Gekko Chizan also observed the situation beneath the sea through the insect eyes.
The chakra of two tails was completely incomparable to that of a single tail. This was a qualitative leap.
"Tsk tsk, almost there."
"Two tails already, Gekko Chizan, keep pushing him."
"Maybe he'll lose control any moment now."
"Isobu, hahaha, it's been a long time!"
Chōmei was even more excited than Gekko Chizan. Ever since he had Gekko Chizan as his Jinchūriki, he had risen to prominence.
In this day and age, being strong yourself isn't truly strong—having a strong partner is what really counts.
Just look. So what if Isobu's Jinchūriki is the Fourth Mizukage? Wasn't he still being completely dominated by his partner, Gekko Chizan?
Besides, Gekko Chizan hadn't even revealed a third of his true strength yet.
Had he used Crystal Release? Had he used Sage Mode? Tsk tsk, Isobu, your Jinchūriki is far too weak!
"Chōmei, calm down, calm down. You'll get to see your old friend."
"But for now, I'll just add a little more fuel to his anger."
Gekko Chizan knew very well that water-style ninjutsu at this level could no longer inflict significant damage on his opponent.
So he wisely changed tactics.
Gekko Chizan grinned, still pressing one hand against the sea's surface as streams of water surged downward.
But this time, the water was distinctly different. The color alone was off.
Normally, water appeared blue—but this time, it carried a faint milky tint.
That was because this wasn't ordinary water. It was water thick with viscous mucus.
He had learned this technique in his previous life—thought it was amusing and memorized it. It originated from Konoha's Kamizuki Izumo.
As the streams of water gradually flowed downward—
Karatachi Yagura, who had been raging wildly, suddenly felt resistance.
"You bastard!"
"Glue?!"
"AAAAAAH!"
Karatachi Yagura was on the verge of insanity. First a vortex, then a massive iron hammer, and now this—something that wasn't even a direct attack, yet drove him mad like glue.
These Kumogakure bastards had gone too far.
"BOOM!"
Driven mad by fury, Karatachi Yagura finally lost even more of his rationality.
Terrifying chakra burst outward, violently blasting away the surrounding seawater. For a moment, a vacuum zone formed around him.
"Oh? Half-tailed beast transformation?"
"Looks like he's just one step away from fully losing control."
"But now comes the real problem."
In Gekko Chizan's view, Karatachi Yagura had already entered a half-tailed beast state.
At the same time, he had shattered through the seawater and was charging straight toward him.
Unable to reveal all his trump cards, this was where things became difficult—he needed to lure the Fourth Mizukage northward.
"Tsk tsk, Jinchūriki are truly terrifying."
"So scary~"
"In that case..."
"I'm out of here!"
Having made up his mind, Gekko Chizan didn't hesitate—he turned and ran.
Chakra adhered to his feet, and in an instant, he was sprinting across the waves.
Karatachi Yagura, now in half-tailed beast form and teetering on the brink of complete berserk, saw the enemy who had forced him into this state trying to escape.
How could he possibly tolerate that?
He immediately accelerated, charging straight at Gekko Chizan.
The sea's surface was left utterly ravaged by the two of them tearing across it.
"Chōmei, lend me some chakra—he's pretty fast."
"Got it!"
"Tsk tsk, keep running!"
With Chōmei's chakra boosting his steps, Gekko Chizan's speed increased once more.
...
Northern Three Islands, Northern Island.
"Hahahaha! Kirigakure ninja, you're no match for us!"
"Boys! Move it!"
The Kumogakure pirates were in excellent spirits. Even though Kirigakure's reinforcements had arrived, their plundering was nearly complete.
Many pirates had already returned, carrying large and small bundles. The Kumogakure captain was practically grinning from ear to ear.
"You bastards! You damn bastards!"
"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you all!"
Jūzō Biwa's eyes were bloodshot. In his view, those were the treasures of the Land of Water—how could he allow them to be stolen?
But he had been heavily suppressed. His entire body was scorched black from the enemy's lightning-style attacks.
Not only that, even the hand gripping the Executioner's Blade was trembling—it was clear how intense the battle had been.
Behind him, Kirigakure's forces had assembled, including another wielder of the Ninja Blades—Fuguki Suikazan.
"Hmph, enough talk. Kill them!"
Just as Fuguki Suikazan roared in fury, a sudden change occurred.
A heart-shaking surge of chakra made everyone present turn pale as they all looked toward the sea.
Two figures were rapidly approaching, and the crimson glow behind them filled every heart with dread.
"Damn it! It's a Tailed Beast!"
"You Kirigakure have gone insane! You actually deployed a Jinchūriki?!"
"Aren't you afraid of destroying your own island?!"
The Kumogakure pirate leader was completely dumbfounded.
They had thoroughly prepared for this operation.
But no matter how much they prepared, they had never anticipated that Kirigakure would mobilize a Tailed Beast just to deal with some pirates.
On the Kirigakure side, eyes were equally wide with shock.
"Fuguki, tell me the truth—besides you, who else came as reinforcement?"
"The Six-Tails Jinchūriki? Impossible. Wasn't that kid locked up?"
Jūzō Biwa already had a clear guess in mind—but he didn't dare believe it. In his view, that person shouldn't have come to the front lines, much less entered a Tailed Beast state.
Fuguki Suikazan swallowed and voiced the very suspicion in Jūzō Biwa's heart.
"It's Mizukage-sama. He led a team to the other island."
"Besides the northern island, the Kumogakure pirates also attacked another one."
It was over. The worst-case scenario had come true.
But soon the two men exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
That was the Fourth Mizukage. What kind of enemy could possibly force him into Tailed Beast transformation???
"Retreat!"
"Everyone, fall back!"
"Forget the ships—unless you want to die!"
While Kirigakure was still confused, Kumogakure had already begun retreating.
They had no intention of getting entangled with a Tailed Beast. At that point, forget plunder—they'd lose their lives here.
"Damn it, what do we do?"
"Retreat—or continue fighting?"
Jūzō Biwa felt like his brain was about to explode.
But soon, their Fourth Mizukage made the decision for them.
"ROAR!"
A furious roar erupted across the sea.
A massive gray shell covered in spikes rose from the waters, its enormous body instantly stirring towering waves.
The Three-Tails had appeared!