Konoha Notes

Chapter 408 Shadow

The sound of the tide crashing against the shore gradually filled the gaps in the battle.

The slugs covering the beach did not stop their activity; some of them swarmed towards Shuji, spewing acid onto the Shura Path on the sand.

A small live slug covered a black stick that had fallen to the ground.

Nagato watched all of this through the three pairs of Rinnegan present.

He wasn't annoyed by the defeat on the field; he dissected and analyzed every choice Shuuji made, from his appearance to his counterattack.

“You know my intelligence.”

"From the very beginning, there were no tactical choices that involved trial and error."

"You haven't used your usual ninjutsu, including the water jutsu which is most suitable for the current environment, even once."

“They didn’t even show any confusion about the two people who had disappeared.”

"You know their role, you know what they are capable of doing."

At the same time, the damaged human realm, hungry ghost realm, and the Asura realm, which had not yet been completely wiped out by the living slug, all disappeared.

Spiritual summoning.

Shuji understood. The two beings who initially broke away from the battle were from the Hell Path and the Animal Path, and Nagato was not entirely without suspicion towards him.

At the very moment the Trisolarans of Pain were summoned back, the Deva Path stretched out his arms and unleashed an indiscriminate repulsive force in all directions centered on him.

The air was forcefully pushed aside, forming a visible circular airflow, and the sea surface was once again violently lowered, with nearby waves being pushed back. The ocean, covering a large area of ​​the beach, was most directly affected by this force.

Wherever the repulsive force passed, countless slugs vanished with a series of thuds.

Xiu Si had already flown backward the moment the Heavenly Dao raised its hand.

There's no point in trying to withstand a clearing ninjutsu of this scale. Even if we use a wooden dummy at this point, we'll likely be able to resist it and even deflect the repulsive force.

But that would only be a waste of his chakra and stamina.

After all, the Heavenly Dao is just a corpse; with the Hell Dao present, it can be restored at any time.

A small, live slug landed on Shuji's shoulder before the repulsive force swept over it.

"Shuji, Lady Tsunade is already aware of the situation here."

"Hmm." Shuuji continued walking. "Did you sense anything through the black rod just now?"

"Before they were summoned away, they could still sense Nagato's chakra. After it ended, Nagato gave up on investing more chakra into the remaining black rods."

"Can you roughly determine the direction or distance from which the signal is coming? Are you certain it's on this island?"

The slug replied, "The time was too short to confirm."

"Understood." Shuji didn't slow down. "In that case, let's play hide-and-seek with Nagato for a while and find the locations of the Animal Path and the Hell Path first."

If he doesn't deal with these two bodies first, no matter how much he fights with the Heavenly Dao, it will be useless.
-
When Yagura arrived with his men, Hiruko was no longer able to use her five bloodline limits to delay the enemy.

Pipa Juzo, who had been constantly using delaying tactics, also lost his room for maneuver and was pierced through the body with a needle before being dismembered.

The two elephants turned and fell one after the other, turning into unfamiliar corpses, leaving only the embers of the battle behind.

Zabuza put away his sewing needles and watched the Executioner's Blade disappear: "Even at the very end, you're still clinging to the things of the village and refusing to let go?"

Kisame, still savoring Samehada, laughed and said, "What Juzo Biwa said isn't wrong. Zabuza, the sewing needle suits your style better than the Executioner's Blade. There's no need to continue pursuing the Executioner's Blade."

Zabuza snorted coldly.

At this moment, the leader of the Dark Guard, Jian, who had originally returned to the village to inform Qing of the situation, arrived.

"Lord Mizukage! An urgent report has come from the western coastal warning point: Kakuzu and Hidan have reappeared."

Yagura, having reverted to his tailed beast form, returned to his appearance as a short, boyish figure.

"So you're planning to keep delaying us and distract our forces..."

Even if they are just puppets, those two are still extremely troublesome. If left to their own devices, the village will suffer heavy losses.

"Kisame, Zabuza, come with me."

The three figures vanished instantly, heading towards the western coast.

Upon arrival, Kakuzu and Hidan stood casually on a protruding black reef, with Hidan impatiently tapping the surface of the reef with the handle of his crescent-shaped scythe.

Not far away on the sea, an airship was waiting.

The figures of Yagura and his two companions appeared on the sandy shore.

