The Mizukage Is Strong But Overly Cautious

The battlefield was momentarily silent after the deaths of both the Great Elder and Teru Yoruichiro.

Although a trace of sadness flickered in Mizuki Hidero's eyes, he knew he had to focus on the larger situation. Without hesitation, he bellowed, "Teru Yoruichiro is dead! Lay down your weapons and surrender now!"

Hearing his voice, all eyes turned toward the fallen leaders. The Anbu members, upon seeing Teru Yoruichiro's lifeless body, ceased their resistance, raising their hands in surrender.

Conversely, the remnants of the Kaguya clan reacted with unrestrained fury at the sight of their leader's death. Their battle cries grew more frenzied as they invoked their bloodline's philosophy—"The Kaguya will die on the battlefield! Better death than surrender!"

However, with the Anbu forces standing down, the Kaguya clan's situation grew dire. It was only a matter of time before the Jōnin-class Mist Shinobi redirected their attention to them, ensuring their complete defeat.

At that moment—

From the center of the battlefield, a sudden and violent surge of Chakra erupted, so overwhelming that even the sky darkened in response.

"This Chakra…?"

Mizuki Hidero's expression tensed, an unshakable unease settling in his heart. However, the crisis unfolding in the distance was beyond his immediate reach. He had to focus on stabilizing the situation here before addressing the growing threat.

"Mizukage-sama, please hold on…" he thought anxiously.

The Mizuki clan had already lost their Great Elder in this battle. If they were to lose their Patriarch as well, the clan would suffer a devastating blow.

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield—

A girl's pained screams abruptly ceased as an ominous black aura devoured her. Her body twisted unnaturally, as though collapsing into itself. Then, as if tearing through reality itself, a black void appeared at her core.

From within the void, a thick, slimy tentacle emerged, writhing as it pulled the rest of its massive form free.

Tentacles. A grotesque head. A wriggling, slug-like tail.

Then—its entire body emerged, glistening with an eerie, unnatural slime.

A towering, six-tailed monstrosity stood before HozukiMangetsu.

"I'm finally free!!!"

The creature's voice rang out—not the deep, guttural roar expected of a tailed beast, but a strangely childlike voice, unsettling in contrast to its grotesque form.

"The Six Tails…!"

HozukiMangetsu's expression darkened. Even at his peak, he would never claim to be capable of fighting a fully manifested tailed beast alone.

And after the grueling battle he had already endured, his condition was far from ideal.

"Damn humans! You won't imprison me again!"

With a shriek of rage, Six Tails—Saiken unleashed a barrage of translucent, corrosive bubbles from its maw.

HozukiMangetsu didn't hesitate—his body instantly liquefied as he merged into the lake, narrowly dodging the attack.

BOOM!

The bubbles burst upon contact with the ground, unleashing a devastating explosion that reduced the terrain to molten sludge.

Had he hesitated even a second longer, his body would have been obliterated.

Reforming at a safe distance, Mangetsu exhaled sharply. His exhaustion was evident.

At that moment—

Mizuki Ryosuke arrived.

Having just finished dealing with Yagura, Ryosuke swiftly assessed the situation. He and Mangetsu exchanged brief glances—though they had never met before, there was no difficulty in communicating between warriors on the battlefield.

"Why is the Six Tails here?" Mizuki Ryosuke's expression was grim.

HozukiMangetsu, still catching his breath, quickly explained.

"It was Yagura!" he spat. "That bastard prepared a reverse Summoning formula in advance, linked to the Six Tails' Jinchūriki. When his subordinate lost control earlier, Yagura triggered the reverse Summoning, pulling Six Tails into the battlefield and breaking the seal!"

Ryosuke's eyes narrowed.

"So the Jinchūriki was devoured…"

A fully unleashed tailed beast was an entirely different kind of threat.

HozukiMangetsu continued, his tone grim.

"Unlike the Three Tails' Jinchūriki—who was stable—Six Tails' Jinchūriki has been replaced three times in the past decade. None of them could synchronize with Saiken, and the constant rejection wore down their lifespans quickly. It's been a nightmare for Mist's higher-ups."

That explained why the Six Tails' Jinchūriki, who should have been under tight security, had ended up in Yagura's hands.

And now, the result of that manipulation was this catastrophe.

Mangetsu clenched his fists.

"We have no choice! We need to overwhelm it with sheer numbers!"

He knew that with the Third Mizukage locked in battle with the Three Tails and Ryosuke still recovering from his fight against Yagura, Mist's high-level combat forces were stretched far too thin.

At this moment, no single Mist Shinobi could take on Six Tails Saiken alone.

But just as Mangetsu was about to relay orders—

Mizuki Ryosuke spoke.

"Mangetsu—you go handle the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's battlefield.

Leave the Six Tails to me."

Mangetsu froze.

"…Are you serious?"

He had expected many responses—but not this.

Mizuki Ryosuke met his gaze with unwavering certainty. "I'll handle this. Go."

For the first time, Mangetsu felt a pressure he had never experienced before—from someone his own age.

He had seen Ryosuke fight Yagura earlier. And now, after that exhausting battle, Ryosuke was volunteering to fight a fully manifested tailed beast—alone.

Even Mangetsu—proud prodigy of the HozukiClan—felt a rare sense of inadequacy.

After a moment of silence, Mangetsu exhaled. "…Fine."

"Hold out until I bring reinforcements. Then, we'll end this."

With that, HozukiMangetsu turned and left, heading toward the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's battlefield.

Now—

It was just Mizuki Ryosuke and the Six Tails.

Ryosuke exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. The endless battles had worn him down, and his Chakra reserves had been significantly depleted.

He had to finish this quickly.

Yet, as he stared at the raging Six Tails, an idea took root in his mind.

This was an opportunity.

His eyes flickered with an undecipherable depth.

"Humans—DIE!"

With a shrill cry, Six Tails—Saiken unleashed another barrage of its deadly exploding bubbles, its rage undiminished.

The battle began.

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