He sprinted toward the Mizukage Building and hurled the Executioner's Blade.
With a loud boom, the blade smashed through the wall. Instantly, water came gushing out, forcing him to halt.
A few seconds later, the torrent subsided.
He stepped inside.
Sensing Karatachi Yagura's chakra, he realized the man was rapidly approaching.
"If you're coming to me, don't blame me for what happens!"
Might as well finish this now!
With that thought, he slammed his fist into the wall beside him.
BOOM!!!
The wall exploded, revealing a hole taller than a person. Without stopping, he punched through several more walls until he reached Karatachi Yagura.
Yagura stared at him, eyes vacant.
"So you're another assassin sent for me? How laughable."
He drew the coral staff from his back and swung it.
Clang—!
The Executioner's Blade collided with the black, hardened shaft of the coral staff. As the two clashed, Kiyosuke said,
"You're nothing more than a puppet under genjutsu control. For someone who's supposed to be the Fourth Mizukage, you're pathetic, Karatachi Yagura."
Yagura showed no reaction. Under Obito's genjutsu, he couldn't resist commands, nor did he care about himself or the village. Kiyosuke's taunts were useless.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash of metal echoed without pause as they fought in the cramped Mizukage's office. Kiyosuke's relentless assault with the Executioner's Blade forced Yagura on the defensive.
Under genjutsu, Yagura couldn't keep up physically. His reflexes were far inferior.
The genjutsu dulled his combat ability.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
Realizing he couldn't win in close combat, Yagura immediately switched to ninjutsu.
A water mirror formed in front of him. He hooked the iron tip of his coral staff onto the mirror and pulled.
Splash!
A perfect replica of Kiyosuke emerged from the mirror, also wielding the Executioner's Blade.
Clang!
Kiyosuke was pushed back several steps.
An opponent with the exact same strength—this was going to be trouble.
Splash!
The water clone dissolved into a puddle.
But Yagura's next jutsu was already prepared.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!!!"
A massive wave instantly swallowed the Mizukage's office—then the entire building.
Kiyosuke quickly steadied himself in the torrent. Using Wave Riding, he glided through the water at high speed—but Yagura was nowhere to be seen. Knowing he couldn't linger, he swam for the exit.
Water gushed from the building as walls and windows gave way. The whole place was turning into a fountain!
Mei Terumī and Ao burst out from a collapsing section, drenched. Kiyosuke emerged not far from them.
Hiss!
Mei used Boil Release to evaporate the water clinging to her. Kiyosuke did the same with flame, leaving Ao standing there, dripping wet.
It was... awkward.
"Where's Yagura-sama?" Ao asked.
"How should I know? What's the point of your Byakugan if you're not using it at a time like this?" Kiyosuke said.
"Byakugan!"
Ao coughed, having forgotten in the moment. He immediately activated his Byakugan and scanned the area.
"Yagura-sama is still inside the building! This is bad—he's starting to transform into his Tailed Beast form! We can't let him do that inside the village!"
A Jinchūriki losing control and transforming into a Tailed Beast... A walking disaster.
No explanation needed for how terrifying that could be.
Mei clenched her teeth.
"Kiyosuke, do you have a plan?"
"I do."
"What is it?"
"Kill the Fourth Mizukage," Kiyosuke said coldly. "If we can't break the genjutsu, then it's better to kill him than let the Tailed Beast rampage through Kirigakure."
"No way!" Ao rejected it immediately, glaring at him. "Don't tell me you came here to assassinate Yagura-sama all along? I haven't seen your so-called 'friend' either!"
At this point, he could no longer ignore the suspicion gnawing at him.
Truthfully, he hadn't believed Kiyosuke's story from the start. If it weren't for Mei, he never would've let him stay in Kirigakure.
This guy was a ticking time bomb—one that could go off anytime.
It hadn't even been a few years since the Third Mizukage's remains were incinerated!
"Think what you want. The situation's already out of control. Make your own choice. Either way, even if we kill the Three-Tails, it'll just reincarnate somewhere else. You still have the Six-Tails. Treat your Jinchūriki well and they'll become an asset to the village. Hm, he's coming!"
...
A bestial roar ripped through the air.
A crimson blur launched from the Mizukage Building, hurtling straight toward Kiyosuke.
BANG!!!!
The Executioner's Blade shattered. Kiyosuke was sent flying, slamming into a tree and exploding like a firework!
"So strong!"
His body reformed in flames. Dropping the Transformation Technique, Kiyosuke no longer concealed his identity—revealing a Konoha flak jacket and forehead protector.
He now stood face to face with Karatachi Yagura, shrouded in a Tailed Beast's cloak.
His entire body glowed crimson, three tails flicking behind him. A turtle shell sat on his back as he crouched on all fours.
Seeing Yagura in this state, Kiyosuke couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! What kind of form is that? You look absolutely ridiculous. Compared to you, Killer Bee's Tailed Beast Mode is way cooler. Hahaha!"
Mei Terumī and Ao: "..."
Idiot—now's not the time for jokes!
(?? ⊙曲?)?彡┻━┻
Yagura didn't respond, just exhaled heat.
He was now driven purely by the urge to attack.
ROAR!!!
With explosive force from all four limbs, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. In a flash, Kiyosuke blocked his claws with a kunai—but coral grew thick around it, forcing him to abandon the weapon.
He leapt backward, spun in midair, and unleashed a rain of fireballs.
A meteor shower of flames blocked Yagura's escape.
"Water Style: Water Shockwave!"
A surge of water burst from Yagura's mouth, extinguishing the flames.
Kiyosuke widened the distance and sprinted toward the outskirts of Kirigakure.
That area bordered the sea—no risk of harming civilians.
But…
He glanced back at the vast, rolling ocean.
This was enemy territory now.
His eyes narrowed. With a single swing of his arm, a sea of fire erupted!
"Water Style: Great Waterfall!"
A raging torrent surged forward like an army of thousands, waves crashing and roaring as if the sky itself was collapsing.
Hiss!
The flames met the waves, creating clouds of steam. Dense fog engulfed the battlefield.
Mei, Ao, Hoshigaki Kisame, and others had caught up—but the mist was so thick, they didn't realize the one battling Yagura was the very man who had killed their Third Mizukage.
Ao and Mei both let out a quiet breath.
This way, at least, they had an excuse for what was happening.