"Obito, how are you feeling?"
Uchiha Obito, 'wearing' a White Zetsu, was using the *Mayfly Technique* to hide in the shadows under the eaves of the castle, crouched in a small bush. From there, he had a clear view of the battle unfolding at the castle's main gate. Even if the fight moved inside the castle, he could simply phase through the walls to keep watching.
Zetsu also emerged from the bush, pressed closely against Obito.
There wasn't much choice—the bush was small, and hiding one person was fine, but two required them to stick close together, or they'd risk being spotted.
"He should've already noticed that something's wrong with Yagura by now," Obito said.
"Is it genjutsu?" Zetsu asked.
"Exactly. It's genjutsu—basic training for any Uchiha who's awakened their Sharingan. Our earlier guess was correct: Uchiha Sōgen's eye technique is related to genjutsu. Just now... his genjutsu interfered with my control over Yagura. His genjutsu is powerful. If he uses his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, he might be able to break the genjutsu I'm using to manipulate Yagura." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
White Zetsu suddenly understood and blurted out, "Oh, so that's why you didn't let the Fourth Mizukage attack earlier! I thought you were just observing, but you couldn't move him!"
Then he realized what Obito had said. "Wait, your genjutsu can be broken? Does that mean Yagura will lose control?"
"Exactly," Obito replied calmly.
"Then what will we do? If Yagura loses control, Kiri and Konoha won't fight, and all our efforts will have been for nothing!"
"As long as the objective is achieved, losing a few tools doesn't matter," Obito said, his gaze deep and unfazed.
Even someone like Yagura, who was both the Fourth Mizukage and the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, was just a useful tool to him. As long as it furthered his goals, losing one or two tools was acceptable—so long as his objectives were met.
Now, the question was whether he could get what he wanted!
First, to confirm Uchiha Sōgen's Mangekyō Sharingan ability. Only by understanding the threat posed by Sōgen's ocular powers could he decide his next move. If Sōgen's abilities weren't too dangerous, Obito would personally kill him and take his eyes.
If Sōgen's powers were indeed dangerous, then he'd have to find a way to preserve Yagura as a tool while using Kiri and other pawns to drain Sōgen's ocular power, gradually weakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.
To this day, the former "Kenji" had shed his youthful innocence. After years of suffering and agony, he had grown mature. His bold and reckless actions were always carefully planned.
Five years ago, he dared to invade Konoha because he had a deep understanding of his former teacher and the village where he had lived for over a decade. That night, he made his move, causing chaos, and took down the man who could counter his *Kamui* technique.
After about seven or eight seconds of contemplation, Obito made his decision.
Since calling out Sōgen's name earlier, Yagura had remained silent. Now, he spoke again: "Everyone, back off!"
It was a simple command, but it sent chills down the spines of those who heard it.
The members of the Kiri ANBU understood what their Mizukage's order meant—it signaled the arrival of destruction.
The Kiri shinobi quickly scattered.
They weren't afraid of death, but that didn't mean they wanted to be accidentally killed by their own Mizukage.
"Is he really preparing to unleash his full power?" Sōgen thought, watching as the Kiri shinobi dispersed. He understood what was about to happen.
Standing still, Sōgen clapped his hands. Without even bothering with the usual blood-letting ritual, he summoned the *Samehada* (Shark Skin) directly into his hands. As soon as he grasped it, the sword's handle stretched like a rope, coiling around his forearm and immediately restoring his depleted chakra. The pure, almost liquid chakra flowed into him like a spring.
Just as Sōgen's chakra was replenished, Yagura unleashed an explosive surge of chakra, as if a volcano had erupted. The seal that held back disaster was broken, and the aura of destruction flooded the battlefield.
A tailed beast cloak, red with streaks of black, enveloped Yagura.
Three dark-red tails swayed behind him.
This was the *partial tailed beast transformation*, the threshold before fully transforming into the tailed beast. It maximized the Jinchūriki's access to the beast's power while still maintaining a somewhat human form. Usually, few Jinchūriki could voluntarily maintain this form; it was often entered involuntarily during moments of rage when the seal weakened.
Only a Jinchūriki who had fully mastered their beast could control this state.
Yagura, as it happened, was one such perfect Jinchūriki.
Just by stomping his foot, the ground beneath shook violently.
The castle gate collapsed with a deafening crash, and a cloud of gray dust shot into the sky like a dragon.
Yagura's dark-red figure flashed across the ground like lightning. Behind him, a massive shockwave carved a deep trench, marking his path. In an instant, he appeared before Sōgen, raising his right palm to strike Sōgen's chest.
Despite his beast-like appearance, Yagura hadn't lost his mind. As a perfect Jinchūriki, even under Obito's genjutsu, he retained his intelligence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold his position as Mizukage.
A translucent, dark-red ribcage appeared around Sōgen.
Yagura's *Coral Palm* attack failed.
*Susano'o* was a physical manifestation of chakra, not flesh, so the coral-growing effect of Yagura's attack didn't take hold. However, the sheer force of the strike caused Sōgen to stagger back, nearly losing his balance.
"So this is the power of a tailed beast?" Sōgen muttered.
This was his first time facing a Jinchūriki and experiencing the power of a tailed beast firsthand. During the Third Shinobi War, Kiri's Six-Tails Jinchūriki had been old and nearing replacement, while the Three-Tails had been kept as a tool by Madara to groom his successor. As a result, Kiri hadn't had the opportunity to deploy Jinchūriki in battle before the war ended.
During the Nine-Tails incident, Sōgen had only seen the rampaging Nine-Tails from a distance, not up close.
Now, feeling the chaotic, violent chakra emanating from Yagura, Sōgen didn't rush to counterattack. Instead, he widened his eyes and observed closely.
There was no need to hurry and finish the fight. After all, the enemy's command center had been wiped out, and any rescue efforts were dead in the water. He had plenty of time. With Samehada in hand, he didn't have to worry about running out of chakra.
This was the perfect opportunity to study the secrets of the Jinchūriki and the tailed beasts.
And since Obito wanted to see him exhaust his ocular power, well, he might as well give him a show!