Diarmuid's strike, which had summoned a literal tempest, was something no one had anticipated.
Standing behind him, Kakuzu was utterly stunned.
Don't we usually shout the names of Jutsu? What's with this "Heed my command" business?
As the storm dispersed the dense fog, Diarmuid caught sight of Yagura not far away, his hands already weaving signs.
Yagura was momentarily startled, but his final seal snapped into place. "Collaboration Ninjutsu: Lightning-Water Dragon Bullet!"
As the technique activated, a draconic form made of water lunged from the puddles beneath Yagura's feet, roaring as it charged toward Diarmuid. Simultaneously, Yagura thrust his arm into the dragon's tail, unleashing a massive surge of Lightning Chakra. In an instant, the Water Dragon Bullet transformed into a Lightning-Water Dragon, its destructive power more than doubling!
Diarmuid, however, showed no intention of dodging. He raised a single hand and whispered, "Abyssal Darkness..."
A black curtain, spreading like a spiderweb, expanded from his palm. The gargantuan electrified dragon slammed into the veil of darkness and was instantly swallowed as if falling into a bottomless pit. Not a single drop of water splashed back.
Astonishment flickered in Yagura's eyes. Yet his movements didn't falter. He began weaving signs again, growling, "Eternal Sinking: Water—"
"No more chances!" Diarmuid barked.
The moment the words left his lips, his Lightning Flicker speed propelled him directly in front of Yagura.
He slammed a massive hand onto Yagura's face. The sheer force left the Mizukage no room for resistance. Diarmuid grabbed his head, jerked him upward, and then ruthlessly slammed him into the ground.
BOOM!
Yagura was driven deep into the earth, sending massive fissures spiderwebbing across the terrain.
On the water buffalo's back, Jūzō was completely stupefied. Holy crap, that's Karatachi Yagura!!! The Fourth Mizukage!
In Jūzō's personal ranking of power, Yagura was second only to one. Yet, aside from that initial trick using the Hidden Mist and Water Mirror Jutsu, Yagura was currently being treated like a ragdoll.
"Cough... gah!" Yagura spat out a mouthful of blood from the internal shock.
At the same time, orange chakra began to swirl around him. The power of a Tailed Beast!
He had only used this power once against Kakuzu and Jūzō, during his first encounter with Kakuzu, where he had instantly crushed two of Kakuzu's rearguard hearts. If Kakuzu hadn't fled quickly, the story would have ended there.
Undeniably, while Tailed Beasts themselves weren't inherently "evil," their chakra possessed a quality that felt undeniably malevolent to others. In reality, it was simply wild, violent energy!
The orange chakra instantly shrouded Yagura's entire arm. With a violent swing, he knocked Diarmuid's hand away. He swiped the blood from his lip with a fluid motion and pushed off the ground, sliding backward to create distance.
If Yagura hadn't taken Diarmuid's reputation seriously before, he was fully focused now.
This guy is terrifyingly strong!!!
Yagura was not one to hesitate. Having confirmed Diarmuid's threat level, he didn't hold back. Having put distance between them, he entered a state of full Tailed Beast transformation. His form became monstrous, wreathed in crimson chakra, radiating pure ferocity.
Diarmuid looked down at the arm Yagura had just struck. Coral was beginning to grow on his skin.
Is this Coral Palm too?
It seemed Yagura had integrated the technique into his very instincts. Without a proper counter, the coral would eventually spread and petrify Diarmuid, especially since every instance of physical contact worsened the effect.
However... black smoke began to waft from Diarmuid's arm. The encroaching coral was instantly consumed and vanished.
Yagura hadn't lost his mind to the transformation; on the contrary, he was perfectly lucid. Seeing his technique nullified so easily filled him with dread.
That dark aura... what on earth is it?
Diarmuid looked back at the wary Yagura, a smirk playing on his lips. He flicked Kokorowatari and swung the blade through the air. "Gravity Blade: Raging Hell!"
Yagura didn't sense a massive surge of chakra from the swing and felt a moment of confusion. The next second, an overwhelming gravitational pressure descended. The ground beneath him collapsed instantly, pinning his entire body to the earth.
If the Tailed Beast transformation hadn't drastically boosted his physical durability, this sudden, invisible strike would have crushed him flat.
"Dammit!" Yagura snarled.
At this moment, he truly felt the weight of Diarmuid's power. It was overwhelming. He could no longer afford to hold anything back!
Though pinned to the ground and struggling to move, Yagura pressed his blood-stained palm against the earth and roared: "Summoning Jutsu!!!"
POOF! A colossal cloud of smoke erupted.
Diarmuid felt a massive wave of pressure wash over him. His gravity field was being forcibly breached!
Jūzō was acting quite comical; wrapped like a mummy, he couldn't speak, but he was wriggling frantically on the buffalo's back in a panic.
