After finding Yagura Karatachi, Naruto quickly released the genjutsu that had been controlling him.
The moment the illusion broke, Yagura's dull eyes slowly regained focus. He stared at Naruto with an extremely complicated expression.
His lips moved slightly.
"…Thank you."
During the entire time he had been under the genjutsu, Yagura had remained fully conscious.
He knew everything that had happened.
And that made it even more painful.
As the Fourth Mizukage, he had wanted nothing more than to govern Kirigakure properly. Yet he could only watch helplessly as Uchiha Obito used his body to issue cruel orders that pushed the village closer and closer to civil war.
He had been forced to watch it all…
…and couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Right after saying those two words, Yagura suddenly passed out again.
Apparently, being half-drowned inside a giant turtle monster wasn't exactly good for breathing.
Naruto glanced at him briefly and shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah… sleep it off."
He then placed his hand on the body of the Three-Tails, Isobu, and spoke to the beast inside his mind.
"Kurama, can you communicate with the Three-Tails? The Kirigakure guys outside will be knocking on the door any second."
Inside the sealed space, Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, lazily shook his massive head.
"You knocked the poor bastard unconscious just now. It hasn't woken up yet."
Naruto looked a little embarrassed.
"Wait… tailed beasts can get knocked out?"
"Aren't you guys supposed to be chakra lifeforms or something?"
"Or is the Three-Tails just too damn weak to handle my Spiral Wheel attack? But you clearly—"
Kurama immediately cut him off.
"Don't get cocky, brat."
"There are strengths and weaknesses among tailed beasts. Isobu isn't particularly good at fighting."
"But even if it's unconscious, I can still pull some of its chakra."
"You can just rip off one of its tails and seal it into your body."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
Then he casually walked behind the massive turtle.
CRACK!
He grabbed one of Isobu's tails and snapped it off like someone breaking a damn tree branch.
If the Three-Tails had been awake, it probably would've screamed its lungs out.
Naruto then forced a portion of the Three-Tails' chakra into his own body and reinforced it with a Four Symbols Seal.
Soon, an additional seal mark appeared on his stomach.
"Alright… done."
After finishing, Naruto glanced again at the half-drowned Yagura and performed another sealing technique.
Under the effect of the jutsu, the massive body of the Three-Tails slowly dissolved into chakra and returned to its Jinchūriki.
Naruto grabbed Yagura by the collar and dragged him toward the shore like a sack of wet rice.
Then he casually tossed him onto the ground.
By now, dozens of Kirigakure ninja had gathered near the lake.
When they saw the unconscious Fourth Mizukage, their expressions became extremely complicated.
Many of them had hated Yagura for years.
After all, he had issued countless brutal orders that caused suffering throughout the village.
But after witnessing everything that happened today…
They realized something terrible.
Yagura had just been a puppet.
Someone else had been pulling the strings all along.
And that realization made things even worse.
If even the Mizukage could be controlled like a damn marionette…
Then what had all their resistance and struggle over the years been?
A joke?
A sick fucking joke?
After a moment of silence, their attention shifted toward the mysterious man standing nearby.
The man who had defeated both the Mizukage and the masked controller.
His strength was clearly superior to both of them.
Which meant his attitude might determine Kirigakure's future.
Being stared at by dozens of ninja didn't bother Naruto at all.
He calmly walked over to Hōzuki Mangetsu, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.
"That masked bastard was more troublesome than I expected."
"I almost flipped the damn cart."
"You Mist guys are definitely going to pay extra for this job."
Hearing this, Terumi Mei and the others twitched slightly.
Dangerous?
Really?
From their perspective, Naruto had been bullying the other side from start to finish.
He had even blown up an entire forest like it was nothing.
At that moment, Zabuza Momochi, who had just arrived, asked curiously,
"Lord Mianma… how exactly did you subdue the rampaging Three-Tails?"
Terumi Mei and the others also leaned in slightly.
Earlier, the chaotic chakra around the lake had made it impossible for them to sense what was happening underwater.
Naruto rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
"It's actually pretty simple."
"It's basically three steps."
Everyone listened carefully.
Naruto raised a finger.
"Step one: find the Three-Tails."
Another finger.
"Step two: knock it the hell out."
Third finger.
"Step three: seal it."
"…That's it."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone present had the same thought.
Yeah… no shit.
Of course they knew the process.
Find the tailed beast.
Defeat the tailed beast.
Seal the tailed beast.
The problem was the second step.
Defeating a tailed beast usually required the combined power of an entire ninja village, along with massive casualties.
But the way Naruto said it…
…made it sound like he had just smacked a drunk turtle and stuffed it in a jar.
After a moment of stunned silence, the Mist ninja silently raised their evaluation of Naruto's strength.
In their minds, he was now comparable to legendary figures like the Second Mizukage, the Third Raikage, or even the famous "Demigod of Shinobi," Hanzo.
At that moment, the elderly Genji slowly walked toward Naruto with the help of his cane.
He smiled politely.
"Thank you for your assistance, sir."
"May I ask what we should call you?"
Naruto glanced at the old man.
Then he replied calmly,
"Mianma."
"Uzumaki Mianma."
Genji's eyes widened slightly.
"Uzumaki…?"
For a moment, it seemed like he was staring straight through Naruto's mask.
Then he sighed softly.
"So… a ninja of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Please return with this old man to Kirigakure."
"This place is not suitable for discussion."
Naruto frowned slightly.
But then he quickly understood.
The Uzumaki Clan's homeland—the Land of Whirlpools—had once been destroyed by the combined attack of several ninja villages.
And Kirigakure had been one of them.
Many of the Mist ninja who participated in that war were long dead now.
But the elder standing here…
Genji…
He had likely been there.
Inside Naruto's mind, Minato Namikaze spoke quietly.
"It seems we're getting close to the truth about the destruction of the Uzumaki Country."
Naruto smirked slightly.
"Yeah… let's see what kind of things even you, Fourth Hokage, don't know."
Minato's expression turned slightly awkward.
He knew exactly why the Uzumaki homeland had fallen.
At the time, Konoha had been fighting several major powers simultaneously and simply didn't have the manpower to help.
By the time the news reached them…
It was already too late.
Even elite Jonin would need at least three days to reach the Whirlpool Country.
Three days was more than enough time to wipe a country off the map.
Still…
Something about the whole event had always felt strange.
Seeing Minato remain silent, Naruto lost interest in the topic.
After all, he wasn't someone who had grown up in the Uzumaki homeland.
Those who truly felt that pain were people like Kushina or the surviving elders of the clan.
As for Naruto…
He had his own plans.
He intended to rebuild the Uzumaki Country.
But not the old one.
Not a nation belonging to the Uzumaki Clan.
Instead…
A new country.
One that belonged only to him.
Half an hour later, Naruto followed Genji and the others into Kirigakure Village.
He was treated as an honored guest and arranged to stay in a luxurious hotel.
After dinner, he was informed that he would be invited to the Mizukage Building to discuss cooperation matters.
Naruto knew the Mist ninja were probably holding an emergency meeting.
But he didn't care.
His goal here had already been accomplished.
Just then, inside the sealed space, Kurama suddenly spoke.
"Kid."
"Isobu has woken up."
"Hurry up and talk to it."
"The old man is getting sleepy."
"And I'm not staying awake all night just to babysit you idiots."
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