The Land of Water was shrouded in thick mist, casting an eerie, oppressive atmosphere over Kirigakure.
Ever since the Fourth Mizukage took power, the village had been ruled by fear.
Bloodline clans were massacred, and the brutal graduation exams had earned it the infamous title the "Village of the Bloody Mist."
At this moment, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, sat in his office. He looked like a child, but his true age was far beyond his appearance.
Standing before him were the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the elite warriors of Kirigakure. Each possessed powerful strength, making them Mizukage's deadliest weapons.
Leading them was Biwa Juzo, wielding the great Executioner blade.
"Mizukage-sama, are we finally declaring war on Konoha?"
Excitement flickered in Biwa Juzo eyes, and the other Swordsmen behind him also has the same bloodthirsty anticipation.
In Kirigakure, no one rose to power without blood on their hands.
And the Seven Swordsmen Mizukage's sharpest blades were the most eager for battle.
Kirigakure had been the only big nation to avoid large-scale conflict in the ongoing ninja wars. If they didn't act now, Konoha would only continue to grow stronger.
Under this mounting pressure, Yagura made his decision.
"Anbu has captured the current Hokage's disciple. My plan is to implant the Three-Tails into him, use a special technique to control it, and ultimately detonate it in Konoha."
It was a simple yet ruthless plan—sacrificing a tailed beast to strike a devastating blow against Konoha, which had grown stronger than ever.
However, Biwa Juzo has a concern.
"Mizukage-sama, Konoha currently controls four tailed beasts. They likely have experience dealing with them, don't they?"
He didn't say the other part out loud that the plan could backfire, with Konoha capturing the Three-Tails instead.
But Yagura remained unfazed. He shook his head and spoke with confidence.
"Don't worry. I'm sure."
"With the life of the Three-Tails as the price, we can turn Konoha to the ground."
Hearing this, Biwa Juzo said no more. But another member of the Seven Swordsmen, the massive Fuguki Suikazan, grinned in excitement.
"I heard Konoha has a new Hokage Hanyu Simu."
Lifting Samehada, still wrapped in bandages, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"His chakra must be delicious."
Even Samehada trembled slightly, as if eager for the feast.
"Good. Prepare yourselves," Yagura ordered.
"When the time comes, your forces will tear through Konoha's defenses and send the Three-Tails in."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
Without another word, the Seven Swordsmen swiftly left to carry out their mission.
Yagura stood in the middle of his office, gazing at the Mist Village, shrouded in its ever-present fog.
Suddenly, his light red pupils darkened into a deep blood-red, and three tomoe spun rapidly within them.
In the corner of the room, a black-and-white figure emerged.
Yet, despite being the Mizukage, Yagura showed no reaction. He simply turned around mechanically, his movements eerily unnatural.
"Madara-sama is really scary," White Zetsu whispered in awe.
"With just a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he can completely control the leader of an entire village."
Black Zetsu, standing nearby, merely scoffed.
He never understood why some of the White Zetsu, created from the Divine Tree, ended up so... strange.
"Stop talking," Black Zetsu muttered.
"Replenish the Sharingan's power. If he breaks free from the genjutsu, it'll be a problem."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." White Zetsu waved him off impatiently.
He extended his palm, revealing a single Sharingan embedded in the center. The eye spun slowly.
As Yagura stared at it, the Sharingan in his own eyes rotated in sync.
After a moment, White Zetsu withdrew his hand.
"Pupil power restored. Now, Mizukage, I'll leave the rest to you."
With that, his arm swelled and transformed into a massive pitcher plant, preparing to complete his next task.
Black and White Zetsu vanished together.
For a brief moment, confusion flickered in Yagura's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold determination. His expression hardened.
"Konoha must be destroyed"
Though he looked like a child, Yagura effortlessly lifted Rin's unconscious body and carried her to a nearby lake.
A dozen masked Anbu appeared around him.
"Protect Mizukage-sama," one of them ordered, their voices firm and serious.
After all, they were about to face a tailed beast one of the most powerful creatures in existence.
Even with the Mizukage present, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Yagura placed his palm gently on the water and formed a hand seal.
Ripples spread outward, but as his chakra poured into the lake, the surface began to churn violently.
The once-still waters boiled and trembled, as if something massive was awakening beneath.
The disturbance did not go unnoticed.
Deep below, the Three Tails stirred.
