Yagura's expression turned cold.
"These people are already beyond saving. They show such disrespect to me, the Mizukage. Those who do not respect me do not deserve to be valued. They do not deserve the village's resources."
"The people in the village cannot be relied on. The only one I can rely on is myself."
"When my strength is powerful enough, I will not need these people's recognition. I can lead Kirigakure toward greatness and bring Kirigakure to its peak."
"At that time, they will understand who is truly the most suitable Mizukage."
Yagura left the Mizukage Building and quickly headed toward a small island.
"Elder Harusame."
"Mizukage-sama."
When Harusame saw Yagura, his eyes flickered, and he took the initiative to greet him.
"Could you give me a little more time? I am about to complete my research. The method to perfectly extract the Tailed Beast from Utakata's body will soon be ready. Very soon. It will not take long."
From inside, a figure poked his head out and curiously looked at the situation outside.
Yagura nodded.
"Elder Harusame, I understand you. You are not only doing this for your disciple, but also for the village. You want the village to better control and make use of the Tailed Beast."
Harusame let out a breath of relief.
But at that moment—
Puchi!
A kunai stabbed into Harusame's abdomen.
"However, Elder Harusame, I also hope you can understand me. We are all doing this for the village, but clearly, the situation on my side is more urgent and more important."
"I will have someone take over your research."
"Rest in peace."
Harusame's eyes widened.
Yagura stepped past Harusame and looked at the young man behind him.
Bang!
Harusame's corpse crashed heavily onto the floor.
The young man first showed terror.
Then, immediately afterward, rage.
"Teacher!"
The young man raised his head and stared straight at Yagura. His eyes were red as he roared and charged forward.
Yagura could sense it.
Inside the young man's thin body, an extremely powerful force was surging, about to erupt like a volcano that had already built up to its limit.
Boom!
With a tremendous sound, the young man's body began swelling at a visible speed.
Very quickly, he transformed into a half-human, half-Tailed Beast monster.
The enormous commotion immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby.
"What is that?"
"The Six-Tails!"
"It's a Tailed Beast rampage!"
"Bad news! The Six-Tails has gone berserk!"
For a ninja village, a Tailed Beast was wealth.
An extremely vast amount of chakra. Astonishing destructive power. If sealed inside a person's body, it could create a jinchuriki. If the jinchuriki could use the Tailed Beast's power well, they would possess tremendous strength.
But jinchuriki capable of properly using Tailed Beast power were extremely rare.
More often than not, Tailed Beasts did not become wealth for ninja villages. Instead, they became a burden.
Just like now.
Kirigakure possessed two Tailed Beasts, so compared to villages with only one Tailed Beast, Tailed Beast rampages occurred more frequently.
Because of that, the people of Kirigakure were very clear about how destructive a Tailed Beast rampage could be.
Countless houses collapsing.
Hundreds, even thousands of deaths.
The ground cracking from the force.
Small islands sinking under the devastation.
Blood flowing like rivers.
…
"Run!"
"Don't get caught in it!"
"If we're dragged in, we'll definitely die!"
Weak ninja and civilians immediately fled into the distance.
They could not care about anything else.
Wealth.
Even wives and children.
The nearby area instantly descended into chaos.
"Go inform Mizukage-sama!"
"Only Mizukage-sama can deal with a Tailed Beast rampage!"
"Where is Mizukage-sama?"
Hearing those voices, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Yagura's mouth.
"Now you know to look for me?"
"Didn't you say the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were Kirigakure's true orthodoxy?"
"Now you know to rely on me?"
One ninja looked at that enormous monster. Even though he was terrified, his gaze gradually became firm.
"Kill!"
"We have to stop this monster! We can't let it destroy the village!"
A woman shouted from behind him.
"You can't stop it at all! You'll die!"
The young ninja turned back.
"I know. But if I don't go, and no one else goes either, how are we supposed to stop that monster?"
"For the village, I have no regrets even if I die."
Hundreds of ninja with a spirit of sacrifice charged toward the Six-Tails.
They shouted slogans for the village.
They formed seals as they ran.
They looked death in the face without retreating.
Even though their strength was not high. Some of them were even weak.
Even though there were still people they cared about in their hearts, and they were not alone in the world.
Even though some people did not want them to go.
Even though they had selfish thoughts in ordinary times, their behavior was not always good, and they could not be called perfect people.
At this moment, their bodies seemed to shine with a certain light.
"Roar!"
But strength was strength.
The weak could not defeat the strong.
Compared to the Six-Tails, the gap between these ninja and it was simply too great.
They could not even withstand the aftershock of the Six-Tails' attacks.
An intensely corrosive aura spread out.
One ninja had only just touched it when the skin on his body was corroded away, exposing fresh red flesh beneath. The severe pain made that ninja scream in agony again and again.
In an instant, dozens of ninja died under the Six-Tails' attack.
Despair appeared in the eyes of everyone nearby.
"Who can stop this monster?"
"When will Mizukage-sama arrive?"
Suddenly, a figure appeared directly in front of the Six-Tails.
"Everyone, move aside!"
"I will deal with the Six-Tails alone!"
Yagura raised his head and looked at the Six-Tails.
"Monster, if you have the guts, come at me!"
"Kirigakure will be protected by me, the Mizukage!"
"If you want to destroy Kirigakure, then step over my corpse first!"
The Six-Tails' gaze turned toward Yagura.
Utakata's hatred for Yagura, and the Six-Tails' hatred toward Kirigakure, toward humans, toward ninja, seemed to overlap in that moment and turn into something almost tangible.
"Roar!"
Yagura formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
A mirror formed from Water Release instantly took shape, facing the Six-Tails directly.
The next instant, a figure identical to the Six-Tails appeared.
Two Six-Tails clashed fiercely.
The Six-Tails was restrained.
When the people of Kirigakure saw this, they finally let out a breath of relief.
"Mizukage-sama is here! That's wonderful!"
"The Six-Tails has been restrained!"
"As expected, it has to be Mizukage-sama."
"Before, some people said the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were Kirigakure's true orthodoxy. What nonsense! When the village suffered disaster, where were they? Only Mizukage-sama came to save us."
"Mizukage-sama is the true orthodoxy of Kirigakure!"
"Kirigakure has only one Mizukage-sama!"
With the Six-Tails' rampage, the cloud of disaster looming over the people of Kirigakure was blocked by Yagura. In that moment, most of the people of Kirigakure developed intense recognition toward him.
"All those remarks about Mizukage-sama and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen must be rumors!"
"Mizukage-sama could not possibly have done something like that!"
When Yagura heard those remarks, the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
This was precisely one of Yagura's goals.