"This aura..." Kakuzu murmured, his eyes narrowing.
Decades ago, when he was still the head of the assassination unit in Takigakure, he had felt this exact sensation... the feeling of a walking disaster... a Tailed Beast!
This was the genuine power of a Tailed Beast, not just a Jinchūriki's shroud!
As the white smoke cleared, a gargantuan figure stood before Diarmuid. Yagura stood atop its head.
The entity was grayish-white and bizarre, three tails lashed behind it. It resembled a giant tortoise but far more grotesque, with jagged bone spikes protruding everywhere.
The pressure was suffocating... Isobu, the Three-Tails!!!
Yagura actually had a summoning contract with the Three-Tails! No wonder he would eventually become a Perfect Jinchūriki. He had so many cards to play!
This explained why Kirigakure was later bold enough to plan the infiltration of the Three-Tails into Konoha. They weren't afraid of Konoha suppressing the beast or losing it, because Yagura could simply summon it back whenever the time was right!
Strike, destroy, and vanish!
Connected to the Three-Tails, the Tailed Beast Chakra within Yagura intensified. He didn't waste time with words; a small Tailed Beast Bomb began to condense in front of him.
"It's a Tailed Beast Bomb! Watch out!" Kakuzu warned loudly.
Diarmuid recognized the attack. This was his first time facing a Tailed Beast head-on. Honestly, in terms of aura, it was powerful.
But Diarmuid couldn't help but feel... Is that it?
The sheer size didn't intimidate him. He had hunted Sea Kings far larger than this. And the wild, vast chakra? It didn't seem like much to him either.
As Yagura condensed the energy, Diarmuid made no move to stop him or even dodge. After a few breaths, the condensed orb was complete. Yagura fired it straight at Diarmuid.
"Hey!!!" Kakuzu yelled, seeing Diarmuid standing his ground.
Then, he witnessed a scene that would haunt his dreams.
Diarmuid didn't dodge, nor did he use the darkness that swallowed everything. Instead, he shifted from a one-handed grip to a two-handed one. Facing the Tailed Beast Bomb, he brought his blade down in a vertical cleave!
"One-Sword Style Secret Technique: Roaring Tiger!"
Diarmuid's expression was grim. He infused the blade with Armament Haki, while a fierce Wind-natured chakra coated Kokorowatari, sharpening its edge to an impossible degree.
The Tailed Beast Bomb screeched through the air! Diarmuid's blade fell!
For a fleeting moment, Kakuzu and Jūzō thought they saw a literal tiger leap from the blade, roaring in defiance.
Diarmuid felt a surge of resistance. The blade stalled for a fraction of a second, and then… it cut through!
The orb, the size of two grown men, was sliced clean in half like a watermelon. The two halves whistled past Diarmuid, striking distant mountains and triggering two cataclysmic explosions.
Kakuzu was speechless. Jūzō was shell-shocked. Even the perpetrator, Yagura, was frozen in disbelief.
He cut a Tailed Beast Bomb with a sword!?
"I thought as much. Nothing special," Diarmuid smirked, sheathing Kokorowatari.
Then, ignoring everyone else, he clenched his fist. A powerful coating of Armament Haki instantly blackened his hand. He twisted his torso, pulling his arm back in a concentrated power stance.
"Rokushiki Secret Technique. Rokuogan: Ferocious Tiger!" Diarmuid roared.
His entire spirit and physical energy seemed to coalesce into that single fist.
The roar seemed to snap Yagura out of his stupor, only for him to see Diarmuid's fist connecting with the Three-Tails' armored shell.
The Three-Tails, in all its massive weight, was literally lifted off the ground by the punch. The shell, reputed to be the toughest defense among the Tailed Beasts, visibly cracked. Fortunately, Tailed Beasts were composed of chakra; otherwise, that shell wouldn't have healed for years.
Isobu let out a pained wail as its massive body was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming violently into a distant cliffside.
Yagura's pride was shattered by Diarmuid's sheer brutality. Seeing the Three-Tails wailing, he dove into the beast's mouth. In the next instant, smoke exploded, and the summoning was canceled.
The Three-Tails and the Fourth Mizukage were gone.
Yagura hadn't hesitated for a second; he chose to retreat immediately.
"He ran," Diarmuid remarked with a grin.
Jūzō finally found his senses. Now he understood why Kakuzu had such absolute faith in his boss.
Good lord, if that were my boss, I'd be confident too!
Cutting a Tailed Beast Bomb? Defeating a Tailed Beast with a single punch!? Is he even human!?
I, Biwa Jūzō, am joining the Yorozuya! Even Jesus couldn't stop me!
I'll even change my name to Pipa Hanzo if I have to!
It wasn't just hero worship; he truly wanted to repay the debt of saving his life. Really!
"You..." Kakuzu looked at Diarmuid with a complicated expression. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
The gap between them felt like they were living in two different dimensions.