Chapter 68

Terumi Mei stood silently, stunned by Master Yuan's words. She thought to herself, "First, there's the devastating jutsu capable of wiping out the entire village, and now he summons a giant creature rivalling the power of a tailed beast!"

"Kaito is only fifteen, yet he possesses the power that many can't attain in a lifetime!"

Despite the threat Kaito posed, Terumi Mei couldn't help but feel a mix of fear and curiosity about him. Meanwhile, Kaito activated his Sage Mode. Infused with Sage Chakra, he broke free from the coral restraining him with effortless strength.

Ignoring Yagura, buried beneath the rubble, Kaito turned his gaze to the other side of the battlefield.

Apart from Kaito's four clones, the remaining Uchiha clansmen struggled, overwhelmed by the Mist ninja's water-based attacks. Observing this, Kaito muttered, "This technique is troublesome, but it won't stop me."

Without hesitation, he quickly formed hand seals. "Sage Art: Blazing Inferno!"

A brilliant sea of golden fire erupted, illuminating the battlefield. In the darkness of the Mist Village, this wave of intense heat was like the sudden warmth of a sun overhead. As Kaito unleashed his jutsu, Yagura's 'Cutting Rain' technique proved useless, evaporated by the sheer heat before even reaching its target. The special properties of Sage Chakra rendered Yagura's weakening technique powerless.

Though 'Cutting Rain' was destroyed in an instant, it left the entire battlefield cloaked in dense fog—a perfect cover for Mist Ninja. But Kaito wouldn't fall for such a simple trick. With another swift hand seal, he exhaled a fierce hurricane that swept across the field, scattering the fog entirely.

The fierce gust forced everyone to brace themselves, and some ninjas vanished into the gale. The superhuman power of Kaito's Sage-level jutsu was undeniable, altering the battlefield with ease. Luckily, the Uchiha group had retreated from the area the moment Kaito attacked, avoiding the hurricane's force.

But they saw an opportunity. Uchiha Fuma shouted, "Combine Fire Style with this hurricane! Let's wipe them out in one move!"

"Yes!"

The others responded, quickly initiating their Fire Style attacks. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" 

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"

However, the next moment left the Uchiha clan astonished.

Their flames, combined with Kaito's hurricane, were simply blown away before they could reach the enemy. Kaito glanced at them, rolling his eyes.

"This is Sage Art," he thought, amused. "Ordinary Fire Style techniques won't work on this scale."

Nearly a hundred enemy ninjas were caught in the hurricane and swept away before the fierce winds finally settled. As the storm dissipated, the Mist ninjas breathed a collective sigh of relief.

To withstand the hurricane, they had been forced to channel massive amounts of chakra, struggling to stay grounded. In less than a minute, their chakra reserves had dropped by at least 30%. If it continued, they might not survive another onslaught like that. Just as the Mist ninjas gazed at Kaito in a mix of fear and disbelief, a faint moonlight bathed the battlefield.

The scene was mesmerizing—stars scattered across the sky, shimmering like a rare gift of nature. Some of the female ninjas even found themselves momentarily entranced by the beauty, forgetting the chaos around them. Nights this clear were rare in their region, often obscured by thick, lingering mist.

But tonight, the mist was gone, fully evaporated by Kaito's intense flames. This unnatural clearing, along with the towering, armored figure standing guard around Kaito, made the Mist ninjas shiver. They couldn't help but wonder, Could they defeat someone who wields such terrifying power?

Suddenly, a violent roar echoed across the battlefield, snapping the Mist ninjas back to reality.

They turned to see the source: a fierce red chakra rising from the rubble of the Mist Village walls. There, emerging from the ruins, was Yagura, his body now enveloped in a powerful aura from the Three-Tails. He looked up at Kaito, his eyes blazing with fury.

Yagura dropped to all fours, baring his teeth, and began gathering chakra into his mouth. A black and purple sphere formed quickly, pulsating with dense energy.

"A Tailed Beast Bomb?" Kaito's eyes narrowed in recognition, an amused grin spreading across his face. This was a rare chance to test his strength against a true powerhouse.

"Alright then," Kaito thought, intrigued. "Let's see what it's like to play with a Tailed Beast Bomb."

As Yagura prepared to launch the attack, Kaito's Susanoo shifted along with his intentions. The giant figure grasped a gleaming, golden blade, holding it in both hands as it pointed toward Yakura.

At last, the Tailed Beast Bomb reached full charge. With a fierce roar, Yagura unleashed it, the sphere of chakra rocketing toward Kaito with incredible speed. Kaito focused, watching the approach with excitement.

At the last moment, Kaito swung the blade through Susanoo's massive arms, connecting directly with the Tailed Beast Bomb. A thunderous impact shook the battlefield as the projectile was sent hurtling back, faster and more forcefully than before. To everyone watching in shock, the deadly bomb seemed like little more than a toy in Kaito's hands.

The returning sphere raced straight at Yagura, who tried to dodge. But the effort of gathering the attack had drained him. Despite the energy from the Three-Tails, his movements were sluggish.

The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded on impact, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust over Yakura's position. The Mist ninjas stared, their morale visibly shaken; Yagura had been their last hope. Without him, how could they possibly resist Kaito's overwhelming power?

As the smoke cleared, a large crater came into view, with Yagura's figure lying at its centre, motionless and silent.

"Home run!" Kaito whistled in satisfaction, feeling triumphant despite never having played the sport.

 ***

Mist ninjas gazed at the figure before them with a tight knot of worry. If Yagura fell, they weren't sure how they'd cope.

But as the dust settled, they could see Yagura clearly, encased in the tailed beast's Chakra. Though still, he was alive—a glimmer of hope for Mist Ninjas.

Seeing the tailed beast's Chakra still swirling meant Yagura wasn't out of the fight. If he were unconscious or dead, that energy would've faded. Kaito hadn't expected Yagura to be so easily defeated either. After all, as a Kage-level ninja with the protection of a tailed beast, Yagura wasn't one to go down from just a small-tailed beast bomb.

As Kaito's smirk faded, he looked seriously toward Yagura, now at the center of the crater. "If this is all you've got, today's match ends here," he declared. "I don't have the patience for child's play."

Yagura stirred, climbing shakily to his feet, his expression fierce. "You don't get to look down on me," he shouted. "I am the Fourth Mizukage!" Small in stature, Yagura's powerful voice echoed.

Kaito took one look at Yagura and shook his head slowly, an amused smile stretching across his face. "You're the Mizukage? Really?" His tone dripped with disdain. "No wonder the village's in such pathetic shape—led by a kid who plays dress-up, clutching power he barely understands." He gave a low, mocking laugh, eyes gleaming with contempt. "If this is the best you've got, don't worry. I'll put an end to this charade, save you the embarrassment of pretending you're worth anyone's fear."

With that, he commanded Susanoo to swing its blade. The earth trembled, and a deep fissure split open nearby. Yagura clenched his fists, feeling the impact of Susanoo's power shake his bones. He roared in anger and channelled the full power of the tailed beast, his form expanding as he transformed fully into the mighty three-tailed turtle. As his form solidified, a grey, spike-covered behemoth towered over the battlefield.

Kaito smiled at the sight. Now this was a real fight.