Brook glanced at the two frightened little ones and smiled indifferently.
Before, he had been worried that if Isshiki Otsutsuki sent out a distress signal, the Otsutsuki clan might arrive ahead of schedule. Because of that, he had deliberately restrained himself and avoided doing anything too outrageous that might alarm Isshiki.
But now, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap. He finally possessed the power to hunt down Otsutsuki head on, so his fear of Isshiki calling for reinforcements had faded considerably.
Besides, even if Isshiki sent out a distress signal now, the Otsutsuki clan would not be able to reach this planet so quickly.
It could take them years, maybe even more than a decade, to cross the universe and arrive here.
After all, even planting a Ten Tails Divine Tree took more than a thousand years, and the distance between inhabited planets was unimaginably vast. No matter how powerful the Otsutsuki clan was, they could not casually cross entire star systems in a short time.
"Let's move. I'm leaving after I take the Three Tails."
Brook led Madara Uchiha and Danzo Uchiha out of the underground space. At the same time, White Zetsu Tobi immediately attached himself to Obito again and brought him back to the surface.
The moment they appeared on the ground in Kirigakure, they were discovered by the village's sensory ninjas. Soon after, one emergency signal after another was sent out between the Mist ninjas.
Brook was not interested in the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. He was searching for bloodline limits and rare items worth taking.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hm? A pure Byakugan from the Hyuga main family!"
Brook quickly noticed a genuine Byakugan among Kirigakure's sensory unit, and even he was a little surprised.
His next target was the giant Tenseigan on the moon, so this Byakugan could serve as an excellent vessel for that future fusion.
Hyuga Hanabi had not even been born yet, and Hyuga Hinata was not even a year old. If he wanted a pure Byakugan, the only choices in Konoha would be Hyuga Hiashi or the retired former clan head.
[Universal Pull!]
Without another word, Brook raised his hand toward Ao, the Byakugan user of Kirigakure.
Amid the shocked cries of the sensory squad, Ao was violently dragged across the battlefield and into Brook's grasp, his neck instantly seized by the powerful intruder.
"I'll be taking that white eye."
Brook plunged two fingers into Ao's eye socket, ripped out the Byakugan, and casually kicked the Kirigakure jonin back toward his comrades.
Then he directly pressed the eye onto his own left eye, merging it into himself by force. His left eye immediately took on the distinctive pale appearance of the Byakugan.
The devouring and fusion ability of the [Northern Underworld New God Form] was just that overbearing and unreasonable.
"Ao! Are you alright?!"
Mei Terumi rushed over at once and caught the heavily injured Ao. She glared angrily at the invaders. At the same time, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, arrived with a large number of elite Mist ninjas, ready to surround and eliminate all of them in one go.
"Who are you? Are you Konoha shinobi? Is Konoha declaring war on Kirigakure?!"
The Fourth Mizukage shouted sternly, his eyes fixed on the five figures before him.
He had expected the previous three invaders to be troublesome, but now two even more dangerous figures had appeared. Especially the one who had just taken Ao's Byakugan by force, the pressure coming from him was terrifying.
These people possessed the Sharingan, Wood Release, and now even the Byakugan. To Kirigakure, that all but confirmed they were forces from Konoha.
"My name is Brook. I'm here to collect the tailed beast. I know you'll resist, so I'll give you a warning in advance."
Brook floated in the air and looked down at them calmly.
"If you hand over the Three Tails honestly, I can spare the Fourth Mizukage's life and keep casualties to a minimum. But if you insist on fighting, then things won't stay so easy to discuss."
"I captured the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. I slaughtered thousands of Iwa ninja. I cut off one of the Fourth Raikage's arms. I also took down their Jinchuriki."
"Alright, that's enough talking."
"You have one minute to decide. Fight, or hand over the Three Tails."
Mei Terumi glared at Brook furiously, but even she could not deny that the pressure coming from him felt terrifyingly real.
"What?! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"
A burly member of the Kaguya clan roared angrily. Bone spikes protruded from both of his hands, and his eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Brook with murderous intent.
Not only did he find Brook's words absurd, most of the Mist ninja present felt the same.
Only three people among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen shuddered.
Fuguki Suikazan, Kurosuki Raiga, and Biwa Juzo exchanged glances, then silently retreated several steps.
Because this atmosphere felt far too familiar.
Back then, they had looked down on a Konoha genin with the same arrogance.
And the result?
