Three-Tails Rampage, the Colossus Beneath the Water Tank

A violent earthquake suddenly swept through the underground training ground. Air-raid lamps burst one after another, and rubble showered down from the ceiling, striking the backs of the Yaksha Squad, who had only just been granted new life.

Yet Ye gave no order, and these death warriors remained completely still, maintaining their kneeling posture.

Another tremendous boom rolled through the deeper underground, followed by a shrill howl. The enormous sound wave pierced through the thick rock layers, making the eardrums of several weaker ninjas throb with pain.

Terumi Mei's face went pale. She staggered back two steps before barely steadying herself, then turned to look at the widening crack in the ground.

"It's Isobu!"

Her cry trembled, and her breathing fell out of rhythm.

"After Yagura died, most of the Three-Tails' origin was extracted. It has been sealed in the Abyss Water Tank at the very bottom ever since."

The tremors beneath their feet continued to intensify, while fine stone chips constantly rolled down along the cracks.

"Now its chakra is gathering out of control. If we don't suppress it immediately, the entire Mizukage Building and half of Kirigakure will be destroyed!"

The village had just undergone a purge of its upper ranks and was at its weakest. If a fully rampaging tailed beast broke through to the surface now, the foundation they had worked so hard to establish would inevitably be reduced to ruins.

"Lead the way."

Ye did not even raise his eyelids, merely turning his gaze toward the dark corridor leading underground.

He stepped past the kneeling Yaksha Squad and walked deeper inside. Terumi Mei bit her red lip and rushed ahead to guide him.

Kimimaro turned into a silent white shadow and stayed close behind Ye.

The three rapidly descended the spiral staircase. As the distance shortened, the Water Release chakra in the air grew increasingly violent. Even the droplets seeping from the walls caused a fine, slicing pain when they touched their skin.

After smashing through the final damaged steel door, an enormous underground cavern unfolded before them.

This was the Abyss Water Tank where the Three-Tails had been imprisoned. The rock walls, once covered in sealing runes, had collapsed across large sections.

The body of the one-eyed mud turtle nearly filled the entire tank as it repeatedly slammed into the remaining barrier.

Its three spike-covered tails turned into massive whips. Every strike sent blinding chakra sparks bursting across the barrier's surface, shaking the entire underground space without pause.

The Three-Tails' single eye was bloodshot. The freedom brought by the loosening seal was within reach, and it had already begun attacking the final obstacle without regard for the cost.

A system notification sounded in Ye's mind, and a blue panel appeared in his vision.

[Detected that Isobu is about to break free from its seal. The host is facing a crisis of destruction. Please choose a method of handling it!]

[Option One: Tactical retreat. Allow the Three-Tails to escape into the wild and capture it later when the opportunity arises. Reward: one Advanced Waterproof Scroll.]

[Option Two: Join forces with everyone and cast a large composite barrier to suppress the Three-Tails again. Reward: A-rank Water Release: Clear Wave.]

[Option Three: Form no hand seals and use no flashy ninjutsu. Confront the Tailed Beast Bomb barehanded, beat it into submission with absolute physical violence and the pressure of the Sword of Takemikazuchi, and make it the village's dedicated energy battery. Reward: Premium Blueprint [Tailed-Beast Chakra Converter].]

Ye curled his lips into a cold smile brimming with destructive intent.

He had gone to such lengths to take control of this country not to hide from a giant beast throwing a tantrum.

Turning tailed beasts into endless energy to support industrialization—that mad vision was what deserved to become the foundation of the Ironblood Empire.

"I choose three."

The instant the command was issued, the tottering sealing barrier ahead finally failed to withstand the Three-Tails' assault. A crisp crack rang out across its surface, dense fissures rapidly spread over it, and then it shattered completely.

Violent currents swept massive amounts of underground water outward, flinging away every stone in their path.

"Watch out!"

Terumi Mei immediately formed hand seals, preparing to use Lava Release to block the oncoming flood.

"Stand down."

Ye's cold shout interrupted her. His knees bent, the muscles in his legs tightening instantly as all his strength poured into the soles of his feet.

A muffled boom sounded beneath him. The hard rock shattered on the spot, while Ye shot into the air against the raging torrent, charging straight toward the space above the Abyss Water Tank.

Isobu immediately noticed the tiny human. It opened its mouth and unleashed an earth-shaking roar as immense chakra rapidly gathered before its jaws.

