Chapter 106: The Real Monster
The enormous black shadow emerged from the churning water, its thick, dark blue carapace seemingly absorbing all surrounding light.
Like a colossal mountain range made flesh, it stretched across the entire lake, the surrounding water churning and splashing violently like ocean tides.
"The Three-Tails, Isobu!"
Facing the beast that towered tens of meters tall, the Third Mizukage could only look upward, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.
The absolute worst-case scenario had occurred!
Although the Third Mizukage had mentally prepared himself for the worst possible outcome before arriving at this battlefield, even after racking his brain extensively, he simply couldn't comprehend how Uchiha Kazuki had managed to control the Tailed Beast Isobu.
Could it be the Sharingan's power?
The Third Mizukage had certainly noticed the three tomoe reflected clearly in Isobu's massive yellow pupils, but he couldn't be entirely certain of the mechanism.
He had fought against members of the Uchiha clan before during previous conflicts, but he had never witnessed any of them demonstrate the ability to control a Tailed Beast.
Besides, if the Uchiha clan truly possessed such a terrifying capability, he absolutely didn't believe Hiruzen Sarutobi could possibly tolerate such a catastrophic threat existing within Konohagakure. Otherwise, what would happen if one day these unstable individuals went completely mad and directly seized control of the Nine-Tails? Wouldn't Konoha suffer devastation beyond imagination?
"Uchiha Kazuki—you can actually control a Tailed Beast!"
The Third Mizukage forcefully suppressed his profound shock, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with deep apprehension and horror. His tone brimmed with lethal intent: "Excellent! You've just given me another compelling reason to ensure you're buried here permanently. A dangerous individual like you absolutely must be eliminated before any of us can feel safe!"
A shinobi who could control Tailed Beasts at will was someone that any hidden village would prioritize for immediate elimination.
He absolutely would not allow such a terrifying individual to leave Kirigakure territory alive.
"What a terrifying threat indeed."
Uchiha Kazuki stood calmly atop Isobu's massive head, looking down at the Mizukage with an expression of complete indifference. "The renowned Third Mizukage—surely you wouldn't mind if I brought along one additional helper?"
If you do mind, could you perhaps release Isobu for me?
The Third Mizukage's lips twitched involuntarily. Too exhausted to engage in further verbal sparring, he clasped his hands together and sneered coldly, "You think that just because you've managed to control a Tailed Beast, I'm completely powerless against you?"
Admittedly, Tailed Beasts possessed power far beyond normal human capacity to defeat through conventional means. Even as the Mizukage, he couldn't possibly suppress a rampaging Tailed Beast single-handedly through raw strength alone.
But that didn't mean he was completely without countermeasures.
"Did you know that I was the one who originally suppressed Isobu and sealed it at the bottom of this very lake?!"
The Third Mizukage's chest expanded dramatically as he exhaled a thick cloud of mist: "Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Dense fog rapidly blanketed the entire surface of the lake with supernatural speed.
Within this thick, chakra-infused fog, visibility was reduced to virtually zero—less than half a meter—and the mist was deliberately saturated with chakra specifically designed to perfectly counter the Sharingan's visual abilities.
After establishing this tactical advantage, the Third Mizukage bit his thumb sharply and pressed his bloodied hand against the lake's surface: "Summoning Jutsu!"
BANG!
A massive object crashed violently into the water, creating enormous waves that caused the lake's water level to rise sharply and dramatically.
"A summoning creature?"
Uchiha Kazuki frowned slightly with concern.
Although the dense fog severely obscured normal vision, his Sharingan could still barely perceive a massive concentration of chakra emerging from within the obscuring mist.
"You handle restraining the Tailed Beast—I'll deal with the pest standing on its head!"
A cold, commanding voice echoed from within the fog, causing the mist to churn and surge violently like a living tidal wave.
The very next second, several deep crimson tentacles—as thick as water tanks and covered entirely in powerful suckers—suddenly emerged from the fog, wrapping around Isobu's massive limbs with astonishing speed and precision.
"These are... giant tentacles?"
Uchiha Kazuki was visibly stunned for half a second before feeling Isobu trembling violently beneath his feet, the entire creature shaking with tremendous force.
