Chapter 109: Neji: "The Three-Tails' Power Is Too Strong. It Must Be Sealed."
The matter of the Fourth Mizukage being controlled by a Sharingan genjutsu was too far-fetched. The Elder hadn't fully believed Neji-kun's word alone. He needed to force Yagura out so Ao could personally verify his status.
However, with the rebel army now losing, Zabuza would soon be defeated. The Elder's faction couldn't conveniently intervene. Their only option was to rely on Kumogakure.
Mei Terumī, quick-witted as she was, understood this, but she sighed internally. She understood the Elder's caution, but the ones fighting and dying in the Mizukage Tower were all Mist ninja.
It was this endless infighting that had caused Kirigakure to decline, step by step.
Underground Vault.
SWISH!
A sharp slash cut through the air, but Neji-kun's attack found no purchase, passing harmlessly through Obito's body as usual.
Just then, a dark figure rushed in from the entrance, cloaked in an orange-red chakra shroud. A Tailed Beast claw extended from its chest, slamming into Hikari's Susanoo blade.
"He's here."
Seeing the rushing Yagura, the pupil under Obito's mask constricted, his killing intent surging.
On any other day, facing two powerful enemies like Neji-kun and Hikari, Obito would have used Kamui and fled long ago. But their words had thoroughly enraged him. Right now, he just wanted to kill them and vent his fury.
This played perfectly into Neji-kun's hands.
SWOOSH!
Obito's Gunbai (war fan) swung backward, smashing at Neji-kun's chest. Neji-kun met it with a heavy fist. The attack was solid. BANG! The Gunbai was sent flying back even faster than it came.
At the same time, thick, sturdy branches erupted from Obito's back, weaving together like two giant hands, grabbing at Neji-kun from both sides.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Two Chakra Receiver Rosary beads shot from Neji-kun's fingertips, one left and one right, shattering the Wood Style hands into splinters.
Obito, now one-handed, formed a Wood Style seal. Thick vines shot up from the floor, coiling around Neji-kun like vipers, binding him tightly.
Neji-kun's eyes narrowed. 'This is the chance.'
He struggled violently, putting on a show of panic.
Seeing Neji-kun bound, a smile touched Obito's lips. He flashed forward, slamming his hand onto Neji-kun's shoulder. As he activated Kamui, he said coldly, "I told you. You will die suffering every torture of the Bloody Mist."
A spatial vortex appeared on Neji-kun's shoulder, and his body began to distort. The sensation of his body and soul turning sluggish washed over him again.
The vines Obito had used couldn't hold him. He had taken the risk, baiting this exact moment.
The Tenseigan in Neji-kun's eye sockets suddenly morphed into the shape of Hikari's Mangekyō Sharingan, the three-scythe pattern spinning wildly.
"Transcription Seal: Tsukuyomi!"
"Transcription Seal: Amaterasu!"
In the next instant, the two dōjutsu Hikari had sealed into Neji-kun's eyes activated simultaneously.
"Th-This is?!" Obito, believing victory was his, was horrified to see the Mangekyō Sharingan in Neji-kun's eyes. He instantly knew something was wrong and tried to abort the Kamui, turning intangible.
But Tsukuyomi struck first.
The world in front of Obito warped. He found himself in the Kamui dimension, facing a bizarre scene: Uchiha Madara, with a Rinnegan in one eye, had one hand clamped around a man's neck—a man possessed by Black Zetsu... 'Wait, that's me?'
"You are both my important pawns. To prevent you from committing suicide, I placed a Cursed Seal on your hearts."
"You... both?"
"Yes. What I didn't expect was that you would use the same method to remove my Cursed Seal."
"Rin?"
"Correct. I was the one who captured that girl. I was the one who sealed the Three-Tails inside her. I had intended for the Jinchuriki to rampage in Konoha, but she realized my plan and deliberately threw herself onto Kakashi's Chidori. What I didn't expect... was that you would happen to see it."
Obito's pupils constricted.
In the real world, the black flames of Amaterasu had already landed on Obito's head. The effectiveness of Amaterasu depended on its use. Using it on White Zetsu, armor, or a chakra-cloaked Naruto was a waste.
"AAAAAARGH!!!"
A primal scream of agony tore from Obito's throat. Before the sound could even spread, his head was completely engulfed in black fire. Amaterasu was one of the strongest flames in the world, second only to the Sage Art flames used by Six Paths Obito. Even Hashirama Senju, with his Sage Body, would be on the brink of death if his head was burned like this.
Neji-kun watched Obito collapse, writhing in agony, but he didn't let his guard down for a second. In the original story, Obito had been hit by the Amaterasu Itachi had sealed in Sasuke's eye, but he hadn't died. Neji-kun suspected he had used Izanagi to rewrite reality. And Neji-kun had already noticed the three-tomoe Sharingan transplanted into Obito's left eye socket.
'I can't give him a chance to escape.'
The Tenseigan chakra around Neji-kun's body swelled, instantly shattering the vines binding him. The nine Chakra Receiver Rosary orbs spun in his palm. "Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
A perfect silver ring formed, and a silver hurricane erupted, swallowing Obito whole. In a few breaths, half the underground vault was destroyed.
Staring at the wreckage, Neji-kun scanned his surroundings warily. He was confident Obito couldn't have survived that, but he couldn't be sure if Obito had managed to use Izanagi to escape. The Amaterasu flames, scattered by the explosion, continued to burn, making the dark vault seem even more ominous. The swords on the racks melted into slag.
'Assuming he used Izanagi... where would he reappear?'
Izanagi was a forbidden dōjutsu that rewrote reality. Only by mastering it oneself could one truly understand its principles. In the story, only Madara, Obito, and Danzō had used it. Its duration varied by user. Madara's Izanagi, used to fake his death, had fooled even Tobirama, who had collected his body. That was far beyond Danzō's one-minute version or Obito's five-minute version. Neji-kun even suspected Madara could control when he revived.
