Swish!
A flash of steel cut through the air.
With only a trace of instinct left, Yagura raised his weapon to block.
Clang!
Sparks from clashing metal lit up the entire office.
Hakken's cold, expressionless face came into view before Yagura. The confusion in Yagura's eyes confirmed what Hakken already suspected.
Under Obito's genjutsu, Yagura couldn't fight at even a fraction of his true strength. The weak resistance pressing back against Hakken's Zanpakutō said it all.
"It's over."
Crack!
Hakken tightened his grip. Spiritual pressure surged from his body into the blade. A faint red light flashed, and Yagura's weapon shattered instantly.
Wind-natured chakra combined with the razor edge of spiritual pressure—its cutting force was absolute.
If Yagura were at full power, he might have been able to resist for a while by entering his Tailed Beast form.
But now...
Slash!
Blood erupted from the wound in his chest.
At the edge of death, a fleeting mix of relief and fury crossed the Fourth Mizukage's face. But he no longer had the strength to fight back.
"Pathetically weak."
Blood splattered across the walls. The coppery stench filling the Mizukage's office was almost suffocating.
Resting his blood-soaked Zanpakutō on his shoulder, Hakken stared silently at the corpse before him.
Yagura, bound by genjutsu, was pitifully weak—barely able to move on pure instinct. He hadn't even managed to activate his Tailed Beast mode.
That weakness only confirmed Hakken's conclusion.
Killer B once said that a perfect Jinchūriki fears no genjutsu.
But now Hakken understood. That only applied to certain types—clearly not to Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan.
For Obito to keep Yagura trapped in genjutsu for so many years proved just how limited others' resistance to it was. It was likely that the so-called "immunity" of perfect Jinchūriki was overstated—and that Killer B had simply been fortunate.
Even Madara Uchiha had mentioned that Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, being of the tomoe-line type, enhanced agility and physical reaction, but not genjutsu power.
If Obito had been here directly controlling Yagura in battle, his strength would have increased drastically. But clearly, Obito wasn't in Kirigakure—otherwise, he would've revealed himself long ago.
"Ken-san, everyone on the target list has been secured and sent to the conference room."
"That woman named Terumi was tough, but thankfully Shisui's Susanoo managed to withstand her Lava Release."
Behind him, Itachi approached, breathing heavily, his clothes streaked with blood.
Everything was under control.
"Bring him along. We'll need him soon."
Nodding, Hakken turned and walked toward the Mizukage Tower's conference room.
