Dozens of kilometers away, Nagato flew swiftly through the sky, carrying the unconscious Fourth Mizukage with him.
He needed to deliver the Mizukage to a nearby Akatsuki stronghold as soon as possible, so their medical-nin could treat him. The man had to live—his death would mean disaster.
"Aah—!"
Suddenly, the hypnotized Fourth Mizukage let out a blood-curdling scream, nearly slipping free from Nagato's grasp.
Nagato turned his head sharply—and his expression instantly changed.
Blood was gushing violently from the Mizukage's chest, right at the heart.
That amount of bleeding could only mean one thing—his heart had been pierced.
"But his heart wasn't injured before…?"
Nagato was certain. When he had retreated with the Mizukage, though his body was battered, his heart had been intact. So why was it suddenly pierced now?
And then, realization struck him.
"Hidan's jutsu—Cursed Jutsu: Death Possession Blood! Uchiha Fugaku copied Hidan's bloodline ability!!"
Anger surged, followed by dread.
With his heart pierced, the Fourth Mizukage was moments from death. If he died, the Three-Tails sealed within him would die as well. Nagato could not afford to wait years for it to reform.
"Seal—release!"
Without hesitation, Nagato lifted the seal on the Mizukage.
A massive form burst out of the man's body—a colossal beast with the shell of a turtle, covered in spikes, three massive tails whipping behind it. Its bulk was like a living island, radiating a suffocating aura. Birds and beasts fled in terror.
The Three-Tails had been unleashed.
The moment it appeared, it went berserk, lashing its three tails at Nagato with destructive fury.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato raised his hand, repelling the beast.
Boom!
The tails were blown aside, and the entire massive body of the Three-Tails slammed into the earth, carving a crater as if the land itself might collapse.
Roaring in pain, it retaliated—its jaws opening wide. A gigantic Tailed Beast Ball gathered, then launched straight at Nagato.
Kaboom!
Nagato met it with Shinra Tensei, shattering the attack in midair. The backlash struck the beast itself, sending the island-like monster crashing back once more.
The Three-Tails was powerful, yes, but compared to Nagato, it was nothing.
"There's a battle over there!"
The clash between Nagato and the Three-Tails was impossible to ignore. The shockwaves spread for miles.
Fugaku, sensing the disturbance, activated his full-body Susanoo and raced toward the source. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he suspected Nagato was involved.
Moments later, he arrived.
The land was torn apart, scarred with devastation. In the distance, Nagato dragged the massive Three-Tails skyward with Banshō Ten'in, pulling it unconscious through the air.
"The Three-Tails… outside the Mizukage?" Fugaku narrowed his eyes in surprise.
He quickly pieced it together: "The Cursed Jutsu must have killed the Mizukage. To keep the beast alive, Nagato unsealed it at the last second."
So his curse had worked—but Nagato had saved the tailed beast in time.
Fugaku wasn't about to let Akatsuki get away with it.
Susanoo surged forward, intercepting Nagato midair.
"Leaving so soon?" Fugaku's mocking voice echoed from within the giant warrior.
"Uchiha Fugaku—move!" Nagato's voice was sharp with fury.
It was because of Fugaku's cursed jutsu that the Mizukage was dead, forcing him to unseal the Three-Tails and battle it again. If not for that, he would never be in this mess.
Normally, Nagato would welcome the fight. But now, with the unstable beast thrashing beside him, he couldn't afford it.
"That won't do." Fugaku smirked. If the Three-Tails was here, he had no intention of letting it fall into Akatsuki's hands.
"Susanoo's Sword—!"
From the hand of the colossal warrior, a black blade materialized. It swung down in a mighty arc, unleashing a crescent of pitch-dark energy faster than sound, tearing through the sky toward Nagato.
The strike was so sharp, it looked as though it could cleave the heavens in two.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato reacted instantly, layering repulsive force upon repulsive force, barrier after barrier.
The black slash ripped through dozens of them before finally dispersing, blocked just in time.
But with Shinra Tensei occupied, Nagato's grip over the Three-Tails with Banshō Ten'in faltered.
The massive beast crashed to the earth below, the impact shaking the land. The shock roused it from unconsciousness.
"Not good…" Nagato grimaced as the beast stirred. He tried to knock it out again, unleashing another wave of crushing repulsion.
But Fugaku's voice cut him off—
"Your opponent is me!"
Susanoo's black sword slashed downward, cleaving through the invisible force before it could hit the Three-Tails.
Awake and terrified, the beast glanced once at the two overwhelming monsters in the sky. Without hesitation, it bolted toward the nearby sea.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Nagato reached for it with gravity, dragging it back. He couldn't allow the Three-Tails to reach the water—there it would vanish into its true domain, nearly impossible to catch.
But again, Fugaku's Susanoo intervened.
"I told you—your fight is with me!"
His sword slashed between them, severing Nagato's pull.
Freed, the Three-Tails thundered toward the coast, raising clouds of dirt.
Nagato roared in fury, unleashing a tidal wave of repulsion against Susanoo.
But Fugaku's blade cleaved it apart once more.
The two titans clashed fiercely—one determined to capture the beast, the other to stop him.
And in the chaos, the Three-Tails reached the sea. Like a fish returning to water, it dove in without hesitation, disappearing beneath the waves.
"No!"
Nagato's fury erupted. A devastating blast of Shinra Tensei hammered Fugaku's Susanoo, driving it back kilometers. Using the opening, Nagato dove into the ocean in pursuit.
But within the water, the Three-Tails ruled. It raised towering waves to block his advance, using the chaos to dive deeper and deeper.
Though Nagato shattered the waves with raw force, the beast slipped further into the abyss.
Finally, after a relentless chase, the Three-Tails vanished into the depths, escaping his grasp.
Nagato burst from the water, dripping and livid.
"Uchiha Fugaku!!"
He scoured the shore in rage, but Fugaku was already gone.
Not only had he lost the Three-Tails—he had also lost his chance to strike down Fugaku. His fury had nowhere to go.
Far from the coast, Fugaku had already dispelled Susanoo and sped away with Body Flicker, returning toward Konoha.
When the Three-Tails had slipped into the ocean, he had made his choice—retreat.
Now was not the time to risk a death match with Nagato.
Nagato had reached his limit in power, while Fugaku still had room to grow. Sage training, Senjutsu mastery, evolving his eyes into the Rinnegan… all of it lay ahead.
Why gamble everything now?
The final clash would come—but not yet.