The swarm of sharks formed within the great wave didn't cause significant damage.
After killing a dozen or so Kirigakure shinobi, the wave lost its momentum, collapsing like a crumbling wall and crashing into the village buildings, flattening many of them. The shattered wave turned into fast-moving currents that rushed through the village streets and alleys.
Though it consumed a considerable amount of chakra, the results weren't particularly spectacular. However, Kisame had accomplished his goal, scattering Utakate and the ANBU forces.
At the same time, as more and more Kirigakure reinforcements arrived, the pressure on Konan's group began to mount.
Kirigakure shinobi weren't fools. Realizing the enemy's goal was the Mizukage, they organized themselves into proper squads. While they couldn't kill Konan, Sasori, and Jūzō, they gradually broke through their interception lines.
Soon, scattered reinforcements managed to slip past and head toward Utakate's location.
Seeing Kisame break the enemy formation, Kakuzu didn't hesitate. The five masks within his body emerged, supported by dense black threads, becoming independent entities.
With a thought, Kakuzu commanded his five Earth Grudge Fear masks, each one aligned with a different element, to spread out and begin wiping out the scattered Kirigakure shinobi.
Kisame, meanwhile, went straight for Utakate, with Shin close behind to provide support.
Seeing the destruction Kisame had wrought with his Water Release, Utakate's face showed a flash of fury. The pale red chakra around him began to deepen into crimson. Visible patches of skin disintegrated into particles and vanished into the air.
Tailed Beast Transformation – Second Form!
Fueled by anger, Utakate forced himself into the second stage of Tailed Beast transformation. Even so, maintaining this form was already quite taxing for him, and he couldn't use a Tailed Beast Bomb in this state.
However, he could merge his highly corrosive acid with the Tailed Beast chakra cloak. Any part of his body that touched an enemy would cause severe burns.
This move, called "Corrosive Cloak," was a nightmare for taijutsu users. Even Kisame's blade would melt if it came into contact with it.
Upon entering this form, Utakate shifted from mid-to-long range to full-on melee combat.
Roar!
Negative emotions slowly gnawed at Utakate's mind, his rage growing more intense.
With a furious roar, he blasted across the water's surface like a missile, charging straight at Kisame. The latter dodged, attempting a slash as they passed each other, but Utakate's tail whipped out violently at Kisame.
"Tch."
Kisame clicked his tongue and quickly abandoned the strike. He raised his massive blade to block the tail instead.
Boom!
With a muffled impact, Kisame was sent flying. In midair, his blade began to dissolve. Left with no choice, he tossed it aside, flipped through the air, and skidded across the water's surface before regaining his footing.
Utakate, like a predator locked onto its prey, curved back around and charged toward Kisame again.
Kisame planted his hands on the water's surface. From beneath him, ferocious water sharks shot out with bared fangs, lunging at Utakate.
But Utakate didn't even try to evade. He bulldozed straight through them, turning each shark into harmless mist.
Seeing this, Kisame quickly glanced at Shin, who was flanking Utakate's rear. Kisame's brows slowly relaxed, but he didn't lift his hands from the water.
Suddenly, as Utakate charged forward, a water sphere shot up from the surface and enveloped him.
Trapped inside the water prison, Utakate thrashed violently. The sphere trembled and warped under the pressure, threatening to break apart at any second.
"Now!" Kisame barked, preparing his next decisive Water Release.
In a flash, Shin appeared in front of the water sphere. His three-tomoe Sharingan locked eyes with Utakate. Immediately, Utakate's violent thrashing froze.
Knowing the illusion wouldn't last long, Jin rapidly formed hand seals. Thick wooden pillars erupted from his palms, wrapping around the water sphere and sealing it inside a dense wooden sphere.
Jin glanced at Kisame. Before the mission, they had discussed their capabilities and formed a rough battle plan. Despite being mismatched in personality, they were able to cooperate effectively.
Kisame stared at the wooden sphere and smirked. "Capturing him alive is always a pain."
He had the ability to absorb chakra, which made capturing a Jinchūriki normally quite easy. But Utakate's Corrosive Cloak meant he couldn't make physical contact without risking serious damage.
Now, their plan was to suffocate Utakate using a combination of water and wood.
A water sphere wrapped in wood… then wrapped again in another layer of water—
Kisame and Shin's side of the mission was nearly complete, while Kakuzu rampaged with his Earth Grudge Fear technique, mowing down the Kirigakure shinobi.
Outside the residence, even more Kirigakure reinforcements continued to arrive.
Seeing this, Kakuzu knew that Konan and the others wouldn't be able to hold them back much longer.
After all, this was the entire village they were up against. If the goal had simply been to kill, it might have been doable. But blocking an entire village's forces from advancing? That was another story.
Konan's group had been slaughtering enemies nonstop, but the sheer numbers made it impossible to maintain an airtight perimeter. Kirigakure shinobi were beginning to break through.
But even if the interception net had been nearly torn open, it was already too late, Kisame and Shin were just about done with Utakate.
Originally, Kakuzu had things under control. But as more shinobi broke through, the pressure on him spiked. After cutting down another one, he shouted: "Is it done yet?"
"Done. Time to pull out," Kisame responded, hoisting the unconscious Utakate over his shoulder. Just in case, he had absorbed all of Utakate's chakra.
Seeing that Kisame had secured the Mizukage, Kakuzu began to retreat. The Kirigakure shinobi, realizing their Mizukage had been captured, surged forward with renewed fury.
Despite their overwhelming assault, they couldn't stop the trio. Kakuzu, Kisame, and Jin forced their way through the enemy ranks and regrouped with Konan's team. Fighting as they retreated, they slowly made their way out of the village.
With their Mizukage kidnapped, Kirigakure would never let this go. They sent nearly their entire forces in hot pursuit, locking onto the six attackers.
The chase lasted three days and four nights. Konan's group was pushed to their limits, exhausted, worn down, each in terrible condition. But in the end, they managed to shake their pursuers, though it had come dangerously close to disaster.
After all, they weren't Ye Zi, who had the techniques Earth Mayfly and Inorganic Reincarnation to cheat death.
Even after confirming they had lost their pursuers, Konan and the others didn't lower their guard. They forced themselves to endure both physical and mental exhaustion until they crossed back into the Land of Rain. Only then did they truly breathe a sigh of relief.
When the squad returned to Amegakure with the Six-Tails Jinchūriki in tow, Ye Zi and Nagato were already waiting for them inside the village.
And when they saw Ye Zi, Konan and the others couldn't help but be a little surprised.
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Currently on Chapter 574 - The Rivers of Blood