The impossibly thick tentacles binding Isobu's limbs suddenly straightened with brutal efficiency, their immense strength rivaling that of a Tailed Beast itself, forcefully dragging the creature sideways. Several additional tentacles emerged rapidly from the concealing fog, binding its entire massive body, before dragging it relentlessly toward the lake bottom.
Even the mighty Tailed Beast Isobu, caught completely off guard by this coordinated assault, was slowly pulled beneath the water's surface.
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
Isobu bellowed furiously, its Wind Release technique blasting a temporary tunnel through the lake's surface like a cannonball.
However, its Wind Release projectile seemed to completely miss its intended target when fired blindly into the thick fog. Instead, the tentacles wrapped around its legs and body suddenly gained several times their previous strength, dragging it forcefully underwater with overwhelming power.
While the two colossal creatures remained locked in their desperate stalemate, the Third Mizukage—using the fog as perfect cover—quietly maneuvered behind Uchiha Kazuki's position.
As a former elite bodyguard before becoming Mizukage, he was naturally extremely proficient in Kirigakure's most famous silent assassination techniques.
Identifying his target's location, he gripped a razor-sharp kunai and thrust it forward at an extremely difficult-to-defend angle, aiming straight for the exposed throat!
CLANG!
But when the kunai sliced across the neck, the expected spray of arterial blood did not materialize.
Instead—as if striking tempered steel—the kunai produced a shower of brilliant sparks and a piercing metallic clang as it scraped uselessly across the target.
"What in the—?!"
The Third Mizukage stood frozen in shock. Looking more closely, he was stunned to discover that Uchiha Kazuki's neck was covered with a layer of fine, tightly interlocking, pale golden scales resembling dragon scales. It was those supernatural scales that had completely blocked what should have been a fatal strike.
"Has anyone ever warned you not to approach me so carelessly?"
Uchiha Kazuki's voice rang clearly in the Third Mizukage's ears, jolting him back to awareness.
He saw a fist—crackling with intensely concentrated chakra and seemingly brimming with absolutely terrifying destructive power—slowly magnifying in his field of vision.
"Chakra-Enhanced Strength: Mountain-Crushing Strike!"
This devastating technique, inherited directly from Tsunade Senju herself, slammed forward with earth-shattering force.
BANG!
The Third Mizukage's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he was sent flying backward by the catastrophic punch.
His body slammed heavily into the water like a human meteorite, creating an enormous splash before being propelled dozens of meters away. He tumbled violently end-over-end until crashing directly into the rocky shoreline, embedding himself completely within the stone face before finally coming to a painful stop.
Cough! COUGH!
The Third Mizukage violently coughed up several mouthfuls of blood before feeling slightly better.
But his extensive combat experience immediately informed him that the devastating punch had shattered at least seven or eight ribs and severely damaged multiple internal organs.
"Damn it... is that Tsunade's... legendary monstrous strength?"
The Mizukage struggled desperately to free himself from the crater in the rock wall, clutching his throbbing abdomen as cold sweat beaded profusely on his forehead. "Damn it all—I fell for his trap! This bastard has injured me so severely... I can't afford to drag this battle out any longer. I have to finish this quickly!"
One critical misjudgment had led to such devastating consequences.
The Third Mizukage's heart sank like a stone, an deeply uneasy premonition creeping insidiously into his mind.
"Wouldn't it have been better to simply accept your death peacefully?"
At that moment, a figure emerged slowly from the obscuring mist—it was Uchiha Kazuki. "You could have died without suffering. Why did you force my hand?"
Looking up at the approaching Uchiha Kazuki, the Third Mizukage's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints.
His previously stoic face twitched and trembled uncontrollably, revealing an expression of absolute horror: "What... what kind of monster are you?!"
Following his horrified gaze, the reason for his terror became immediately apparent.
Uchiha Kazuki's upper body clothing had been completely shredded by the earlier Great Waterfall Technique, revealing his powerfully muscled and perfectly proportioned physique—like a meticulously sculpted marble statue of a war god.
Of course, this aesthetic would be true... assuming one could ignore the layer of densely packed, faintly luminescent golden scales covering Uchiha Kazuki's exposed skin.
But what truly terrified the Third Mizukage to his core were the countless mysterious gray symbols engraved directly onto those pale golden scales—interconnected patterns that seemed to writhe and pulse like living organisms, penetrating deep into flesh and bone itself.
[End of Chapter 106]
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