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"ROOOOOAR!!!"
The deafening roar of surging water filled the entire valley, plunging it into a vast expanse of water.
Rōshi, steam billowing from his entire body, wore a frighteningly dark expression. His opponent intended to use this waterlogged environment to restrict and counter him. Even worse, as the water level in the valley rose, Rōshi, standing on the water's surface, spotted the spectators outside the valley: Obito, Kakuzu, and Zetsu.
To deal with him, the Akatsuki had dispatched not one, but four members. Kisame Hoshigaki was merely the one assigned to take action.
Thud!
With Samehada slung over his shoulder, now bearing numerous scorched black marks, Kisame walked out of the valley and casually tossed the unconscious Rōshi onto the ground. "Has my trial been passed?"
Zetsu remained silent. Kakuzu curled his lip disdainfully. Obito, however, offered praise. "Your performance was quite impressive. Welcome to the Akatsuki."
Once the valley was transformed into a watery expanse, Rōshi's defeat was inevitable. Kisame hadn't even expended much effort to successfully subdue him.
Bending down to hoist Rōshi up, Obito led the way toward Iwagakure. The Akatsuki's second-phase plan had begun.
Iwagakure had its share of internal latent issues but could maintain stability for a while longer. The Akatsuki, however, was unwilling to grant Ōnoki that much stable time. They intended to use Rōshi to create chaos in Iwagakure, to give the village a sharp shock.
Every village had its own defensive measures, and Iwagakure was no exception. Unfortunately, the village's methods for preventing enemy infiltration held little sway against Zetsu and Obito. With the aid of the Kamui dimension, Obito smoothly brought the group inside Iwagakure.
"Then let the show begin." Obito, who had once single-handedly orchestrated Konoha's Nine-Tails Night, now planned to reuse the same playbook, staging a "Four-Tails Night" for Iwagakure. While the Four-Tails' power couldn't match the Nine-Tails', the destruction wrought by the Four-Tails, with its innate ability to control magma, would be even more devastating. As long as they could get the Four-Tails to rampage, it would be a sleepless night for Iwagakure.
Compared to Konoha, Iwagakure's Tailed Beast sealing was easier to undo. When it came to sealing techniques, Konoha, having inherited the Uzumaki clan's legacy, stood as the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Breaking the seal on Rōshi was not difficult for Obito.
As the seal was released, a surge of scorching chakra erupted.
"ROAR!!!" With an earth-shaking roar, the Four-Tails' ferocious visage began to emerge from the broken seal. Prepared, Obito focused his Mangekyō Sharingan on the beast's eyes. The Four-Tails, not yet fully free, suddenly stilled. Its two massive eyes transformed into the shape of three tomoe, signifying it had been brought under control.
"Hahaha! Go on, cause mayhem!" Having gained control, Obito promptly destroyed the remaining seal, fully releasing the Four-Tails. As for Rōshi's lifeless body, he stored it within the Kamui dimension, as it still had other uses.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!!" Receiving Obito's command, the controlled Four-Tails began its frenzied destruction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!!! Explosions reverberated one after another. Fires ignited by molten lava began to spread within Iwagakure. Even more terrifyingly, the Four-Tails was gathering chakra, its target aimed at the Tsuchikage's office building.
If Konoha had some semblance of preparation during the Nine-Tails Night, then for this Four-Tails Night, Iwagakure had absolutely none—including Ōnoki, the village's pillar of support.
"What is that thing?"
"Incredibly powerful Tailed Beast chakra!"
"Disaster! It's a Tailed Beast rampage!!!"
The Four-Tails' sudden appearance shocked countless people.
It was the dead of night. Ōnoki had already returned home to rest. A mighty roar jolted him awake from his sleep. Not even bothering to change out of his nightclothes, Ōnoki flew swiftly from his room. Gazing at the colossal silhouette amidst the flames, his lips moved soundlessly, his expression grim and terrible.
The Four-Tails... Wasn't Rōshi supposed to be wandering and training outside the village? How did the Four-Tails appear within the village? And the direction of its attack...
"No!!!" Ōnoki's horrified cry was drowned out as a massive Tailed Beast Ball shot forth. The area centered on the Tsuchikage's office building was instantly engulfed.
KABOOOOOM!!!! The explosion of the Tailed Beast Ball reduced everything in its vicinity to dust. A terrifying crater appeared in the heart of Iwagakure. The powerful shockwave toppled countless buildings.
Villagers screamed and wailed, fleeing in all directions. Some tried desperately to rescue family members buried under the rubble of collapsed structures.
"ROAR!!!!" After firing the Tailed Beast Ball, the Four-Tails pounded its chest like a great ape. Enveloped in molten chakra, it bounded with terrifying agility through Iwagakure, leaving behind only ruins and raging infernos wherever it passed.
'It's over...' Staring at the apocalyptic scene before him, Ōnoki froze in mid-air. Then, his sharp eyes discerned the three tomoe pattern in the Four-Tails' eyes.
"The Uchiha? Konoha?" Ōnoki clenched his fists. "No... Not Konoha. It's the Akatsuki!!!" Konoha wouldn't do such a thing unless they sought all-out war with Iwagakure. But there was another party capable of this: the Akatsuki. After all, Obito had once orchestrated the Nine-Tails Night in Konoha, nearly using the Nine-Tails as the final straw to break the village. If he could mastermind the Nine-Tails Night's outbreak, he could certainly stage a Four-Tails Night as well.
"Lord Tsuchikage! The Four-Tails is rampaging, causing massive destruction within the village!"
"I know. I will handle it. Relay my orders: everyone is to focus on rescue and firefighting. I will deal with the Four-Tails." Apart from Konoha, the other four great villages had all experienced Tailed Beast rampages. Ōnoki had experience handling such incidents. The simplest and fastest method was to kill the Four-Tails.
Even if a Tailed Beast was killed, it would eventually reform from chakra and resurrect. Iwagakure could recapture it later. For now, the best course was to let the Four-Tails die.
The disaster had struck too suddenly. Mobilizing the Sealing Team to cooperate in resealing the Four-Tails was already impossible. Moreover, the destruction of the Tsuchikage's office building by a Tailed Beast Ball was a severe loss for Iwagakure. And wherever the Four-Tails went, it left a sea of flames.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!" The ANBU operative immediately withdrew, swiftly disseminating Ōnoki's orders. All departments in Iwagakure sprang into action: rescuing people, fighting fires. As for the Four-Tails... their Tsuchikage would handle it.
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