Deep within the Land of Water lay a hidden lake, shrouded in mist and encircled by mountains. Dense vegetation covered the surroundings, giving the place an untouched, almost sacred stillness.
Even from afar, Mitsuki could already sense the immense chakra pulsing beneath the lake's surface.
Standing at the water's edge, he pondered how to coax the massive Three-Tails out from the depths.
"Shukaku, can you call Isobu out?" Mitsuki asked expectantly, glancing at the tanuki perched on his shoulder.
"Kehehe."
Shukaku let out a mischievous chuckle, leaping down from Mitsuki's shoulder to the water's edge. It extended its single tail into the lake, closed its eyes, and after a brief moment of sensing, began to weave hand signs. Chakra ripples pulsed downward into the depths.
Moments later, the lake began to tremble violently. From below, a colossal turtle covered in spikes emerged, water cascading from its shell like falling armor plates.
It was Isobu.
The instant it surfaced, its single crimson eye locked onto the cloaked Shukaku on the shore.
Shukaku, seeing that the main guest had arrived, quickly retracted its tail from the water — it had never been fond of getting wet. Removing its hood, the tanuki spoke in a deep voice, "You came."
Isobu blinked in disbelief. "You're Shukaku? Why are you so small?"
Shukaku placed its paws on its hips and barked, "Of course I'm the great Shukaku! But this time, I'm not the one seeking you out — it's my partner."
Following Shukaku's gesture, Isobu turned its gaze toward the small human figure standing nearby — one it had completely overlooked.
Mitsuki stepped forward politely. "Nice to meet you, Isobu. I'm Shimizu Mitsuki, Shukaku's partner."
It was the first time Isobu had met such a courteous human. Usually, anyone who saw it would either scream "monster!" and flee, or immediately attack.
"Shukaku, why are you with a human?" Isobu asked, confused.
From its sensing, the two weren't bound like a tailed beast and its jinchūriki — they were separate entities.
Hearing the question, Mitsuki took the initiative to explain his situation with Shukaku in simple terms.
…
"I see," Isobu rumbled after listening, its single eye narrowing. "So, what do you want from me?"
Isobu had already made up its mind — if they wanted it to hand over its chakra the way Shukaku had, there was no chance in hell it would agree. No matter how much Shukaku trusted this human, Isobu wasn't about to do the same.
"Actually, I came to ask for your help in destroying Kirigakure" Mitsuki said bluntly.
He dropped that bomb without hesitation.
Isobu's eye lit up immediately, though it quickly calmed itself. "What's your plan?"
It detested Kirigakure, yes — but it valued its life more. The last time it escaped the village had been hell enough. Without a perfect, foolproof plan, it wasn't about to march back to its death.
Mitsuki understood perfectly. He didn't need Isobu to personally go to the village — he only needed its Tailed Beast Bomb.
Since Shukaku had given most of its chakra to Mitsuki, its main body could now only use small-scale ninjutsu, while Mitsuki himself couldn't access a full Tailed Beast transformation. Hence, they had come to seek Isobu's aid.
Mitsuki pulled a special Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch and calmly laid out his idea.
"Don't worry, Isobu. You won't even have to move. I'll leave a space-time marker here. When you see my signal, all you have to do is fire a Tailed Beast Bomb toward this coordinate. I'll use space-time ninjutsu to warp your attack straight into Kirigakure."
Isobu blinked. "That simple?"
Mitsuki gave him a thumbs-up. "That simple."
Isobu squinted at him suspiciously. "You're telling me your space-time ninjutsu can really transfer a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Before Mitsuki could respond, Shukaku huffed indignantly. "Hey! Are you doubting the man acknowledged by the great Shukaku?!" Then it turned to Mitsuki. "Partner, I say we just grab him and throw him into Kirigakure ourselves."
Mitsuki smiled, picked Shukaku up in his arms, and shook his head. "Don't be hasty, Shukaku."
In a blur, he vanished and reappeared atop Isobu's massive head.
Isobu tilted its eye upward in confusion, just as Mitsuki's voice drifted down playfully.
"If you don't believe me, I'll prove it. Oh, and by the way — have you ever been to the desert?"
"Huh—?"
Whoosh!
A surge of space-time energy erupted, and both Mitsuki and Isobu vanished from the lakeside. Silence returned to the misty waters.
…
A narrow gorge in the Land of Wind.
This narrow canyon served as a defense line for Sunagakure, preventing foreign shinobi from infiltrating their territory. After the village's recent losses, the patrols here had become extremely vigilant.
Sajin and Saje, survivors of the bloody war between Sunagakure and Konoha, now stood as newly promoted jōnin. Their strength hadn't grown much — they had simply outlived their seniors.
As they patrolled, Sahin complained, "That bastard Shimizu Mitsuki… killing our adorable Captain Pakura like that — he's a damn demon."
Saje grumbled in agreement, "Yeah, if I ever see him, I'll—"
"—You'll what?" a boyish voice whispered right beside his ear.
"I'll cut him down with this blade and—"
Saje froze mid-sentence, his blood turning to ice. Before him loomed a gargantuan creature — a massive turtle with three tails that blotted out the sun, its armored shell gleaming like rippling metal.
But that wasn't the worst part. Turning to his right, he saw him — and his mind went blank.
Sajin reacted faster, dragging Saje backward as far as he could, shouting,
"Shimizu Mitsuki! What are you doing here? Sunagakure already signed a ceasefire with your village! Are you planning to break the treaty?!"
Mitsuki smiled faintly, almost amused.
"Relax. I'm not a demon. I won't harm a village that's already surrendered. I'm really just passing through this time."
Sajin didn't believe a word. He raised his weapon, ready to fight and signaling Saje to run and report.
Mitsuki sighed, shrugging.
"By the way, talking shit about someone behind their back isn't a good habit, you know?"
Ignoring the terrified pair, he crouched slightly and, in a flash, vanished — reappearing once more atop Isobu's shell as he activated the Flying Thunder God.
Space twisted, and the two disappeared again.