Although Yomi had defeated two Jonin and five Chunin from Kumogakure, Yugito Nii still didn't take him seriously.
Because Jinchuriki are beings capable of easily defeating ten elite ninja at once—specifically ten Jonin.
Of course, this excluded a few extremely powerful Jonin—such as the Fourth Raikage, A—who were capable of fighting even an Eight-Tails host.
Yugito didn't believe Yomi was one of those extraordinary ninjas.
Therefore, facing him now, her attitude remained unchanged.
Yomi said nothing. Instantly, terracotta warriors surrounded him.
Yugito gave a light snort, charging wildly through the terracotta army, tearing through it with aggression.
In a series of explosive sounds, hundreds of terracotta warriors crumbled.
At this moment, Matatabi's massive form revealed its full scale.
However, these terracotta warriors possessed Immortal Bodies. After falling, their bodies trembled slightly before reviving again.
Yugito quickly noticed this detail.
Although she didn't understand how it worked, she knew the source was Yomi.
He had come out from the Sealing Temple, clearly having broken the seal.
"Yugito, be careful."
Matatabi warned, "Something seems off about Yomi's body. That foreign demon must be inside him."
"I see."
Earlier, Yugito had been puzzled over where Moryo was. She never expected to find him inside Yomi's stomach.
But this couldn't make her afraid.
She had already fully transformed into her tailed-beast form; in this state, she was invincible.
Yugito raised her giant cat paw and launched forward with a sweeping tackle, instantly clearing a path.
Looking at Yomi, who still hadn't moved from his original spot, she scoffed coldly.
Seriously? This much confidence?
Yugito didn't quite understand.
But that wouldn't stop her from attacking.
The enormous blue cat lifted its head high, opened its huge mouth wide, and dense, almost viscous chakra rapidly condensed into a massive fireball.
The heatwave hit like a wave.
Grasses and flowers on the ground turned instantly black, continuously cracking.
Terracotta warriors nearby suffered the same fate.
Even the air burned and distorted.
This fireball resembled a Tailed Beast Ball.
Though less powerful than an actual Tailed Beast Ball, for humans, it surpassed even Kinjutsu-level techniques.
With a roar of terrifying momentum, the fireball hurtled toward Yomi like a bullet.
Due to its wide range, Natsume also became a target.
A faint crimson glow appeared in Yomi's eyes.
An incredibly terrifying ocular power surged instantly into Moryo within his stomach.
"Yomi! What are you doing?!"
Moryo was shocked, then immediately furious.
"You despicable human! We just agreed I'd help you resurrect and conquer the ninja world! How could you turn against me so suddenly?"
These local ninja truly lacked proper manners and decorum.
Eight years ago, when Moryo ravaged the land, the Mangekyo Sharingan didn't even exist yet.
Being from a foreign land, he wasn't familiar with this power—and by the time he understood what was happening, it was already too late.
Anger faded into calmness.
Yomi raised his hand. Endless waves of black mist erupted outward.
This was none other than Moryo's power.
Contact with the fireball caused immediate violent erosion, locking both forces in a midair stalemate.
Ni Yugito's expression turned serious, her earlier trace of complacency now gone.
She leapt forward, her massive cat paw aimed directly at Yomi's abdomen.
Since Moryo's soul was sealed within Yomi, it meant the demon couldn't manifest directly.
If she could just release it, perhaps some unexpected results might follow.
Yomi suddenly opened his mouth and released a deep voice like that of a devil.
An invisible spiritual wave radiated outward.
Ni Yugito's face went blank, her movements slowing abruptly.
"Yugito!"
Matatabi noticed the problem and shouted immediately.
Her voice jolted Ni Yugito back to awareness.
Still shaken, she hastily leapt back, narrowly avoiding the thick black mist pouring from Yomi.
"It must have some mind-control ability," Matatabi warned. "It's somewhat like genjutsu. Be careful."
"Yeah," Yugito nodded, but her face suddenly darkened as she angrily shouted, "Damn bastard!"
Before her stood the other seven shinobi from Kumogakure.
They had all been seriously injured before and unable to move.
But now under Moryo's control, they moved as if completely healed, surrounding Ni Yugito.
"Kill us!"
The young jonin shouted, "Lady Yugito, don't hesitate!"
Kumogakure has long been known for its fierce people and resilient ninja village.
In the original story, among the Five Great Villages, Kumogakure had no rogue ninjas at all.
Even Kinkaku and Ginkaku weren't counted—those were mere power struggles.
Now controlled by Moryo, these seven begged for death without hesitation.
Precisely because of that, Ni Yugito found it even harder to raise a hand against them.
To her, the most precious thing was Kumogakure and the people who lived there.
Damn it!
Yugito swore furiously, dodging blows from the Kumogakure shinobi, "What kind of coward hides behind others?!"
She couldn't possibly attack Yomi directly.
He had kept two chunin beside him.
In her massive form, evading them while targeting Yomi would be nearly impossible.
For the moment, she found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Gritting her teeth and glaring at Yomi, she silently hurled every curse she knew.
