Snatching Food from a Tiger's Maw - Three-Tails

Entering the lake instantly turned it into Isobu's absolute home ground.

The lake water seemed to become part of the tailed beast's body; its bulky frame moved through the water with unbelievable agility.

A single, casual sweep of its massive tail stirred up towering waves, like a violent Water Style jutsu crashing toward the Mist ninja on the shore.

Opening its mouth, it spat out a Water Cannon—though not as destructive as a Tailed Beast Ball, still terrifyingly powerful—like an unending barrage of high-pressure water jets, precisely blanketing the Third Mizukage and the elite Mist ninja around him.

"Scatter! Watch your evasions!"

The Third Mizukage's face was grim as he directed his men to dodge while moving against the current himself, continuously casting jutsu to counter and defend.

But on this lake home ground, Isobu's chakra seemed inexhaustible. Its attacks grew more ferocious, while the Mist ninja found themselves constrained, unable to mount an effective counterattack.

Just as the Third Mizukage took a deep breath, ready to forcibly suppress Isobu at any cost, a figure appeared without warning at the edge of the battlefield.

The newcomer was covered in a grotesque Bone Armor, its style completely different from the Kaguya Clan.

The bone armor enveloped his entire body, even his face hidden beneath dense bone plates, leaving only a pair of emotionless eyes exposed.

The chakra fluctuations around him were slightly strange, as if he wasn't at full strength, but the aura—a mix of chilling presence and surging life force—instantly drew everyone's attention.

The moment he appeared, Namikaze Yoru wasted no words. He transformed into a streak of cold white light, charging straight at the Third Mizukage with astonishing speed.

"Who goes there?"

The Third Mizukage was both startled and enraged, never expecting someone to intervene at this moment.

The unfamiliar bone armor and eerie aura set off alarm bells in his mind.

Without hesitation, he flicked out several poisoned Senbon, aiming for the joints of the bone armor, trying to find a weakness.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Senbon struck but only produced a series of metallic ringing sounds before being deflected, leaving not even a scratch.

Yoru's charge didn't slow. His already formidable Taijutsu, amplified by the bone armor, carried even more oppressive force as he swung a fist straight down at the Third Mizukage.

Seeing the bone armor's defense that even Senbon couldn't pierce, the Third Mizukage naturally dared not take the hit. He dodged backward, hastily tossing out a "Water Wave."

Even a mere C-rank jutsu, empowered by the Mizukage's chakra, had a completely different potency—compared to it, Nawaki's "Water Wave" was like a child's squirt gun.

But the situation didn't unfold as the Third Mizukage expected. The opponent ignored his jutsu attack entirely; the bone armor on his arm seemed to come alive, rapidly extending into a sinister Bone Blade that slashed straight through the water stream.

"Shrrrk—!"

The fierce Water Wave was cleaved cleanly in two.

At the same time, a strange Bone Chain shot out from behind him, lashing viciously at the Third Mizukage.

The Third Mizukage's perception was sharp; he narrowly sidestepped, the Bone Chain grazing his clothes.

Having lost the initiative, the Third Mizukage could only retreat, gradually being driven back to the shore, farther and farther from Isobu.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet."

"Water Style: Water Wall."

For a moment, the battlefield roared with water dragons, as if it were a Water Style lesson—the Third Mizukage casually wielded a variety of water jutsu.

But Yoru's fighting style was brutally straightforward; he often charged straight through water jutsu, just to close the distance with the Third Mizukage.

Yet the Third Mizukage, relying on his vast combat experience and precise water jutsu coordination, managed to control the situation, pulling the fight into his own rhythm.

While locked in fierce combat with the strange bone-armored ninja, the Third Mizukage's mind raced:

"This abnormally strong bone armor... is definitely not something the Kaguya remnants could possess! And that eerie chain—every time it gets close, it sends a chill through me, as if being entangled by it would lead to irreversible consequences.

"Plus, his interference at this exact moment means his goal is Isobu!"

With this realization, as if everything clicked, he understood the opponent's intent: to seize Isobu amidst the chaos.

And the mastermind behind the tragedies that pushed the Kaguya and Yuki Clans to ruin must be this very person.

He must not be allowed to succeed! Compared to the temporarily fleeing Isobu, a mysterious enemy with an unknown, powerful bloodline and the intent to capture a tailed beast was a far greater threat.

"Your target is Isobu, isn't it? Don't even think about it!"

"Ninja Swordsmen, join me in taking down this madman! I want to see which reckless fool dares to stir up trouble in my Mist Village!"

The Third Mizukage's cold shout rang out as his attacks grew sharper, weaving various jutsu into a dense net of firepower.

Hearing the order, several Ninja Swordsmen immediately joined the fray. They might struggle against a thick-skinned tailed beast, but fighting humans was their specialty.

Only Suikazan Fuguki, wielding the Greatsword Samehada, hung back—if he got too close to the lake, Samehada would start acting uncontrollably, nearly leaping out of his hands.

Facing the encirclement, Yoru responded in silence, relying on the bone armor's formidable defense and the Bone Chain's flexible attacks to weave and parry through the crowd.

He occasionally left openings, making some reckless breakthroughs, only to be beaten back repeatedly.

At this point, the Third Mizukage wasn't too anxious—taking down the opponent was only a matter of time, as long as Isobu's presence remained.

Wait... why was Isobu's presence rapidly fading?

While the battle on the shore was locked in stalemate, and everyone's attention was drawn to the spectacular clash, no one noticed—

A figure, identical to the one on the shore, was silently approaching Isobu, who had vented its fury and was about to dive deep.

This was Namikaze Yoru's true body. The "him" fighting evenly with the Third Mizukage on the shore was nothing more than a Bone Clone—created with his newly awakened bloodline—realistic enough to fool everyone.

The Three-Tails had just shaken off its long imprisonment and torment, and after wreaking havoc in Kirigakure, it felt exhilarated.

Seeing that the fierce battle on the shore had no one paying attention to it, it planned to dive into deep water and escape this troubled place.

No time to waste.

Namikaze Yoru's eyes gleamed with sharp light. Though he had no advantage in the water, he also didn't worry about being exposed.

"Eight Gates: Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit—Open!"

Unlike its usual use for berserk combat, opening the Gate of Limit now was mainly to exchange for explosive speed.

His body shot out like a torpedo, instantly closing in on the Three-Tails.

Only then did the Three-Tails sense the massive Chakra rapidly approaching from behind. Before it could even turn to look, Namikaze Yoru was already upon it.

"Yomotsu Hikumusubi Bone."

Several Bone Chains, unique to Namikaze Yoru, coiled behind him like golden dragons. In an instant, they wrapped around the Three-Tails' massive body, and the beast's previously swift speed came to a sudden halt.

"ROAR!"

The Three-Tails bellowed in shock and rage. As it came to its senses, it struggled violently, but the Bone Chains, imbued with powerful sealing force and extreme toughness, clung like a stubborn disease, tightening further and further, trapping it as if in a quagmire, impossible to break free.