Submission... or Death

Shi Xiu's lips curled slightly upward, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes as he stared at Isobu with keen interest.

Shi Xiu patted Obito and Haku gently on the shoulders, signaling them to relax.

Following this, Shi Xiu strolled forward in a leisurely manner, walking toward Isobu at an unhurried pace.

Every step he took appeared so calm and composed, as if the entire world were under his control.

However, in stark contrast, Isobu recoiled repeatedly as if it had encountered a terrifying monster.

Its eyes were filled with fear and unease, and its body trembled slightly from the tension.

When Shi Xiu finally reached Isobu, the smile on his face deepened, his eyes narrowing into slits like a cunning fox.

Shi Xiu said to Isobu with a beaming smile, "Hey, old friend, it's been a long time. Why have you become so distant?"

Hearing Shi Xiu's words, Isobu opened its mouth wide in terror and shouted, "Damn it, Shi Xiu! Stay away from me, you bastard!"

The volume of its voice was so great that it caused a slight ripple in the surrounding air.

Seeing this, Shi Xiu placed a finger to his lips and said with a laugh, "Shh, be quiet, Isobu!"

Yet, instead of stopping, Shi Xiu found the situation increasingly amusing.

Shi Xiu continued to close the distance slowly, saying, "Come on, let me take a look!"

By now, Isobu had been backed into a corner with nowhere left to run. It shouted in despair, "No! Shi Xiu, don't!"

Standing to the side, Obito and Haku were completely stunned by this dramatic scene.

They widened their eyes, their gazes fixed directly on Shi Xiu and Isobu, their mouths slightly agape as if they wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.

After a long while, Haku swallowed hard, turned to look at Obito, and asked with a face full of suspicion, "Is... is he always like this on a daily basis?"

Haku's tone carried a hint of disbelief, clearly quite surprised by Shi Xiu's strange behavior.

Obito shook his head, also sounding somewhat incredulous as he replied, "I'm not sure either, but... at least he was quite normal before."

Haku nodded thoughtfully, a trace of curiosity appearing in his eyes as he looked at Shi Xiu.

Isobu stared in terror at the approaching Shi Xiu, its thoughts drifting back to that first encounter a century ago.

It was a sunny morning with a gentle breeze. On the edge of the vast, boundless sea, Isobu was lying lazily on the beach, enjoying the warm sunshine to the fullest, and had drifted into a sweet slumber without realizing it.

Just as Isobu was fast asleep, a series of light footsteps approached from afar.

Isobu opened its eyes slightly and saw a tiny human walking slowly toward it.

Isobu felt a bit displeased; it just wanted to have a good, quiet sleep and did not wish to be disturbed by this tactless fellow.

Thus, it lazily raised a thick claw and gave a light wave, attempting to drive away this uninvited guest.

However, to Isobu's utter shock, the seemingly small and fragile human caught its massive claw firmly, then gave a sudden tug, causing the unprepared Isobu to lose its balance and tumble onto its back in a pathetic display.

When had Isobu ever suffered such humiliation? Furious, it opened its blood-stained maw, and a Tailed Beast Bomb of astonishing power shot straight toward the human like a cannonball.

But what happened next left Isobu dumbfounded—the human quickly formed hand seals, chanting under his breath, and in an instant, a towering, blood-red giant appeared before him.

The giant was like an indestructible mountain, easily blocking the full force of Isobu's Tailed Beast Bomb.

The human hovered nonchalantly above the giant's forehead, a look of contemptuous amusement on his face.

Immediately after, the giant reached behind its back, drew a massive, gleaming blade, and without hesitation, held it against Isobu's neck.

The man said coldly, "If you dare move again, I'll have a taste of delicious turtle soup for lunch today!"

That's right, that man was Shi Xiu! However, what made Isobu furious was that from that day on, Shi Xiu would come to find it every single day, mercilessly throwing it over his shoulder, and then watching with a smile as Isobu struggled to flip back over.

One must know that Isobu's original form was that of a massive giant turtle, with a huge, iron-hard shell on its back.

Every time, Isobu had to expend a great deal of effort to flip over, but the moment it finally succeeded, Shi Xiu would brazenly lie down on its massive shell and fall fast asleep.

Just like that, Isobu was forced to serve as Shi Xiu's mount for ten whole years.

A century had passed since then. What it found hard to believe was that Shi Xiu was not only still alive, but his appearance hadn't changed in the slightest, as if time had left no mark on him at all.

This was simply beyond reason, completely defying the natural laws of life, aging, and death.

At this moment, Isobu gazed at Shi Xiu, a surge of uncontrollable fear rising from the depths of its heart.

This fear washed over it like a tide, branding itself deep into its soul.

Isobu knew very well that the Shi Xiu standing before it was undoubtedly the same person who had terrified it so deeply all those years ago.

Right now, the thought of fleeing crossed Isobu's mind.

But setting aside the two people guarding the entrance, with Shi Xiu himself standing right there, Isobu knew full well that trying to escape in its current state was a pipe dream.

In the end, Isobu helplessly chose to give up resistance and released its Tailed Beast transformation.

At the same time, Yagura, who had been suppressed all this while, finally regained control of his own body.

Yagura's gaze was like two sharp arrows, locked firmly onto the mysterious man before him.

As the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, he could rely on the special connection he shared with Isobu to keenly and clearly perceive the deep fear the beast felt toward this man.

This fear surged like a tidal wave, passing through continuously and sending a chill up Yagura's spine.

Yagura swallowed hard, then asked Shi Xiu in a tone filled with nervousness and awe.

"Senior, may I ask what your true purpose is in coming to the Mist Village?" Although he already had his suspicions, Yagura still hoped to receive a definitive answer from the man himself.

At this moment, a faint smile appeared on Shi Xiu's face. The smile seemed gentle and harmless, yet in Yagura's eyes, it was filled with boundless pressure.

Shi Xiu spoke slowly, "I came here this time specifically for you—or more accurately, for the Three-Tails Isobu residing within you!"

Upon hearing Shi Xiu's undisguised words, the gargantuan body of Isobu, which had been hiding in the depths of Yagura's mental world, began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

It seemed to sense an unprecedented and immense threat, to the point where its usual majesty had completely vanished.

At the same time, Yagura clearly perceived Isobu's extreme terror, and his own body began to tremble slightly, beyond his control.

Even so, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm, and continued to press, "Are you intending to rip the Three-Tails from my body?"

He knew that if a Tailed Beast were forcibly extracted from its Jinchuriki, the host would undoubtedly die on the spot, with no possibility of survival.

Just as Yagura secretly steeled his resolve, preparing to risk his life for a final stand, something unexpected happened—Shi Xiu simply shook his head.

Then, he cast his gaze toward Yagura once more, his eyes revealing a trace of cold indifference as he said slowly, "Rest easy, kid. I have no intention of taking your life directly just yet. There are only two paths before you now: either submit to me obediently, or wait for death to arrive!"