"Are you even a real man?"
The moment the words left her lips, five of the surrounding shinobi ceased their attacks and rushed back to Yomi's side.
Ni Yugito paused, afraid to speak again for fear of provoking him further.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Surrender them, and Kumogakure will no longer oppose you."
At this point, unless she was willing to kill them, this was her only choice.
Still, her compromise worried the other seven greatly.
"Lady Yugito, you can't abandon the mission!"
"Kill us! Then avenge us!"
"Lady Yugito!"
Hearing their desperate pleas, Yugito's face twisted with inner conflict.
"I'll grant your request."
Yomi suddenly spoke up, "I have no intention of offending Kumogakure either."
Yugito Nii's eyes lit up.
Saving lives was obviously the best outcome.
And as for the mission, it could still be carried out after rescuing everyone.
Ninjas honored their word—but only when dealing with other ninja from the Five Great Villages, not someone like Yomi, an evil entity.
"But you insulted me just now—you must pay the price."
A smile appeared on Yomi's face as he continued, "Stand your ground and don't fight back—just take one of my attacks. What do you say?"
"Don't agree!"
The seven ninja shouted in near-unison.
Even if a jinchūriki took a direct hit from an ordinary ninja, it wouldn't be a big deal—it'd feel like a tickle.
But Yomi, or rather Moryo, wasn't human.
No one could predict the extent of the damage this attack might cause.
"Yugito."
Under Natsume's control, Yomi slowly opened his mouth. "You wouldn't want your teammates dying an unnatural death, right?"
"I accept!"
Yugito Nii let out a light snort, pride evident in her tone, saying, "You clearly have no idea what a tailed beast really is!"
She had complete faith in Matatabi.
Yomi didn't speak again.
Thick black mist began to pour from his body.
An extremely powerful pressure spread outward in all directions.
Yugito Nii sensed danger, but her expression remained unchanged.
"Matatabi."
"No problem."
Without hesitation, Matatabi poured all of its chakra into her body.
Instantly, flames engulfing her surged violently, thickening several meters more, making the feline figure appear even larger.
"She's too strong!"
"No way anyone can defeat a tailed beast!"
"That's right! Lady Yugito will definitely save us!"
Seeing this, hope surged among the members of Kumogakure.
Judging solely by presence, Yugito Nii far surpassed Yomi.
Undoubtedly, she would win.
Besides, they also knew Moryo only had a soul and no physical form—his power was incomplete.
"Thank you, Matatabi."
Yugito Nii exhaled in relief.
The sense of danger had vanished completely.
That meant this attack wouldn't be a major concern.
"It's nothing… Wait—something's wrong!"
Suddenly, Matatabi Two-Tails sounded terrified. "How could this happen?!"
"What happened, Matatabi?"
Yugito Nii's heart tightened as she asked urgently.
Yomi hadn't finished gathering chakra yet—how was Matatabi acting so strangely?
"It's six..."
Matatabi's voice cut off abruptly.
Six what?
Yugito Nii's eyes widened in shock, shouting, "Matatabi?! Matatabi?! What's happening?! Say something!"
Despite remaining in her tailed beast form, boundless panic washed over her in that instant.
In the next moment, Yomi raised his hand.
Black mist surged skyward like storm clouds crushing a city below, completely engulfing her.
Yugito Nii's expression froze as she lost consciousness completely.
"No!"
Outside, the seven ninja from Kumogakure were nearly bursting with rage.
With an earth-shaking roar, vast waves of chakra collided and erupted violently before their very eyes.
Amidst the swirling mists, nearby terracotta warriors shattered into pieces, reduced to piles of rubble.
Carried by the howling winds, fragments flew in all directions.
The Kumogakure ninja were battered and bloodied, yet they remained undeterred, their eyes fixed on the explosion's epicenter.
As the dust finally settled, the only thing left inside the massive crater was fresh blood staining the ground.
Yugito Nii had vanished without a trace.
At the same time, a massive surge of chakra radiated outward—it belonged to Matatabi.
The two Kumogakure Jonin turned deathly pale.
The situation was clear: Yugito had perished, forcing Matatabi into forced reincarnation.
In other words, their village's invincible perfect jinchuriki had fallen.
A wave of grief crashed over them.
Yomi paid them no further mind as he flew toward the Land of Swamps.
Behind him trailed countless terracotta warriors.
Natsume released his hold over the Kumogakure ninja and vanished as well.
And just like that, the battle ended.
["Because of your actions, Yugito Nii's destiny has changed: You have gained eighty-nine destiny points."]
["Because of your actions, Danzo Shimura's destiny has changed: You have gained seventy destiny points."]
["Because of your actions, Matatabi's destiny has changed: You have gained twenty-one destiny points."]
Upon hearing the system notification, Natsume suddenly recalled Danzo Shimura.
Didn't he get injured during the fight with Yugito?
Was he taken back by Kumogakure's ninja?
Or had he escaped?
Natsume didn't bother checking. Letting the Hokage slip away wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
Now, it was time to deal with that big cat properly.
Three thousand words.
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