"Whoa — that was scary!"
Deidara banked sharply in mid‑air, narrowly dodging the thick, powerful jet of water.
He was slowly guiding the Three‑Tails toward the shore, where Sasori — controlling the Third Kazekage puppet — stood ready to engage.
But they were still too far apart, and Sasori could only operate his puppets within a limited range.
"Have another taste of my art, you ugly giant turtle!"
Deidara laughed even more wildly, raining explosive clay bombs down as if they cost nothing.
Most of them did absolutely nothing… but every now and then, one would detonate right in front of the beast's only visible eye, startling it badly.
Sasori, watching closely, realized at once: That single uncovered eye is its weak point.
But hitting it accurately wouldn't be easy. Precisely because it was a vulnerability, the Three‑Tails would guard it fiercely.
Sure enough — Deidara, who had also noticed this — quickly molded a swarm of Explosive Clay: Small Birds and sent them diving in a suicide charge straight at the eye.
But instantly, the shell‑like plates on the creature's head and lower jaw snapped shut, covering its only weak spot completely.
All the small birds smashed harmlessly against the thick armor, leaving not a single mark.
It was just like a turtle pulling entirely inside its shell — no way to get at it.
Deidara's laughter cut short. He was honestly lost for words.
And to make matters worse, now that it realized its attacker couldn't hurt it from the air, the Three‑Tails simply stopped pursuing and began sinking slowly downward.
It's trying to run away?!
You really had to hand it to it — it really was as cautious and defensive as a turtle.
Deidara was stunned and didn't know what to do next.
Even Sasori couldn't stay still any longer. Before the waves on the surface had even settled, he rushed out over the water and maneuvered the Kazekage puppet to stop the beast from escaping.
Magnet Release: Sand Iron Wings!
The Third Kazekage puppet first compressed sand iron to extreme density on its shoulders, forming a pair of massive metallic wings, and rose into the sky.
From the center of each wing, it fired countless feather‑shaped blades of sand iron — fast enough to be invisible to the naked eye, and each one capable of tracking its target.
Clang! Clang! Clang!…
But this attack also failed to penetrate. Every blade bounced off the armor.
If anything, the renewed assault only made the Three‑Tails sink faster. Its eye remained tightly protected, giving no opening whatsoever.
Sasori's expression darkened. He commanded the puppet to attack again.
This time, he shaped the sand iron into sharp triangular prisms and set them spinning rapidly in mid‑air — like high‑speed drill bits.
Then these sand‑iron drills shot straight toward the Three‑Tails.
Magnet Release: Sand Iron Top!
Shadow Touch!
Sensing the danger, the Three‑Tails didn't hesitate. It arched its entire body, curled up until its massive, heavy shell covered it completely, turned itself into a perfect sphere, and began spinning downward at high speed.
In the blink of an eye, it shot like a cannonball straight to the bottom of the lake.
The Sand Iron Top only managed to scratch a faint mark across its back, producing a screeching sound that made everyone's teeth ache… until the pressure of the deep water slowly brought it to a halt.
"Now what?"
Deidara landed beside Sasori, looking completely exasperated.
He had never seen such a cowardly Tailed Beast before. Were they all like this?
Now that they had alerted it, luring it back out wouldn't be easy.
"If I'd known, we would have sent Kisame to capture this one instead. We could have gone to the Mist Village for the One‑Tail Jinchūriki."
Deidara couldn't help complaining.
If he and Sasori went down there, they wouldn't be able to use their full power underwater. Who knew who would end up beating whom?
Kisame, on the other hand, was perfectly suited to fight in this kind of environment.
But alas… "Let's withdraw for now. No matter where it hides, the end result will be the same."
Sasori was thinking about the materials he had collected recently — some of which would be perfect for this situation.
Combined with Deidara's explosive clay, they might be able to finish the Three‑Tails off for good.
But first, he needed time to build a new type of puppet.
Besides, the beast couldn't go far. With a body that huge, once discovered, there was nowhere to hide.
...
Several days later, Shinji and his group arrived at the lake without trouble.
On the way there, they had heard rumors: a few days ago, a huge commotion had occurred here. Witnesses claimed to have seen a monster entirely covered in armor…
It was getting more and more bizarre.
As soon as Shinji arrived, he called Moxi out.
"What do you want?"
"Do you have a form that lets you move underwater?"
"…Only if you promise to make me look like a beautiful grown‑up lady — you know, with big curves here… and here."
Moxi immediately started bargaining, gesturing enthusiastically with her small hands against her own flat chest and boyish hips, her expression lewd and gleeful.
Shinji sighed. I was too hasty bringing her along…
He should never have saved her in the first place! After searching so carefully, he ended up with a total pervert — ugh!
"…Fine. Deal."
He sounded utterly unwilling. I can't even get myself a beautiful curvy lady, and here I am having to design one for my fused Cursed Spirit… unbelievable!
Having gotten what she wanted, Moxi smiled in satisfaction. A tail covered in thick, heavy armor grew from her back.
At the same time, her head rotated 180 degrees, revealing a turtle‑like face on the back of her skull.
Even though he had seen it before, every time Shinji looked at her transformed state, he found it grotesque and unsettling. It felt like the whole art style had shifted.
Once her face and tail had fully changed, her body shifted too — becoming covered in an off‑white, shell‑like armor.
Shinji had experienced the defense of this armor before. Even his Executioner's Blade had chipped when striking it. It was incredibly hard.
"Search carefully. According to reports, the target is very large — but don't rule out the possibility it's just a rumor."
Moxi nodded impatiently. "Got it. Just keep your distance properly and don't lose track of me."
Her range of movement was limited; she needed Shinji to follow her. Fortunately, since they were linked, they could always sense each other's location.
With that said, Moxi dove straight into the water and began searching the lakebed.
Shinji followed her path, walking out onto the surface of the lake.
He could no longer use ninja techniques, but he could still control basic chakra — enough to walk on water, or channel energy into the Golem of the Outer Path.
Everyone else waited in silence for the result.
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