle at all.
Then what caused the explosion? Where was Bee?
As that thought crossed his mind, A's pupils shrank.
He finally spotted his brother—lying completely still at Aizen and the woman's feet, covered in blood, barely breathing.
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