Watching the Three-Tails rampage across the sea, both the Kumo and Mist shinobi stood frozen in disbelief.
How were they supposed to deal with this?
That enormous Tailed Beast—did they really think they could stop it?
Especially the Kumo side—they had only come to plunder some wealth. Was all this really necessary? They'd actually unleashed a Tailed Beast?!
"Damn it, what now?"
"What else can we do? Run! The Three-Tails is out—we can't stop something like that!"
Biwa Jūzō felt like his luck couldn't get any worse. Ever since the Third Shinobi World War, everything in his life had gone downhill.
Now, staring at his own Mizukage in a state of berserk rage, he could only feel despair. Maybe Kirigakure really didn't have a place for him anymore.
At that moment, Biwa Jūzō made up his mind—he would leave the Mist Village. It was no longer a place he could stay.
"ROAR!"
But a deafening roar snapped him back to reality.
The rampaging Three-Tails was horrifying. Its chakra poured out uncontrollably, making the sea around it churn in violent waves.
And worse—each of those waves carried the Three-Tails' chakra, giving them the power to crush anything in their path.
The Kumo pirates' ships were the first to suffer.
Under those massive waves, not a single vessel survived.
Crack!
The sound of splintering wood echoed one after another as the Kumo pirates' faces grew pale.
"Damn it! The ship's about to give! Everyone, seal the cargo into scrolls!"
"Motoi! Get your owl to take these back!"
Motoi—now that was a familiar name. Wasn't he the Chūnin who once survived a mission with the Eight-Tails by the coast?
Upon hearing his captain's command, Motoi didn't hesitate. He bit his finger and performed a Summoning Technique, calling forth his owl.
Only this time, the owl was noticeably smaller—clearly not the same one as before.
"Everyone, abandon ship!"
"Leave the vessels! Head for the opposite side of the Tailed Beast!"
"Your lives come first!"
Over a hundred elite Kumo ninja had been sent on this mission. They couldn't all die here—certainly not to a rampaging Tailed Beast.
And the one who had caused all this chaos was currently deep beneath the ocean.
"Kazuyama, I didn't know you could dive!"
"Shut up, Chōmei. Just keep supplying me with chakra. I'm holding my breath and watching the show!"
After luring the berserk Karatachi Yagura northward, Kazuyama Gekkō had plunged straight into the sea.
Activating his Transparent Escape Technique, he completely erased his presence.
Already unable to properly sense his target due to his rampage, Yagura quickly lost track of Kazuyama entirely, which only drove him further into madness.
"You know, I've never actually taken a good look at Isobu's belly before."
"This guy just curls himself up all the time… Tsk tsk, so that's what it looks like."
"Red stripes? Hahahaha, that's hilarious."
Kazuyama couldn't help but laugh as he looked up at Isobu above him.
That enormous pink belly—round and shiny—was almost comically cute.
"Hm?"
"What's that?"
Just then, Kazuyama noticed a faint blue glow through the water's surface.
Above, on the sea—
"Everyone! Evacuate immediately!"
"I'll handle the Three-Tails!"
A thunderous shout echoed across the waves, followed by the sight of a ship—and a massive figure cloaked in crackling blue lightning charging straight ahead.
Kazuyama focused his hearing to the limit, and as the figure drew closer, he froze in disbelief.
"Holy crap, Chōmei—are you seeing this?"
"That big idiot from Kumo actually came himself… Is he not afraid this'll start a war between the villages?"
Yes—Kazuyama recognized the man instantly.
It was the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure—the so-called Fourth Lightning Lord.
"Damn Tailed Beast! Come at me if you've got the guts!"
The Fourth Raikage had arrived—but his appearance was rather… unusual.
A tattered cloak and shredded clothes barely concealed his massive frame, and he even wore a mask.
He looked like some bizarre cross between Tang Ritian and a horror movie slasher.
Wanting a better view, Kazuyama surfaced silently and found a hidden vantage point.
"Well I'll be damned—it really is him."
"Tsk tsk, what a rare sight."
"Fourth Raikage versus Fourth Mizukage?"
"Hahaha, I wish I had a camera—this is priceless."
Watching from the waves, Kazuyama was completely stunned.
He himself was a Kage-level fighter, but seeing two actual Kage from rival villages face off? That was a first.
"Take this punch!"
"Lightning… Chop! Just a punch!"
The man cloaked in lightning almost called out the name of his jutsu—but remembering the situation, he held back.
He might be out at sea, but if any Mist ninja caught sight of him, his identity would be exposed instantly.
So he stayed as discreet as possible.
His power, however, was anything but restrained. Against a rampaging Tailed Beast, there was no reason to hold back.
His lightning-charged fist slammed straight into the Three-Tails' head.
Crack!
Electricity exploded outward, and the massive beast's head was driven forcefully into the sea.
"ROAR!"
That only made it angrier. Massive jets of water erupted from the ocean, surging toward the Raikage like spears.
"Hmph!"
"You think that'll hit me?"
The Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode gave him speed beyond imagination—so fast that even the Three-Tails' attacks couldn't touch a single hair on him.
Watching their leader go toe-to-toe with a rampaging Tailed Beast, the Kumo ninja couldn't help but feel awe ignite in their chests.
That was their Kage. Even facing a monster like this, he showed no fear—his strength alone was enough to suppress the beast's rampage.
The scene on the ocean filled the Kumo troops with renewed energy.
Meanwhile, the Mist forces were busy aiding the coastal villagers in evacuation.
They knew full well the devastation a Tailed Beast could bring. If they didn't move fast, the losses would be unimaginable.
"Damn it, what's that on the sea?"
"Lightning?!"
"Are those Kumo shinobi actually fighting the Three-Tails?"
Biwa Jūzō still stood on the shore, squinting toward the distance through the stormy waves.
But the Three-Tails had already moved far from the coast—even his sharp eyes couldn't make out much detail.
All he could see were flashes of lightning streaking across the horizon.
"Something feels off…"
"Should I go check it out?"
"…Forget it. I was planning to leave the Mist Village anyway. Why bother?"
Having already decided to abandon Kirigakure, Biwa Jūzō wasn't about to risk his life again.
Tailed Beast rampage or not—it wasn't his problem anymore.