On a rooftop in Kirigakure.
Dressed in black, Obito leaned against a water tower, his arms folded as he watched the distant battlefield.
The once-iconic Mizukage Building had been mostly destroyed, and what remained was completely submerged beneath a lake's worth of water.
The spectating genin and chunin had all withdrawn. Only elites such as ANBU and jonin could stay and fight.
Within that immense mass of water, Mei Terumi, Hozuki Mangetsu, and the others were fighting the Fourth Mizukage in his tailed beast form.
Under the effects of the enormous Water Prison Technique, the Fourth Mizukage could no longer unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb, leaving him to fight with his tailed beast claws and ninjutsu.
Obito secretly controlled the Fourth Mizukage's movements, unleashing the power stored within him.
Obito had never intended to use the Fourth Mizukage to destroy Kirigakure. Instead, he planned to install a new puppet and continue controlling the village.
Kirigakure could return to normal afterward, but at critical moments, it would have to obey the Akatsuki.
Watching Karatachi Yagura change direction in the distance to attack Mei Terumi, Obito's lips curved subtly beneath his mask.
His plan was progressing smoothly. Even if the Fourth Mizukage broke free of his control, he would still be a puppet.
The only thing that surprised him was Kisame Hoshigaki's strength. That jonin who had seemed promising a few years ago had grown far more than he had expected.
He had created a Water Prison Technique containing a lake's worth of water. His chakra reserves were not much smaller than a tailed beast's.
This went well beyond being a mere elite jonin. Even in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, he could serve as a right-hand man to one of the Five Kage.
*What exactly had happened to Kisame Hoshigaki? Could