There were no man-made paths around the mountains near Cloud and Thunder Gorge. All the peaks shot straight up from the ground, looking almost exactly the same.
Even though it was technically inside Kumogakure, the place was completely empty and wild.
Thick clouds and mist covered the area below the mountains, making it impossible to see what was underneath.
But below those steep cliffs, endless rivers ran through the land.
Hatake Satoru moved swiftly through the high mountains, stretching the range of his Six Eyes to the limit.
Most of the buildings in Kumogakure Village have a unique style. For example, the surrounding mountains are a bit shorter,
while the Raikage Building stands taller than everything around it.
But clearly, the Cloud and Thunder Gorge is even more special—
It seems to have been built to stay hidden.
It's set lower than the rest of the village, tucked deep in the mist so the whole place is hard to spot.
Through the countless glowing lights that could be sensed in the distance, Hatake Satoru dropped straight down from the mountaintop.
The mist in the clouds was already damp, making his messy, fluffy hair even more out of control.
Hatake Satoru stood in the clearing, looking up at the words "Cloud and Thunder Gorge,"
with golden dragon patterns curling along the sides of the stairs.
"Just as I thought—this place isn't easy to find."
He rolled up his sleeves, then pulled a firework out of his pocket. He lit it, and it shot into the sky.
*Fsshhh!*
A small, colorful firework popped in the quiet gorge.
A few minutes later, a man with several swords on his back came out of the building at the top of the stairs, mumbling to himself.
"You i—diot, you jer—k."
"Lighting fireworks at someone's door is a bad habit. Don't bother people when they're training."
The man's feet shuffled and tapped as he swayed back and forth on the steps.
Wearing sunglasses, he looked down at Hatake Satoru.
Dark skin, pale yellow hair, and a much stronger build than normal—
He was clearly the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki still training at the gorge: Killer Bee.
Kimimaro landed next to Hatake Satoru, but couldn't quite stop himself and stumbled forward a couple steps.
The first thing Kimimaro saw was Killer Bee swaying on the stairs.
He looked at Hatake Satoru in confusion.
"How does he not fall when his feet are fighting each other like that?"
"Just don't copy him and you'll be fine~"
Hatake Satoru smiled and patted Kimimaro on the shoulder.
A white-haired man and a pale kid—an odd pair.
They were both wearing outsider armbands, yet here they were, walking into a restricted area. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed suspicious.
Killer Bee suddenly jumped off the stairs while rapping.
"Who are you, and why'd you come to the Cloud and Thunder Gorge?"
"This place is off-limits. Outsiders aren't allowed in."
"Come into my zone without asking, and you're asking for trouble!"
As Killer Bee charged down, a red-handled sword dropped from the air straight toward Hatake Satoru's head.
But Hatake Satoru still had a calm, relaxed smile on his face. Not even a hint of panic.
"No rap talent at all, but you sure seem to be enjoying yourself," he said.
Kimimaro's green eyes narrowed. He placed a hand on his left arm, and a pale bone blade grew out from it.
Hatake Satoru's shadow flickered—
and he dodged the falling sword in an instant.
What!?
He disappeared that fast from such a short distance!?
Killer Bee was slightly shocked, though he didn't show much on his face.
After all, anyone who could find him all the way out here clearly wasn't just some random person.
Hatake Satoru jumped and kicked the falling blade, using the force to launch himself forward,
then reached out and stopped Kimimaro from moving.
"I'll borrow this for a bit, okay? Be good and stay out of the way~"
"Let the grown-ups handle the fighting. Kids don't need to get involved."
Hatake Satoru took the bone sword from Kimimaro's hand and patted his shoulder, signaling him to step aside.
It's not like he was here to fight the Eight-Tails anyway.
But if Kimimaro got serious right now, things could get out of hand.
It actually doesn't bring any real benefit.
"I'm not very good at this, you know."
"But you've got all those blades, and I've got nothing—doesn't that seem kinda unfair~?"
Even though the Limitless Technique can block all attacks, with Killer Bee's speed and frequency of strikes,
if Hatake Satoru kept using it, he'd run out of energy first.
With that in mind, Hatake Satoru rarely chose to pick up Kimimaro's bone blade.
He'd never used something like this before, but trying it out once in a while wasn't a bad idea.
Hatake Satoru gave the bone blade a quick, smooth spin in his hand. Across from him, Killer Bee had already placed several swords across his body.
Killer Bee stood on one leg, swords tucked under his arms and legs, looking like he was covered in spikes.
"You don't have talent—you just don't get my rhythm."
"It's fine if you don't understand me. Not many people do."
As soon as he finished speaking, Killer Bee spun forward like a spiked top, charging straight at Hatake Satoru.
The constantly shifting blades seemed to come from every direction, stabbing rapidly at Hatake Satoru.
Though his technique was still a bit rough, he made up for it with his agile movements. His lack of polish didn't hurt him much.
*Clang, clang, clang.*
After a series of sharp metallic sounds, Hatake Satoru quickly spun the bone blade in his hand, blocking each of Killer Bee's attacks from all sides.
He barely moved at all, not even trying to attack.
Not because he couldn't fight back—but because he wasn't even taking this seriously!
Killer Bee quickly caught on to that. He spun the blades in his hands faster, looking for an opening.
"Are you underestimating me? Just swinging a sword around like that isn't gonna cut it."
"Of course not—! I just don't see the point~."
Hatake Satoru suddenly stopped moving. He rested the bone blade on the ground and gave Killer Bee a playful grin.
Then, he raised a hand and blocked the tip of Killer Bee's incoming blade with his bare palm.
Killer Bee raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what kind of trick Hatake Satoru was trying to pull, but his attack wasn't just one sword.
In that moment, the rest of the swords on his body all shot toward Hatake Satoru.
There was no way anyone could dodge that many blades coming at once.
Killer Bee stepped back a few paces, the corners of his mouth rising slightly. His sunglasses-covered eyes stayed locked on Hatake Satoru.
"——"
All the blades stopped dead just inches from Hatake Satoru, like they had hit an invisible wall.
Then, all at once, they dropped to the ground with a clatter.
"No way!?"
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