Instead of retreating, Naruto ordered the small boat to sail directly toward the Three-Tails and the Akatsuki members.
Standing at the bow of the boat, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Isobu!"
"You once shared a bond with the Fourth Mizukage and fought alongside him."
"Now, the Hidden Mist Village truly needs your strength."
"If you still remember your connection with the Fourth Mizukage..."
"Please come to our side!"
The Three-Tails' enormous body resembled a rocky island floating in the middle of the ocean.
As Isobu slowly turned his head, massive waves spread across the sea.
His gaze rested on Naruto.
Countless memories seemed to flash through his eyes.
It was this young man who had defeated both him and Yagura, freeing them from the Genjutsu that had controlled them for so many years.
In many ways...
Naruto had been their savior.
Living under that illusion had been worse than death.
But...
The Fourth Mizukage was gone.
Did the current Hidden Mist Village still have anything to do with him?
To humans...
He had always been nothing more than a weapon.
Before becoming Yagura's Tailed Beast...
He had been forcibly sealed inside Rin Nohara and used as a tool to destroy Konoha.
Perhaps...
Only Yagura had ever truly understood him.
But that didn't mean every ninja in the world deserved his trust.
Seeing Isobu hesitate...
Sasuke spoke coldly.
"Even if you can't accept the Hidden Mist Village..."
"You should at least consider what will happen if you fall into Akatsuki's hands."
Isobu slowly turned toward the Akatsuki members.
The moment he saw one particular figure...
His massive body suddenly trembled.
"T-That..."
For the first time...
The Three-Tails spoke.
Its voice trembled with overwhelming rage...
Hatred...
Fear...
And even a trace of respect.
Naruto frowned.
"Who is he talking about?"
Hinata activated her Byakugan and carefully observed the enemy.
"They're all Akatsuki members..."
"But I can't tell which one caused that reaction."
"Whoever it is..."
"Isobu's emotions are incredibly intense."
The next moment—
ROAR!!
The Three-Tails let out a furious roar.
The sea exploded into towering waves.
Its gigantic body twisted violently.
Then...
"Water Release: Iron Bullet!"
As a Tailed Beast naturally proficient in Water Release...
Fighting in the middle of the ocean gave Isobu an overwhelming advantage.
The enormous mass of compressed water quickly condensed into a gigantic projectile the size of a small mountain.
Compared to the attack he had unleashed while fighting Yagura...
Its power had increased several times over.
The colossal water cannon blasted straight toward Akatsuki's ship.
With such overwhelming force...
Escaping should have been impossible.
Yet...
The masked man calmly reached out and placed a hand on both Kakuzu and Zetsu.
The surrounding space instantly twisted.
A swirling vortex formed around them.
In the blink of an eye...
Both Kakuzu and Zetsu disappeared into the masked man's Space-Time Ninjutsu.
The vortex continued spinning until even the masked man vanished into his own right eye.
Moments later...
Isobu's Iron Bullet crashed into the ship.
BOOM!
The massive attack completely engulfed the area.
Naruto and the others stared in disbelief.
"He... got hit directly?"
"Did the Three-Tails actually defeat them that easily?"
"Are Akatsuki members really that weak?"
Just then...
"Watch out!"
Hinata's Byakugan...
Sasuke's Sharingan...
And Naruto's Wind Release sensory ability all detected the danger at the same instant.
All three of them turned around.
The space above their own boat suddenly distorted.
A familiar spiral-shaped vortex appeared behind them.
One by one...
Kakuzu...
Zetsu...
And finally, the masked man stepped out of the warped space.
"What?!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
The instant he appeared...
Kakuzu launched his attack.
"Fire Release: Flame Tempest!"
A violent torrent of flames erupted into a swirling inferno and rushed directly toward Naruto's group.
It was clearly a Fire Release technique acquired through Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear.
Although its range wasn't as great as some of his previous techniques...
Its destructive power was astonishing.
Knowing Naruto specialized in Wind Release...
Kakuzu had deliberately chosen Fire Release to counter him.
Sasuke reacted immediately.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
His own massive fireball collided head-on with Kakuzu's flames.
BOOM!!
The two infernos crashed together violently.
Explosions echoed across the sea as flames spread in every direction.
Caught between the two devastating techniques...
The small Hidden Mist boat was instantly split in half.
