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From this, one could clearly see just how deeply the Daimyo of the Land of Water loathed the Akatsuki. A vast net, specifically targeting Yagura, began to unfurl. Those subordinates within the village whom Yagura trusted were gradually reassigned, one by one, by the village's upper echelons.
Yagura was under control, a fact unknown to those loyal to the Mizukage. Among these individuals, a great many were loyal solely to the office of the Mizukage, not necessarily to Yagura as an individual. Moreover, they were all elite forces of the village. If they were all eliminated, it would be a devastating blow to the current Mist Village. However, to prevent these very individuals from switching sides at a critical moment, the village's higher-ups could only employ various methods to have them transferred away.
The plan proceeded with remarkable smoothness. Given that Yagura couldn't completely control the Mist Village, the united front of all the higher-ups was sufficient to completely neutralize Yagura's authority as Mizukage. The net tightened little by little, until the moment came to haul it in.
"What is it?" Nagato and Konan were as usual. Nagato, controlling the Deva Path, preferred to sit at a higher vantage point, gazing out at the scenery below. Whenever this happened, Konan would silently stand by his side, guarding him. Suddenly, the Deva Path's body jolted. He whipped his head around, staring in the direction of the Mist Village. Konan paused in surprise. Nagato's reaction was somewhat strange. Although the Deva Path was merely a puppet, its reactions were fundamentally synchronized with Nagato's. A reaction like this from Nagato signified that something might have gone wrong.
At this very moment, within the Mist Village, the Mizukage's building had been encircled layer upon layer. The Mizukage, Yagura, stood atop the roof like an emotionless machine, coldly surveying those who had surrounded him. "Something has happened in the Mist Village. Yagura has been surrounded. It seems someone has leaked the organization's intelligence," the Deva Path stated, slowly rising and walking into a nearby passageway.
"Notify the others. Have them return to the base." The secret that Yagura was being controlled had been exposed. The Mist Village was already closing its net, which meant the intelligence had been leaked long before. Any attempt to salvage the situation at this point was too late. Nagato decisively abandoned the chess piece that was Yagura.
In any case, the Akatsuki's objective had long since been achieved. What truly infuriated Nagato was the question: Who had leaked the intelligence that Yagura was under control? Kisame? Kisame was the first suspect that came to Nagato's mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Kisame's knowledge of intelligence was limited; core secrets had been deliberately kept from him. So if not Kisame, then who? Could it be... The figure of Obito flashed through Nagato's mind.
Abandoning Yagura did not mean letting the Mist Village off easily. The controlled Yagura would faithfully carry out one final mission: mutual destruction! He would absolutely not allow the Mist Village to gain any advantage.
"ROAR!!!" Under siege by hundreds, even thousands, of ninja, Yagura unleashed the terrifying power of a perfect Jinchuriki. A colossal chakra construct coalesced into the massive form of the Three-Tails, rampaging unchecked through the Mist Village. Countless Mist Village ninja were turned into corpses without even managing to graze a single hair on Yagura's head.
The entire Mist Village was thrown into utter chaos. Fortunately, the village's higher-ups had made preparations well in advance. Added to this was the fact that the Tailed Beast sealed within Yagura was the Three-Tails, which ranked among the weaker Tailed Beasts in terms of power, and was furthermore defensively oriented. If this had been the Eight-Tails or Nine-Tails Jinchuriki entering Tailed Beast Chakra Mode, it would have been more than enough to give the Mist Village a truly catastrophic nightmare.
"Sealing Squad! Activate!" Yagura's personal strength was formidable, beyond question. Compounded by his status as a Jinchuriki, and even more terrifyingly, the fact that he was a perfect Jinchuriki, capable of flawlessly wielding the Tailed Beast's power in combat. Thankfully, a massive net had been meticulously laid out well in advance. The higher-ups of the Mist Village weren't foolish enough to throw lives away in a direct clash with Yagura. They opted for sealing instead.
When the Sealing Squad activated the sealing array, a barrier centered on the Mizukage's building rose into existence, trapping Yagura, who had entered the Three-Tails Chakra Mode, within its confines. Trapped by the seal, Yagura failed to break through in time. He could only watch helplessly as layer after layer of sealing formulae descended upon him, until he could no longer draw upon the Three-Tails' power.
The great battle erupted swiftly and ended just as quickly. In less than ten minutes from start to finish, Yagura was subdued. No matter how powerful Yagura was, he couldn't contend against the entire Mist Village alone. The net jointly laid by the Mist Village's higher-ups and the Daimyo was simply not something Yagura and the Three-Tails could break free from. Furthermore, the controlled Yagura's use of his power was somewhat rigid, his mind sluggish, filled solely with thoughts of destruction and slaughter.
Had it not been for this, the Sealing Squad's attempt to capture Yagura in such a short time would have been sheer fantasy. Even if the Three-Tails was among the weaker Tailed Beasts, it was still a Tailed Beast, and Yagura was a perfect Jinchuriki. Unfortunately, under a state of external control, Yagura's true peak strength couldn't be brought to bear. Coupled with the Mist Village's excessively thorough preparations, Yagura was never even given the opportunity to fully unleash his capabilities.
"It was resolved that quickly?" When Kazuki received the news, he was somewhat taken aback. The Mist Village's actions were a bit too swift, weren't they?! He had assumed the Mist Village would require a lengthy period of preparation, perhaps even needing to request assistance from other villages. Yet, in no time at all, the Mist Village had handled its own internal purge by itself.
They had even already selected their candidate for the Fifth Mizukage. After all, they were going up against the Mizukage himself. Even if Yagura was controlled, as long as the news hadn't leaked, the village was bound to have a considerable number of loyal subordinates to the Mizukage. Capturing Yagura while circumventing these individuals wouldn't have been easy, not to mention that Yagura's personal strength was not to be underestimated. Was the overall strength of the Mist Village simply that overwhelming, or was Yagura just that incompetent?
The ninja who had come to deliver the invitation cast a deep, meaningful glance at Kisame before explaining, "Lord Advisor, with the full support of the Daimyo, the village mobilized all its available forces. Those loyal to the Mizukage were reassigned elsewhere. Through the efforts of the Sealing Squad, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was successfully apprehended."
"So that's how it was." No wonder it was so fast. With the Daimyo's full backing and cover, it would have been difficult for it not to be swift. Even if a portion of the higher-ups were unwilling or wanted to waver, they wouldn't dare to make a sound and could only choose to support the effort. With the Daimyo's full support, the higher-ups united, secretly neutralizing Yagura's authority, laying a vast net, and conveniently transferring Yagura's own people away – they had effectively lured Yagura straight into the carefully laid trap.
With the Sealing Squad present, Yagura's easy capture wasn't unjust. As for whether it was truly "easy," opinions would vary. The battle had probably inflicted no small amount of destruction upon the Mist Village. But who would ask such a thing directly in front of an envoy? Who would personally travel to the Mist Village to investigate? At most, they would gather information discreetly through hidden spies.
Glancing at the invitation brought by the Mist Village's envoy, Kazuki asked casually, "Since your Mist Village has already elected a new Fifth Mizukage and the Mizukage has already assumed office, what is the purpose of this invitation?" The plot hadn't deviated. That great beauty, Mei Terumi, had ultimately ascended to the position of Fifth Mizukage. This was inseparable from her performance on the battlefield and the support of her clan. Naturally, Mei Terumi's personal strength was also exceedingly formidable.