Senju Haruto had no idea how his opponent had transformed a ninja blade into gauntlets, but Yagura didn't have the luxury of figuring it out.
The Tailed Beast Ball roared forward from directly in front of him.
Its destructive power was immense, but in his fully transformed tailed beast state, Yagura's defense was formidable. In his mind, the Three-Tails' durability was arguably the greatest among all the bijū. Combined with the penetrative force of his attack, he had no reason to fear for his own safety.
What did shock him, however, was Haruto's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Sharingan. A top-tier ninja blade. Wood Release. Tailed Beast Chakra. And now — a secret technique said to be the domain of past Raikage.
Just how many hidden cards was this man holding?
Boom!
Haruto moved with clean, decisive precision. His arm shot forward, seizing the Tailed Beast Ball in his palm — and then he shoved it back.
Yagura's eyes went wide, staring in disbelief as his own Tailed Beast Ball was forced back toward him.
It wasn't Haruto's speed that stunned him — it was the confidence behind the move.
Yagura considered Haruto a fellow jinchūriki, though not a perfect one like himself. Which meant Haruto should have understood exactly how devastating a Tailed Beast Ball was.
And yet, he'd grabbed it barehanded.
This guy…
Is he trying to take me down with him?
There was no time to think. The Tailed Beast Ball's energy was inherently unstable — once released, it was destined to detonate.
Even if Haruto had forced it back toward him, Yagura couldn't stabilize it now. All he could do was pour everything into bolstering his defense.
Rumble!
The explosion between them was deafening. A mushroom cloud surged into the sky, the shockwave rippling out in all directions.
Not far away, Ao hastily took a defensive stance, but even then he couldn't withstand the blast. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was hurled backward, slamming into the ground hard enough to bounce and roll several times before finally stopping.
Within the mushroom cloud, Yagura was flung like a kite with its string cut. Most of the Three-Tails' chakra cloak had been blown away, and he plummeted toward the ground.
If the Three-Tails hadn't shielded him with all its might, taking that blast head-on would have ended far worse.
Yagura swallowed hard, his head spinning. It took him a long moment just to sit upright again.
The Three-Tails' voice came quickly, tinged with worry.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine…" Yagura shook his head, sensing Ao's chakra still active. He exhaled in relief. No matter what, Ao was a skilled shinobi — Yagura didn't want him harmed.
"Still… taking a Tailed Beast Ball at that range, there's no way he came out unscathed."
Drawing on the Three-Tails' power to heal, Yagura braced against his knee and stood.
He remembered clearly: when the Tailed Beast Ball detonated, Haruto hadn't pulled back.
"Wind Release: Typhoon Breakthrough!"
The massive gust swept away the mushroom cloud and smoke.
And then Yagura froze.
"This… impossible?!"
Even the Three-Tails, within him, was stunned.
After taking that attack head-on, Haruto was still standing. His Lightning Release Chakra Mode hadn't even flickered, let alone sustained any visible injury.
"This man…"
From his hidden vantage point, Uchiha Obito was equally shaken. In his mind, while the Three-Tails wasn't as powerful as the Nine-Tails, it was still a fearsome bijū — and Yagura, as a perfect jinchūriki, could fully harness its might.
That Tailed Beast Ball wasn't something to take lightly.
"This is… comparable to Madara…" Obito inhaled sharply, his thoughts shifting entirely.
Just moments ago, he'd planned to let Haruto and the Mizukage Yagura wear each other down, then swoop in to clean up the remnants.
Now… it seemed there might not be a "later."
Without thinking, his hand drifted toward his left eye.
Meanwhile, Haruto glanced at his own hand, an odd feeling settling over him.
"I didn't think the Body of Rushing Thunder would be this tough… to take Yagura's Tailed Beast Ball head-on without a scratch?"
He had fully expected at least some damage and had been ready to counter with Wood Release.
But Yagura's destructive force had proven to be… only this much.
"Yagura… allow me."
The Three-Tails fixed its gaze on Haruto, realizing this enemy was not only far more troublesome than expected, but perhaps stronger than any opponent they'd faced.
Yagura's resolve hardened. This man could not be allowed to live.
Left alive, Haruto would not just be a threat to Kirigakure — he could endanger the entire shinobi world.
With that thought, Yagura stopped holding back.
Dark red chakra surged from his body, swelling with unprecedented speed until it completely engulfed his small frame.
From where he lay on the ground, Ao saw it and knew — Yagura was unleashing the Three-Tails' full power.
This time, it wasn't a chakra cloak.
It was full transformation.
A massive turtle-like creature with three long tails and a body covered in spiked carapace loomed over the battlefield.
Even Haruto had to tilt his head back to take in its enormity.
Truth be told, the beast looked even larger than the Nine-Tails.
"The Three-Tails, huh…" Haruto's eyes narrowed. With a body and chakra reserves like that, it was almost certain every shinobi in the surrounding forest had sensed its presence by now.
Which meant… if he killed the Mizukage here, it would all but declare victory in the war.
Of course, he knew he could only kill Yagura himself.
As part of the God Tree's chakra, the Three-Tails would never truly die — even if slain now, it would reappear in the world before long.
"That's enough for me."
Haruto brought his hands together in a firm seal, watching as the Three-Tails gathered an even larger mass of chakra, condensing it into another Tailed Beast Ball.
Through the Sharingan's gaze, he could see this one was far stronger — easily tens of times more powerful than the last.
So he began drawing in the natural energy around him, blending it with his own chakra.
Black markings spread across his forehead as he entered Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Sage Body of Rushing Thunder!"