The Mangekyo Sharingan in Simu's eyes, adorned with its unique intricate pattern, slowly rotated. A torrent of visual prowess surged into Utakata's mental world, whipping up a terrifying storm.
"This is... the Mangekyo Sharingan?!"
The moment the Six-Tails laid eyes on those crimson orbs, its already high-pitched voice spiked even further, erupting into a shrill screech.
As a Tailed Beast, it knew exactly how devastating of a threat those eyes posed. Calling them its natural enemy was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Just as it panicked and attempted to fight back, the ocular power unleashed by Simu's Mangekyo Sharingan had already caused a massive upheaval throughout the entire mental world.
Waves crashed violently from both sides, ruthlessly crashing down upon the Six-Tails and firmly pinning it in place.
Following that, the terrifying visual prowess continuously poured into the Six-Tails' body. Before long, all of its struggles proved futile, and its entire being completely fell under the control of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
It was a pity that the Six-Tails did not appear to have proper eyes, otherwise others would have clearly seen a beautiful pair of Sharingan reflected within them.
Under Ao's watchful gaze, Simu merely tapped Utakata's abdomen once.
In the next second, the original seal binding the beast rapidly unraveled, transforming into countless strings of incantations that scattered away.
Immediately after, a massive amount of dark red Tailed Beast chakra erupted from his abdomen, instantly causing the surrounding waters to boil.
"The Six-Tails' seal has been undone! Run!"
Although he had no idea who the mysterious person with glasses was, Mangetsu Hozuki clearly sensed the impending danger of the situation and quickly urged Ao to escape.
Having witnessed the eruption of the Tailed Beast chakra with his own eyes, Ao did not dare to delay. He grabbed Mangetsu Hozuki and frantically retreated to a safe distance.
Up on the lake surface, Yagura Karatachi's Tailed Beast Bomb had fully condensed. Its destructive aura firmly locked onto everyone present.
Faced with such an apocalyptic strike, their fate seemed entirely sealed in death.
Yet, some still refused to give up.
Mei Terumi's eyes filled with resolve as she spat out a large amount of viscous liquid, rapidly forming a solid wall in front of her.
"I will use this wall to negate a portion of the Tailed Beast Bomb's power. Zabuza, you use Water Wall to assist with the defense right after. Finally, Fuguki Suikazan, use Samehada to absorb whatever chakra remains from the blast."
"As for Ameyuri Ringo, regardless of whether our strategy succeeds or fails, you must launch an attack on Yagura Karatachi at your absolute fastest speed."
"A Jinchuriki is at their weakest right after unleashing a Tailed Beast Bomb. That will be our only chance!"
Even under such terrifying pressure, Mei Terumi still made the most precise judgment and the correct tactical choice.
Faced with this dire situation, the otherwise helpless ninja could only nod in agreement.
In the next instant, the Tailed Beast Bomb launched!
The massive dark purple sphere tore through the lake, splitting the water wide open as it surged forward with an aura capable of destroying everything.
A deep sense of despair washed over everyone on the battlefield.
Only Mei Terumi stepped forward. "Block it!"
The colossal wall of liquid rose up like a giant hand, attempting to intercept the incoming attack.
However, it was glaringly obvious that the current Mei Terumi did not possess the strength to stop a Tailed Beast Bomb single-handedly.
The grand wall formed by her Lava Style was ruthlessly pierced through by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Under Yagura Karatachi's control, the sphere did not explode upon contact with the wall. Instead, it maintained a highly condensed state, piercing through the barrier with unstoppable momentum.
Next came Zabuza.
A thick wall of water rose up.
Without any surprise, it too was easily pierced by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
As for the final line of defense, Fuguki Suikazan and his Samehada failed to react in time.
The surface of the Tailed Beast Bomb finally began to emit a blinding light, a harbinger of its imminent detonation.
"This is bad!"
Mei Terumi's face turned completely pale, and she hastily enveloped herself in her Lava Style liquid.
Even if she could somehow preserve her own life in the blast, the elite Anbu present would have no chance of survival.
If all of these core forces perished here, it would leave the Hidden Mist Village completely devastated.
At that point, the only path left for the Hidden Mist Village would be total destruction.
Under the despairing gazes of everyone present, a fraction of a second before the Tailed Beast Bomb could explode, a milky-white tail pierced through the lake surface and slammed violently into the sphere.
All of this occurred within the span of a few brief seconds.
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the sudden appearance of the milky-white tail unleashed an incredible force, swatting the devastating Tailed Beast Bomb straight up into the sky.
"Boom!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb pierced through the clouds and exploded with a roar, carrying with it Obito Uchiha's fierce rage.
