Confronted by Hozuki Mangetsu's open challenge, Yagura Karatachi remained seated impassively in the main seat, his gaze shifting to his right.
Under the Fourth Mizukage's scrutiny, Suikazan Fuguki, Juzo Biwa, and Kurosuki Raiga remained expressionless and silent.
After studying the three for a moment, a strange, unsettling smile touched Yagura's lips. "Do you three also wish to betray the village?"
Still, the three swordsmen said nothing, nor did they move.
Just then, a figure flickered into existence silently behind Yagura. A kunai flashed, aimed directly at the Mizukage's throat.
Clang!
The blow was blocked.
Yagura himself hadn't moved, but a layer of red Tailed Beast chakra flared around him, forming an arm that wielded his hooked staff to intercept the strike. The attacker was Momochi Zabuza, one of Kirigakure's recently risen genius shinobi.
His strike failing, Zabuza immediately leaped back.
The red chakra arm instantly elongated, the staff sweeping towards the retreating Zabuza. Seeing this, Zabuza's expression tightened in alarm as he raised his kunai to defend.
Boom!
He was swatted clean out of the air, tumbling over ten meters before crashing down, nearly falling off the high platform entirely.
Watching Zabuza's sudden attack, surprise flickered in the eyes of Juzo Biwa and Kurosuki Raiga. Suikazan Fuguki, however, wore an odd smile.
After their initial shock, Juzo and Raiga sprang into action simultaneously.
Juzo hefted the massive Kubikiribōchō, the Executioner's Blade, leaped forward, and brought it down directly towards Yagura's face. Kurosuki Raiga drew his twin blades, Kiba, crossing them as immense lightning-natured chakra rapidly gathered, forming a dragon of pure electricity at the tips of the swords that surged towards Yagura. This was the unique Lightning Release technique utilized by the Kiba swords: Tornado of the Lightning Dragon.
"Protect Lord Mizukage!"
At the same time, members of Yagura's personal guard unit cried out, rushing forward. They had been momentarily stunned by Zabuza's brazen attack on the Fourth Mizukage. In their minds, Zabuza was a trusted confidant, highly valued by Yagura, and had once been something of an admirer, almost a fanboy, of the Fourth. Why had he suddenly turned traitor?
This question wasn't limited to Yagura's guards; many of the Kirigakure higher-ups on the platform shared the same confusion. However, with the situation rapidly devolving, most were hesitant to intervene rashly.
The fact that Juzo and Raiga had joined the fray, however, wasn't particularly surprising. Since Yagura Karatachi had reinstated the Bloody Mist Policy, both men had publicly denounced it on multiple occasions. Their fallout with Yagura was expected.
Facing the Executioner's Blade from the front and the lightning dragon from behind, Yagura didn't attempt to block directly. He simply flickered away.
Crash!
Juzo's Kubikiribōchō smashed the Mizukage's seat to pieces, while Raiga's lightning dragon obliterated the spot where Yagura had been standing, reducing it to dust.
By now, four of the Mizukage's guards had arrived, engaging Juzo and Raiga in pairs.
Having moved aside, Yagura showed no sign of panic. He turned his head to look at the last remaining member of the Seven Swordsmen present: Suikazan Fuguki.
"Heh heh!" Fuguki chuckled darkly and slowly rose to his feet. He, too, was preparing to make his move.
But Fuguki's smile froze abruptly on his face.
Squish!
A figure flashed past behind him, and a short sword plunged directly through Suikazan Fuguki's heart.
With an expression of utter disbelief, Fuguki turned. The shark-like features of Hoshigaki Kisame filled his vision.
"You..." Fuguki collapsed, his face a mask of indignation.
Kisame watched him fall without a word. He stepped forward and grabbed the large, scale-covered sword—Samehada—from Fuguki's back. Slinging Samehada onto his own back, Kisame swept his gaze over the high-ranking officials who had so thoroughly disappointed him, solidifying his disillusionment with the village.
Then, he turned and walked away.
Hoshigaki Kisame simply took Samehada and left.
Witnessing this, Yagura showed no anger. Instead, an unusual smile spread across his face. He then turned towards Juzo Biwa and Kurosuki Raiga, who were entangled with the Mizukage's guards. The Tailed Beast chakra cloak enveloping him suddenly surged with power.
Yagura's hands flew through seals. "Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
He extended his right hand, and a man-sized mirror made of water materialized in the air. As soon as it appeared, it reflected Juzo Biwa. From within the watery surface, an identical copy of Juzo emerged, also wielding a "Kubikiribōchō," and turned towards the original.
Next, Yagura flickered, instantly appearing before Kurosuki Raiga. His hooked staff swung violently. Raiga hurriedly raised his Kiba swords to block.
Boom!
Another figure was sent flying by Yagura's strike. Even as esteemed members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, facing the partially transformed Jinchuriki, Raiga was clearly outmatched. His strengths and weaknesses were starkly apparent; Yagura completely overwhelmed him in both speed and power. While the lightning generated by Kiba was potent, it was useless if it couldn't hit its target.
Having knocked Raiga aside, Yagura flickered again, appearing directly in front of Juzo Biwa. Staff and Executioner's Blade clashed dozens of times in a blinding exchange.
CLANG!
With another ferocious impact of metal on wood, Juzo and Yagura separated. As he retreated through the air, Juzo rapidly formed hand seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!" A massive dragon of water erupted and charged towards Yagura.
Yagura didn't dodge. The Tailed Beast cloak around him shifted again, and three almost fully substantial tails whipped out from behind him. With a coordinated lash, the three chakra tails tore through the attacking water dragon, causing it to collapse into a harmless splash on the platform.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had entered a partial Tailed Beast state—likely Version 2.
Seeing Yagura in this state, shock appeared on the faces of many Kirigakure officials on the platform. The Fourth Mizukage was actually using his Tailed Beast transformation in battle! Could the persistent rumor circulating in the village truly be false? How could a Mizukage capable of freely shifting into his Tailed Beast state possibly be controlled by someone else's genjutsu?
While they reeled from the shock, the situation on the platform shifted again.
Before the partially transformed Yagura, a dense sphere of Tailed Beast chakra began to compress and coalesce—a Tailed Beast Ball was forming. It shot directly towards Juzo Biwa.
He had no way to dodge this attack.
Holding the Executioner's Blade horizontally before him, Juzo took the Tailed Beast Ball head-on.
BOOM!
A violent explosion rocked the air. Juzo Biwa's body was blasted clean off the high platform. Taking a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Ball like that, he'd be maimed, if not dead.
Having dealt with Juzo, Yagura turned his attention to Kurosuki Raiga.
Swish!
With a piercing shriek of displaced air, the partially transformed Yagura suddenly appeared before Raiga. A substantial Tailed Beast chakra tail struck out towards Raiga's chest. This was Yagura's signature technique: Coral Palm. Anyone struck by this blow would have massive amounts of coral rapidly grow and consume their body from within.
Raiga's eyes widened in alarm. He desperately swung his twin swords, Kiba, attempting to block.
At that critical moment, a glob of intensely corrosive acid shot towards the Fourth Mizukage. It was Terumi Mei, unleashing her Lava Release.
Seeing the incoming attack, Yagura abandoned his assault on Raiga and flickered away to evade.
Kurosuki Raiga stumbled back, steadying himself. He looked at Terumi Mei with surprise.
A small smile touched Mei's lips as she casually brushed her mouth. "I'm siding with you," she declared.