The shinobi of Kirigakure were once again summoned to the Mizukage's office.
Unlike last time, when they were given advance notice, this gathering was sudden and urgent—an emergency meeting called by the higher-ups.
On their way to the office, most clan heads had already been informed by the Anbu about the situation at hand.
The Three-Tails had gone berserk.
Once the majority of the attendees had arrived, the Third Mizukage turned to an Anbu member.
"Ao, has that boy woken up?"
"Yes," Ao responded. "His chakra and stamina are severely depleted. He's unable to get out of bed. The medical-nin are doing their best to speed up his recovery."
"Good. Keep an eye on him. The moment he can move, bring him here."
"Understood."
As Ao left, the Third Mizukage subconsciously clenched his hands, his fingers tightening with tension.
Even for him, the announcement he was about to make was nothing short of extraordinary.
Astonishing, even.
Ecstatic.
Early this morning, a massive surge of chakra erupted from the northern shores of the Land of Water.
Even from the very heart of the country, in Kirigakure, the Third Mizukage—being a sensory-type shinobi—felt the immense disturbance the moment it occurred.
There was no mistaking it. Chakra of this magnitude could only mean one thing:
A tailed beast had gone on a rampage!
Kirigakure possessed only two tailed beasts. A quick confirmation revealed that the Six-Tails was still securely sealed. That left only one possibility.
—The Three-Tails.
The Third Mizukage wasted no time in sounding the alarm and immediately dispatched the village's most elite mobile forces to the location.
He couldn't remember the last time his heart had pounded so violently in his chest.
Why did this child have to lose control of the beast now of all times?!
For two agonizing hours, he waited anxiously in his office. He had already prepared contingency plans for resealing the rampaging tailed beast. The medical corps had been placed on standby, with strict orders prioritizing the safety of the jinchūriki, Karatachi Yagura.
Finally, the first reconnaissance team returned with intelligence from the Anbu who had been secretly monitoring Yagura.
—Not only was this not a case of the beast running wild, but the report they delivered was a revelation of unprecedented magnitude.
A revelation so shocking that the Third Mizukage nearly collapsed in his chair from sheer joy.
—The Three-Tails had indeed manifested in the northern seas of the Land of Water.
—But it had not gone berserk.
—It retained its reason.
Which meant that the jinchūriki, Yagura, had most likely achieved control over the tailed beast's power.
An hour later, the shinobi forces returned, bringing with them Yagura, who had exhausted his chakra and reverted to his normal state.
The Third Mizukage wasted no time in having him escorted to the medical corps for immediate treatment.
After taking five minutes to compose himself, he issued two crucial orders: first, all information regarding the event was to be strictly sealed—any leaks would be met with execution; second, the clan heads were to be summoned to the Mizukage's office for an urgent discussion.
The recent turmoil involving Konohagakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure had cast a tense and ominous shadow over the entire shinobi world.
As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kirigakure had been keeping a close watch on these developments, leading to an increase in high-level meetings.
By now, the clan heads had grown accustomed to being called to the Mizukage's office every few days for yet another strategy session.
Although the Third Mizukage had a reputation for treating the clans with ruthless pragmatism, they couldn't deny that the tea he served during these meetings was of exceptional quality.
But today, there was no time for tea.
"Everyone."
There were no pleasantries. No refreshments.
The Third Mizukage got straight to the point. "This morning, I'm sure you all sensed the massive chakra eruption in the northern region of the Land of Water. The Anbu have since confirmed the truth of the matter—the Three-Tails has revealed its true form."
"What?!"
It was really the Three-Tails?!
Many had suspected as much but lacked definitive proof. The shinobi they had sent to investigate had been blocked by the Mizukage's direct Anbu forces, leaving them completely in the dark.
The Anbu, as always, were tight-lipped. Not a single detail had been leaked.
Now, hearing the truth directly from the Mizukage's mouth, the room erupted into murmurs and exclamations of shock.
All eyes immediately turned to Karatachi Natsuhiko.
As the father of the jinchūriki, he exhaled deeply, his fists tightening on his knees.
He had known about Yagura's training to achieve full tailed beast transformation. His son had informed him before setting out.
After careful consideration, he had chosen to trust Yagura's capabilities and had kept the matter a secret from his own father and Karatachi Hiyori.
"Where is Yagura now?" he asked, tension evident in his voice, his palms slick with sweat.
Glancing around, the Third Mizukage noticed that he wasn't the only one on edge—many others in the room were visibly anxious, some even more so than Natsuhiko himself.
Suddenly, the Mizukage found himself relaxing, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"No need to worry, Karatachi-dono. The situation is under control. The boy is receiving treatment from the medical-nin. His only problem is extreme chakra and stamina exhaustion."
As long as he was safe.
Natsuhiko let out a deep sigh of relief, his entire body nearly going limp from the sheer tension draining away.
His troublesome son truly never let him rest easy.
"Mizukage-sama!"
The head of the Kaguya clan stepped forward, bowing with his hands clasped. With the Mizukage's nod of approval, he straightened and spoke firmly: "Since becoming the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Yagura has been remarkably stable, never once losing control. That alone proves he is an excellent jinchūriki."
"However, given today's incident, I believe it may be necessary to impose some restrictions on his movements."
A disturbance of this scale in the northern reaches of the Land of Water demanded a massive deployment of resources.
That was a minor issue.
But Kirigakure was situated in the heart of the country. Even at top speed, reaching the northern shores took at least two hours.
Had they reacted too slowly, another village might have discovered the event—or worse, the tailed beast could have rampaged onto land, endangering civilians. That would have been an unthinkable disaster.
"I understand."
The Third Mizukage didn't immediately give his own opinion. Instead, he gestured for the Kaguya clan head to sit, then scanned the gathered clan leaders, reading their varied expressions.
"What do the rest of you think? Should we implement these restrictions?"
A moment of silence passed before a hand was raised.
Karatachi Natsuhiko spoke. "Mizukage-sama, I agree."
This wasn't just about the village or the clan.
It was about Yagura's safety.
Other voices quickly followed:
"I agree as well."
"A jinchūriki should not have such unrestricted movement."
"Yes, we were fortunate this time thanks to Mizukage-sama's swift action."
"If this happens again and we fail to respond in time, it could be disastrous."
One by one, every single person raised their hand in agreement.
"Very well."
The Third Mizukage solemnly nodded. "Since we have a unanimous decision, let us proceed. From this moment forward, Karatachi Yagura's movements will be restricted."
Approval rippled through the room. Yes. This was the right call.
"The area of restriction will be… from the Karatachi clan compound to the Mizukage's office."
"...What?"
A jinchūriki should be confined outside the village, not placed in the very heart of Kirigakure!
"I will personally oversee Yagura's training. From now on, he will stay by my side."
The Mizukage's lips curled into a barely contained smile.
"He needs a title, of course. Let's call him my assistant. He is, after all, a future Mizukage. He should start learning now."
"...Excuse me?!"
The entire room froze.
A future Mizukage?
What was this old man saying?!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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