Under the shroud of blood-red chakra, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Yagura Karatachi maintained a sliver of reason despite entering his partial transformation.
As a ninja once hailed as a "perfect" Jinchuriki, he stared fixatedly at Shiraishi. In an instant, a massive amount of chakra energy converged within his mouth, condensing into a highly concentrated Tailed Beast Bomb.
This was an S-rank technique used during a full transformation. By gathering Tailed Beast chakra in a ratio of two parts black (positive) to eight parts white (negative), the energy spins at high speeds to form a high-density sphere.
The Jinchuriki then swallows the compressed orb and fires it in a linear beam—an explosion capable of flattening an entire mountain.
Facing the Fifth Kazekage, Yagura held nothing back. The Tailed Beast Bomb's energy erupted with a roar, lunging straight for Shiraishi.
"So this is the power of a Tailed Beast Bomb?" Onoki, as a veteran of the shinobi world, spoke with practiced observation. "The Three-Tails is notoriously difficult to control; I didn't expect the Mizukage to master it so effortlessly."
A Water Encampment Wall surged up rapidly, blocking the projectile. Simultaneously, Shiraishi gathered a massive flow of steam in his palm, condensing it into a concentrated, high-temperature sphere that he fired with violent force.
"In terms of controlling Tailed Beasts, the Mizukage truly is a perfect Jinchuriki."
The Fourth Raikage's sworn brother, Killer B, was also a perfect Jinchuriki. Ay had originally thought B was the only one in the world, but Yagura's development of the beast's power appeared to be on par with B's mastery.
The explosions of the Tailed Beast Bomb unleashed a series of terrifying energy halos across the high peak. Shiraishi maneuvered and dodged with fluid grace, his palm manifesting powerful Origin Waves that he fired in concentrated bursts.
Amidst the chaos, the Tailed Beast Bomb and the Origin Wave collided, their lights intertwining.
Shiraishi stood atop the water's surface, his fingers rhythmically firing light beams to snipe the constantly moving Three-Tails.
Waves rolled and crashed as heat waves radiated outward, evaporating the moisture in the air. Shiraishi took a deep breath, his dual-colored Circular Pupils spinning as they locked onto the beast's movements.
Staring at Shiraishi from the sidelines, Uchiha Shisui endured the throbbing pain in his eyes to activate his three-tomoe Sharingan. "The Kazekage is hiding an incredibly powerful visual prowess."
Shisui's words put Minato Namikaze on high alert. "Is it a Bloodline Limit?"
"A strange ocular jutsu, completely different from the Sharingan or Byakugan, but I can feel a vast amount of visual power within it."
Minato suddenly thought of his teacher, Jiraiya, who had mentioned encountering a child with the Rinnegan. He quickly dismissed the thought; the power Shiraishi displayed was nothing like the Rinnegan. A brand-new ocular jutsu?
During the clash of vast light waves, the Three-Tails relied on its seemingly endless chakra to gradually compress Shiraishi's range of movement.
As Shiraishi retreated step by step against the frenzied assault, he made a decisive move. With a flick of his fingers, his Sword Dance air currents spiraled upward, merging with the power of the Black Mist to form layers of shimmering frost.
Black Mist: Holy Sword Cyclone!
The combination jutsu looked simple, but required extraordinary chakra control. The icy gale produced by the cyclone and the holy sword mist possessed a terrifyingly low temperature; under Shiraishi's command, the entire surface of the water began to freeze solid.
As the cyclones crisscrossed, Shiraishi fired the Holy Sword Cyclone from his fingertips. The Three-Tails responded by condensing a more violent dark beam from its mouth.
As the two forces collided, Shiraishi used a Body Flicker to vanish, appearing instantly to pierce the Three-Tails' abdomen with the pure white frost-power of the Holy Sword.
The Black Mist energy poured into the beast's body once more, throwing Yagura's consciousness back into a state of chaos.
Uchiha Obito's expression changed. Seeing that the Mizukage he controlled was about to break free from his hypnosis, he watched as the massive cold current carried by Shiraishi crushed Yagura's emerging consciousness, suppressing it again.
It appeared Shiraishi was actually helping Obito maintain control over the Mizukage. Although this move surprised Obito, he quickly realized the Kazekage's motive.
A chaotic Hidden Mist was beneficial to the Hidden Sand. Thus, while Shiraishi disrupted Yagura's mind, he did not dispel the Genjutsu; instead, he reinforced it.
Shiraishi didn't care who was pulling the strings, as long as the Mist remained in disarray.
At this point, there was no meaning in continuing the struggle. Obito issued a final command. Overwhelmed by the frost, Yagura gradually shed his Tailed Beast form.
Between the icy invasion and his muddled consciousness, he walked off the stage, signaling his defeat.
Yagura opened his eyes, looking even more lost and dazed than before. As he hurried away, the battle between Shiraishi and Yagura left the other three Kage with a sense of an anti-climactic finish.
Though the others didn't fully understand what had happened, the ice beneath Shiraishi's feet transformed back into a massive amount of Magnetic Sand.
He activated his Sand Gathering Technique to steadily recover his depleted chakra.
Shiraishi had successfully held the stage. Combined with Shikasa's earlier victory, the Sand was firmly in the lead. Just as Minato Namikaze prepared to step up, Samui of the Cloud village intercepted him with a unique Genjutsu.
Genjutsu? Minato frowned, quickly dispelling the illusion, only to realize the Fourth Raikage had already reached the battlefield.
If Minato were to step in now, win against Shiraishi, and hold the stage for two more rounds, the Leaf would tie the Sand in victories.
Furthermore, because he would have defeated the Kazekage, the "net win" would go to the Leaf. The Raikage was no fool; seeing the battles had become a strategic stalemate, he moved to disrupt Minato's plan.
For the Cloud, the matter of disarmament could be discussed with the Kazekage later.
This was a result of Minato's lack of political experience. Though his combat strength was peerless, the other Kage were calculating every second. His one moment of hesitation allowed the situation to be dismantled.
Using that distraction, the Fourth Raikage, Ay, landed on the stage. Electricity crackled across his body as his Lightning Style Nintaijutsu erupted.
"Your next opponent is me!"
Although Ay had technically helped the Sand by obstructing the Leaf, he would hold nothing back for the sake of the Cloud's reputation.
Facing the Raikage, the golden light in Shiraishi's right eye—representing Thunderstrike Electricity—spun rapidly. A vast, golden electrical radiance bathed Shiraishi's entire body.
"As expected, against the Raikage, the Kazekage intends to settle it with Lightning Style."
With a series of sharp cracks, the golden current covered Shiraishi. Under this energetic stimulation, the activity of his body's cells rose to a new level. Wrapped in this golden aura, Shiraishi took on a hallowed, divine appearance.
The Fourth Raikage, similarly wreathed in lightning, felt the pressure increase several times over. Then, Shiraishi made a startling move.
That stance...
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