Konoha's Tatsuya

Roar~!

With Yukiha and the others persuaded to stand down, everyone turned their attention towards the distant chase between Tatsuya and Yagura Karatachi.

Suddenly, a violent roar ripped through the air. Not far off, Yagura Karatachi was undergoing a drastic change. The crimson chakra cloak shrouding his body dissipated, revealing a colossal beast slowly taking shape in its place.

Isobu, the Three-Tails!

Under Obito's control, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had actually achieved a full Tailed Beast transformation, morphing completely into the Three-Tails. As the transformation completed, an immense wave of chakra surged outwards, blanketing the area in oppressive pressure.

Within Isobu's newly opened eyes, everyone could clearly make out a pair of crimson irises staring back.

Deep within the rainforest, hidden from view, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu peeked out again. White Zetsu stared at Yagura's transformation into Isobu and shrieked, "Obito actually made him fully transform! Yagura will probably break free from the genjutsu soon!"

Black Zetsu remained silent.

"Is that...?"

Seeing Isobu's eyes, both Kakashi and Itachi froze. They instantly recognized the tell-tale sign of control exerted by the Mangekyō Sharingan, projected through the Tailed Beast. It was a sight Kakashi had witnessed during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha years ago.

"The Sharingan! So it was you Konoha shinobi pulling the strings behind the scenes!" Zabuza whirled around, glaring fiercely at Kakashi, Itachi, and Guy, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

"Don't be rash!" Terumi Mei quickly moved to intercept Zabuza.

ANBU Squad 11 had come at her request for aid. If Konoha Village itself was manipulating the Fourth Mizukage, sending this elite squad to help them would make no sense. There had to be something else going on, some hidden complication. Besides, judging by the genuine shock on Kakashi's and Itachi's faces, they clearly hadn't known about this beforehand either.

"Zabuza! Don't jump to conclusions," Elder Genshi spoke up, defending the Konoha ninja. "I was the one who authorized Terumi Mei to request their assistance. If Konoha was behind this manipulation, sending them here would have been entirely redundant."

He turned his gaze towards the colossal form of the Three-Tails, his expression grave. "Right now, our focus needs to be on how to defeat the Fourth Mizukage in his fully transformed state."

Hearing Elder Genshi's reasoning, Zabuza suppressed his killing intent, turning back towards the distant figures of Tatsuya and Yagura.

"Can your teammate handle that?" Kurosuki Raiga asked Kakashi, eyeing the terrifying presence radiating from the Three-Tails. Against a fully transformed Tailed Beast, neither his nor Zabuza's fighting styles were particularly effective.

"We believe in him," Kakashi replied quietly. His own combat style wasn't well-suited for battling a Tailed Beast either.

Guy stood calmly, ready to intervene the moment the situation turned dire. Itachi's eyes, however, swirled with the three tomoe of his Sharingan, fixed intently on the faraway battlefield.

"I'll help him," Yukiha declared, being the first to step forward. He dashed towards the battle, hands flying through seals as he ran.

Terumi Mei flickered, instantly following him.

As they neared the confrontation, each unleashed a jutsu.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!" "Ice Release: Ice Prison Technique!"

A torrent of highly corrosive acid spewed from Mei's mouth, rapidly coating Isobu's massive frame. Simultaneously, a huge prison constructed of transparent ice walls erupted from the ground around the Tailed Beast, trapping it within.

After executing their techniques, Mei still seemed to have some energy reserves, but Yukiha collapsed to one knee, weakened. The scale of the Ice Prison he had just created was immense; it had almost completely drained his remaining chakra.

Tatsuya glanced back, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he saw Mei and Yukiha arrive to assist. Once their jutsu landed, he waved a hand towards Mei. "You two should fall back for now! There's not much you can do here at the moment!"

Before his words had even fully registered, Isobu, enraged by the ice prison, went berserk. A Tailed Beast Ball, far larger than the one Yagura had formed earlier, began to coalesce in its gaping maw.

BOOM!

The Tailed Beast Ball blasted forward. Yukiha's Ice Prison offered barely a moment's resistance, shattering like fragile paper before the overwhelming power. The destructive sphere continued onward, hurtling straight towards Tatsuya.

Tatsuya flickered away, dodging just in time. Mei quickly grabbed the weakened Yukiha, pulling him out of the blast radius as well.

RUMBLE!

The Tailed Beast Ball detonated in the distance, sending a massive mushroom cloud billowing into the sky.

"That... that power... The Tailed Beast Ball is just too strong!" Zabuza swallowed hard, his voice strained as he stared at the mushroom cloud rising to their left. Kurosuki Raiga and the others paled, their faces grim.

It was only at this moment that they truly understood the staggering difference in power between themselves and the Fourth Mizukage, capable of a full Tailed Beast transformation.

Involuntarily, everyone's eyes turned towards Kakashi, Itachi, and Guy. They watched, waiting to see if the Konoha shinobi would move to aid their comrade.

However, the three remained perfectly still.

Swish!

"Looks like I have no choice but to get serious," Tatsuya murmured, landing atop a large tree. He calmly regarded the rampaging Isobu. "Alright then, let me show you the true power of Sage Art!"

As he spoke, Tatsuya began forming hand seals.

"Yin-Yang Seal: Release!"

Instantly, a staggering amount of chakra surged forth from Tatsuya's body. Simultaneously, vast quantities of natural energy began to converge on him, rapidly mixing with his own chakra to form immense reserves of senjutsu chakra.

In the blink of an eye, distinct purple markings appeared around Tatsuya's eyes. An enormous wave of chakra pulsed outwards from him, washing over the surroundings.

"What is this? Such intense chakra!" The gathered Kirigakure ninja gasped, their mouths agape in astonishment. This powerful chakra signature... it even surpassed that of the Three-Tails.

Atop the tree, Tatsuya, now fully in Sage Mode, leaped towards the ground, his hands blurring through seals as he descended.

"Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation!"

Finishing the final seal, Tatsuya slammed his palms onto the earth.

CRACKLE! RUMBLE!

Suddenly, the entire area around Isobu violently erupted. Countless massive earthen spears shot upwards from the ground. As if imbued with life, they lunged from every direction, converging on the Tailed Beast's colossal form, stabbing deep into its flesh.

In moments, a dense forest of impaling spikes dominated the rainforest clearing.

ROOOOAR!

Isobu's agonized roar echoed through the air. Its massive body was impaled by countless hardened earthen spears, its powerful aura diminishing visibly with each passing second.

"So this... is the power of Konoha's ninja, Tatsuya!" Terumi Mei murmured, staring wide-eyed at the rainforest terrain, once an exam ground, now utterly transformed by the jutsu.

She turned, her gaze landing on Tatsuya filled with a heavy mix of gravity and apprehension.

This man's power... it was on a completely different level than theirs.

Utterly terrifying!

Nearby, Elder Genshi, Zabuza, and the others shared expressions of stunned disbelief.

To inflict such heavy damage on the fully transformed Three-Tails in a single move... His strength was beyond anything they could have imagined.