Looking at the Three-Tails that had already begun rampaging across the sea surface.
Whether it was Kumogakure or Kirigakure, everyone was dumbfounded. How were they supposed to deal with this?
Such an enormous Tailed Beast—was that something they could possibly stop?
Especially Kumogakure. They had only come to grab some money—was this really necessary? They even released a Tailed Beast???
"Damn it, what do we do now?"
"What else can we do? Run! The Three-Tails is out—do you really think the few of us can stop it?"
Jūzō Biwa felt that his luck was truly rotten. Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, things had only gotten worse for him day by day.
Looking at his own Mizukage who had already fallen into a rampage, he had begun to waver. He was even wondering whether Kirigakure had no place left for him anymore.
At this very moment, Jūzō Biwa made a decision—to leave Kirigakure. This village was no longer somewhere he could remain.
"Roar!"
But very quickly, the furious bellow dragged him back to reality.
The rampaging Three-Tails was simply too terrifying. Its chakra had begun surging out wildly, causing the surrounding seawater to rise wave after wave in violent succession.
The key point was that every single wave carried the Three-Tails' chakra, making each one far from trivial in destructive power.
The ships of the Kumogakure sea raiders were the first to suffer disaster.
Under the colossal waves, not a single ship was spared.
"Crack!"
The sound of wood splintering rang out one after another, and the Kumogakure shinobi aboard the ships wore grim expressions.
"Damn it, the ship can't hold much longer! Put all the cargo into storage scrolls!"
"Motoi! Have your owl send these things back!"
Motoi—such a familiar name. Wasn't he the Chūnin who had previously gone to the seaside on a mission with the Eight-Tails and survived?
Upon hearing the captain's order, he didn't hesitate at all. Biting his finger, he immediately performed a Summoning Technique and called forth his owl.
However, the owl he summoned this time was noticeably smaller—clearly not the same one as before.
"Everyone, abandon ship!"
"Leave the ships and move toward the opposite side of the Tailed Beast!"
"Prioritize your own lives above everything else!"
For this mission, Kumogakure had dispatched nearly a hundred elites. They couldn't afford to lose them for nothing—especially not at the hands of a Tailed Beast.
And the one who had caused all of this was currently beneath the sea.
"Chizan, since when could you dive?"
"Chōmei, shut up and just give me chakra. I'm still holding my breath down here, watching the show!"
After leading Karatachi Yagura northward, Gekko Chizan had plunged straight into the depths of the sea.
Activating Transparent Release, he completely concealed his presence.
Already unable to properly lock onto a target due to the rampage, Karatachi Yagura suddenly lost all sense of direction, which only accelerated the loss of control.
"I've got to say, I've never really taken a close look at Isobu's belly before."
"This guy's always curling himself up. Heh, so this is what it looks like."
"Red stripes! Hahahahaha! That's killing me!"
Looking up at Isobu above him, Gekko Chizan couldn't help but laugh.
That enormous pink belly, round and bulging—it looked oddly amusing.
"Hm?"
"What's that?"
At that moment, through the seawater, Gekko Chizan suddenly spotted a flash of blue light.
On the sea surface.
"Everyone! Retreat immediately!"
"I'll handle the Three-Tails!"
A furious shout echoed across the ocean, accompanied by the silhouette of a ship appearing in the distance.
Moments later, a burly figure wrapped in blue lightning dashed forward at blinding speed.
Gekko Chizan pushed his hearing to its limit, and as the distance between them shrank, he was completely stunned.
"Holy crap, Chōmei, can you believe this?"
"That big idiot from Kumogakure actually showed up… Isn't he afraid the two villages will go to war?"
Yes—Gekko Chizan had already recognized who it was.
It was Kumogakure's Fourth Raikage.
"Damn Tailed Beast! If you've got guts, come at me!"
Although the Fourth Raikage had arrived, his appearance was rather peculiar.
He wore a tattered cloak and ragged clothes that covered his powerful physique completely, and he even had a mask on.
To get a clearer look, Gekko Chizan even found a concealed spot and surfaced slightly from the water.
"Well I'll be damned, it really is him."
"Tsk tsk, what a rare sight."
"Fourth Raikage vs. Fourth Mizukage?"
"Hahahaha, if only I'd brought a video camera—I'd definitely record this."
Floating on the surface to watch the show, Gekko Chizan's face was filled with shock. This was truly something he had never seen before.
He himself was Kage-level, but witnessing two village Kage go head-to-head like this? It was his first time.
"Take this punch!"
"Lightning—… forget it! Just a punch!"
Cloaked in lightning, the Fourth Raikage had originally intended to shout out the name of his technique. But remembering his current situation, he restrained himself.
After all, even though they were out at sea, if any Kirigakure shinobi got close, his identity would be easily exposed.
Better to conceal as much as possible.
However, his power was not diminished in the slightest. His opponent was a rampaging Tailed Beast—there was no need to hold back.
A lightning-infused punch slammed directly into the Three-Tails' head.
"Szzzt!"
Electric currents burst outward, and the Three-Tails' massive head was forcibly smashed down into the sea.
"Roar!"
But this only enraged it further. Pillars of water rose one after another from the ocean's surface, shooting toward the Fourth Raikage.
"Hmph!"
"You think that kind of attack can hit me?"
The Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode granted him extraordinary speed. Even the Three-Tails' assaults couldn't touch a single hair on his body.
Seeing the Three-Tails being held back, the eyes of the Kumogakure shinobi unconsciously burned with excitement.
This was their Kage. Even in the face of a fearsome Tailed Beast, he showed no fear—relying purely on his overwhelming strength to suppress it.
The situation at sea filled the Kumogakure shinobi with renewed determination.
On Kirigakure's side, however, they had already begun assisting the coastal civilians in evacuation.
After all, they understood the terror of a rampaging Tailed Beast. If people were not evacuated in time, the losses would be immeasurable.
"Damn it, what's that out at sea?"
"Lightning?"
"Are those Kumogakure guys actually stopping the Three-Tails?"
Jūzō Biwa was still standing by the shore, peering through the layers of crashing waves at the distant scene.
But by now, the Three-Tails had moved far from the coast. Even with his eyesight, he couldn't see clearly.
All he could make out were streak after streak of lightning flashing in the distance.
"Something feels off…"
"Should I go take a look…?"
"Forget it. I'm leaving Kirigakure anyway. Whatever…"
Having already decided to depart from Kirigakure, Jūzō Biwa was prepared to take one last risk. Whether it was a Tailed Beast rampage or not, it no longer had anything to do with him.
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