Utakate, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki of Kirigakure, had far less control over his Tailed Beast compared to Yagura. After Yagura's death, the upper echelon of Kirigakure selected Utakate as the Mizukage.
During his tenure, his performance was fairly commendable. Due to the precedent set by Yagura, a Jinchūriki serving as Mizukage, the village readily accepted Utakate's ascension to the position.
After Yagura's death, Utakate was arranged to live in Yagura's former residence. Since Yagura had been a solitary figure, his house remained unoccupied after his passing. Moreover, as it was located close to the Mizukage's office, it was deemed a convenient arrangement for Utakate.
His residence was near the center of Kirigakure, an area with the heaviest patrolling forces, receiving top-priority security.
Under the cover of thick mist and with intelligence support, six figures stealthily infiltrated Utakate's residence.
Konan, relying on her sensory abilities, detected that aside from patrolling guards, there were also a hundred ANBU stationed around the area, evidence of how highly Kirigakure valued the protection of their Mizukage.
Reaching the designated position, Konan remained silent and simply gestured for the mission to commence.
The six figures immediately dispersed.
Kisame, Kakuzu, and Shin slipped into the Mizukage's residence like shadows, while Konan, Sasori, and Jūzō spread out around the perimeter, heading in different directions.
The moment Kisame's team entered the courtyard, the hidden ANBU guards immediately detected the intrusion. One of them shouted at the top of his lungs, "Enemy attack! Protect the Mizukage!"
His voice shattered the silence of the night, echoing across a large part of Kirigakure. Utakate, who had been asleep, was instantly jolted awake. He grabbed a special flute placed beside his bed and quickly got up.
Katon: Zukkoku!
Fūton: Atsugai!
As soon as Kakuzu halted, before the ANBU could fully react, he launched the first wave of attacks.
Two masked creatures connected by black threads emerged from his back. One of them opened its mouth and spewed a fan-shaped sea of flames toward Utakate's room. At the same time, the other creature released a highly compressed sphere of wind, forming a violent vortex aimed directly at the incoming flames.
As the swirling wind merged with the fire, it transformed into a roaring inferno, a blazing tornado that devoured all the moisture in the air along its path before crashing into Utakate's room.
"Mizukage-sama!"
Kakuzu's attack was so swift that the ANBU could barely react in time. They could only watch as the fiery tornado struck the Mizukage's residence. With a deafening explosion, half of the luxurious house was engulfed in flames.
The searing heat radiating from the blaze illuminated the courtyard, causing the mist in the area to momentarily thin.
The ANBU who had been secretly stationed nearby now fully revealed themselves. Some surrounded Kisame's team, while others rushed to the burning residence, preparing to use Water Release to extinguish the flames.
At that moment, a massive bubble burst out from the inferno, floating gently into the air. Inside the transparent bubble, Utakate was safe and sound, clad in a thin sleeping robe, still holding his flute.
Seeing the Mizukage unharmed, the ANBU guards let out a breath of relief.
The bubble drifted away from the blaze and popped with a soft snap. Utakate landed steadily on the ground, his expression cold as he gazed at the three intruders in the courtyard.
His sharp eyes quickly swept over Kakuzu, whose back bore eerie black-threaded masks, Shin, whose Sharingan gleamed with three tomoe, and Kisame, gripping a massive blade.
Finally, his gaze fixed on Kisame. In a cold voice, he said, "Kisame Hoshigaki, as a missing-nin of our village, if you've returned to Kirigakure, no matter your purpose, you will die here. Consider it your final homecoming."
Kisame sneered at the remark. With a single-handed grip on his blade, he pointed it at Utakate and scoffed, "Sharks never return home."
Utakate said nothing further. A faint red chakra began to rise from his body, he had immediately entered the first stage of Tailed Beast transformation.
Meanwhile, the entire village of Kirigakure had been roused by the commotion. The shinobi who had been sleeping instantly realized an enemy attack was underway. They armed themselves as swiftly as possible and rushed toward the Mizukage's residence.
The night patrol squads also responded, swiftly converging on the location from all directions.
Konan, now hovering in midair with a pair of paper wings extending from her back, flapped her wings and remained hidden within the dense mist. Using her sensory ability, she precisely detected the incoming Kirigakure reinforcements.
Her amber eyes narrowed as she listened intently. The sounds of multiple shinobi rushing through the village reached her ears. Upon closer observation, she could faintly make out blurry figures emerging within the mist.
Paper Rain!
Konan's paper wings suddenly fluttered, releasing a barrage of hardened paper shards that shot through the mist like a storm of kunai.
A chorus of agonized screams echoed through the fog. No one knew how many Kirigakure shinobi had fallen under the relentless assault of razor-sharp paper.
After unleashing a barrage, her wings swiftly regenerated, but she did not relent. With another beat of her wings, another volley of hardened paper blades rained down into the mist, drawing even more pained cries from her unseen victims.
With her flight granting her aerial dominance, the thick mist providing cover, and her sensory skills pinpointing enemy locations, Konan became a nightmare for the shinobi of Kirigakure.
In another direction, Jūzō, wielding the Executioner's Blade, moved like a fish in water within the dense mist. Using sound to locate his enemies, he executed his refined Silent Killing Technique, weaving through the fog. With each swing of his blade, he claimed the life of a Kirigakure shinobi.
The Kirigakure shinobi, also adept at combat in the mist, quickly organized a team specifically to deal with Jūzō. However, despite their numerical advantage, they found themselves on the losing end once they engaged him.
Konan and Jūzō's interception efforts were highly effective, and naturally, Sasori wasn't about to be left behind.
After summoning his human puppets, Sasori kept the Third Kazekage puppet close by his side, while nine puppets made from members of the Taketori clan scattered and flew into the mist.
Because his vision was obscured by the fog, Sasori couldn't pinpoint the positions of the Kirigakure shinobi, nor could he estimate how many were approaching from that direction. His method of killing, however, was straightforward and brutal.
He activated the Kekkei Genkai of each Taketori puppet, causing sharp bone spikes to sprout from their bodies. Then, their arms began flailing wildly in all directions as Sasori spun them through the air like grotesque yo-yos.
In a rather comical display, the nine puppets flew back and forth through the fog, repeatedly sweeping the same paths, effectively sealing off the entire area ahead.
It was as if he had set up a deadly, looping trap, and the Kirigakure shinobi rushing to reinforce the Mizukage were like players trying to break through it.
Squelch!
One shinobi failed the challenge and was struck by a puppet, the sharp bone spikes piercing deep into his body, killing him instantly.
With the first casualty, the second and third quickly followed…
With his bizarre and unique method, Sasori created a near-impenetrable line of defense.
Still, the shinobi of Kirigakure were no strangers to fighting in fog. Eventually, some managed to break past Sasori's line of puppets and launched direct attacks against him.
At that point, the Third Kazekage puppet responded mercilessly, cutting down the approaching enemies.
Agonized screams echoed through the mist. With every passing moment, more Kirigakure shinobi fell, even as more continued to arrive.
Meanwhile, the battle inside the Mizukage's residence also erupted in full force.
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