Yuto raised his head, gazing at the now three-meter-tall fully Tailed Beast-transformed Utakata, and murmured calmly,
"What a nuisance."
He lifted one foot and lightly stomped the ground. A wave of pressure exploded beneath him, and in the next instant, Yuto vanished.
ROAR!
The transformed Utakata let out a savage howl, his crimson eyes scanning his surroundings.
Spotting Yuto rushing toward him, Utakata raised a hand cloaked in corrosive chakra and swiped at him. At the same time, the three tails behind him lashed out like whips, each one slicing the air with explosive sonic booms.
Yuto remained calm, his sprint halting in an instant as he effortlessly dodged the swipe.
The three chakra tails whipped toward him—but he didn't even flinch. He let them land directly on his body.
That terrifying impact force… simply vanished the moment it touched Yuto. The destructive power, so overwhelming a moment ago, failed to even wrinkle his clothes.
With no expression on his face, Yuto let the Tailed Beast-mode Utakata attack him relentlessly, step by step walking forward until he was right in front of him.
"Do you see now? This is the difference in strength."
Yuto said flatly as disbelief washed over Utakata's transformed face.
Utakata tried to resist, but Yuto raised a foot and sent him flying with a single kick.
The sheer force launched Utakata through countless trees before he finally came to a stop.
"Cough…"
Utakata spat blood. Even with the rapid healing of a Tailed Beast's chakra, Yuto's kick made him feel like his organs had been smashed out of place.
Do you want power?
Let me out… I can defeat him. I can give you strength!
A faint voice echoed in Utakata's mind. Violent chakra began to erupt from his body.
He knew it was the voice of the monster within him. And he also knew that three tails was his limit—any further, and he would lose consciousness.
But thinking of the overwhelming strength that young man possessed, Utakata gritted his teeth. If this went on, he was certain he would lose completely.
"If that's how it is… don't blame me!"
He clenched his teeth and steeled his resolve.
ROAR!
A wave of berserk chakra consumed Utakata. As he lost consciousness, his once-slender form rapidly expanded.
In the blink of an eye, a massive white beast appeared. Sticky mucus dripped from its grotesque figure—fully transformed:
The Six-Tails, Saiken!
"So much nastier than I imagined."
Yuto wrinkled his nose in disgust at the oozing slime on Saiken's body.
"You finally let me out! As your reward—go die!"
Saiken roared at Yuto.
Dense chakra gathered in Saiken's mouth, forming a high-density sphere of dark energy—a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The enormous energy pulsed violently before being fired straight at Yuto.
Yuto stood unmoved, watching the massive black orb surge toward him. Instead of dodging, he opened his mouth slightly and… swallowed it.
A rush of power surged through him. Every cell in his body felt invigorated.
"No wonder they call it the Tailed Beast Bomb—so much energy."
He absorbed the Tailed Beast Bomb!
W-What?! How is that even possible?!
Saiken's enormous body shuddered. Slime splashed off its body and sizzled on the ground.
Suddenly, Saiken recalled something—something the Three-Tails, Isobu, had told him many years ago.
Back then, Isobu described someone even more terrifying than Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama. When he mentioned this man, Isobu's face was filled with fear.
He didn't describe the man in detail, only warned:
If you ever meet a human who can absorb chakra—especially someone who can casually absorb a Tailed Beast Bomb—just run.
After all, getting swallowed whole was a trauma Isobu wasn't ready to relive.
Apparently, back then, Yuto hadn't even used sealing jutsu. He just devoured Isobu. That alone had left a deep scar on the Three-Tails' psyche.
Looking at Yuto, Saiken suddenly asked with an awkward voice,
"You're… the First Mizukage, Yuto?"
"You know me?" Yuto raised an eyebrow, visibly intrigued.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts, only Kurama (the Nine-Tails) and Isobu (the Three-Tails) had met Yuto. He'd never encountered the others before.
During the first Five Kage Summit, the allocation of Tailed Beasts had been discussed. Although Yuto didn't attend in person, a basic distribution plan was made:
Konoha (Land of Fire): Nine-Tails
Kirigakure (Land of Water): Three-Tails and Six-Tails
Sunagakure (Land of Wind): One-Tail and Seven-Tails
Kumogakure (Land of Lightning): Eight-Tails and Two-Tails
Iwagakure (Land of Earth): Four-Tails and Five-Tails
Yuto and the others saw the Tailed Beasts as resources. Catch them whenever you want—they're practically in the bag already. First, settle ownership.
As Senju Hashirama once said:
"What? This thing can kill people?"
Because of a mainline system task, Yuto had disagreed with everything Hashirama proposed, eventually causing the Five Kage Summit to collapse.
Anticipating this, Yuto had sent Byakuren and Ketsuya ahead of time to capture Isobu, who was near the Land of Water, as a backup plan.
What followed was the outbreak of a great war.
Seeing Yuto confirm his identity, Saiken's huge eyes twitched uncontrollably. And then—to Yuto's surprise—it turned and fled.
"Hey! You can't just run away!"
Yuto cursed out loud. Since when were Tailed Beasts this cowardly?
He moved in a blur, instantly turning into a streak of light that chased after the escaping Saiken.
Fortunately, with a body that massive, there was no way Saiken could hide.
Moments later, Yuto was standing right on top of Saiken's head.
"As one of Kirigakure's most important military assets, I can't let you leave so easily."
Yuto looked down at the rampaging beast below and said calmly.