Red and blue high-density energy compressed at astonishing speed, forming a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb several meters wide in the blink of an eye!

The surrounding space warped into visible ripples beneath the crushing pressure. The Three-Tails raised its head and aimed the energy sphere, powerful enough to flatten the entire building, at Ye in midair.

"Leader, dodge!"

Terumi Mei cried out below. Taking a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on with one's body was already beyond all reason.

Yet Ye did not evade. Instead, he dove straight toward the Tailed Beast Bomb.

The chakra of his Sage Body erupted from within him. Blue chakra burst through his body and burned around him like tangible flames.

The power in his right arm was fully unleashed, all of that Monstrous Strength capable of shattering mountainside rock poured into his clenched fist.

"A mere beast dares bare its fangs at me?"

Ye tightened his waist and back in midair, pulling his shoulder and elbow fully back before viciously driving his right fist toward the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb.

A deafening blast reverberated through the underground!

His fist collided head-on with the black Tailed Beast Bomb. White sonic-boom clouds billowed outward from the impact point, and the terrifying shockwave sheared away a thick layer of rock from around the Abyss Water Tank.

Terumi Mei desperately gripped a protruding rock on the ground, barely avoiding being blown away by the blast.

Her eyes widened as a sight she had never witnessed in her life appeared before her.

Ye's seemingly tiny fist had actually stopped the Tailed Beast Bomb's advance by force!

A bone-cracking sound shook the soul from his right arm once more. The Tailed Beast Bomb's forward momentum was gradually forced to a halt, then it began moving backward.

"Swallow it back down."

Ye roared, pouring all his Monstrous Strength into his fist. The Tailed Beast Bomb immediately flew back even faster than it had come, smashing directly into the Three-Tails' still-open bloody maw.

A series of muffled explosions erupted deep within the Three-Tails' throat. The giant turtle's massive body instantly stiffened as it painfully threw back its head, spewing lake water mixed with charred clots of blood.

The enormous backlash slammed it back into the bottom of the tank, sending towering waves into the air.

Before the Three-Tails could catch its breath, Ye had already descended from the air, his feet landing firmly on its massive shell.

He opened his right eye, and the exclusive ocular power of the [Sword of Takemikazuchi] poured forth. A purple phantom of law reaching straight to the cavern ceiling appeared behind him, his entire body radiating the authority of one who held life and death in his hands.

That horrifying pressure, enough to erase souls, transformed into an invisible sword edge and pierced directly into the Three-Tails' spiritual world.

The savage beast, still wild and ferocious moments ago, had only just come into contact with that aura of law when all the spikes across its body went limp. A weak whimper squeezed from its throat, and its enormous body began trembling uncontrollably.

Its three tails obediently curled behind it, and its head shrank tightly into its shell. Its former ferocity had vanished, leaving only the submission of something that had received a brutal beating.

It had surrendered completely.

Terumi Mei stood at the entrance of the passageway, looking up at the demon-god-like figure atop the giant beast's back. Her hand slowly loosened from the rock wall, and the last trace of pride belonging to a top-tier ninja was crushed to pieces by the sight before her.

This man was clearly a true monster.

After the crisis was resolved, Ye had just leaped down from the Three-Tails' back and was preparing to arrange an energy extraction device according to the newly acquired converter blueprint when hurried footsteps sounded from the passage behind him.

Kabuto Yakushi quickly arrived at Ye's side. The fake smile that usually hung on his face was nowhere to be seen. His entire face was taut, and a deep furrow had formed between his brows.

He respectfully presented a sealed confidential letter with both hands and reported in a low voice.

"Lord Ye, the Daimyo's Estate sent a special envoy just now."

Kabuto extended the secret letter another half inch, his gaze behind his glasses never shifting.

"The daimyo of the Land of Water has announced that, in light of the rebellion in Kirigakure, they have joined forces with several large pirate mercenary groups from nearby areas and are preparing to cut off the village's only overland supply route."

Kabuto paused briefly and raised a hand to adjust his glasses.

"There are also rumors that the Daimyo's Estate has secretly contacted one of Konoha's upper ranks, intending to use outside forces to eliminate us."

Ye accepted the secret letter. A wisp of chakra flame sprang from his fingertips, and the paper quickly curled and blackened before turning to ash in an instant.

"Konoha?"

He brushed the ash from his fingertips and raised his head toward the faint light filtering in from the passage exit.

"Looks like the scope of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys will have to expand a little further."