He descended slowly from the sky. The water jutsu on the ground, having lost Kisame's chakra to sustain it, had completely vanished.
One step, then another.
Although Kamizuki Hikari appeared to be walking casually, his speed shocked Ao beyond words.
More importantly, as Hikari approached, the Three-Tails, which had previously resigned itself to its fate, now began to struggle desperately. This put even greater pressure on the Kirigakure sealing team, who were already reeling from the aftermath of the previous battle.
"Stop right there!"
Terumi Mei rushed forward once again, blocking Hikari's path.
"The Three-Tails belongs to our village! If you continue, are you really trying to ignite hatred between Kiri and Konoha?"
Hikari halted and looked at the determined Mei. He could only try to explain.
"It's not that I came here by choice. The revival of the Three-Tails was deliberately accelerated by someone."
"So what? Can't you just leave it alone?!" Mei snapped. She didn't want to hear any of Kamizuki Hikari's reasoning.
Whether the revival happened sooner or later—did that really matter?
If Hikari knew what she was thinking, he would have told her it mattered.
It mattered a lot.
The reason the Akatsuki and Obito had refrained from targeting the Tailed Beasts for so many years was precisely because the Three-Tails had not yet revived—they didn't want unnecessary complications.
But now that the Three-Tails had returned, the Akatsuki's plan would inevitably begin. That meant only a few months remained before their move.
"No matter what, the Three-Tails must die today. You might not understand my actions now, but soon, you'll know why I did this."
After saying that, Hikari slowly raised his hand.
"Eight Trigrams Seal!"
Black sealing scripts flared into existence, instantly cutting off Mei's chakra flow. The proud Fifth Mizukage was rendered as powerless as an ordinary woman.
"Tell your shinobi to retreat."
Setting Terumi Mei aside gently, Hikari continued forward.
The Kirigakure shinobi standing on the lake's surface glared at him in fury, but their chakra was currently linked to the sealing formation—if they left now, the Three-Tails would break free.
"If you dare kill the Three-Tails, I'll take my own life the moment I return. Once the other villages find out, they'll all demand answers from Konoha. Kamizuki Hikari, I hope you think this through!" Mei's voice trembled slightly. This was her final threat, her last resort.
The Tailed Beasts were too valuable to the weakened Kirigakure. If Hikari killed the Three-Tails now, they would once again be without a Tailed Beast for decades—perhaps even generations.
The time it took for a Tailed Beast to revive varied: sometimes ten years, sometimes several decades.
Mei dared not gamble on that. Each Tailed Beast was a strategic weapon—a deterrent like a nuclear bomb—that the Five Great Villages needed to possess.
They might not need to use it, but they had to have it.
"I don't need the Three-Tails' power," Hikari replied calmly. "Since you've said as much, I'll show some goodwill. The Three-Tails belongs to Kirigakure, so I'll seal it on an uninhabited island within the Land of Water. From then on, its custody will be your responsibility. But keep this in mind—some people's goals aren't as simple as you think."
He was referring to the Akatsuki, and Mei understood that perfectly.
But knowing that was one thing—she couldn't just abandon the Three-Tails because of it.
Yes, the Akatsuki were dangerous. Mei knew that too.
But right now, she had to deal with the immediate crisis—not some possible threat in the future.
As for an existence like the Akatsuki, even if they were to start a war, the ones to suffer would likely be prosperous places like Konoha. A remote and impoverished place like the Land of Water... Mei felt they wouldn't even glance at it.
"Fine. Then I thank you."
Despite the earlier tension, Hikari's proposal now seemed more than acceptable to Terumi Mei.
Looking at the rippling surface of the lake beside her, Mei pointed. "Hurry up and do it already. Our sealing squad can't hold out much longer!"
The chakra of a Tailed Beast—its sheer volume and recovery speed—was monstrous. Kirigakure's sealing team had already been through several exhausting rounds. Their chakra was nearly depleted; it wouldn't take more than ten minutes for the Three-Tails to break free.
"Tch. What a pain."
"Everyone, stand back!"
Hikari stepped forward, leaping to the center of the lake.
In an instant, the once-turbulent waters became perfectly still. Kamizuki Hikari stood there, unmoving, like an unshakable pillar that anchored the entire lake. No wave dared rise around him.
"Get farther away!"
Without checking if they obeyed, Hikari's hands began to flash through seals—more than thirty in less than five seconds.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Several black chains burst from his palms, plunging into the depths below.
A deafening roar shook the air.
The Three-Tails was ensnared almost instantly, its chakra suppressed to the barest minimum. In that state, it was nothing more than an oversized turtle—large, yes, but powerless.
"Come out!"
With a thunderous shout, Hikari pulled upward, and a massive column of water erupted skyward.
"Everyone, fall back!" Ao shouted anxiously. At this moment, he was terribly afraid that Hikari's hand might slip, making the seal unstable.
After all, that was a Tailed Beast he was handling. To the exhausted Kiri shinobi—many barely able to stand—it was a living catastrophe. A single misstep could cost countless lives.
The Kirigakure shinobi didn't need to be told twice. They scattered faster than they ever had before, leaving only Hikari standing calmly at the lake's center, hauling up a massive creature from the depths.
Soon, the source of the water's turmoil surfaced.
A giant turtle—over ten meters long—emerged beneath Kamizuki Hikari's grip. Compared to it, the man looked utterly insignificant.
"Let's go. Time to find you a new home."
To minimize casualties in the conflict over the Three-Tails, Hikari decided to relocate it to territory under Kiri control.
Since Terumi Mei had insisted on keeping the creature, any future damage caused by its existence would have nothing to do with him.
Perhaps sensing that Hikari no longer intended to kill it, the Three-Tails quieted down. Aside from its immense size, it looked almost docile.
(Three-Tails: You devoured my ocean of chakra! If not for these cursed chains, I'd blast you to the heavens with a Tailed Beast Bomb!)
Under Mei's astonished gaze, and the stares of the slack-jawed Kirigakure shinobi, Hikari flicked his right hand. The black chains floated upward, dragging the Three-Tails out of the water as if it weighed nothing.
And through it all, the beast didn't resist in the slightest.
(Three-Tails: It's not that I don't want to fight back... but against this guy? I'd be crushed!)
"I'll say this one last time," Hikari's voice carried over the quiet lake, calm yet absolute. "The Three-Tails stays because you insisted. Whatever happens in the future—anyone who dies because of it, any losses the Kirigakure suffers—it has nothing to do with me."
"If someone steals it, that will also be your responsibility."
----
Read 45+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/KakuzuTL