At the Hidden Mist Village's forbidden grounds.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sat cross-legged, concentrating his mental energy within the sealed space.
"Isobu, you finally stopped resisting my presence."
Yagura let out a sigh of relief.
"I just don't want to be controlled by the Sharingan anymore. That person is too strange. Even the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan shouldn't be this strong. His Sharingan is already very close to the Eternal Mangekyō. Perhaps it's related to the power of the First Hokage I sense in him."
"The power of the First Hokage? But isn't that person from the Uchiha clan?"
Yagura asked in surprise.
"I can't say for sure. But I definitely felt the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Wood Style of the First Hokage from him. There's something very suspicious about that person."
Recalling the time under the control of the Sharingan, Isobu still felt a lingering fear.
During those years, it had experienced the same despair that the Nine-Tails once did.
Under the overwhelming power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, they—these tailed beasts—had become little more than jokes.
This innate weakness was deeply frustrating, not just for people, but for beasts as well.
"Could it be the legendary ninja, Madara Uchiha?"
Yagura speculated.
"No, his ocular power isn't as strong as Madara's."
Isobu still remembered the time, when the Five Great Nations had just been established, when it and the other tailed beasts were utterly defeated by Hashirama and Madara.
Back then, it was Madara Uchiha who had subdued it.
"So, who could this person possibly be?"
Just as both Yagura and Isobu were lost in thought, a voice echoed through the space.
"Are you talking about me?"
Both Yagura and Isobu were startled—they hadn't noticed that someone had entered the area.
Turning their heads, they saw Tobi, standing right beside them, clad in the iconic black cloak with red clouds.
His orange spiral mask added an air of mystery.
"You again!"
Yagura and Isobu immediately tensed up, but some things can't be solved by mere vigilance.
"This time, we won't fall under your genjutsu!"
"Oh, really? Too bad—when you lost to me the first time, your fate was already sealed. Your future holds only death! Fourth Mizukage! This is the price you must pay!"
Tobi's cold, raspy voice sent a chill down Yagura's spine. The single exposed eye shone crimson.
Mangekyō Sharingan!
Genjutsu!
"I'm now a perfect jinchūriki! Your genjutsu won't work on me anymore!"
Yagura shouted excitedly, but soon, he realized something was wrong.
Isobu was becoming agitated!
The Three-Tails, who had been quietly residing within Yagura, was now losing its composure. A closer look revealed that its eyes had already taken on the pattern of the Sharingan.
It had fallen under Tobi's control.
"How is this possible?!"
Yagura could feel the Three-Tails' chakra pouring uncontrollably out of the seal.
Without the cooperation of the Three-Tails, he could not control such a massive amount of tailed beast chakra by himself.
Yagura couldn't understand how this mysterious man could so easily control the Three-Tails.
Was it really just because of the Sharingan?
What he didn't know was that, during the time he was being controlled, Tobi had thoroughly studied the seal inside Yagura.
What Tobi was doing now was tearing open part of the seal, allowing the Three-Tails' chakra to leak out uncontrollably.
At the same time, using his Mangekyō Sharingan's genjutsu, he kept the Three-Tails subdued, preventing it from resisting.
Faced with the rapidly escaping tailed beast chakra, Yagura was unable to use his own chakra to wake Isobu.
Because his rationality was being drowned by the negative emotions within the tailed beast chakra.
He was losing control!
At that moment!
With a loud explosion, Yagura was enveloped in crimson chakra, transforming into the form of the Three-Tails, Isobu.
Tobi withdrew from the sealed space, standing atop a high point, silently watching the Three-Tails wreak havoc throughout the Hidden Mist Village.
"Back then, you wanted to use the Three-Tails to destroy Konoha, didn't you? Now, you can experience the same thing for yourself."
Tobi's cold words were spoken softly, but only Zetsu heard them.
"Tobi, you really know how to hold a grudge. Is this the final step of your revenge for Rin?"
Zetsu's annoying voice rang out.
"No. I don't care about avenging Rin anymore. What happens to this world is meaningless to me. I just want to complete the Moon's Eye Plan. Everything I'm doing now is just idle entertainment. And weakening the Hidden Mist Village will greatly aid our plan."
Tobi's words didn't convince Zetsu.
But it didn't really matter.
"By making the Three-Tails' jinchūriki go berserk like this, Deidara and Kimimaro won't be able to capture it anymore."
If Deidara and Kimimaro acted now, they would just be helping the Hidden Mist with its internal crisis. They weren't that benevolent.
"It doesn't matter. This isn't the best time to capture the tailed beasts anyway. If Yagura hadn't completed his training as a perfect jinchūriki, I wouldn't have acted."
Tobi had originally come just to check on the situation. If everything seemed fine, he would have let Kimimaro and Deidara cause some trouble for the Hidden Mist Village.
If the opportunity was right, he might have had them capture the Three-Tails early.
But just now, he discovered that Yagura had completed his training as a perfect jinchūriki.
That was a big problem for him.
Since that was the case, he had no choice but to take action.
Yagura couldn't survive the night.
If things continued as they were, the seal would fully unravel, and the Three-Tails would break free completely.
At that moment, Yagura would become a jinchūriki without a tailed beast.
And without the Uzumaki Clan's strong vitality, Yagura would die the instant the beast tore free from the seal.
"So, are we just going to watch the show now?"
"Yeah. I'm letting you take control of my body for a while."
As Tobi spoke, the Sharingan in his right eye faded, and Zetsu took over control of his body.
Zetsu was already used to this kind of thing.
"It's going to be a good show. Time to find a nice spot to watch. I know this place like the back of my hand, hehe."
By now, the Hidden Mist Village had plunged into chaos.
The appearance of the enormous Three-Tails was already a huge problem.
And even more so in its rampaging state.
In this condition, the Three-Tails had only one move.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
A massive amount of chakra began gathering in the Three-Tails' mouth.
At that moment, Mei Terumī and the others arrived on the scene.
"Damn it, how did things turn out like this?"
Watching the rapidly forming Tailed Beast Bomb, Mei felt a sinking feeling in her heart.
If that thing detonated in the village, the Hidden Mist would be wiped out.
"Everyone, Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Mei made a swift decision, issuing orders.
Without hesitation, everyone followed her command, forming hand seals and performing the Water Formation Wall technique.
In an instant, water gushed out of everyone's mouths.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
At the same time, Mei finished her own hand seals.
With her extraordinary chakra control, she was able to take control of the water released by the others.
Using the flowing water, a massive water dragon soared into the sky!
Boom!
The water dragon collided with the Tailed Beast Bomb, altering its trajectory!
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot into the sky, where it exploded into a brilliant white light!
(End of chapter)