[Crack—!!!]
The massive body of the Three-Tails, like a sculpture precisely cut apart, began to split irreversibly from the center toward both sides!
The severed cross-section was smooth as a mirror, displaying a glasslike sheen formed by instantaneous melting at extreme heat.
Scalding magma flowed within it slowly, like blood.
[Boom!!!]
[Boom!!!]
The enormous body, cleaved in two, lost all support and collapsed heavily to both sides, crashing to the ground and stirring up billowing clouds of dust.
The boundless life force of the Tailed Beast, like air leaking from a deflated ball, rapidly dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye!
And above the Three-Tails' head, the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura—taking the full brunt of the molten slash—was instantly vaporized and evaporated by the extreme heat at the moment of impact.
No trace of his existence remained.
[Rumble—!!!]
Even more shocking was that—
After completely tearing through the Three-Tails, the molten slash showed almost no sign of weakening, continuing forward with overwhelming force, striking violently into the towering mountain behind the Three-Tails!
The entire mountain, as if cleaved by a giant axe wielded by a Sage, split open from summit to base, revealing a straight, smooth, enormous cross-section!
Immediately afterward, the mountain let out a groaning sound under unbearable strain and collapsed thunderously to both sides!
Countless tens of thousands of tons of rock cascaded down like a waterfall, soon burying completely the bifurcated remains of the Three-Tails.
Rolling clouds of dust surged upward like a sandstorm.
Dust blotted out the sky and sun!
When everything gradually quieted, the rubble settled, and the smoke slowly dispersed… the entire world fell into a deathlike silence.
Only the bubbling sound of magma flowing through the chasm, and the crackling of distant, still-unextinguished flames, reminded one that a battle far beyond the imagination of ordinary shinobi had just taken place here.
The Three-Tails—dead!
Karatachi Yagura—dead!
[Ding! You have successfully executed Absolute Justice! You have received a chakra capacity enhancement reward! Congratulations on obtaining—
1: "Tailed Beast Ball"! Even if you are not a Tailed Beast, by finely controlling the balance of Yin and Yang chakra attributes, you can form a Tailed Beast Ball with destructive power proportional to your chakra amount.
2: "Water Release: Water Mirror Technique"! Allows you to create a mirror made of water that reflects the enemy's attack and counterattacks with the same technique, equal in power.]
…
In the distance—
Tachibana Jirō, Izumi, and Biwa Jūzō, who had been fleeing for their lives, suddenly stopped almost at the same time.
Because that overwhelming sense of destructive crisis had receded like a receding tide.
When they looked back just now, they had personally witnessed that godlike slash of divine punishment—and the instant annihilation of the Three-Tails and the Mizukage.
Biwa Jūzō stiffly turned his head first, glancing toward both sides of the distant land flattened by the Tailed Beast Ball's aftershock.
The hellish scene of scorched earth made the corner of his eye twitch slightly.
Then, his gaze fell upon that colossal mountain, cleaved cleanly in two and now completely collapsed.
The cold expression that he habitually wore could no longer be maintained; shouldering the Kubikiribōchō, he instinctively swallowed hard and muttered hoarsely, "This… why do I feel like Uchiha Keizumi still has strength left? Even the Fourth Mizukage combined with the full power of a complete Tailed Beast Transformation couldn't seem to force Uchiha Keizumi to use his full strength?"
That single slash had utterly shattered Biwa Jūzō's entire understanding of what "power" meant.
That was no longer a battle between shinobi!
At the same time, a massive question uncontrollably rose in his mind: 'Since he possesses such overwhelming power, clearly capable of subduing the Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tails in a far simpler and quieter way—why did he make such a commotion?'
Tachibana Jirō had already reverted to his plump ninja cat form.
He licked his paw, thoughtfully speculating, "Meow, Keizumi-sama's actions probably weren't just for the sake of carrying out justice. He seems more like he's issuing a warning—in the most direct and shocking way—to inform all the shinobi of Kirigakure, and even the entire Land of Water—"
He paused, a glimmer of realization flashing through his feline eyes. "To tell them—Absolute Justice has arrived in the Land of Water!"
"Before every shinobi of Kirigakure, only two paths remain."
