The head of the Karatachi clan raised his hand, his expression grave as he observed his grandson, now enveloped in coral and the Tailed Beast Cloak.
Nearby, the leader of the Hōzuki clan raised his right hand in the shape of a finger gun.
The moment Yagura showed any signs of losing control, he would unleash the Hōzuki clan's most formidable technique—Water Release: Water Iron Cannon.
"Hey, hey, hey, is your grandson okay? The seal was just put in place, and it's already loosening?"
"It's hard to say that it's not a problem."
The old Karatachi patriarch cursed inwardly. That brat had talked such a big game before this, and now, the moment things got real, he was already embarrassing himself!
Yagura: "..."
In reality, there was no issue at all.
The two elderly men were simply overreacting.
Yagura was merely in the process of absorbing Isobu's chakra. He lacked the strength to open his eyes, speak, or move.
He could hear everything happening around him, including his own grandfather striking him with a Coral Palm just moments ago.
He couldn't move.
Damn, getting hit by his own clan's Coral Palm really didn't feel great.
Could he get rid of all this coral?
The moment that thought surfaced in his mind, the two clan leaders watched as the Tailed Beast Cloak gradually peeled away from Yagura, taking the coral along with it.
Only for another layer of the cloak to form instantly.
The old Karatachi patriarch clicked his tongue. "Take it easy on him."
"I know. I won't kill him."
The Hōzuki leader took aim at Yagura. "Water Release: Water Iron Cannon!"
Boom!
The two old men were about to get serious.
Lying on the bed, Yagura had no choice but to stop slowly digesting Isobu's chakra. His mind snapped back into focus, and he forced his body to move.
Pushing down with the Tailed Beast Cloak on his back, he shattered the bed beneath him and used the momentum to leap to the ceiling, barely avoiding the Hōzuki leader's water bullet.
In the blink of an eye, his grandfather lunged at him again—this time midair—his palm striking out!
No words, no warning—just straight-up trying to kill him!
Yagura hurriedly raised his own palm to meet the attack.
"Coral Palm!" *2
As they clashed, his grandfather landed on the ground, his palm now covered in coral. But instead of anger, his face showed surprise.
Yagura's eyes were clear and sharp—no sign of being consumed by the Tailed Beast's wild instincts.
"Wait, stop!"
The Hōzuki leader also sensed something unusual. He gave a nod, his eyes locked onto Yagura in disbelief.
Could it be...?
Seeing them hesitate, Yagura seized the moment to explain, "Grandpas, calm down! Let's talk this through. My mind is clear—I haven't been taken over by Isobu."
The tension hung in the air for a long moment.
The Karatachi patriarch exchanged a look with the Hōzuki leader before speaking.
"I have a question. If you can answer it, I'll believe you're still that brat Yagura."
Yagura nodded. "Go ahead, Grandpa."
"The fish in my artificial lake at home—"
Yagura instantly blurted out, "I gave them to the kitchen auntie to grill a few days ago—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Because he suddenly realized—his grandfather never actually had proof that he did that!
And besides, the fact that he could speak normally should've been proof enough that he wasn't controlled by the Tailed Beast!
"Shit!"
He got played!
With a reluctant scowl, Yagura climbed down from the ceiling, his small eyes filled with resentment as he stared at his grandfather.
The old man, despite being the victim of Yagura's grilled fish theft, simply laughed.
"You brat!"
The Hōzuki leader cleared his throat and got back to business.
"Yagura, do you feel anything off?"
"Off? You mean the whole thing where Isobu should be fighting me for control?"
The Hōzuki leader nodded.
Yagura grinned and shook his head confidently. "Nope. Turns out, Isobu is surprisingly easy to talk to. We had a little chat, came to an understanding, and it agreed to let me use its chakra. I just need time to fully absorb and control it."
As he spoke, he demonstrated—dismissing the Coral Palm residue along with the portion of the Tailed Beast Cloak on his hand.
"See? I'm in Tailed Beast Cloak mode, but I haven't lost my reason."
The Hōzuki leader's expression twisted in shock, before he suddenly grinned and elbowed the Karatachi patriarch.
"Hey, hey, hey, your grandson is something else."
"In the history of the ninja world, only two shinobi have ever fully controlled a Tailed Beast—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."
And now, his grandson might be the third.
Or if they ignored those two legendary figures—he would be the first.
The Karatachi patriarch's inner shock was no less than the Hōzuki leader's, but he managed to keep his expression under control. "This needs to be reported."
"I'll go inform the people outside to stand down. You get Yagura ready."
The Hōzuki leader then left the wooden house.
"Yagura, can you freely retract your Tailed Beast Cloak?"
"No."
Yagura denied it outright.
The reason was simple—he had too much chakra inside him right now.
What Isobu had given him was probably just a tiny fraction of its chakra, but for Yagura, it was enough to fill him to the brim—overflowing, even.
Like trying to pour an entire ocean into a single cup.
"...Forget it, no big deal." The Karatachi patriarch waved it off.
For someone who had just become a Jinchūriki, being able to maintain control while using the Tailed Beast's chakra was already unprecedented.
Asking for more would just be greedy.
A short while later, the Hōzuki leader returned.
"I've sent the ANBU to inform the Third Mizukage about Yagura's situation. We can leave now—to meet the Mizukage."
Meeting the Mizukage?
Yagura grinned.
He was curious to see how those old geezers would react.
...
Meanwhile, in the Mizukage's office.
A sand timer was flipped, marking the passage of time as the grains trickled down.
"Seal the Tailed Beast inside a Konoha ninja..."
The Third Mizukage skimmed through the proposal document on his desk.
"...Then bring them to Konoha, undo the seal, and let the Tailed Beast rampage inside the village. To prevent suicide, carve a sealing formula onto their heart."
Elder Genshi, who also had a copy of the document, commented, "Too risky."
"Fuguki."
The Third Mizukage raised his gaze toward the man before him—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the head of Kirigakure's ANBU, Fuguki Suikazan.
"This plan—did you come up with it?"
Fuguki, his broad, grinning face full of amusement, chuckled.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama. If this plan succeeds, Konoha will suffer tremendous losses."
The Third Mizukage tapped the desk. "I asked—did you come up with this plan?"
Fuguki froze.
The Mizukage knew him well.
This man was cunning and greedy—always scrambling for the smallest scraps of profit.
But he didn't have the guts or vision for a plan of this scale.
And none of his subordinates were capable of it, either.
"If this plan fails, we might lose a Tailed Beast. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō are not Senju Hashirama. They won't simply hold a Five Kage Summit and redistribute it back to us."
"Mizukage-sama, I—"
Under the Mizukage's scrutinizing gaze, Fuguki broke into a cold sweat and immediately blurted out the truth.
"T-The proposal didn't come from me, Mizukage-sama! I just thought it had a high chance of success, so I reported it!"
"And if the Tailed Beast is sealed away by Konoha? How do you recover it?"
Fuguki was drenched in sweat.
"Do your job properly."
"Y-Yes, Mizukage-sama! I understand!"
"Leave."
"Y-Yes! Excuse me!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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