Obito's Izanagi lasted at least five minutes. But whether he could control when he revived was unknown. After the 600 billion paper bombs, Konan was exhausted and defeated; Obito had no reason to hide his revival.
"Tch." Neji-kun spat, looking at the ruined vault. "How pathetic, Obito. Just go back to hiding in the shadows like the little coward you are."
His taunts had no effect. Neji-kun couldn't be sure of Obito's status. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly turned and ran out of the archive.
A few seconds ago, the instant Neji-kun "killed" Obito, Yagura Karatachi, who had been attacking Hikari, suddenly froze in mid-air.
Hikari seized the opening. Her Susanoo blade slammed into Yagura, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Bastard!" Yagura struggled to his feet. His previously blank face was now a mask of shame and complex rage, his youthful features twisting.
With Obito's "death," the genjutsu on Yagura had broken.
Yagura had been a loyal puppet, his body used to ravage his own village, but his consciousness had been awake and aware the entire time. The Kage of a great village, reduced to a plaything. Powerless to stop it. Remembering all of it, a bottomless hatred welled up inside him.
"What are you muttering about?" Hikari, in her Susanoo, rushed over, her blade swinging at his head.
"Wicked Uchiha!" Yagura dodged the slash, gritting his teeth.
"Heh." Neji-kun flew to Yagura's side, arms crossed, looking amused. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be a puppet. The least you could do is say 'thank you,' right?"
Yagura looked at Neji-kun, cloaked in blue chakra, and then at Hikari, shrouded in her red Susanoo. He slowly lowered his proud head. These two were too strong; he wasn't their match. Especially Neji-kun. Yagura knew exactly how terrifying the masked man was, and this boy had killed him.
"You're Kumo-nin, aren't you?" Yagura took a breath and nodded. "This debt, I, Yagura Karatachi, will remember it. Kirigakure is prepared to sign an alliance with Kumogakure at any time."
"That's far from enough," Neji-kun said coolly.
Yagura was free, but he was still guilty of ruining Kiri for over a decade. He would, at the very least, have to abdicate. As for the alliance? That was a given. It wouldn't be Neji-kun begging Kiri for an alliance; it would be Kiri relying on Kumo, seeking refuge.
Yagura's face stiffened. "Then... what do you want?"
"Yagura Karatachi!" Neji-kun smiled. "The Three-Tails' power is too strong. It must be sealed!"
Yagura: "?"
On the surface.
"Damn it! An Uchiha! Why is there an Uchiha here?!" The Ice Release user, Kanryu, shrieked, staring at the three-tomoe Sharingan in Izumi's eyes.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Izumi's only reply was an orange orb of fire.
Nearby, Sasori, hands on his hips, controlled ten puppets, surrounding Komaru. With his unique senses, Komaru's Red Eye illusions were useless against him. Not far from them, two blurs clashed at high speed in a pure taijutsu battle—Pakura and Sora.
After seeing Zabuza losing, Pakura, Sasori, and Izumi had intervened as Neji-kun ordered. With their help, Zabuza's side had quickly turned the tide.
Kisame, holding his greatsword, batted Zabuza away, his face grim as he glanced at the other three battles. This farce should have been over quickly, but he never expected Zabuza to have such powerful allies. Now they were the ones at a disadvantage.
Kisame was about to move to help when he sensed a powerful chakra signature from the tunnel behind him. Samehada trembled, its desire to feed stronger than ever. He turned to see Yagura rushing out. Kisame, unaware Yagura was free, hurried to meet him. "They have three high-level combatants. We can't take them down."
Seeing Kisame, one of Obito's earliest recruits, Yagura's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Kisame... you die."
Kisame had survived in Kiri for years; he was always on high alert. Yagura's abnormal behavior instantly set off alarms. Without hesitation, he swung Samehada.
"Hmph." Yagura snorted. He flicked his hooked staff, and a mirror of water appeared. "Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
A perfect copy of Kisame leaped from the mirror and attacked the original.
"Tch!" Kisame's face changed. As a Swordsman, he knew Yagura's abilities. The Water Mirror perfectly copied its target, down to their jutsu and power.
THUD! Kisame was knocked back several steps.
Komaru, Sora, and Kanryu, seeing Yagura's strange behavior, broke from their fights and regrouped with Kisame. "What's going on?" Sora asked.
Komaru, who had kept his Red Eye active, paled when he saw the foreign chakra in Yagura's brain was gone. "This is bad! He's broken free of the control!"
Yagura roared, "You are all elites of the Mist! Why would you betray the village that raised you?!"
Sora said coldly, "Only a fool would be loyal to the Bloody Mist."
Kanryu looked down, silent. Yagura himself had been controlled; the slaughter of the bloodline clans hadn't been his true intention. But that didn't change the fact that Kirigakure was rotten to the core.
Komaru burst out laughing. "Yagura Karatachi! As Mizukage, you were controlled like a puppet for over a decade and committed countless atrocities! What right do you have to judge us?!"
Yagura was enraged. "Good, good, good! Then I cannot let you live!" He gripped his staff and charged.
Far from the tower.
Ao used his Byakugan to observe the battle. "Good news, Lord Elder," he said to the old man beside him, "Lord Mizukage has appeared."
The normally calm Elder took a sharp breath. "You're sure? It's really him?" Though he was the number two man in Kiri, he hadn't seen Yagura in years.
Ao said, "He's in his Tailed Beast state. There's no mistaking the Three-Tails' chakra."
The Elder nodded. "Then... it's time to face him."
Beside him, Mei Terumī's hand shot up. "Let's go."