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'Everything is proceeding according to his plan.'
From the rooftop, Yagura Karatachi looked down at the unfolding scenes below, whether it was Sawara Kiri's single blow shattering the Bloodline Faction's most elite army, or his complete dominance in subduing the monster he himself couldn't defeat even with all his might, or the timing of the Konoha ambush joining the battle.
Suddenly, that thought popped into his head.
Although he had heard Sawara Kiri describe the entire plan from the very beginning, seeing it unfold before his eyes, Yagura Karatachi's faint hope for a miracle finally shattered. Everything was happening methodically under his absolute power.
The sounds of slaughter between the Konoha ambush and the Hidden Mist army grew increasingly piercing, a mix of battle cries and wails, pounding at his heart like a heavy hammer.
Just as Sawara Kiri had told him before—
—For Konoha, the Hidden Mist Village would only be considered completely safe if its surviving population dropped below five thousand.
Even with only these five thousand, a series of propaganda and screening methods would still be required.
Everyone else, apart from these five thousand, must also die.
'This, too, is proceeding according to his plan, isn't it?'
Yagura Karatachi pondered, his eyes, as clear as amethyst, stared intently at the scene of countless compatriots dying beneath the building, his heart distorted in pain.
Once the population reduction plan was in place, it would be his turn, as the 'Fourth Mizukage', to appear.
He would need to admit this suffocatingly heavy crime in front of Sawara Kiri and all the remaining Hidden Mist Ninja, clearly stating that he had summoned the 'Konoha Heavenly Army' to defeat the Bloodline Faction, and the price was for Hidden Mist to become a complete vassal of Konoha, and to kill all Bloodline Ninja who opposed him.
Yagura Karatachi could almost imagine the scene he would face after saying those words.
Countless members of the reformist faction, who had once trusted him immensely, would watch his prostrate back with extreme hatred, yet they would be forced to bow their heads under absolute power and the safety of their families. They might also rage and try to assassinate him, only to be easily crushed by Sawara Kiri.
Burdened with sins, he would continue to serve as leader as Sawara Kiri's subordinate, leading the remaining Hidden Mist Ninja and their families to a pre-selected dwelling place in the Land of Fire, presenting an extremely selfish and self-serving facade, and forcibly cooperating with all of Konoha's, or rather Sawara Kiri's, arrangements to suppress the remaining Hidden Mist Ninja.
Only when the name 'Hidden Mist' became a memory for the older generation in a distant five or ten years, and all resistance and revival movements had ended, would he be able to find release, burdened with sins, hatred, and infamy.
He knew all of this, and was willing to sacrifice everything—both his life and his reputation—for this last spark of Hidden Mist.
Wasn't he?
But why, having come this far, was he starting to feel fear?
"Creak."
Yagura Karatachi unconsciously clenched his fists, and the rooftop railing in his grasp distorted into a crumpled piece of scrap metal, emitting a harsh screech. A strange, fluctuating Tailed Beast Chakra cloak appeared on his body.
The Hidden Mist Anbu members beside him, all wrapped in white robes, turned their gaze from the distance back to him.
Uchiha Fugaku, beneath his mask, even preemptively activated his scarlet Sharingan, intently watching his target's every move, warily gripping the Kunai at his waist, and coldly reminded, "Mizukage-sama, please be mindful of your status."
However, Yagura Karatachi seemed to have completely ignored him, still staring intently at the unfolding scenes before him.
His compatriots were continuously being slaughtered, and the so-called strong were vulnerable before Sawara Kiri's might. Blood-red dye stained the village where he was born and raised, and lives vanished in confusion and pain.
Agitation.
'Even if I didn't do this, Sawara Kiri wouldn't completely wipe out the Hidden Mist Ninja, would he?'
'At the very least, he should still care about the Ninja World's opinion, at least...'
Yagura Karatachi watched with his own eyes as the well-rested Konoha ambush slaughtered the Hidden Mist Ninja, who were exhausted from the conflict between the two factions, but a sudden, unrealistic thought popped into his head.
As for Sawara Kiri, whom he considered to 'care about the Ninja World's opinion,' he was currently holding the blood-red Kimimaro like a bag in one hand, while slaughtering the brave Hidden Mist Ninja charging forward in waves, like cutting down weeds.
There was absolutely no intention of holding back.