The crimson light generated by the explosion illuminated the entire sky like a burning sun suddenly rising. The clouds scattered wildly from the impact, making it look as if a massive hole had been blasted through the heavens.
The dazzling white light shone upon everyone's faces.
Their expressions were filled with shock, bewilderment, and a trace of joy from surviving a near-death experience.
Yet, above all else, they felt a profound reverence and terror toward the horrific power of a Tailed Beast.
This was a level of power that the vast majority of ninja could never hope to touch or even catch a glimpse of in their entire lives.
The immense disparity left self-proclaimed geniuses like Mei Terumi and Mangetsu Hozuki feeling a deep, overwhelming sense of defeat.
However, this discouragement lasted for only a fleeting moment.
They were still in the middle of a battlefield, their enemy had not been destroyed, and more importantly...
What exactly was this creature that had suddenly appeared?
Mei Terumi already had a guess in her mind.
Soon after, the lake surface swelled as a massive entity parted the water. The mountain-like, milky-white body of the Six-Tails, Saiken, finally revealed itself before everyone.
"It's the Six-Tails!"
"Did Ao and the others succeed?"
Countless questions flashed through Mei Terumi's mind.
But she quickly dismissed that specific thought.
Ao and Mangetsu Hozuki finally surfaced from the churning waves, providing the answer to her question.
"It was a mysterious man wearing a cloak with red clouds. He broke the Six-Tails' seal and set it free."
Ao's expression was exceptionally grave, as they had no idea who this mysterious individual was or what side he was on.
"However, judging by how the Six-Tails blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb for us, the other party is at least hostile toward Yagura Karatachi," Mei Terumi deduced.
Very quickly, the reaction of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, proved her theory correct.
Upon seeing the appearance of the Six-Tails, Yagura seemed to fly into an absolute rage, entering a full Tailed Beast transformation once again.
Saiken, having been imprisoned and monitored inside Utakata's body for so long, already harbored immense resentment toward Yagura. Now, under Simu's control and guidance, that anger quickly translated into raw action.
It opened the dense mouthparts on its head, spewing a terrifying wave of acidic gas that enveloped Yagura, who had transformed back into the Three-Tails, Isobu.
The massive cloud of acidic mist rapidly corroded the Three-Tails' hard shell, producing a loud sizzling sound.
Compared to Mei Terumi's Boil Style, the Six-Tails' acidic mist was clearly on an entirely different level of power.
The Three-Tails had no intention of allowing its outer shell to be dissolved in this manner and swiftly launched a counterattack.
Manipulating the churning waters to provide massive momentum for its colossal frame, it slammed its hard outer shell heavily against the Six-Tails.
The Six-Tails refused to back down. Although its limbs were short and it lacked a rigid shell, the six powerful, tentacle-like tails behind it firmly braced against the Three-Tails' impact from multiple directions.
The clash between these two titanic beasts instantly triggered monstrous waves. The surrounding ninja could only watch the battle, completely unable to intervene.
To be precise, they found it difficult enough just to maintain their footing on the battlefield and resist the stray shockwaves inadvertently produced by the two Tailed Beasts.
This was the absolute divide between a Tailed Beast and an ordinary ninja.
It was a chasm that could never be bridged by sheer numbers.
It was precisely because of this that Mei Terumi and her allies had devised a strategy to seize the Six-Tails, hoping to use its power to keep Yagura in check and restore the Hidden Mist Village.
Although their original plan had fallen apart, by some twist of fate, their objective had been achieved.
"Regardless of the circumstances, the Six-Tails has successfully pinned down Yagura for us. What we must do now is immediately eliminate the Blood Mist faction within the village!"
Mei Terumi's goal was crystal clear: seize this opportunity to wipe out the remaining members of the Blood Mist faction, then concentrate all their forces to deal with Yagura.
Mangetsu Hozuki nodded in agreement while taking medicine to restore his chakra.
Zabuza also approved of this course of action.
In his eyes, the Blood Mist faction was completely harmless without Yagura to back them up.
What truly occupied his mind was the mastermind hidden in the shadows that Lord Simu had mentioned—the one pulling all the strings.
However, since Lord Simu had already stated he would handle the mastermind himself, Zabuza chose not to worry.
He possessed a nearly blind faith in Simu's strength.
As for Ameyuri Ringo, who had quietly aligned herself with Zabuza, she chose to agree after noting his stance.
Fuguki Suikazan, under the influence of Simu's Genjutsu, automatically obeyed Zabuza's commands.
"Then, there is only one person left."
Mei Terumi and the others turned their collective gaze toward the Mist Jonin who had remained entirely passive throughout the conflict—Kisame Hoshigaki.
