After entering the lake, the Three-Tails Isobu was instantly on its absolute home ground.
The lake seemed to have become part of the Three-Tails' body. Its seemingly cumbersome form moved through the water with unbelievable agility.
A casual sweep of its enormous tail sent towering waves crashing toward the Kirigakure Ninja on the shore, like a furious Water Release Ninjutsu.
It opened its mouth and spat. The Water Cannons weren't as destructive as a Tailed Beast Ball, but they were still astonishingly powerful, like a relentless barrage of high-pressure jets. They swept precisely across the Third Mizukage and the elite Kirigakure Ninja around him.
"Scatter! Watch out!"
The Third Mizukage's expression was grave as he directed his subordinates to dodge. He himself charged upstream, constantly using ninjutsu to counterattack and defend.
However, on the Three-Tails' home ground, its chakra seemed inexhaustible. Its attacks grew ever more ferocious, while the Kirigakure forces were hamstrung, unable to mount an effective counterattack.
Just as the Third Mizukage drew a deep breath, ready to suppress the Three-Tails at any cost, a figure appeared without warning at the edge of the battlefield.
The newcomer was covered from head to toe in a fearsome bone armor, unlike anything worn by the Kaguya Clan.
The bone armor encased his whole body, even covering his face with dense plates of bone and leaving only a pair of emotionless eyes visible.
His chakra felt somewhat unusual, as if he weren't in peak condition. Yet the aura he gave off, a mix of chilling menace and immense vitality, instantly drew everyone's attention.
The moment he appeared, Namikaze Yoru said nothing. He turned into a streak of icy white light and hurtled toward the Third Mizukage at incredible speed.
"Who are you?"
The Third Mizukage was both shocked and enraged. He had never expected someone to interfere at a time like this.
The stranger's unfamiliar bone armor and uncanny aura set off alarm bells in his mind.
Without hesitation, he flung several poisoned senbon at the joints of the man's armor, testing for a weak spot.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The senbon struck, but only rang out against the armor like metal. They bounced off without leaving so much as a scratch.
Namikaze Yoru's charge didn't slow. His already formidable Taijutsu felt even more oppressive with the bone armor's added strength. He swung a fist at the Third Mizukage, aiming to smash him.
Having seen that even senbon couldn't pierce the man's powerful bone armor, the Third Mizukage didn't dare take the blow head-on. He dodged backward and hastily flung out a Water Wave.
Though it was only a basic C-rank jutsu, empowered by the Mizukage's chakra, it was on an entirely different level. Nawaki's Water Wave, by comparison, was like a child's water pistol.
But events didn't unfold as the Third Mizukage expected. His opponent ignored the attack, and the bone armor on his arm seemed to come alive, rapidly extending into a bone-white blade that slashed down at the oncoming water.
"Shhk!"
The fearsome Water Wave was cleaved in two.
At the same time, an eerie Bone Chain shot out from behind him and lashed toward the Third Mizukage.
The Third Mizukage's senses were sharp. He barely dodged to the side, and the Bone Chain skimmed past the edge of his clothing.
Having lost the initiative, the Third Mizukage could only retreat. He was gradually forced back to the shore, farther and farther from the Three-Tails.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Water dragons roared across the battlefield. It was practically a Water Release lesson, with the Third Mizukage casually casting one technique after another.
But Namikaze Yoru fought with overwhelming brutality. He often tanked Water Release attacks just to charge closer to the Third Mizukage.
Still, the Third Mizukage's wealth of combat experience and precise use of Water Release let him take control of the battle and set its pace.
While fighting fiercely with the strange ninja in bone armor, the Third Mizukage thought rapidly:
That exceptionally powerful bone armor... No remnant of the Kaguya Clan could possess anything like it! And that bizarre chain—just getting close to it makes my heart lurch, as though being caught in it would lead to an irreversible fate.
On top of that, he chose this moment to intervene. He must be after the Three-Tails!
Once the thought crossed his mind, everything seemed to fall into place. He instantly understood the man's intentions: he was taking advantage of the chaos to seize the Three-Tails.
And the mastermind who had brought about the tragedy of the Kaguya and Yuki Clans was probably the same man.
He absolutely couldn't let him succeed! Compared to the Three-Tails, which had temporarily escaped, a mysterious enemy with an unknown, powerful Bloodline Limit who intended to seize a Tailed Beast was a greater threat.
"Your target is the Three-Tails, isn't it? Don't even think about it!"
"Ninja Swordsmen, with me! Let's capture this madman. I want to know what sort of fool dares to stir up trouble in my Mist Village!"
The Third Mizukage barked the order, his attacks growing ever more intense as a dense barrage of ninjutsu filled the air.
At his command, several Ninja Swordsmen immediately joined the fight. They might struggle against a tough, thick-skinned Tailed Beast, but fighting people was their specialty.
Only Suikazan Fuguki, who carried the greatsword Samehada, stayed back to cover them. If he got too close to the lake, Samehada started acting up, nearly slipping out of his hands.
Facing their attacks, Namikaze Yoru remained silent. He relied on the bone armor's formidable defense and the Bone Chain's flexible attacks to weave through the crowd.
From time to time, he let openings show. He made several rash attempts to break through, only to be driven back again and again.
By this point, the Third Mizukage was no longer in much of a hurry. Capturing his opponent was only a matter of time, as long as the Three-Tails' chakra was still there...
Wait... Why was the Three-Tails' chakra fading so quickly?
As the battle on the shore reached a stalemate and everyone's attention was drawn to the fierce clash, no one noticed another figure quietly approaching the Three-Tails, which had finished venting its anger and was about to dive into the depths.
This was the real Namikaze Yoru. The "him" trading blows with the Third Mizukage on the shore was nothing more than a Bone Clone, created with his newly awakened Bloodline Limit and convincing enough to fool anyone!
The Three-Tails had only just escaped its long imprisonment and torment, then rampaged through Kirigakure. It was feeling exhilarated.
Seeing the fierce battle on shore and realizing no one was paying attention to it, it decided to dive into deep water and get far away from the trouble.
Now or never.
A glint flashed in Namikaze Yoru's eyes. He had no advantage in the water, but he wasn't worried about being exposed, either.
"Eight Gates: Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit—Open!"
Unlike when he used it for all-out combat, he opened the Gate of Limit now mainly to gain an explosive burst of speed.
He shot forward like a torpedo, closing in on the Three-Tails in an instant.
Only then did the Three-Tails sense the massive chakra rapidly approaching from behind. Before it could turn around to look, Namikaze Yoru was already upon it.
"Yomotsu Hikumusubi Bone."
Several distinctive Bone Chains unfurled from his back, golden dragons winding around the Three-Tails' enormous body. Its rapid movement abruptly ground to a halt.
"Roar!"
The Three-Tails bellowed in shock and fury, then began to struggle violently. But the Bone Chains, imbued with powerful sealing force and extreme resilience, clung to it like a bone-deep curse, tightening with every moment. It was like being trapped in a swamp, impossible to escape.
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