Although in later times, when sky-high powerhouses emerged everywhere, the Tailed Beasts seemed comparatively weak.
But during normal times,
each Tailed Beast, when fully unleashing their strength, possessed at least Kage-level peak power.
Otherwise, there would've been no need to use the sealing of Tailed Beasts to maintain balance among the villages back then.
As for the Nine-Tails,
even half its power probably reached beyond Kage-level thresholds.
Otherwise, just half a transformation from Naruto wouldn't have caused Six Paths Pain to experience such a drastic shift in battle style...
Therefore, an ordinary Jinchuriki and a perfect Jinchuriki were simply two completely different things!
The gap between them was even bigger than that between an average Kage-level ninja and a Kage-tier peak warrior!
And because of this,
right now, even with only a Partial Beast Transformation, Yagura—the Fourth Mizukage—already possessed nearly mid-to-high Kage-tier strength.
That dark-red Tailed Beast Coat he wore was practically immune to most Ninjutsu.
It couldn't be pierced at all.
This was also why, despite the Hidden Mist ninjas' strong dissatisfaction toward Yagura's tyranny,
no one could rise up against him.
Yet, right now,
they never expected someone could actually break through the defense of a Tailed Beast Coat and directly slice off both Yagura's left arm and tail!
...
Shimoku sneered as he glared at Yagura in the distance.
"Managed to deflect my blade slightly with your claws, huh?"
If not for that,
that single strike should've cut him clean in half.
Not just severing Yagura's arm and tail.
However, Jinchuriki naturally had strong vitality, enhanced further by Tailed Beast chakra protection.
Though grievous, this wound likely wouldn't kill him yet.
Sure enough.
Before the dust had settled,
Shimoku already clearly sensed it.
A massive surge of chakra began rapidly gathering from within the dust cloud.
In the next moment, the high-density chakra rapidly condensed, sucking away the surrounding dust particles,
revealing the half-transformed Yagura. As expected, he was forming a Tailed Beast Ball within his mouth.
"Not good! It's the [Tailed Beast Ball]!"
Many surviving Hidden Mist ninjas cried out in alarm.
The [Tailed Beast Ball] was no laughing matter.
It was a technique where the Tailed Beast compressed its chakra into a spherical shape with a specific ratio, resulting in extremely high density and explosive energy. Once launched, it could cause massive destruction over a wide area!
Any ordinary ninja caught in its blast radius had absolutely no chance of survival.
"Tch! Firing a [Tailed Beast Ball] right at your own village's gate? That's pure recklessness!"
Shimoku mocked.
Then he glanced again at Riyō and the others, whom he had shielded under his [Susanoo].
Alone, he could easily dodge the Tailed Beast Ball.
But unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to protect Riyō and the others then. Not to mention the unconscious Hidden Mist ninjas scattered around, whose capture would be worth tens of millions of ryo.
No choice but to take the hit head-on!
[Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashōmon!]
Shimoku quickly formed hand seals and released it.
Right before Yagura unleashed the Tailed Beast Ball, three enormous Rashōmon gates rose up from the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three immense Rashōmon gates slammed down, positioned directly in front of Shimoku.
At the same time, the Tailed Beast Ball erupted instantly.
Blinding light consumed everything along a straight path.
Including the [Triple Rashōmon], famed for its astonishing defensive power.
At the same time, countless Mist ninja were fleeing in panic.
After all, if they were even slightly too slow to escape the devastating reach of such a powerful [Tailed Beast Ball]...
There would be absolutely nothing left—no corpse, no bones!
Seeing that Yagura had gone so far as to use the [Tailed Beast Ball], disregarding the village's safety,
Terumi Mei and other Mist ninja felt deeply disappointed and resentful.
"Lord Elder!"
Terumi Mei cried out anxiously.
But truthfully, with an attack as deadly as the [Tailed Beast Ball], she couldn't even imagine who could possibly survive it.
"Don't panic. With [Triple Rashōmon] backed by [Susanoo]'s defense, it won't break easily."
"That little Uchiha punk probably isn't dead yet."
Genji calmly replied.
But even he wasn't entirely sure how things would turn out.
...
Soon, the blinding light faded away.