While the primary combat forces of the Mist had firmly stood up to oppose Yagura Karatachi, he was the only one who had delayed making his stance known.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Kisame Hoshigaki bared his teeth in a sharp grin. "Since all of my seniors have already made their choice, I suppose I will join in as well."
With that, the main combat forces of the Hidden Mist Village achieved a preliminary unification of their positions.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter of the Blood Mist faction.
Yagura Karatachi, the leader and strongest combatant of the Blood Mist faction, was completely occupied by the Six-Tails.
Fuguki Suikazan was acting as a double agent and, controlled by Simu's Genjutsu, had temporarily aligned himself against the Blood Mist faction.
Zabuza firmly chose to execute a backstab, while Kisame Hoshigaki adopted a passive, slacking demeanor.
At this point, the Blood Mist faction had virtually no remaining combat strength to deploy.
Furthermore, after years of committing countless atrocities within the Hidden Mist Village, many ninja had long harbored deep resentment. They had simply remained silent out of fear of the Mizukage, Yagura.
Now that the opportunity had arrived, everyone naturally jumped at the chance to kick the faction while it was down.
Even original members of the Blood Mist faction took the opportunity to betray their comrades, hoping to earn the forgiveness of the reform faction later on.
With the backing and influence of the elder Genji behind the scenes, chaos erupted not just on the battlefield but across the entirety of the Hidden Mist Village. Members of the Blood Mist faction were rooted out one by one, throwing the entire village into complete disarray.
Watching these events unfold, the mastermind behind the scenes, Obito Uchiha, felt close to an absolute aneurysm.
He could not comprehend how the Hidden Mist Village, which had been under such a consolidated and absolute rule, could completely fracture into this state in a single instant.
"It is all because of that wretched Simu Kamizuki."
The eye exposed beneath Obito's mask gleamed with pure malice. It was entirely evident that he had blamed the entirety of this disaster on Simu.
Enveloped within a green pitcher plant, Black and White Zetsu materialized right on cue behind him.
"I have located Simu Kamizuki's position. Perhaps it is time we have a proper chat with him."
Using the Six-Tails to lure Simu out, followed by using coercion and incentives to force him into the Eye of the Moon Plan, was the original strategy devised by Obito and Zetsu.
However, he had never expected the situation to escalate so violently, directly upending the foundation of his control over the Hidden Mist Village.
Nevertheless, a negotiation was now unavoidable.
"Take me to him."
Obito's voice was low and icy.
Ever since he inherited Madara Uchiha's legacy, the development of the world had always proceeded strictly according to his designs. It had been years since he had suffered such a massive setback.
In a section of the forest near the lake where the Six-Tails and Three-Tails were locked in combat.
Hidan watched the battle between the two colossal entities with utter boredom, complaining, "This is so dull. When is it finally our turn to start a slaughter?"
Hearing Hidan's complaints, a mysterious glint flashed across the lenses of Simu's glasses.
"The entertainment is about to arrive."
Upon hearing this, Hidan instantly perked up.
"What kind of entertainment?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the air behind them warped into a swirling vortex, and Obito, sporting his orange swirl mask, materialized before them.
Appearing alongside him was Black and White Zetsu, clad in the Akatsuki uniform.
"We meet again, you two," White Zetsu greeted them with a brilliant, sunny smile.
In contrast, Obito, who usually acted eccentric in his Tobi persona, remained entirely silent. The aura radiating from his body felt deeply oppressive.
Hidan felt rather surprised by the sudden appearance of Obito and Zetsu, and he immediately adopted a defensive stance.
"Hey, hey, what are you two doing here? Didn't we agree that the Three-Tails and Six-Tails were ours to capture?"
Seeing Hidan act this way, Obito felt even more annoyed.
For a moment, he could not even tell if Hidan was genuinely dense or merely playing dumb.
However, things had already reached a point where further concealment was pointless.
Obito completely ignored Hidan's questioning, locking his gaze directly onto the perfectly calm Simu, and spoke plainly. "Yagura Karatachi was under my control."
Simu looked as though he had long anticipated this revelation, yet he deliberately adopted a tone of sudden realization. "Oh? Tobi, has your Genjutsu truly grown to such a formidable level?"
This patronizing tone instantly reminded Obito of Kakashi in the past, who used to offer similar dismissive remarks just to humor him.
Obito silently clenched his fist. However, his years of operating in the shadows had significantly disciplined his temperament. He quietly exhaled a breath and stated, "I want you to stop your subversion of the Hidden Mist Village."
Obito clearly delivered his demand.
Faced with such a request, Simu merely offered a faint smile. "On what basis?"