That watermelon headed Konoha brat had kicked their comrades apart one after another like he was smashing rotten fruit. Their flesh and blood had exploded everywhere. Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been scared out of their wits and fled in panic.
If they had not run fast enough and split up in time, they would have all died there.
That memory was still fresh enough to make their scalps go numb.
Now, with this same ominous feeling rising again, the three of them quietly retreated even farther and even began forming water clones in advance, ready to escape at a moment's notice.
"Thirty seconds."
Brook announced the remaining time again, his expression turning colder.
On the surface, he was following the Sage of Six Paths' warning and trying not to slaughter shinobi recklessly.
But in truth, he was also looking for a proper excuse to act.
He had already set his sights on several bloodline clans in Kirigakure. He wanted to absorb and strengthen those bloodline abilities.
Brook's second warning instantly made the atmosphere even more tense.
The Mist ninja did not know how strong this intruder truly was.
But handing over their Kage without a fight was absolutely impossible.
Unless the Fourth Mizukage himself surrendered, they were prepared to fight to the death.
Yagura Karatachi was also full of confidence in his own strength. As a perfect Jinchuriki of the Three Tails, he could borrow its power at any time.
With the support of so many ninja clans and Kirigakure's ANBU, how could he possibly hand over the Three Tails on his own home ground without even trying?
He was the Mizukage.
"Attack!"
The Fourth Mizukage swung his weapon and gave the order.
At once, the Mist ninja surged toward Brook and the others like a tidal wave.
[Ten Finger Piercing Bullets!]
The Kaguya clan charged the hardest. Their bodies were already beginning to deform into skeletal monstrosities, and they fired dense bone bullets from their fingertips while rushing forward.
[Ice Release: Thousand Flying Water Needles!]
The Yuki clan's Ice Release users unleashed a massive barrage of sharp ice senbon, raining down like a storm.
[Water Release: Water Gun Technique!]
The Hozuki clan transformed their hands and fired concentrated water bullets from their fingertips, each shot carrying terrifying penetrating force.
Then the rest of the Mist ninja attacked as well.
Water dragons, water cannons, towering water pillars, and countless large scale Water Release techniques flooded the battlefield at once, crashing down upon Brook and his group like a devastating tide.
------------
Kirigakure, hidden within the island nation of the Land of Water, was veiled in mist all year round. The environment was rich in water chakra, making it far easier for the Mist ninja to unleash Water Release techniques while conserving their own chakra.
Faced with such an overwhelming barrage of Water Release ninjutsu, any normal ninja's first instinct would have been to dodge. An attack this dense and this exaggerated was enough to drown even a Kage level fighter in sheer volume.
But Brook and his group did not move at all.
[Super Shinra Tensei!]
Brook raised his right hand and spread his fingers wide. A terrifying repulsive barrier erupted from his palm and expanded outward like a violent tide. Every incoming Water Release technique was blown apart or sent flying back, and the force did not stop there. It swept straight into the Mist ninja ranks, crushing them head on.
A large number of Kirigakure ninja coughed up blood and were blasted backward on the spot.
"This is bad! His repulsive force is far stronger than that black cloaked man's! Get out of the way!"
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, shouted immediately. At the same time, he entered his half tailed beast form and began charging chakra, clearly preparing to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb at Brook and the others.
But in the next instant, the space in front of him distorted slightly, and a figure appeared.
[Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains!]
Golden chains burst from Brook's body and shot toward Yagura, wrapping around him one after another until they bound his half transformed body tightly in place.
At the same time, Obito Uchiha activated Susanoo and charged into the crowd, using that massive divine form to crush Kirigakure ninja one after another.
Madara Uchiha, in his Deva Path body, also stormed into the battlefield alone. With his monstrous taijutsu and gravitational force, he began slaughtering the Mist ninja like a wolf charging into sheep.
[Summoning Jutsu: Gedo Statue!]
Under Brook's control, Animal Path Danzo directly summoned the Ten Tails' shell, which had already devoured three tailed beasts.
The moment it appeared, the grotesque, withered monster, now growing tails, let out a horrifying roar and turned all its attention to Yagura, the bound Three Tails Jinchuriki.
At the same time, Animal Path Danzo continued summoning. Giant birds, hellhounds, rhinos, chameleons, and other summoned beasts descended onto the battlefield and began rampaging through Kirigakure without restraint.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
The Mist ninja were thrown into complete chaos by the sudden appearance of the colossal summoned beast. Panic spread through the battlefield, and people began fleeing in all directions.
