Shi Xiu's lips curled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes as he watched Isobu with keen interest.
Shi Xiu gently patted Obito and Haku on the shoulders, signaling for them to relax.
Then, Shi Xiu strolled toward Isobu at an unhurried pace.
Every step was calm and composed, as if the whole world were under his control.
By contrast, Isobu kept backing away as though it had seen a terrible beast.
Its eyes were full of fear and unease, and its body trembled slightly with tension.
When Shi Xiu finally reached Isobu, his smile broadened. His eyes narrowed into slits, like those of a sly fox.
Smiling warmly, Shi Xiu said to Isobu, "Hey, old friend. It's been a long time. Why are you acting so distant?"
At Shi Xiu's words, Isobu gaped in terror and shouted, "Holy crap, Shi Xiu! Don't you dare come over here!"
Its voice was so loud that it sent a faint ripple through the surrounding air.
Seeing this, Shi Xiu lifted a hand to his lips and said with a smile, "Shh. Keep it down, Isobu!"
But Shi Xiu didn't stop walking. If anything, he found the whole thing even more amusing.
Shi Xiu continued to approach slowly, saying, "Come on, let me take a look!"
By now, Isobu had been backed into a corner with nowhere left to go. It cried out in despair, "No! Shi Xiu, don't!"
Obito and Haku, standing off to the side, were completely dumbfounded by the dramatic scene unfolding before them.
They stared wide-eyed at Shi Xiu and Isobu, their mouths slightly agape, as if they wanted to say something. In the end, though, neither of them managed to utter a word.
After a long while, Haku finally swallowed hard and turned to Obito, asking with a doubtful look, "Um... is the gentleman always like this?"
There was a note of disbelief in Haku's voice. Shi Xiu's strange behavior had clearly left him bewildered.
Obito shook his head, looking just as incredulous. "I'm not sure, but... at least he seemed pretty normal before."
Haku nodded thoughtfully, a trace of curiosity in his gaze as he looked toward Shi Xiu.
Isobu stared in terror at Shi Xiu as he drew closer, its thoughts drifting involuntarily back to their first encounter a hundred years ago.
It had been a bright, breezy morning by the vast, boundless sea. Isobu had been lying lazily on the beach, basking in the warm sunshine, and before long had drifted into a sweet slumber.
As Isobu slept soundly, the faint sound of footsteps drew closer.
Isobu cracked open its eyes and saw a tiny human slowly walking toward it.
Slightly annoyed, Isobu only wanted to enjoy a good, peaceful nap. It had no desire to be disturbed by this inconsiderate fool.
So it lazily raised a thick claw and gave a light wave, trying to shoo the unwelcome visitor away.
But what happened next was something Isobu had never expected. The seemingly tiny, fragile human caught its massive claw with ease, then yanked it. Caught off guard, Isobu instantly lost its balance and toppled over, sprawled helplessly on its back.
Isobu had never suffered such humiliation. Enraged, it opened its enormous jaws and fired a mighty Tailed Beast Bomb straight at the human, like a cannonball.
But what happened next left Isobu even more dumbfounded. The human rapidly formed Hand Seals and chanted under his breath. In an instant, a towering giant, red from head to toe, appeared before him.
The giant was like an unbreakable mountain, and it effortlessly blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb Isobu had fired with all its might.
The human floated leisurely above the giant's forehead, a disdainful smile tugging at his lips.
Then the giant reached behind itself and drew an enormous, gleaming longsword, before calmly laying it across Isobu's neck.
The man threatened coldly, "Make one more move, and I'll have a taste of some delicious turtle soup for lunch!"
That man was none other than Shi Xiu! But what infuriated Isobu was that from that day on, Shi Xiu came to visit every single day, mercilessly flipping it over his shoulder and then watching with a smile as it struggled to turn back over.
Isobu's original form resembled a gigantic turtle, with an enormous, iron-hard shell on its back.
Every time, Isobu had to struggle mightily to roll itself over. But as soon as it finally managed to do so, Shi Xiu would shamelessly lie down on its huge shell and fall fast asleep.
And so, Isobu was forced to serve as Shi Xiu's mount for a whole decade.
A hundred years had passed since then. Isobu could hardly believe that Shi Xiu was still alive—and that his appearance hadn't changed in the slightest, as if time had left no trace on him.
It was completely beyond reason, defying the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Now, as Isobu stared at Shi Xiu, an uncontrollable fear welled up deep within it.
The fear came surging in like a relentless tide, etching itself into its very soul.
Isobu knew all too well that the Shi Xiu standing before it was undoubtedly the very same man who had terrified it so much back then.
At that moment, Isobu began to think about running away.
But never mind the two people guarding the entrance—just Shi Xiu standing in front of it was enough. Isobu knew perfectly well that escaping in its current state was little more than a pipe dream.
In the end, Isobu had no choice but to give up resisting and cancel its Tailed Beast Transformation.
At the same time, Yagura finally regained control of his body, which had been suppressed until then.
Yagura's gaze fixed on the mysterious man before him like two arrows.
As the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, his special connection with Isobu allowed him to sense clearly the deep fear the Three-Tails felt toward this man.
That fear came pouring through like a surging tide, sending a chill crawling up Yagura's spine.
Yagura swallowed hard, then addressed Shi Xiu in a voice tinged with nervousness and awe.
"Senior, may I ask what brings you to Kirigakure?" Although he already had his suspicions, Yagura still hoped to hear a definite answer from the man himself.
Shi Xiu wore a faint smile. It seemed gentle and harmless, but in Yagura's eyes it carried an overwhelming pressure.
Shi Xiu spoke slowly. "I came here specifically to find you—or, more precisely, I came for the Three-Tails, Isobu, inside you!"
At Shi Xiu's blunt words, Isobu's enormous body, hidden within Yagura's mental world, began to tremble uncontrollably.
It seemed to sense an unprecedented threat, and all its usual menace vanished.
At the same time, Yagura clearly sensed Isobu's intense terror, and his own body began to tremble slightly along with it.
Even so, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm before pressing on. "Are you planning to take the Three-Tails from me?"
If a Tailed Beast was forcibly extracted from its Jinchuriki, the Jinchuriki would die on the spot. There was no chance of survival.
Just as Yagura steeled himself to risk his life and fight with everything he had, something unexpected happened—Shi Xiu gently shook his head.
Then he looked at Yagura again, his eyes cold and merciless, and said slowly, "Don't worry, kid. I'm not planning to kill you just yet. You have only two choices: submit to me willingly, or wait for death to come!"