Chapter 80: A Perfect Stealth is Taking Out Everyone Who Sees You

"Hey, hey, do you think I'm an idiot? Who exactly are you two?!" Killer Bee paused, his expression quickly shifting to one of irritation.

While Killer Bee did love rapping, it wasn't his whole life. The Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village, and his older brother Ay were far more important to him than music.

At this moment, especially during a war between the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Leaf, Killer Bee had no reason to believe these two suspicious individuals were fans of his music.

 Kenichi felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Isn't Killer Bee supposed to be a fool? How is it that no matter what he says, Killer Bee isn't buying it? But fortunately, Kenichi had other ideas up his sleeve.

While talking to Killer Bee, Kenichi had already planned his next move. If one explanation didn't work, he'd try another. And if none of them worked, they'd have to fight.

"We're actually members of the Akatsuki. We came here to ask if your village has any intention of hiring mercenaries for the war," Kenichi said, smiling as he rubbed his hands together.

Sasori gave Kenichi a strange look but said nothing. What Kenichi had said wasn't entirely wrong, except for the last part.

"Akatsuki? Mercenaries?" Killer Bee frowned at Kenichi. He hadn't heard of an organization like that in the ninja world.

But rogue ninja groups weren't uncommon. Most rogue or missing ninjas took on bounty missions to survive.

Being a ninja was an expensive lifestyle. While they earned a lot, they also spent a lot, often living with their lives on the line. Death could come at any moment.

This made ninjas quick spenders, with few bothering to save money unless they were confident in their survival.

Of course, those with families or clans might save up.

"I definitely can't be a spy for the Hidden Leaf. Look, I'm an A-rank rogue ninja, wanted by them." Kenichi could see that Killer Bee was still doubtful, so he removed his mask to prove his credibility.

"I don't know you," Killer Bee said dismissively, waving his hand. Kenichi scratched his nose. It seemed he wasn't famous enough in the ninja world and was still relatively unknown.

Sasori, prepared for battle, realized that negotiation was likely out of the question.

But soon, he noticed Kenichi walking forward and making a hand gesture behind his back—a quick alternation of his index and middle fingers pointing downward.

Sasori hesitated for a moment, then understood what his friend meant.

"Lord Killer Bee, may I ask what you think about rhyming? I've always wanted to learn to rap, but I just can't get the rhyming part down," Kenichi asked with a smile, stopping after taking only a couple of steps, keeping a safe distance.

Killer Bee's mind instinctively shifted to thinking about rhymes, and at that moment, he saw a pair of eyes—a pair of Sharingan with three tomoe spinning slowly.

"Let's go!" Kenichi immediately grabbed Sasori, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave quickly. There was no choice but to run. Even though he had a three-tomoe Sharingan and had distracted Killer Bee, how long he could control the Eight-Tails was a big question.

Sure enough, within five seconds of their escape, a deafening roar echoed from the forest. Kenichi touched his nose. Could he only control him for five seconds?

But five seconds were enough for them to get away. As they fled, Kenichi quickly entered Sage Mode, boosting his physical abilities and increasing his escape speed, allowing them to shake off Killer Bee.

"That guy was such a pain," Kenichi muttered, sitting down with Sasori among a group of merchants.

After running for a while, they had encountered a group of merchants from the Land of Lightning. Kenichi captured two of them, disguised himself and Sasori using their faces, and disposed of the bodies.

Now, they were just ordinary merchants from the Land of Lightning, heading to the Hidden Cloud Village to handle the transportation of supplies.

"I kind of wanted to test his strength," Sasori grumbled, dissatisfied with having to flee. He felt like he could've taken Killer Bee on.

"That's the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki," Kenichi replied with a bitter smile. How strong was Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails? Without a doubt, he was beyond Kage-level. Even a typical Kage would struggle to defeat him.

Of course, someone as powerful as the First Hokage wouldn't be included in that comparison. Even among Kage-level ninjas, the gap between the strong and the weak could be massive—sometimes as wide as the gap between a Genin and a Jonin.

"So, we're really just sneaking in like this?" Sasori glanced around. These merchants would soon reach the Hidden Cloud Village, where they'd deliver supplies and take on transportation tasks.

"Yes, this is the easiest way. The Hidden Cloud is on high alert due to the war. Patrols and security will be tight," Kenichi nodded. Although there were other ways to sneak in.

For instance, they could cut down everyone they encountered and sneak in undetected. That would be the perfect stealth, but it would take too much time and might attract the attention of the A-B Combo.

Moreover, the Hidden Cloud had another Jinchuriki, the Two-Tails. Drawing their attention would be troublesome.

It was easier to blend in with ordinary people. With so many of them around, it would be hard for anyone to notice Kenichi and Sasori hiding among them.

Kenichi remembered his master's success sneaking into the Hidden Leaf, despite the presence of Byakugan users. So, Kenichi was confident this plan would work in the Hidden Cloud as well.

Just as expected, they encountered numerous patrols and inspections along the way. The closer they got to the Hidden Cloud Village, the more frequent these checks became, with more and more ninjas patrolling the area.

"Most of the Hidden Cloud ninjas are muscle-bound guys," Kenichi remarked, amused by the sight of the brawny Cloud Village ninjas.

He always believed that Hidden Cloud ninjas were the best test subjects. Their strong physiques meant they could endure more pain during experiments and survive longer, which might lead to breakthroughs.

This time, Kenichi planned to take advantage of the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Leaf war to capture as many Cloud ninjas as possible. That way, his lab would never run out of subjects.

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The research paper on the LK-99 material has been retracted. Although the researchers from that country claim it isn't room-temperature superconductive, it still requires further investigation from other nations.