After watching for a while longer, Biwa Jūzō left the shore and started walking toward the island's center.
As he walked, he pondered where he should go next...
Meanwhile, the situation on the Northern Islands could only be described as disastrous. The pirates' assault had caused immense, immeasurable damage—enough to cripple the Land of Water's finances for years.
Out at sea, with the Fourth Raikage unleashing his full power to restrain the Three-Tails, the Kumo pirates finally managed to board another ship.
"Lord Raikage said we're not waiting for him—retreat immediately!"
"What? But how can we just leave him?"
"That's the Three-Tails! Staying won't help, and we're loaded with cargo. Set sail! Retreat!"
The captain of the support squad was a dark-skinned young man named Darui. His expression looked lazy as ever, but his calm authority made everyone nod in agreement.
After all, Darui's status was special. Personally chosen by the Third Raikage as the inheritor of one of his techniques, he was exceptionally powerful despite his youth.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed the captain of this ship.
The battle at sea continued to rage.
The Fourth Raikage had pushed his Lightning Release Armor to its limit, his body transformed into a streak of lightning darting around the Three-Tails.
The Three-Tails' attacks came one after another, but compared to its colossal size, the Raikage was like an insect. Each strike missed completely—like firing a cannon at a mosquito.
Instead, every blow from the Raikage's lightning-clad fists made the beast's enormous body ache. Each strike carried a burst of paralyzing force that only enraged the Three-Tails further.
"Its attack power doesn't match the Eight-Tails', but its defense is insane."
"Even my punches can't hurt it at all?"
"And fighting on the sea doesn't help either. Damn it… looks like I'll have to just stall it."
Hearing this, Kazuyama Gekkō—hidden in the water nearby—almost burst out laughing.
Really? This guy thought he could hold the Three-Tails in place?
What an overconfident fool.
"Tsk tsk, what's this barbarian thinking?"
"He wants to pin down the Three-Tails in the ocean? Even if the Nine-Tails showed up, he wouldn't dare say that."
"The moment the Great Turtle dives underwater, no one's finding him again. Fight? Yeah, good luck with that."
Chōmei, being a Tailed Beast himself, couldn't stand hearing his fellow beast insulted and immediately snapped back.
If Kazuyama hadn't been there, Chōmei would've happily lobbed a couple of Tailed Beast Balls at that glowing savage—just to remind him that a Tailed Beast was still a Tailed Beast.
Don't go getting cocky just because you're a little strong!
Of course, that was just talk. Some beings were simply too terrifying—ones who treated even Tailed Beasts like misbehaving children.
Hashirama Senju: Oh?
Madara Uchiha: Oh?
"ROAR!"
The Three-Tails, frustrated from missing every hit, wasn't without options. Enormous chakra began gathering in front of its mouth.
It was forming a Tailed Beast Ball—and the Fourth Raikage recognized it instantly.
"It's coming!"
"Move!"
The Raikage was confident in his strength, but he wasn't stupid. That was a Tailed Beast Ball—he knew exactly how devastating it was. No matter how proud he was, he wasn't about to take that head-on.
Lightning surged as he burst into motion, sprinting away at full speed.
Seeing its target fleeing, the Three-Tails' massive head turned, locking onto him.
"Damn it, it's tracking me!"
"BOOM!"
The Tailed Beast Ball condensed rapidly—a sign of how furious the Three-Tails had become. It spared no chakra, accelerating the process to unleash it instantly.
In the next moment, a pitch-black sphere shot straight toward the Raikage.
The overwhelming chakra tore a line across the sea, parting the water violently to both sides.
"Hmph! Just a Tailed Beast Ball? You think I can't handle it?"
"Full Activation! Body Flicker Technique!"
Lightning exploded around him as his speed surged to its absolute limit.
In a flash, the Raikage's figure blurred across the sea, changing direction just as the Tailed Beast Ball shot past.
The projectile missed its mark and detonated far off over the ocean.
"BOOM!"
The massive explosion triggered a colossal tsunami, forcing Kazuyama, who had been spectating from below, to move from his hiding spot.
"No need to keep watching—looks like the Mist Village is about to suffer."
"I'm out!"
Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuyama disengaged from the battle with ease. What came after was none of his concern.
But instead of returning to the inn, his teleportation mark took him to a hillside outside town.
The moment he appeared, his clones surrounded him—each one carrying enormous bags and bundles, clearly having cleaned up big.
"Hehehehehe…"
"Now this—this is what I call a haul."
"All right, let's start sorting!"
...
An hour later, all of Kazuyama's clones had vanished, and he now sat cross-legged amid nearly fifty scrolls.
"A huge harvest, a huge harvest."
"Fifty scrolls—worth at least five hundred million ryō. My clones really did inherit my genius."
"Oh wait, they were me to begin with! Hahahaha!"
Satisfied, Kazuyama stored away all the scrolls. This time, he'd made an absolute fortune.
The Mist Village suffered the losses, the Kumo Village started the fight—and he? He just profited. Perfect.
Just as he finished packing away his spoils, the system notification chimed.
[Ding! Detected Host impersonating Kumo pirates during their ambush on the Mist Village and plundering large amounts of wealth. Special Reward: Ninjutsu Amplification +5%]
[Ding! Detected Host deliberately provoking Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura into Tailed Beast Transformation, resulting in collateral damage to both coastal regions and Kumo pirates. Special Reward: Ninjutsu Amplification +5%]
Tsk tsk. All that work finally paid off.
Still, compared to five hundred million ryō, this bonus was pocket change.
With another flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kazuyama returned to the inn.
"Haku, Tagitsuhime, pack up—we're leaving."
"The tension between Kumo and Kirigakure is beyond repair now."
When Kazuyama reappeared, Tagitsuhime couldn't help but pout. She knew perfectly well that he'd caused far more trouble than he was admitting.
"Sensei, are you hurt?"
"I looked out the window earlier—there were robberies everywhere."
Young Haku, still innocent, hadn't yet grasped the true nature of his teacher, actually thinking all that chaos had been caused by someone else.
Tagitsuhime, however, was utterly exasperated.
"Little Haku, what did I just tell you? On this island, the one doing the robbing is your teacher."
"He sent his clones to loot while he personally held off the Mist ninja."
"Your teacher here—he's got a wicked mind."
Kazuyama laughed heartily but didn't bother to deny it. Instead, he grabbed Haku by one hand and Tagitsuhime by the other.
"Wait! My snakeberries!"
Kazuyama: …Unstoppable glutton!