The number of compatriots was rapidly decreasing, from seventeen thousand, to fifteen thousand, and then even lower...
The Hidden Mist Ninja attempting to avoid Sawara Kiri and flee into the distance were encircled within a giant barrier that Konoha Ninja had somehow erected, with only a very few managing to escape through secret techniques from the corners, but their numbers were pitifully small.
More people were like crickets covered by a porcelain bowl; no matter how much they jumped, they could not escape this realm filled with death.
No matter how agonizingly Yagura Karatachi fantasized, he had to admit this truth in the face of reality—
—Even the number of killings was all part of Sawara Kiri's 'plan.'
Yes.
He was a monster, the complete opposite of the First Hokage, utterly cold and cruel, even more radical and violent than Uchiha Madara, who was once known as the 'Konoha Asura,' and he also possessed power that surpassed both of them.
This was a monster forged by two Great Ninja Wars under the one-country, one-village system, filled with the fire of hatred.
At this moment, Yagura Karatachi felt his heartbeat in his chest was as heavy as a drum, and the continuously pumped blood flowed like a tsunami, washing away everything suppressed in his heart, as well as his endurance as a Ninja.
His body felt like it was about to explode at any moment.
The surrounding Hidden Mist Anbu looked at him with increasing coldness, even unreservedly pointing the tip of their Kunai at him.
Until a certain moment.
"Die!"
"You—monster!!"
A furious roar suddenly erupted from the dark alley beside the street, but a tall figure shot out from the opposite direction of the sound. The Samehada, thick as a door panel, whistled through the air, its target directly aimed at the neck of the man known as the 'Second God of Shinobi.'
In stark contrast to the piercing roar was Biwa Jūzō's indifferent expression, as if he embraced death.
Unfortunately, before the Six Eyes, everything was the same: the sound interference from his clone jutsu, the killing intent that erupted only when he approached within five meters using silent steps, or the greatsword, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Hidden Mist, which could continuously restore its steel by absorbing blood, and the highly condensed Wind Release Chakra wrapped around its blade.
None of it mattered.
Sawara Kiri, still holding Kimimaro by the scruff of his neck in his left hand, turned to look at the approaching tall figure. His brilliant blue eyes reflected the ferocity in the opponent's eyes, and he suddenly raised a hand.
"Clink."
It was merely the touch between a knuckle and a blade, but in the depths of Biwa Jūzō's heart, a crisp metallic clang seemed to echo.
The Samehada, swung with all his might, was like a child swinging a twig against an iron pillar in front of this man.
Both the great inertia of the Samehada and his entire body pressing down, as well as the Wind Release wrapped around the blade, silently dissipated, held firmly between the opponent's index finger and thumb.
Like plucking a flower.
"Is this that fragile greatsword?"
These were the first words Sawara Kiri spoke to him, and also the last.
His left hand was clearly still holding a struggling, monstrously strong figure, yet his speed was far beyond his comprehension.
He had only taken a single step forward.
But the upper half of the Samehada in his hand, as well as his own figure, had both vanished.
Biwa Jūzō didn't even realize when the Samehada in his hand had been broken.
He stood with difficulty, trying to turn his head to look at the man called 'Demon King.'
Then, he saw Sawara Kiri holding the broken half of the Samehada, as if he were a stranger passing by, no longer casting a single glance in his direction.
"Pfft—"
At this moment, a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen suddenly shot through his nerves to his brain.
Two scarlet 'X'-shaped marks were clearly branded on the front of his torso, tearing through muscle and bone.
Sticky blood flowed from the lacerations, followed by slippery organs, spilling out with the inertia of his still forward-striding movement.
Biwa Jūzō instinctively took two steps, then fell to his knees on the ground with a thud.
'The fate of Hidden Mist, after all...'
In this final moment before death, Biwa Jūzō wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he suddenly heard the Fourth's unbearably furious wail in his ears.
"Sa! Wa! Ra! Ki! Ri!"
With a roar, a vacuum-like blast of air was squeezed and dispersed by the figure. The seemingly frail and childlike figure shot out like a meteor, traversing an unknown distance directly towards Sawara Kiri.
Sawara Kiri's brilliant blue eyes swept over, his gaze carrying a hint of surprise, as if he hadn't anticipated Yagura Karatachi's reaction.