Unlike other tailed beasts, it was usually peaceful, preferring to slumber in the depths of the lake. As long as humans left it alone, it rarely attacked.
But this… this was an intrusion.
A deep, rumbling growl echoed from beneath the surface.
Then, with a powerful roar, a massive shadow emerged from the water.
With a deafening crash, the lake's surface exploded.
Water surged skyward before collapsing, revealing a huge beast, a colossal turtle, its body covered in jagged spikes.
Its grayish-white shell looked less like armor and more like an island of thorns.
Its head, oddly humanoid, bore crimson eyes surrounded by concentric rings similar to the Rinnegan.
Behind it, three huge tails swayed, each movement powerful enough to scatter the mist that had blanketed the lake.
The sheer pressure of its presence made the air heavy, its aura overwhelming.
"Stand back," Yagura commanded, his voice calm but firm.
His youthful face remained calm as he swiftly formed hand seals.
Water surged from the lake, twisting into massive dragons that coiled around the Three Tails, binding its massive form.
"Roar!"
The beast let out an earth-shaking bellow, thrashing against its restraints.
Its jaws opened wide, gathering water into a dense sphere before launching it straight at Yagura.
But Yagura didn't flinch.
Raising his hands, he summoned a huge water barrier just in time.
The water bomb struck the wall with great force, sending waves rippling outward, but the defense held firm.
The huge force shattered into countless droplets, falling down like a torrential rain.
Yet, Yagura remained unfazed, standing firm on the water's surface.
His mastery over Water Style was unparalleled. Even against a powerful tailed beast, he showed no sign of being overwhelmed.
The surrounding Anbu watched in awe.
"As expected of Mizukage-sama…"
The water dragons constricting Three Tails tightened, draining its chakra with each passing second.
The beast could feel its strength waning.
Enraged, it let out another earth-shaking roar.
But this time, it wasn't a water-based attack.
Dark energy swirled in the air as yin and yang chakra converged, forming a pitch-black sphere in its mouth.
A Tailed Beast Bomb!
Unlike before, Yagura knew he couldn't block this head-on.
"Everyone, evacuate now!"
Without hesitation, the Anbu retreated, running into the mist.
For a move to make the mighty Mizukage tense, it had to be truly lethal.
Yet, Yagura's expression remained unchanged.
He continued weaving hand seals as the lake roared to life, surging toward Three Tails like a massive tsunami.
But the Tailed Beast Bomb shot forward, tearing through the waves with blinding light.
The intense heat evaporated the surrounding water in an instant.
Even the restraining water dragons vanished.
It was as if a violent storm had swept through the lake.
Yagura was nowhere to be seen.
Then, suddenly
A pillar surge of water, larger than Three Tails itself, rose and swallowed the beast.
Yagura reappeared on the lake's surface.
The water surrounding Three Tails formed into a huge body, lifting it into the air.
This wasn't ordinary water it had been infused with Yagura's chakra beforehand.
A chakra that continuously drained the tailed beast's strength.
Without water beneath it, Three Tails' power would rapidly weaken, making escape nearly impossible.
No matter how much Three Tails struggled, it couldn't break free.
The prepared Anbu ninjas swiftly surrounded the area, forming a sealing formation.
At the center of it all lay Rin, unconscious.
A stream of water extended from the massive sphere above, connecting her to Three Tails.
The tailed beast's reddish chakra slowly separated, flowing down the water channel and into Rin's body.
Yagura watched the process unfold with a blank expression.
For some reason, only one thought lingered in his mind—
Turn Rin into a Jinchūriki… and send her to Konoha.
Meanwhile, Simu and Minato had already crossed the ocean separating the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
Focused on speed, they hadn't bothered to conceal their presence.
Naturally, they were detected by the Mist ninja guarding the border.
Without hesitation, the Kirigakure forces rushed in to intercept them.
Simu had no time to waste on distractions.
A flash of light streaked through the air—before the six Mist ninjas could react, they collapsed instantly.
Without slowing down, Simu sped toward Kirigakure at an astonishing pace.
Even Minato struggled to keep up.
"How is it?" Simu asked.
Minato focused for a moment before nodding.
"Barely within range."
Sensing the Flying Thunder God mark, he felt his chakra drain rapidly.
Placing a hand on Simu's shoulder, he activated the technique.
In the next second, the two of them disappeared in place. .
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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