"Sealing team, move immediately! Find a way to seal them!"
Genji, the elder of Kirigakure, took over command at once, issuing order after order to the Mist forces. After helping the Byakugan user Ao retreat, Mei Terumi quickly returned to Genji's side to protect him.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu Tobi returned to his old tricks. Hidden underground, he constantly dragged corpses into a newly opened underground chamber, collecting bodies for Brook.
As for the three surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, they had stayed near the rear and avoided the direct impact of [Shinra Tensei]. When they saw the Fourth Mizukage suppressed in a single exchange, all three hesitated.
Should they really rush in and save Yagura?
"Aren't the three of you joining the battle?"
A pale skinned ANBU ninja with sharp, sharklike teeth appeared behind them and spoke coldly.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, did the Fourth Mizukage send you to watch us?"
Suikazan Fuguki sneered at the young ANBU member with open disdain. To him, this so called supervisor could be cut down in an instant.
"Three seniors, have you really been scared by Konoha ninja? What exactly are you afraid of?"
Kisame Hoshigaki frowned. He had been watching them the entire time, and the fact that the three of them had retreated together had already made him suspicious.
The once dreaded Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been reduced to this. It was honestly disgraceful.
His gaze swept across the three famous swords, then lingered for a moment on Samehada strapped to Fuguki's back. He felt that blade was far more suited to him.
"Kid, are you questioning the three of us? We're studying the enemy and looking for weaknesses. Don't get in our way."
Raiga Kurosuki snorted coldly. In his eyes, Kisame was nothing more than a young upstart who had only recently become a jonin. Even if he was talented, he was still nowhere near worthy of lecturing three elite jonin.
Kisame sensed their dissatisfaction and simply lowered his head and retreated. He had already done his duty by warning these three old cowards.
Still, after Kisame's reminder, the three swordsmen finally moved. They chose not to engage Brook or the others directly, instead turning their attention to the giant summoned beasts.
Brook looked far too dangerous, and the rest of his group were no weaklings either. Compared to those monsters, fighting the summons felt much safer.
So the three of them rushed at the giant bird, the rhinoceros, and the hellhound. None of them had the courage to challenge the towering Gedo Statue.
"Mei Terumi, go support the Mizukage!"
Seeing that no one was making a serious effort to rescue Yagura, Genji immediately ordered Kirigakure's strongest rising star into battle.
"Yes, Master!"
Mei Terumi showed no fear and rushed directly toward Brook, determined to display her power to these intruders.
[Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!]
She spat out a massive wave of sticky, highly corrosive lava like acid, covering both Brook and the Gedo Statue in one attack.
Mei was extremely confident. Her bloodline ability could melt even steel. No one could endure her unique ninjutsu head on.
"Too slow. Let your Mizukage test it first."
Brook chuckled, then yanked on the adamantine chains and swung the half transformed Yagura directly in front of him as a shield.
The orange, tailed beast like body of Yagura was hit by Mei's Lava Release in full, and the Three Tails Jinchuriki let out a painful howl on the spot.
"Lord Mizukage!"
Mei shouted in fury. This enemy had actually used the Mizukage to block her attack. It was shameless.
But the tails extending from the Gedo Statue, wrapped in dense chakra, swept outward and instantly scattered the remaining corrosive lava.
The adamantine chains tightened once again around the transformed body of Yagura, binding him more firmly than before.
Inside him, the Three Tails Isobu was already panicking.
The moment it saw the Ten Tails' shell, it sensed the auras of the Two Tails Matatabi, the Five Tails Kokuo, and the Eight Tails Gyuki lingering within it.
That realization pushed it straight into despair.
It did not want to be devoured by the Ten Tails.
"Yagura, run! We cannot fight that thing! That monster is the Ten Tails!"
Isobu shouted frantically within the seal, trying to force Yagura to flee.
"No, Isobu. I cannot run. I am the Mizukage of Kirigakure."
Yagura refused without hesitation.
As the village's Kage, he would never abandon the village and run for his own life.
Those words made the Three Tails feel true despair for the first time.
It had always cooperated well with Yagura because Yagura was calm, rational, and easy to work with. That was why he had become a perfect Jinchuriki.
But now, that same determination had become the reason the Three Tails could no longer escape.
For the first time, Isobu felt that today might truly be the day it died.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]