Yugakure prepared everything Shimizu requested in the shortest time possible.
Soon, Shimizu, Village Chief Fushiro, the Fourth Yukikage Mitsuno, and a group of Yugakure ninja arrived at the harbor.
From afar, they could already see the Three-Tails—Isobu—its massive body rampaging like a small mountain.
With nothing but brute physical strength, it had already reduced the entire harbor to ruins.
Shimizu swallowed slightly.
The closer he got, the more overwhelming the pressure became—not only visually, but also from the immense, surging chakra constantly assaulting his senses.
This was not an opponent he could defeat.
All he needed to do was lure it away from Yugakure's harbor.
His final destination: the Land of Water.
Suddenly, the Three-Tails stopped moving.
A tremendous amount of chakra began gathering in its mouth.
It was preparing a Water Release attack.
"Get everyone away from here, now!"
Shimizu took a deep breath, pulled his red-and-white striped cat mask back over his face, and vanished in a blur.
"So fast!!" Fushiro exclaimed.
"Evacuate everyone! Move away from the shore!" Mitsuno ordered.
Within seconds, an enormous sphere of water had formed inside the Three-Tails" mouth. The chakra contained within it was terrifying.
If that attack struck Yugakure, the consequences would be catastrophic.
I have to stop this attack!
Shimizu reached the Three-Tails" rear flank in the shortest time possible.
Hand seals.
Lightning Release: Chidori!!
Blinding blue-white lightning surged skyward, accompanied by the piercing cry of a thousand birds.
He opened with his strongest move.
If possible, he would have preferred to use the long-range Lightning Release: Earth Flash technique. But he had only one chance. A C-rank technique like that would likely be insignificant against a Tailed Beast.
To stop this attack, he had no choice but to risk close combat.
He had to wound it—decisively.
"Hidan, it's dangerous! Come back!!"
"But Mom, I see someone over there…" A grey-haired toddler named Hidan pointed toward the sky at the leaping figure of Shimizu.
"That's a ninja. The Yukikage said to stay away from the shore. We have to go!"
The young woman scooped Hidan up and ran inland. Curled in his mother's arms, Hidan looked back—
And witnessed a scene that would be burned into his memory forever:
Blinding blue-white lightning tearing across the sky, accompanied by countless chirping cries—
The masked ninja charging straight toward the Three-Tails.
"ROAR!!" The Three-Tails howled in pain, its enormous body thrashing violently.
The massive water sphere veered off course, slamming into an empty hillside.
BOOM!!
The entire hill was flattened instantly.
What a monstrous creature, Shimizu thought grimly.
The moment Chidori struck, the Three-Tails reacted with astonishing speed. Its three massive silver tails whipped toward him.
But Shimizu had anticipated that.
The instant he landed his blow, he used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
Now he stood calmly upon the ocean's surface, facing the Three-Tails from a distance.
This was the open sea—water everywhere.
His Water Release: Instant Water could be activated freely.
He was confident he could evade all of the Three-Tails's attacks.
And at that moment—
A surge of heroic pride rose from deep within him.
He remembered the Chūnin Exams from the original story, when Sunagakure invaded Konoha.
Gaara had released the One-Tail using the Feigning Sleep Technique.
In that desperate moment, Naruto Uzumaki summoned Gamabunta, and the two titanic beasts clashed in a legendary battle.
He clearly remembered the first time he saw that fight.
His blood had boiled.
That youthful passion, that burning excitement—it had been ignited completely by that scene.
If only I could use ninjutsu…
If only I had that kind of power…
I want to stand at the center of the stage like Naruto did!
What hot-blooded youth had never dreamed such a dream?
And now—
He stood at the center of the stage himself.
His opponent was one of the most powerful beings in this world—
The chakra monster, the Three-Tails Isobu.
Along the shore, countless villagers and ninja of Yugakure watched their savior—the powerful ANBU ninja from Konoha, Kuryū.
They prayed that this benefactor would create a miracle and drive back the turtle-like sea beast.
This was destined to be a battle that would be remembered.
After taking a full-force Chidori, the Three-Tails, Isobu, slowly turned around and fixed its gaze on the tiny human who had wounded it.
"ROAR!!"
It let out a furious howl, and towering waves surged upward.
These were chakra-driven waves.
The massive swell rose nearly twenty meters high—an overwhelming Water Release attack capable of tearing a human apart with ease.
In the blink of an eye, the tidal wave was about to swallow Shimizu.
Cries of alarm erupted from the shore.
Standing firm, Shimizu calmly activated Water Release: Instant Water.
The Three-Tails seemingly assumed this massive, indiscriminate attack had eliminated the speck of a human. It began turning its massive frame back toward the shore, only for Shimizu to reappear directly above its enormous head.
Rapid hand seals.
Water Release: Heavenly Weeping!
From his mouth burst a barrage of high-speed water needles.
This was an A-rank Water Release technique he had only recently mastered—originating from the Second Hokage. With its minimal hand seals and extreme speed, it was perfect for ambushes.
The instant the technique was unleashed, Shimizu used Body Flicker to retreat again, landing back on the ocean surface.
Only the sea gave him a sense of limitless security.
Water was the essential condition for activating his seal-less technique, Instant Water.
The dense water needles—like rain falling from a clear sky—struck almost entirely into the Three-Tails's open left eye.
Now you won't be thinking about Yugakure's shore anymore…
Shimizu felt strangely calm, not the least bit nervous about having thoroughly enraged the beast.
"ROOOAR!!!" The Three-Tails went berserk.
Its colossal body thrashed violently. The intense pain had clearly driven the monster into fury.
Its three massive silver tails lashed out like giant whips, striking toward Shimizu in rapid succession.
Shimizu responded by continuously activating Instant Water, effortlessly evading the Three-Tails' high-speed assault.
His rapid teleportations were so fast that multiple afterimages lingered across the sea's surface.
"Come on!" he shouted provocatively from a safe distance.
He stood upon the distant water, breathing slightly heavier.
In a short span, he had used Instant Water ten times consecutively—chakra consumption equivalent to casting an S-rank technique.
The Three-Tails opened its enormous, ferocious left eye and stared at the human who had dared wound it twice, as if contemplating something.
It took a direct A-rank Water Release to the eye, and it's still not blinded… Is it because this turtle also specializes in Water Release?
Despite striking a vital point, aside from pain, the attack had left almost no visible damage.
Shimizu understood.
Water Release techniques were likely ineffective against this giant turtle.
Still—
He had successfully drawn the Three-Tails's attention.
At last, the massive beast abandoned the shore and began moving toward him.
As long as he could keep it following him, half of his original plan was already accomplished.
Honestly, Three-Tails didn't seem all that unbeatable.
High attack power, immense durability—
But it couldn't defeat him.
A faint premonition rose in Shimizu's heart.
Perhaps this operation would proceed surprisingly smoothly.