The appearance of Kisame Hoshigaki only caused Hyuga Shinichi to pause for a momentary breath. He hadn't expected that even after he had effectively dismantled the early Akatsuki, this core member would still be embedded within the Mist.
Perhaps this was related to Uchiha Obito lurking in the shadows of the Mist Village after his original plans for the Akatsuki were derailed.
Kisame, wielding Samehada, was undoubtedly a powerhouse. If one were to categorize the world's fighters, Kisame's strength easily commanded the title of "Kage." In Shinichi's estimation, a Kisame going all-out might even be stronger than the current Yagura—a truly nightmare opponent for any ordinary ninja.
However... before the current Hyuga Shinichi, he was merely a "minor pawn" that could be flicked away with a single finger.
Compared to Kisame, Mizukage Yagura and the ANBU Commander Terumī Mei weren't much different. In Shinichi's presence, specialists of this caliber simply weren't enough to make him break a sweat!
Ever since he awakened the Tenseigan, Shinichi's power had transcended the scope of a "ninja" and entered the realm of the "Six Paths." After absorbing the power of Ōtsutsuki Ryūshiki, his chakra reserves had become vast beyond measure.
Now, as he adapted to this god-like strength, his mastery over his techniques—like the already top-tier Flying Thunder God—had evolved into something akin to "Divine Arts."
He was the absolute apex of the current ninja world. Even a mid-to-high-tier member of the Ōtsutsuki clan would not be guaranteed a victory against him, let alone these Jōnin and Kages.
The End of a Mizukage
After effortlessly repelling Kisame, Shinichi's gaze fell back onto Yagura. Despite being in his Tailed Beast state, Yagura felt a wave of profound unease wash over him.
Normally, the influence of a Tailed Beast would make a host more feral and aggressive, drowning out "fear," yet the sheer pressure radiating from Shinichi broke through Yagura's mental defenses.
Ssh—
The sound of Yagura's foot sliding back echoed in the silence. The moment Shinichi looked at him, the Mizukage instinctively retreated.
"Have you given up?" Shinichi felt a flicker of disappointment. He could read the raw terror of death in Yagura's heart. Perhaps the years of being a puppet for Obito had shattered his pride as a Kage; now, any enemy with true power could make him waver.
Seeingthat Yagura had lost his fighting spirit, Shinichi didn't want to waste another second. He vanished.
"Lord Mizukage!" Terumī Mei reacted instantly. From the moment Kisame was knocked back to Shinichi's current charge, she threw herself in front of Yagura, attempting to intercept the attack. This future Mizukage was undeniably loyal to her village.
But against space-time ninjutsu, the idea of using one's body as a shield was tragically impractical.
Shinichi appeared behind Yagura without warning. He struck the center of Yagura's back, injecting chakra into a specific pressure point. Yagura felt his body go numb and began to collapse.
Shinichi had every intention of killing Yagura as a warning, but as the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Yagura's death would mean the death of the beast. Shinichi had a use for that power; he wouldn't let the Three-Tails disappear.
Thud!!!
Shinichi grabbed Yagura by the head and hoisted him up like a limp rag. Ignoring the now-recovering Mei, he proceeded with his plan. There were many ways to kill Yagura, but Shinichi chose to extract the Tailed Beast first.
To an ordinary ninja, extracting a Tailed Beast was a monumental task. To a Six Paths-level being, it was trivial. Compared to the Sage of Six Paths splitting the Ten-Tails, pulling a beast from a human host was simple work.
Since the Mist had targeted the Hyuga's Byakugan, they would pay an equal price. The Three-Tails... would be the "compensation" for their mistake.
Shinichi's right hand, coated in the power of a Truth-Seeking Orb, plunged into Yagura's abdomen. In the inner world of the seal, the turtle-like Isobu looked up to see a titanic hand manifesting in its sky. Before it could react, the hand gripped its neck and physically dragged it out of the seal.
"AAAAAAHHHH—"
Yagura was forcibly ejected from his Tailed Beast transformation. His chakra went into a violent frenzy, and the sheer agony of his meridians being shredded forced a scream from his lungs.