“The same tricks, used again and again…it’s really annoying.” Zabuza said, raising his hand, and a thick fog spread out from him, enveloping the coastline.

Hidan and Kakuzu simply waited in their original positions.

Kisame was even more cautious than Zabuza. He gripped Samehada, his sharp gaze piercing through the mist, locking onto the two blurry figures. The enemy's confidence meant they must have a backup plan.

In the thick fog, Yagura entered his Tailed Beast Transformation for the third time today. A dark red chakra cloak covered his entire body, and three chakra tails swayed behind him. He opened his mouth, and highly concentrated Tailed Beast chakra began to gather in it, its target aimed directly at the airship hovering above the sea.

However, just a moment before the Tailed Beast Ball was about to be unleashed...

Without warning, a figure rose from the sand directly beneath Yagura's feet.

There was no sound, not even a disturbance to the surrounding mist, as if he had always been there.

Until that hand covered in a black glove gently rested on Yagura's shoulder in his fully transformed tailed beast form.
The Fourth Mizukage was startled, and almost simultaneously, Zabuza and Kisame, who were in the mist, were also horrified to realize that there was another person next to Yagura.

Zabuza threw the sewing needle in his hand, and Kisame's Samehada also slashed down towards Yagura's side.

But it was too late.

The moment that palm touched, the space around Yagura began to twist strangely!
Kamui!

A terrifying spatial suction force erupted, and Yagura's body was uncontrollably thrown backward.

Just before his body was completely sucked in and his consciousness began to blur, Yagura's white eyes, covered by the tailed beast's chakra, showed no fear or panic, only a cold, almost deathly calm.

He had long anticipated this moment.

"You owe Kirigakure...it's time to pay it back...Madara."

Sizzle—!
Inside his body, beneath the tailed beast cloak, multiple pre-set explosive tags were simultaneously detonated.

Boom!
A violent explosion erupted from Yagura's body, instantly engulfing him, the hand on his shoulder, and its owner!
"The Yondaime!"

"Lord Mizukage!!"

Kisame and Zabuza's screams were drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

The shockwave from the explosion dispersed some of the dense fog.

Obito Uchiha, whose mask had been blown off at one corner, looked at Yagura, who was at the center of the explosion.

The Fourth Mizukage had completely deactivated his Tailed Beast form. His clothes were tattered, and his exposed skin was covered with scorch marks and bloodstains, especially on his chest and back, where the injuries looked horrific.

He barely managed to keep from falling by using the hook staff in his hand to support his body, panting heavily, his purple eyes fixed on Obito.

"Did we fail...?" Yagura's voice was hoarse and weak, tinged with regret.

Obito looked at Yagura and reached out his hand again.

At that very moment—

"Water Release: Big Explosive Water Wave!"

A torrent of water, like a raging torrent, surged from his mouth, instantly forming a massive ellipsoidal water prison on the shore, engulfing Zabuza, Yagura, Obito, and the nearby Kakuzu and Hidan.

Faced with the encroaching water prison, the three masked monsters of wind, fire, and thunder simultaneously emerged from Kakuzu's body.

Ultimate Shooting!

The torrent of energy surged towards the massive water blast created by Kisame.

Yagura's body was swallowed up and sank into this temporary body of water when Kisame's ninjutsu was activated.

The icy water stung his wound, causing excruciating pain, but it also slightly cleared his mind.

Kisame, having fused with Samehada, swiftly swam towards Yagura. The two stared at each other in the water.

Yagura looked at Kisame through the shimmering seawater, his gaze calm, yet Kisame instantly understood the meaning conveyed within.

He was no longer able to fight.

It could even become a breakthrough point for the enemy to exploit.

According to the tactical plan formulated within the village.

Damn it.

Kisame has killed many people.

He was once a ruthless cleaner in the Blood Mist Village, killing his fellow villagers.

Later, Mei Terumi told him that the village had changed and no longer needed to be protected in that cruel way.

but now……

He grinned, his sharp teeth appearing exceptionally white in the dim water.

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

A giant shark-shaped water bullet formed from chakra took shape in front of him, opened its mouth full of chakra teeth, and completely swallowed him under Yagura's calm gaze.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, along with his last will, vanished completely into this cold, seawater prison.

(End of this chapter)