Wood shattered.
Fire erupted everywhere.
As the wreckage slowly sank beneath the waves...
Naruto's group and the three Akatsuki members landed on opposite halves of the broken ship.
Several Hidden Mist ninja barely managed to escape.
By channeling chakra into the soles of their feet...
They stood shakily upon the water.
Their strength wasn't nearly enough to interfere in a battle of this level.
Naruto glared at Kakuzu.
"You Akatsuki bastards!"
"Why are you so determined to capture the Tailed Beasts?"
The masked man, who had remained silent until now, suddenly became strangely cheerful.
"Senior Kakuzu!"
"Is that blond kid really the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
Kakuzu answered coldly.
"That's right."
"Capturing the Three-Tails is only our secondary objective."
"My priority is killing that brat and taking revenge."
The masked man covered his mouth dramatically.
"Oh my!"
"So that's the kid who killed Hidan and almost killed Senior Kakuzu too?"
Kakuzu's expression immediately darkened.
"Tobi..."
"Are you asking to die?"
Only then did Naruto and the others realize the masked man's name.
Tobi.
Apparently...
He was a new member who had recently joined Akatsuki.
Tobi hurriedly waved his hands.
"Don't be angry, Senior Kakuzu!"
"I'm just curious."
"He doesn't look that impressive."
"Is he really that strong?"
Kakuzu snorted.
"If you don't believe me..."
"Go test him yourself."
Tobi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Me?"
"I'm only here as support."
"Senior Kakuzu is the real powerhouse."
"As for Zetsu..."
"He's just watching."
"I only replaced Senior Hidan as Kakuzu's partner."
Kakuzu clicked his tongue.
"Useless."
"I still don't understand why the Leader accepted a clown like you."
Naruto and the others exchanged puzzled glances.
Until now...
They had believed every Akatsuki member to be a terrifying monster.
Yet this masked man behaved more like a comedian than an elite criminal.
Still...
The terrifying Space-Time Ninjutsu that had effortlessly avoided Isobu's devastating attack proved that Tobi was anything but ordinary.
Kakuzu spoke in a deep voice.
"I'll deal with these three brats."
"Tobi."
"Go capture the Three-Tails."
Tobi pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"If not you..."
"Should Zetsu do it?"
Beneath his giant plant-like head, Zetsu's split black-and-white face smiled.
The white half spoke first.
"Tobi."
"It's your turn to contribute."
The black half added quietly.
"Don't expect us to do everything."
Tobi sighed dramatically.
"Fine, fine."
"I'll do my best, Senior Kakuzu."
The next instant...
His body slowly sank beneath the ocean's surface.
In an instant...
He disappeared beneath the sea.
Naruto frowned.
"He used that Space-Time Ninjutsu again."
He immediately turned toward his teammates.
"Sasuke."
"Hinata."
"The two of you handle Kakuzu."
"I'll help Isobu."
Although both wanted to go with him...
They knew fighting across the ocean was far easier for Naruto, who could fly freely using his Wind Release Chakra Mode.
They nodded.
"Go, Naruto-kun!"
"We'll deal with the enemy here!"
Sasuke snorted.
"Don't fail, Naruto."
"Or you'll lose your life."
Though his words sounded harsh...
Naruto knew it was simply Sasuke's way of showing concern.
Naruto smiled and nodded.
At once...
Wind Release Chakra erupted from his body.
He entered Wind Release Chakra Mode.
Violent whirlwinds gathered behind him, forming a magnificent pair of wind wings.
With one powerful flap...
Naruto shot into the sky.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!!
The sea wind roared around him.
His speed instantly reached its limit.
Hundreds of meters disappeared in the blink of an eye.
As he approached the Three-Tails, Naruto shouted,
"Isobu!"
"You understand the situation better than anyone!"
"Even if you don't trust us..."
"You don't want to fall into Akatsuki's hands!"
Isobu naturally understood.
Especially because...
The very man who had once manipulated both him and Yagura with Genjutsu now stood before him once again.
The moment Tobi appeared...
An overwhelming mixture of fear...
Hatred...
And uncontrollable fury erupted within the Three-Tails.
Naruto no longer needed to persuade him.
ROAR!!
Isobu let out another earth-shaking roar.
Once again...
The massive waves surged violently across the sea.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)