"Lord Mizukage!!" Mei lunged at Shinichi, driven by desperation. She tried to use Taijutsu to force him away and reclaim her leader. Shinichi didn't want to be tied down; holding the screaming Yagura, he pivoted and delivered a sweeping kick to Mei's waist.
The force sent her tumbling through the dirt, several bones cracking upon impact. She collapsed, unable to stand, completely removed from the fight.
The New Jinchūriki
The extraction did not slow down. Tailed Beasts are essentially chakra constructs given will by the Sage's Yang Release. While Shinichi couldn't erase that will, his own mastery of Yang Release allowed him to compress them.
To the horror of the watching Mist ninjas, Shinichi pulled a half-meter tall, compressed version of Isobu out of Yagura's body. He then tossed the dying, paralyzed husk of the Mizukage aside like trash.
Yagura hit the ground and didn't move. The Mist ninjas' hearts hammered against their ribs. They were no longer looking at a man, but a "Calamity."
With a flicker, Shinichi appeared before Team 7. He gently moved Kakashi aside and looked at the children, his gaze finally settling on Hinata with a rare softness.
"Hinata, do you want to stand beside Naruto, or behind him?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked on in confusion, but Kakashi and Hinata's expressions shifted. Kakashi understood the implication—he wondered why Shinichi was so certain that Naruto would one day grow so strong that Hinata would be left in his shadow.
Hinata, however, had her answer immediately. She didn't know what her brother was doing, but she knew her own heart.
"I want to fight by his side!"
Shinichi nodded, as if he had already known. "Hinata, becoming a Jinchūriki might be painful for a while. But if you endure it, you will truly transform. You will become stronger."
Without further explanation, he dropped the miniature Isobu on the ground, pinned it with his foot, and began weaving signs with lightning speed. Kakashi's eyes widened as he recognized the seal.
"You're going to—" Memories of Rin and the blood on his hands flooded Kakashi's mind, leaving him paralyzed with shock. "Shinichi, you can't—"
As Kakashi moved to stop him, a ripple in space appeared behind him. Shinichi, sensing it while still sealing, flicked a Truth-Seeking Orb toward the ripple.
Uchiha Obito, who had been waiting for an opening, finally saw his chance. He didn't target Shinichi; he targeted the distracted Kakashi.
He reached out from the Kamui dimension to reclaim his Sharingan. But as his hand neared Kakashi's face, the black orb hissed toward him. Obito was forced to remain intangible, his hand passing harmlessly through Kakashi's head.
Kakashi snapped out of it, seeing the masked man with the single Sharingan, and rolled away to safety.
"Tch!" Obito saw Shinichi's cold eyes tracking him. Realizing the ambush had failed, he vanished back into the vortex.
"Think you can run?" Shinichi let out a short laugh but didn't pursue. He had the mark on Obito; with his sensory range being far superior to the Fourth Hokage's, Obito couldn't hide for long. First, he had to finish the seal.
Besides... he could feel other "guests" approaching the Land of Waves. They would be here soon.
Within breaths, the sealing was complete. Isobu's body shrank and was pulled into Hinata. Shinichi used a Four Symbols Seal, but he fueled it with his own Yin-Yang Release chakra. This seal was so sturdy that the Three-Tails would never be able to break it.
With Shinichi guarding her, the "risk" of a rampaging Tailed Beast simply didn't exist for Hinata.
By the time the seal settled, Kakashi was still shaking from the ambush. He couldn't fathom who the masked man was, though that crimson Sharingan haunted him. An Uchiha?
The Mist ninjas had gathered around Yagura. Their medical teams were working frantically on him and Mei. Mei was stabilized, but Yagura's life was flickering out. Without the Tailed Beast, even the best medical ninjutsu couldn't stop the inevitable.
The Mist ANBU were now fractured. Some were tending to the dying Kage, others were guarding Mei, and a few had already slipped away. Obito's "Bloody Mist" had left them with no loyalty, only self-interest.
This village, without a strong hand to guide it, was about to rot from the inside out.
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