Ding!
The crisp sound was as gentle as a jade crystal cup shattering.
Soft.
Lingering.
Yet in the very next second, the cracks covering the claw seemed to come alive.
They spread rapidly across the entire limb.
Crack.
Crack!
The claw fractured piece by piece.
Spiderweb-like fissures instantly covered every inch of its surface.
BOOM!!!
Finally, it exploded completely.
Shattering into countless fragments.
There was no spray of flesh.
No rain of blood.
Only enormous crimson chakra fragments bursting apart and scattering like dust.
At first glance, they resembled thick red mist.
But in reality—
They were powder.
Pfft!
Pfft! Pfft!
Every place the chakra powder touched began hissing immediately.
White smoke rose from the ground.
Burning.
Corroding.
The chakra carried an attribute capable of scorching and eroding everything it touched.
ROAR!
ROOOOAR!
At that moment, a deafening howl erupted from the center of the storm.
The shockwave once again blasted the falling rain back into the sky.
The sound was so loud it threatened to rupture eardrums.
And this time—
It was no longer Yagura's voice.
It was a beast's roar.
The Three-Tails.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Because of the shattered claw, the chakra mass within the storm became even more violent.
The earth trembled.
The already unstable ruins were ravaged by invisible forces.
BOOM!
Entire structures collapsed.
But unlike before, the raging chakra hurricane no longer expanded outward.
Instead—
It began flowing inward.
Like a whale inhaling the ocean.
Every strand of chakra rushed back toward the center.
The hurricane shrank.
More accurately—
It condensed.
The terrifying energy core compressed itself further and further.
"ROOOOAR!"
The previously muffled roars became clearer.
And louder.
CRACK!
At last—
The colossal creature tore through the chakra storm and descended upon Kirigakure.
The Three-Tails.
Isobu.
Buzz.
The first thing to emerge was an enormous shell covered in vicious spikes.
Even floating in midair, it resembled a mountain.
A mountain capable of crushing all resistance.
Behind it swayed three gigantic tails covered in razor-like protrusions.
Each swing shattered the air itself.
Crackling thunder echoed continuously.
Its monstrous head was protected by layers of massive spikes.
Only a single eye remained exposed.
A gigantic eye glowing with a sinister light.
That eye stared directly at one target.
Uchiha Kai.
Terror.
Oppression.
Despair.
Its gaze contained only raw destruction.
The overwhelming pressure combined with the savage chakra of a Tailed Beast made the scene resemble the end of the world.
Simply looking at it made one's heart tremble.
"...So this is the complete Three-Tails?"
Even Hidan's usual grin faded considerably.
He could clearly sense the destructive power contained within that chakra.
This was a monster capable of reshaping landscapes with a casual movement.
A creature that could tear through mountains with ease.
"But that's exactly why it's worth killing."
He licked his lips.
A twisted smile spread across his face.
"If I offer this thing to Lord Jashin..."
"It should make a wonderful sacrifice."
Hearing that, Kisame rolled his eyes.
His expression became rather complicated.
The Three-Tails Isobu.
Kirigakure's secret weapon.
One of the powers he had once sworn to protect.
Yet after Yagura's fall into madness, that sense of duty had gradually disappeared.
Now, seeing the existence he once admired standing before him, he couldn't help feeling somewhat nostalgic.
Further away, Sasori remained hidden inside Hiruko.
His cold mechanical eyes narrowed dramatically.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the chakra threads controlling the Hundred Puppet Performance.
Even from afar, the beast's presence stirred him.
"If..."
"If I turned that thing into a puppet..."
"It would look incredible."
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
But only for a moment.
His Hundred Puppet Performance was already perfect.
Adding something that large would require too much attention.
A cumbersome puppet like that was nothing but garbage.
Even if he succeeded in creating it, he would probably throw it away.
And surely—
No respectable puppeteer would pick up trash and turn it into a puppet.
Right?
Surely not.
...
"O-Oh no..."
Mei Terumi's face turned deathly pale.
Even her curvaceous figure trembled under the immense pressure.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with despair.
She watched helplessly as the giant beast appeared.
Watched helplessly as a single swing of its tail smashed a distant watchtower apart like discarded garbage.
BOOM!
Rubble crashed down from the sky.
"Damn it!"
"Isobu really has gone completely berserk..."
"This is the village's central district!"
The despair quickly transformed into urgency.
She couldn't even imagine the damage such a rampage would inflict upon Kirigakure.
"N-No..."
"There's still a way!"
Suddenly, her gaze landed upon the tiny figure of Uchiha Kai.
A trace of hesitation and hope flashed through her eyes.
"That little man..."
"Maybe he has a solution."
With that thought, she slowly moved toward Kai.
...
Meanwhile, outside Kirigakure's central district—
Large numbers of Mist shinobi had arrived in response to the disturbance.
The moment they saw the scene in the sky, many froze in terror.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"Dear heavens!"
"What is that monster?!"
"That's bad!"
"The Three-Tails has gone berserk!"
"The Three-Tails?! Isn't it inside Lord Fourth Mizukage?!"
"How could it rampage?!"
"What Fourth Mizukage?"
"He's nothing but a tyrant!"
"If he's dead, good riddance!"
"But..."
"But with power like that..."
"What's going to happen to our village?!"
At the same time—
On the eastern side of Kirigakure.
Inside a modest wooden house near the water.
The atmosphere was equally tense.
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