He was so fast that ordinary people couldn't even catch him, yet in the vision of Six Eyes, every detail was clear; a complete tail emerged from his lower back, and his entire body was covered within the range of a floating, bubbling Tailed Beast Chakra cloak.
Besides that, he also had three or four Kunai deeply embedded in his back.
However, he seemed completely oblivious to the pain coming from behind him, his eyes scarlet as he shot towards Sawara Kiri.
His left hand also completed a hand sign at a speed too fast to see.
"Water Release: Water—"
A massive amount of Tailed Beast Chakra surged in his mouth, and even judging by the sheer volume alone, it was clear this was an attack of considerable power.
At the same time, his right hand, poised to strike, had already swung out a hooked long staff, the immense force pulling the steel weapon into a winding arc in mid-air.
It was just a pity.
"Bang!"
A fierce knee strike, delivered the instant before he could utter his words, plunged forcefully into his abdomen, sinking deeply and directly scattering his offensive.
The half-severed Samehada blade still clutched in his right hand, with an undeniable 'clang', cut through his half-swung long staff.
Yagura Karatachi's floating figure was still suspended in mid-air, but Sawara Kiri had already used Moonwalk to step and gain leverage in the air, spinning around to deliver a kick that viciously drilled into his side, sending his small figure crashing into the collapsed ruins.
Biwa Jūzō, lying on the ground, watched this scene with wide eyes, and the final expression on his face was one of indescribable despair.
'Even Lord Fourth could not face that man...'
However, before his thoughts could continue, he heard Sawara Kiri standing still, saying:
"Breaking agreements isn't a good habit, Yagura."
"We had already agreed, hadn't we?"
"I help you eliminate the Bloodline Faction members, and you lead the remaining portion to become a vassal of Konoha."
"And now, you're trying to double-cross me?"
Biwa Jūzō, lying on the ground, froze, then his eyes widened abruptly.
"Crash—"
Yagura Karatachi pushed away the wall pressing down on him, emerging covered in dust and wounds, a hint of ruthlessness flashing across his youthful face, his lips twisting into a difficult smile:
"Five thousand foreign cannon fodder, perfectly aligned with Konoha's control standard; even if I die here, you will still swallow these people for the sake of the collapsing Ninja World situation."
"Your coldness, your rationality, all drive you to make this choice."
"After all, you are the invincible Sawara Kiri."
"And my existence merely makes it easier for you to control this group of cannon fodder."
"Sawara Kiri, I bet you'll still proceed 'as planned'."
As Yagura Karatachi spoke, he slowly walked towards Sawara Kiri, his head slightly bowed, avoiding Biwa Jūzō's direct gaze, his voice a little low:
"Furthermore," "I just realized."
"This pain and sin are truly too heavy, Sawara Kiri."
As he spoke, a look of relief slowly appeared on his youthful face, and he looked directly towards Sawara Kiri:
"In that case, it's better to die here at your hands, as the Fourth Mizukage, before truly bearing all the infamy."
Accompanying his soft words, intense Chakra fluctuations gradually emerged from Yagura Karatachi's body, and a surging wave of air spread outwards, while he himself completely transformed into a half-Tailed Beast state, enveloped within Chakra.
Sawara Kiri quietly looked at him, remaining silent for a long time, then suddenly revealed a smile:
"Proceed 'as planned'?"
"Indeed."
The instant his words fell, the half-Tailed Beast transformed Yagura Karatachi had already shot out, breaking through the street with all fours, crossing dozens of meters at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, accompanied by a dull whooshing sound.
His arm, stretched like rubber, ripped through a huge arc in mid-air, sweeping away the surrounding buildings and descending towards Sawara Kiri.
The arm, accompanied by a sharp tearing sound, was easily blocked by Sawara Kiri's raised right hand; Sawara Kiri took a step forward, his figure instantly passing through everyone's field of vision, and his heavy fist, enveloped in Limitless, slammed hard into Yagura's side, elongating his neck by a meter or two in an instant.
What followed was a flurry of ultra-high-speed Taijutsu, so rapid that not even a shadow could be seen.
The heavy, flesh-pounding blows made Yagura Karatachi feel as if his entire body had been run over by a road roller, but the intertwined sensations of soreness and pain suddenly brought a faint feeling of 'being alive' to his sluggish, dazed brain.
Another punch fiercely slammed into his cheek, making his facial features feel as if they were pushed into his skull.