Revealing the aftermath of the [Tailed Beast Ball]'s impact.
Before everyone's eyes lay a massive trench over a hundred meters long and dozens of meters wide.
And within it, the [Susanoo] deity still stood firm.
"Huh? I'm… not dead?"
"My eyes... they burn so much..."
Gin groaned while lying on the ground, both surprised and rubbing his burning eyes.
He looked like he'd just cheated death, feeling both stunned and relieved.
Just now, facing the incoming devastation of the [Tailed Beast Ball], he had nearly thought he was finished.
But incredibly, he survived!
Quickly, he used his ocular ability to soothe his painful eyes.
Then he quickly lifted his head to look ahead.
Only then did he see—
The Young Master had summoned [Triple Rashōmon], but all three layers had been blown apart.
As for the Young Master's own [Susanoo] that had shielded them,
It had also been torn down to the bones by the residual force of the [Tailed Beast Ball],
Its clothes and flesh shredded, leaving only a skeletal frame protecting them.
To pierce through [Triple Rashōmon] and still consume most of [Susanoo]'s defense power—it clearly showed just how terrifying this single [Tailed Beast Ball] truly was.
If caught in that full blast, there wouldn't have been a thing left—nothing at all!
"Are you still alive?" Shimoku asked Riyō and others nearby.
"Alive!"
Yueji was the first to leap up, pulling Riyō and Gin off the ground where they'd been sprawled.
Meanwhile, Zabuza stood firm in front of Haku, shielding him from danger.
"If you're alive, step back for now! This fight's way above your heads!"
"Go around and move those unconscious Mist ninja out of here. They're valuable assets!"
Yueji rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Our Young Master really is ruthless!
Even now, he's still thinking about money!
Still, she obeyed without complaint.
Immediately leading Riyō and the others out from under the protection of [Susanoo], she withdrew to a safe distance.
Once Yueji and her team had pulled back,
Shimoku once again turned his gaze toward the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
That [Tailed Beast Ball] maneuver of his had certainly put him in quite a predicament!
No more playing around—he needed to end this quickly.
Shimoku took a step forward.
His ocular power surged, along with chakra coursing through his body, once again cloaking [Susanoo]'s skeletal frame with muscle and armor, restoring it to its Second Form.
Meanwhile, under the chakra amplification,
The Dragon-Weaving Blade in his hand expanded once more.
It grew another ten meters, now stretching over thirty meters long—about the height of a ten-story building.
Then, filled with intense murderous intent, he rushed directly toward Yagura in the distance.
In an instant,
Even the powerful enemy that had resisted the [Tailed Beast Ball] made Yagura feel the threat of death!
He unleashed every ounce of power left.
Letting out a fierce roar,
He immediately released the restriction on Three-Tails [Isobu]'s power and initiated full Tailed Beast transformation.
In an instant,
A massive turtle tens of meters long appeared, covered in sharp spines across its body and bearing three tails.
The tremendous surge of chakra alone bore down on the distant Mist ninja with immense pressure, almost forcing them to their knees.
And as soon as the fully transformed Three-Tails, Isobu, emerged,
It immediately opened its mouth wide again,
Preparing to release another [Tailed Beast Ball] attack.
"Pfft! Just a tiny little turtle, trying to act all fierce!"
"Die!"
Shimoku roared furiously; how could he possibly allow Three-Tails another chance to release the Tailed Beast Ball?
He swung the Dragon-Weaving Blade horizontally.
Light flashed.
Instantly cutting off half of Isobu's jaw, interrupting its gathering of the [Tailed Beast Ball].
Then, the towering Susano'o threw a heavy punch.
Crashing down hard, it smashed straight into Isobu's shell.
"Boom—"
The massive turtle let out a pained cry, instantly flattened to the ground, causing the surrounding earth to tremble violently.
But it wasn't over yet!
Shimoku attacked again.
With a twist of his giant blade, he slashed directly at Isobu's three tails.
"Slash—"
The blade cut through the air, and the three massive tails shot up into the sky, severed instantly.
Even the mighty Tailed Beast was tossed around like a helpless baby bird.
Such a shocking sight left hundreds of Mist ninja stunned and bewildered, unsure of what to do.
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