Seeing Toshiro's actions, Yagura froze for a brief moment before gritting his teeth and forcing himself to remain still.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
The three magatama, infused with the power of the Sharingan, spun like high-speed gears, striking the chains embedded in his body.
The sealing chains trembled violently, forming sharp, rigid angles upon impact. Sparks flew where the two forces clashed, accompanied by a piercing screech—like metal being dragged across glass.
"Ugh!"
A pained grunt escaped Yagura as his form, which had only just stabilized, began to ripple again—his body distorting like disturbed water.
The agony spread outward from where the chains pierced him, a searing sensation tearing through his very being.
"Yagura, you really shouldn't struggle like that. You know the nature of this seal."
Isobu's deep voice rumbled, its tone unusually serious.
"Hey... Uchiha Toshiro."
The Three-Tails fixed Toshiro with a solemn gaze.
"If you don't want Yagura to die here and now, stop meddling with those chains. Otherwise... he'll only perish faster."
A heavy pause.
"These bindings are directly linked to our spirits. Every attempt to resist them is like having our souls torn apart. The pain is unbearable, and worse still—it inflicts lasting damage on both our minds and spirits."
"This guy just wouldn't listen to my advice—kept struggling over and over. That's why he's in this weakened state!"
Despite his blunt words, Isobu's tone carried a trace of concern. Having been bound to Yagura for so long, he had inevitably developed some attachment to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to speak up at all.
"I see~"
Toshiro's gaze lingered on Yagura, who, despite his frail condition, still refused to give in. He was beginning to grasp the full extent of the seal's effects, and at the same time, he couldn't help but admire Yagura's resilience.
Even in this state, the man clung to his willpower, refusing to succumb.
If it weren't for Obito periodically seizing control of his body—giving him moments of reprieve to recover his spirit—Yagura would have likely perished long ago.
Just as Toshiro hesitated, debating whether to continue aiding Yagura's escape, a shift occurred.
Where the magatama clashed with the chain, an invisible ripple spread outward, distorting the air itself. A moment later, a spiraling vortex took shape—a gateway opening into another space.
"Yeah! It's finally happening!"
The magatama Toshiro had thrown vanished instantly, as if swallowed by the void.
"I won't let you free him so easily!"
A cold voice echoed through the sealed space.
Obito had arrived.
But rather than sparing Yagura a glance, his wary eyes were locked onto Toshiro, assessing him like a looming threat.
"You… you bastard!"
Yagura's already flickering form trembled as he turned to face the masked intruder. His expression twisted into one of sheer frustration.
The moment this man appeared, he knew—his struggle had been for nothing.
"Go. Kill him!"
As if on command, Yagura's dimmed eyes gleamed with an eerie crimson light. Beside him, Isobu also reacted, their wills no longer their own.
Without hesitation, the two lunged at Toshiro.
Obito, meanwhile, vanished once more into the shadows.
Toshiro exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
"His skills haven't improved much, but he's certainly gotten better at hiding himself."
He let out a sigh, his tone carrying a trace of exasperation.
This time, Obito had only dared to confront him within the confines of the spiritual space—too cautious to face him in the real world.
Had they met in reality, Toshiro could have directly accessed Kamui's dimensional rift through Obito's body. No matter how skilled he was at concealing himself, there would have been nowhere left to hide.
But within this spiritual space, Toshiro's options were limited. He couldn't rely on brute force alone.
"Do you really think a mere Sharingan illusion can hold me back?"
His voice was calm, almost amused, as he watched Yagura charge forward and the Three-Tails gather an immense amount of chakra in its maw.
Obito's illusions were formidable, but they weren't unbreakable—especially not against him.
Obito relied too heavily on his Mangekyō to manipulate Yagura and suppress the Three-Tails. Against weaker minds, this trick was effective. But against Toshiro?
All it took was a direct surge of his own ocular power, infused into the chakra streams binding Yagura and the Three-Tails. With a single focused burst, he shattered the illusion like fragile glass.
—
**Meanwhile, in the real world**
"Fall back! Now!"
Mimura's voice rang out sharply across the battlefield.
His expression had gone deathly pale as he watched the Three-Tails open its massive jaws, raw energy surging within. The forming Tailed Beast Ball crackled with terrifying intensity.
"Don't just stand there like fools, waiting to be obliterated!"
The blast was aimed directly at their command post. If not for Shiromari and the Hokage holding the front lines, none of them would have stood a chance of escaping alive.
Then, just as the tension reached its peak—
"Mimura-sama! Something's happening!"
A young shinobi at the command center shouted, his voice laced with urgency.
"Look! The Three-Tails has stopped moving!"
Following the direction of the young shinobi's outstretched arm, Mimura turned his gaze toward the battlefield.
The massive tidal wave that had once engulfed the Three-Tails had collapsed, spreading into a vast pool of water that now flooded the center of the war-torn landscape.
And there, in the middle of it all, the Three-Tails stood eerily still, its massive form frozen in place. A gargantuan Tailed Beast Ball, nearly ten meters in diameter, remained suspended in its gaping maw—unstable yet unmoving.
On the opposite side, atop Shiromari's head, the Hokage mirrored the beast's stillness, locked in an unbroken stare with the massive creature.
Then—
Crack!
A sharp, jagged sound echoed across the battlefield, like stone fracturing under immense pressure.
Crash!
The unstable sphere of chakra, once poised to obliterate everything in its path, lost cohesion. The Tailed Beast Ball collapsed, its raw energy dispersing harmlessly as it splashed into the flooded terrain below.
"That was… way too close."
Mimura exhaled sharply, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. Relief washed over him, though his heart was still hammering in his chest.
"That damn beast is too dangerous!"
Even with unwavering faith in the Fifth Hokage's strength, facing a monster of this caliber was enough to make even the most seasoned shinobi uneasy.
"Quick! Assist the Mizukage! We can't let the Three-Tails fall into Konoha's hands!"
A desperate cry erupted from the ranks of the Kiri Shinobi. Without hesitation, one of them surged forward, leading the charge toward the battlefield's center, fully prepared to lay down his life if necessary.
On the other side, Konoha's forces responded in kind. Several shinobi rushed toward their Hokage, determined to provide support. Among them was Raizou, his expression resolute as he sprinted ahead.
But before either side could reach their destination—
Whoosh!
A massive force swept through the battlefield.
Shiromari's enormous tail swung in a wide arc, its sheer momentum sending a towering, twenty-meter-high wave crashing toward the approaching shinobi. The water, once pooled harmlessly around its ankles, had transformed into a formidable weapon, slamming into the advancing forces with unrelenting force.
Yet, the assault didn't stop there.
Shiromari's massive front claws slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom!
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Though it lacked the ability to perform complex ninjutsu on its own, the intricate seals carved into its claws by Toshiro allowed it to wield techniques it had never before been capable of using.
Immediately, the ground beneath the battlefield softened and churned, turning into a treacherous mire that threatened to engulf anyone who ventured too close.
"Stay back! Do not approach the center of the battlefield!"
Shiromari's bulging eyes scanned the chaos, watching for any movement that defied its master's orders.
Toshiro had made it clear—no one, friend or foe, was to get near him.
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