Tachibana Jirō continued in his peculiar tone, "One is to imitate the Fourth Mizukage—to choose to stand against Absolute Justice. If so… this is the result. The other is… to cooperate obediently. Perhaps then there may still be a chance at survival."
"Of course," Tachibana Jirō added, "if one is already a sinner tainted with evil, then no matter what they choose, there is only one end—death."
Biwa Jūzō was momentarily stunned. "This…"
He stared at the apocalyptic scene before him, as if the land had been bombarded by a rain of meteorites. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "Such a kind of 'warning'… isn't this a bit too exaggerated…"
Beside him, Uchiha Izumi immediately interjected, "But this completely fits Keizumi-senpai's way of doing things! He hates troublesome, roundabout games more than anything."
"If a single, sufficiently impactful 'demonstration' can intimidate potential enemies and save countless future troubles… then Keizumi-senpai would absolutely not hesitate to flex his 'muscles'."
Recalling her experiences in Konohagakure, she spoke earnestly, "That might be why, every time Keizumi-senpai executed justice in the village, the commotion was never small."
And the results, in the girl's eyes, were exceedingly evident.
Many of Konoha's shinobi clans and high-ranking officials had already been deeply shaken by Keizumi's overwhelming power.
Izumi's gaze swept across the scorched land, finally resting on Biwa Jūzō. "Now, Keizumi-senpai has already displayed the power of Absolute Justice to Kirigakure in the most direct way possible."
"What comes next depends on how the shinobi of Kirigakure choose to respond."
Biwa Jūzō: "…"
…
Elsewhere, at the moment when the collapsing mountain completely buried the remains of the Three-Tails—
Terumi Mei and Ao, their pupils contracting sharply, after a moment of extreme shock, almost without hesitation, rushed toward the direction of the mountain's collapse.
Dodging the falling debris crashing down from the sky, they pushed their speed to the limit, holding onto a faint thread of hope in their hearts.
When they entered within roughly one kilometer of the collapsed mountain, Ao suddenly halted, veins bulging violently around his eyes as he activated the Byakugan's insight to its utmost!
His vision instantly pierced through the layered rocks and billowing clouds of dust.
He quickly scanned across the ruins.
However, the next second—
Ao froze completely in place, as if struck by a binding technique, utterly motionless.
All color drained from his face, filled entirely with an expression of disbelief and horror.
Terumi Mei's heart sank sharply—she naturally noticed the sudden change in Ao's expression.
She asked, "Ao! What about the Mizukage?"
Ao turned his head mechanically, his voice hoarse from sheer shock as he muttered, "The Mizukage's chakra signature has completely vanished! He… he's dead!"
"And the Three-Tails… the immense chakra of the Three-Tails is also dissipating rapidly. This means… the Mizukage and the Three-Tails were killed at the same time by that Lava Release monster from Konoha!"
Terumi Mei: "!!!"
Although she had already anticipated it, the moment death was confirmed, she still felt a surge of intense disbelief.
Her entire being seemed momentarily dazed.
She had indeed expected that the Mizukage might not be a match for Uchiha Keizumi, and might even fall in battle.
But she had never imagined the process would be so clean, so swift.
This was not a battle at all—it was a one-sided, crushing massacre!
From beginning to end, the Mizukage probably hadn't even had the chance to touch the hem of his opponent's robe!
And the power displayed by Uchiha Keizumi… had already exceeded the very limits of her understanding of what a "shinobi" was.
Terumi Mei also realized that within her heart, there wasn't much sorrow.
What filled her more was shock and dread…
Perhaps, deep within, that Fourth Mizukage who had continually deepened the Blood Mist policy and led Kirigakure into an even more closed and dark era, was not a Mizukage she had ever truly wished to serve.
At that thought, Terumi Mei's emotions became complex.
"Terumi Mei-sama…"
Suddenly, Ao's voice rang out again beside her—this time trembling with uncontrollable shock. "That—that monster… seems to be looking this way!"
What?!
Terumi Mei was jolted out of her chaotic thoughts, an icy chill shooting up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Almost by instinct, she lifted her gaze, looking toward the distant, towering, crimson Complete Body Susanoo.
Beneath that massive battle helm, the enormous eyes burning with cold karmic flames… truly seemed to pierce across several kilometers—locking precisely onto the spot where the two of them now stood!
Cold sweat instantly drenched Terumi Mei's back.