'The warm-up is over—time for the main event.'
Toshiro casually twirled the Kusanagi sword, flicking off the blood clinging to its blade. His gaze sharpened as he fixed his sights on the massive, three-tailed beast before him.
He had been pondering how to extract the Three-Tails' chakra without drawing too much attention, but now, with the beast practically delivered to his doorstep, he supposed he had no choice but to accept the gift.
"Your name is… Raizou?"
Turning slightly, Toshiro glanced at the bloodied Konoha jōnin standing behind him, a scar cutting across his mouth. His memory was hazy—too much time had passed, and the man's current battered state made recognition difficult.
"Yes! Hokage-sama!"
"Good work. If you make it through this war alive, expect greater responsibilities."
Toshiro offered a vague promise of future reward before issuing his next order.
"This next battle isn't one you should be involved in. Take the others and fall back. Also, inform Mimura to prepare for the pursuit of the Kiri Ninjas."
These warriors had fought alongside him, cutting their way from the battlefield's fringes to the heart of the conflict. They were talented, valuable assets—letting them perish at the hands of the Three-Tails would be a waste.
"Go now!"
After issuing his orders, Toshiro swiftly leaped onto Shiromari's head, his gaze locking onto the enraged Three-Tails before him.
"Master Toshiro, why are our opponents always so… troublesome?"
Rolling his eyes, Shiromari glanced up at Toshiro perched above him. He couldn't help but complain.
Every time he was summoned, he ended up facing a monstrous adversary—first the Nine-Tails, then the Eight-Tails. He had hoped this time would be different, but clearly, fate had other plans.
"Quit whining!" Toshiro shot back. "Aren't you the one more excited than anyone else?"
He cast a pointed glance at Shiromari's tail, which was enthusiastically thrashing the ground, stirring up dust and debris.
This so-called grievance was nothing but an act. Shiromari might grumble, but deep down, he was a battle-hardened beast who relished a good fight.
"No warrior would refuse the honor of defeating a Tailed Beast!"
For summoning beasts like him, life could be monotonous. Unlike the inhabitants of Myōboku Mountain or Ryūchi Cave, who had vast communities to converse with, the Shiromari did not have many of its kind. The solitude was stifling.
"Enough talk—the enemy is making its move!"
There was no time for idle chatter with this aloof friend—danger was already upon them.
The Three-Tails' massive tail came whipping through the air, aiming to crush them in a single blow. At the same time, a swirling torrent of water formed around the beast, rising steadily until it completely engulfed its colossal body.
"This one's got some tricks up his sleeve," Toshiro mused, watching the enormous water sphere take shape.
The sight reminded him of Kisame from the original timeline. With the changes unfolding, he couldn't help but wonder—would this version of events still lead the Kisame to join the Akatsuki? Or had his own actions set off a ripple effect that would change fate entirely?
"Doton: Weighted Rock Jutsu!"
Since the enemy had chosen large-scale water-based jutsu, Toshiro's first priority was disrupting their control over the battlefield.
By increasing the weight of the water with the Weighted Rock Jutsu, he could drastically limit the opponent's ability to manipulate the current. The water would become far heavier, reducing its mobility and making it more of a stagnant pool than a deadly, swirling prison.
It wouldn't completely nullify the threat, but it would certainly tip the balance in his favor.
"Roar!"
The weight of the water around him suddenly increased, throwing Isobu off balance. The colossal beast—more accurately, Obito, who was controlling him from the shadows—was clearly unprepared for such a shift.
Isobu thrashed his massive tail, but the water refused to flow as he willed. Frustrated, he planted his front legs into the swirling depths, sending waves crashing outward before lunging straight at Toshiro and Shiromari.
"Shiromari, he's yours from here!" Toshiro called out, stepping back.
In a battle against the Three-Tails, the key wasn't to simply overpower the beast—it was to breach the spiritual plane where its true essence resided.
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
His eyes snapped open, the three rotating tomoe morphing into an intricate Mangekyo pattern. A shift in perception followed as his consciousness dove into the sealed realm of the Three-Tails.
"So this is… Isobu's sealed space?"
Toshiro's gaze swept over the massive prison before him. The Three-Tails loomed within, its enormous form restrained, while a lone, diminutive figure sat atop its head.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"The Kiri ninjas really shot themselves in the foot this time."
Toshiro clicked his tongue as he observed the scene before him—both Karatachi Yagura and the Three-Tails were bound within the sealed space, utterly trapped.
His gaze swept across the surroundings.
A vast, lake-like expanse stretched into the distance, its still waters reflecting the eerie glow of the sealed realm. At the center stood a massive stone island, ancient and foreboding, with two thick chains extending outward.
One chain was anchored deep into the rock, while the other ends were embedded into the backs of both the Three-Tails and Yagura, binding them in place.
"Who would've thought—the mighty Fourth Mizukage, caught in the very seal his own village designed to contain the tailed beasts."
Toshiro let out a low chuckle. Obito had certainly been creative. Rather than crafting his own method of subjugation, he had simply repurposed the Mist's own sealing techniques to imprison Yagura's spirit—effectively rendering his body outside nothing more than a puppet.
A stroke of brilliance. And yet, an obvious weakness.
At that moment, Yagura stirred.
The Mizukage, who had been seated atop the Three-Tails with his eyes closed in deep meditation, slowly opened them. His gaze fell upon Toshiro, taking in the piercing, crimson eyes.
Recognition struck instantly.
His expression darkened, his voice dropping to a tense murmur, almost a groan of resignation.
"Another... Uchiha."
The mere sight of another Uchiha was enough to make Yagura's head throb. Though this newcomer wasn't the same mysterious figure who had trapped him here, there was no doubt he was using the Sharingan to exert control.
Instinctively, Yagura averted his gaze, lowering his head to avoid direct eye contact.
At the same time, suspicion crept in—was this Uchiha an accomplice of the masked man? His muscles tensed as he secretly gathered his strength, preparing to strike at a moment's notice.
"Yagura, I think we'd be better off conserving our energy."
A deep, rumbling voice echoed from below.
As a fellow prisoner in this wretched space, the Three-Tails, Isobu, had long accepted its predicament. It was, perhaps, the one thing it excelled at—resignation.
Still, after enduring endless conversations with the Mizukage sitting atop its head, Isobu finally decided to speak up, offering a rare piece of advice.
"Let's be honest—the seal binding us isn't something we can break on our own."
"Even if this Uchiha Toshiro isn't working with the enemy, there's nothing we can do about it."
Silence.
Then, without warning, the space around Yagura rippled—his very form wavering, as if he were nothing more than a reflection in water.
Overwhelmed by the emotions surging within him, Yagura's form wavered, his presence momentarily unstable.
He was too exhausted to argue with Isobu, too drained to comment on the beast's carefree attitude—how it could so easily resign itself to sleep despite their predicament.
What Isobu said wasn't wrong, but... I am the Fourth Mizukage.
Trapped in this prison by a faceless enemy, his village was thrown into chaos in his absence.
If he simply accepted this fate, how could he face the Third Mizukage, who had placed such trust in him? How could he face the people who had once held such high hopes for him?
His grip tightened.
"What exactly are you planning to do here?"
As he reached into the air, a strange weapon materialized in his hands—a polearm marked with a plum blossom at its tip.
"It seems you aren't quite aware of what's happening outside."
Toshiro's voice was calm, but his eyes burned with power.
In an instant, crimson energy surged around him, forming a blazing Susanoo that encased his body.
Swish!
A skeletal chakra arm lifted, and three fiery magatama shot toward the chains binding Yagura in place.
"This is...?"
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