Yet, Yagura Karatachi suddenly swung his head, delivering a 'clang' headbutt at a distance of mere inches from Sawara Kiri.
No further progress.
It doesn't matter.
He had already anticipated this scene.
Before Sawara Kiri could make any move, Yagura Karatachi's limbs seemed to stretch several times their length in an instant, coiling tightly around him like ropes.
Immediately following, the three dark red long tails behind him rapidly thrust out like unfurling spears, aiming directly at his back.
"Boom—"
A spreading wave of air surged forth, and his limbs wrapped around Sawara Kiri were easily shattered with almost no resistance.
It doesn't matter.
He had already imagined this powerless scene.
As his figure was blasted away and spun in mid-air, Yagura Karatachi's Three-Tails behind him suddenly plunged into the ground, and the Tailed Beast Chakra on his entire body's surface gathered with further high condensation, forming a thick carapace.
His previous half-Tailed Beast state completely transformed into Three-Tails Isobu.
The gaping maw of the abyss rapidly expanded, and black and white light points contracted at a speed far exceeding the usual.
"Biju Bomb: Barrage!!"
Amidst a dull roar, one black Biju Bomb after another shot directly towards Sawara Kiri.
The incredibly high speed and unbelievable power were almost entirely driven by his and Isobu's life force.
However, Sawara Kiri, his target, still looked at him expressionlessly, extending his hand with an indifferent look—in his other hand, he was still easily suppressing Kimimaro.
Fire and impact continuously exploded before him, but his steps did not stop even for a moment; he simply walked straight towards him.
This was the power of Limitless, which allowed him to dominate the entire Ninja World.
But, it still doesn't matter.
He had already anticipated how powerless this resistance would be.
Just as Yagura Karatachi himself had imagined countless times.
In front of the strong, the weak's resistance appears so adorable.
"Pfft—!"
A pale bone spear shot from underground, easily piercing through the Three-Tails' fragile abdominal armor.
Hundreds of meters long, this giant bone spike actually lifted Three-Tails Isobu, into whom Yagura Karatachi had transformed, off the ground.
"Ugh!"
Scarlet blood gushed out.
Three-Tails Isobu transformed back into the small-framed Yagura Karatachi.
At this moment, despite being severely wounded.
A look of immense relief appeared on his seemingly youthful face.
Clearly.
From the very beginning, he had been aiming for death.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Yagura Karatachi coughed up blood foam, looking up at Sawara Kiri, who was gazing down at him, and forced a smile:
"It... it really hurts."
"But, you still remember your identity as a Hidden Mist Ninja, don't you?"
"Kaguya Ren."
But somehow, when he looked up and met Sawara Kiri's brilliant blue eyes, what he saw was not anger or annoyance, but merely the kind of irritation an ordinary office worker might feel upon suddenly discovering another task added to their workload.
"Since you've made your fuss, it's time to get to work."
"Lord Yagura."
Yagura Karatachi froze at his words.
His gaze, which had been lying flat and looking at the sky, suddenly shifted 180 degrees in a very unnatural horizontal movement, looking towards the ground.
When he regained control of his movements, he suddenly realized.
He was kneeling on one knee, bowing his head at this man's feet.
There were no ruins, no wounds, no pain, and no escape from his grasp.
"...?"
A moment later, with his head still bowed, he seemed to realize what had just happened to him.
Kyōka Suigetsu.
At this moment, Yagura Karatachi, kneeling on the ground, did not know what he had said while his five senses were controlled.
He only knew that the moment he looked up, all the Hidden Mist Ninja, both fighting and disengaged, were quietly looking at him.
The oppressive silence felt as if it would suffocate him on the spot.
Yagura Karatachi stared wide-eyed in a daze.
However, before he could do anything, he saw Sawara Kiri slowly lean down, placing his mouth close to his ear as he knelt, and softly said:
"Just as you gambled, I will indeed proceed as planned."
"And you, Lord Yagura."
"Are very important in my plan."
Yagura Karatachi stiffly raised his head, looking at this man who still held a small monster in his hand yet always smiled gently, listening to the extremely cruel words spoken in a soft tone from his mouth:
"Live, Yagura."
Hearing his words, Yagura Karatachi, who had just looked up, slowly lowered his gaze.
On his youthful face, his expression was a mix of tears and laughter, his eyes hollow.
Live.
What kind of cruel curse is this?
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