The lake was vast, its shores lined with dense forests.
At that moment, Sasori and Deidara had also returned to the lakeside — though far enough away from Shinji and his group that neither side could see the other.
Sasori took out a scroll and summoned the puppet sealed inside.
It was a new creation he had rushed to complete over the past few days, built from materials he had collected over the years.
Its main components were the bodies of Cursed Spirits adapted to aquatic environments, along with special water‑resistant materials.
For some reason — likely Sasori's peculiar sense of humor — he had designed it in the shape of a shark.
It probably stemmed from Deidara mentioning Kisame a few days earlier, which had annoyed Sasori.
Because the range of his chakra threads was limited, and water would interfere with them further, Sasori simply stepped out of Hiruko and entered the control core of the new puppet — The Shark.
It was clear as day: he was deliberately making a jab at Kisame.
In truth, Sasori could have used a more convenient method — such as placing his own regenerative core directly inside The Shark.
But the secret of his core could never be revealed to anyone, not even Deidara. So he chose to pilot the puppet in his own true form.
"If I can subdue the target underwater, all well and good. But if things go wrong, I'll drive it up to the surface. You must be ready and waiting — strike at the right moment and finish it off. Do not give it another chance to escape."
"Rest assured, Sasori‑san. I won't fail this time."
Deidara confidently slapped his chest in promise. Last time, he hadn't used his most powerful explosives, and he hadn't expected the Three‑Tails' defense to be so formidable.
With instructions given, Sasori piloted The Shark straight into the water.
Since he had long since ceased to be human, he had no need to breathe — the ocean was no obstacle to him. His combat power now depended entirely on the capabilities of this puppet.
Time passed slowly…
Before he knew it, Sasori had reached the lakebed right at the center.
Based on what happened last time, the Three‑Tails should be resting somewhere nearby.
Whether due to the special materials used or Sasori's unique modifications, The Shark allowed him to see clearly even in the pitch‑black depths — just like a fish‑man.
In fact, this ability came from the bodies of those Cursed Spirits. Sasori had simply used his skill to preserve their unique sensory organs and integrate them into the puppet.
Though these parts were not true Cursed Objects, they could replicate many of their effects when installed in a puppet.
It had to be said: in the art of puppetry, Sasori was a genius the world would see only once in a hundred years.
"Found it."
After gliding through the water for a while, Sasori finally spotted his target.
Right now, the Three‑Tails lay quietly sleeping on the bottom.
In the dim light, its eyes closed, it was almost impossible to tell what it was unless you looked very closely.
Sasori guided The Shark until it hovered directly in front of the beast's head.
Just as he expected — it was asleep, and had lowered its guard around its only weak point.
All he had to do now was launch the explosive clay charges Deidara had prepared earlier. For someone of his skill, it was child's play.
But right then, the unexpected happened.
Moxi had entered the water earlier to search, but the lake was so vast that she had arrived just a moment too late.
"Huh? So it's not what we're looking for…"
Moxi was a Special‑Grade Cursed Spirit born from humanity's collective fear of Tailed Beasts.
The instant she saw it, she knew exactly what it was — and felt a twinge of disappointment.
They had come here hunting a Special‑Grade Cursed Spirit.
She had no desire to fight the Three‑Tails; if anything, she felt a strange sense of kinship toward it.
Then she noticed the strange, shark‑shaped creature nearby, faintly emanating the aura of Cursed Spirits. And she saw it suddenly open its jaws wide…
Without the slightest hesitation, she shot forward at full speed and rammed it.
At the same time, she shouted loudly underwater:
"Wake up, you giant turtle!"
Don't ask how — Moxi could speak underwater, and that was that.
THUD!
Moxi and The Shark collided violently. But just a split second before impact, a volley of torpedoes had been fired from the puppet's mouth.
The noise woke the Three‑Tails. It opened its eyes just in time to see unknown objects rushing straight at it.
Instinctively, it squeezed its eyes shut again, and its upper and lower shell plates snapped tightly together…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of explosions erupted on the lakebed.
Though the Three‑Tails had closed its armor in time, some of the clay torpedoes had slipped inside and detonated right against its eyelids.
Its only weak point had been struck. The beast was instantly grievously wounded. It let out a furious, pained roar that churned the water around into a violent, swirling chaos.
Thankfully, it had shut its eyes — so it wasn't knocked completely unconscious. But blood was already streaming from around its eyes, a terrifying sight to behold.
"Human? Cursed Spirit? Or what in the world are you?!"
Sasori, knocked backward by the collision, stared at Moxi's inhuman, monstrous form — unable to classify her.
It was a pity his plan had been interrupted… yet part of his goal had still been achieved.
He immediately commanded The Shark to release all the venom stored inside its body, then began rising rapidly toward the surface.
His part was done. All that remained was to draw the Three‑Tails out.
After taking such heavy damage, Sasori was certain it wouldn't just lie there and endure it.
And he was right. The Three‑Tails had fallen into a mindless, raging fury.
Moxi wanted to chase after the strange shark, but the currents were too chaotic now. Besides, her instincts warned her that staying here any longer would be dangerous.
So without hesitation, she too shot upward toward the surface.
Moments later, both she and The Shark burst out of the water one after the other.
"What happened?! What's going on?!"
Shinji — standing in the center of the lake, walking on water — called out urgently.
"What's down there isn't a Cursed Spirit — it's a Tailed Beast! Run! Something weird shaped like a shark just made it absolutely furious!"
Moxi's answer left Shinji completely confused.
What is all this even supposed to mean?
And what's a "weird‑shaped shark"?
But confused as he was, he caught the key words: Tailed Beast.
Dammit!
He could feel the water beneath him churning violently. A chill ran down his spine.
Thankfully, he had prepared for this.
Scattered all around within sight were crystals made from his own blood, placed earlier to use as swap points.
He began clapping his hands rapidly — clap, clap, clap! — each swap carrying him further away from the churning center of the lake.
At the same time, Moxi was paddling frantically to escape.
Shinji glanced at her; she was too slow. He simply swapped places with her too.
And so the two of them fled, blinking across the water one after another.
Shinji's hands were red from all the clapping!
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