"Roar—"
The beast's roar shook the surroundings.
A wild blast of wind accompanied it.
A violent, unstoppable energy surged forth. A gigantic, pale-white slug-like creature thrashed its six tails wildly, striking everything in its path and causing destruction everywhere.
Dust and debris rolled in waves as the ground trembled underfoot, marred and cracked from the onslaught.
The overwhelming chakra presence was terrifying.
It made anyone nearby shudder.
"So…. this is a Tailed Beast?"
Karin, observing the enormous creature rampaging in the distance, was filled with shock.
But after a moment, she couldn't help but mutter disdainfully, "It's so ugly."
"Indeed, though it is a slug, it looks far uglier than Lady Katsuyu."
Examining the slug's six thrashing tails, Shizune nodded seriously. In her opinion, Lady Katsuyu's elegant blue-green colour and tailless form made her much more pleasant to look at.
"Is now really the time to talk about such things, Konoha shinobis?"
Ao gritted his teeth in frustration.
He was full of anxiety and dread. They hadn't brought enough support from the village this time.
With the Six-Tails going berserk, Ao wasn't sure if Mei, the future Mizukage, could keep it under control.
"Lady Tsunade, if you really are here just by chance, you can leave now."
Watching the Six-Tails Jinchuriki losing control, Mei's brows furrowed as she looked directly at Tsunade, her voice steely.
"This is our village's issue. The Six-Tails is ours, and it should be resolved by Kirigakure alone."
"I'm sure the Konoha wouldn't want to instigate a war."
After all, due to the Bloody Mist policy that had persisted for years, the Land of Water was still closed off to the outside world.
Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was still struggling to recover from the mess left by the Fourth Mizukage Yagura's death and had no energy to spare for other affairs.
Currently, they had no formal alliances with any other factions.
And even after the Third Shinobi World War, during the Fourth Mizukage's rule, Kirigakure had clashed with Konoha multiple times.
Confident in her own abilities, Mei believed she could handle the Six-Tails' rampage.
But with one of Konoha's Sannin here, she couldn't help but be wary, unable to act freely due to her apprehensions.
Who knew if Konoha might take advantage of the situation?
After all, Tailed Beasts were vital strategic assets for each nation.
Though Konoha was still renowned as the most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it no longer possessed the might of the First Hokage, who had distributed Tailed Beasts among nations with such generosity.
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Tsunade's gaze narrowed as she watched the Six-Tails barreling toward them.
Ignoring Mei's pointed warning, she responded calmly, "There's a town not far from here. If we let that thing run wild, innocent people will be harmed."
"As a medical ninja, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
Ao, Mei, and the others' expressions darkened, a sinking feeling growing in their hearts as Tsunade's words struck a nerve.
But then, Tsunade's tone softened as she gestured toward the berserk Six-Tails. "However, if you all can manage to subdue it and prevent it from affecting nearby towns."
"I swear by my title as one of the Sannin, I won't interfere."
With a light smile, Kiyoshi understood Tsunade's implication—she didn't believe that Mei and her forces alone could handle the out of control Six-Tails without endangering innocent bystanders.
Especially when dealing with a Tailed Beast, and in a place like the Land of Hot Water, dragging out the battle would only invite unforeseen trouble.
"I agree."
Mei's gaze intensified.
She stared intently at Tsunade, managing a slight smile. "We trust you Tsunade-sama."
"Rest assured, I'm not like you people from Kirigakure. I wouldn't take advantage of others' misfortune," Tsunade replied with a hint of mockery.
Kirigakure had betrayed alliances many times during previous wars, repeatedly breaking peace agreements with Konoha and launching unprovoked invasions.
This was a common occurrence.
"How dare you.."
"You.."
Ao and the other Kirigakure shinobis seethed with anger, glaring furiously at Tsunade.
"Hmph, since the formation of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, countless battles have left tangled webs of old grudges."
Mei gave a cold humph, waving her hand to calm Ao and the others, who were visibly fuming.
She believed that under her leadership, Kirigakure would be different from what it had been before.
"Speaking of the past, I heard that your village's Uchiha clan, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Senju clan and were renowned throughout the world, was wiped out by the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha two years ago?"
Mei took a deep breath, locking eyes with Tsunade as she asked in a serious tone.
"Are you trying to provoke me?"
Tsunade's expression hardened as she clenched her fist, glowering at Mei.
While she harbored deep disappointment and even disdain for Konoha's leadership, especially the elders who had led under the Third Hokage, at heart she still saw herself as a Konoha Shinobi.
She wouldn't allow anyone to insult the village that her grandfather had built.
"No, I'm not provoking you. I'm merely curious," Mei replied, clenching her fists as she spoke bluntly.
"Although it's embarrassing, I'll tell you this. Our village's Fourth Mizukage was controlled by the Uchiha's Sharingan for years."
"And the one responsible…. was none other than the man once hailed as the only match for the First Hokage—Uchiha Madara."
"Lady Mei."
Ao and the other Kirigakure shinobis looked shocked.
Ao knew this information, but it was one of Kirigakure's most closely guarded secrets. To reveal it so openly was unthinkable.
"What?"
"Uchiha Madara?"
Not only Tsunade but also Shizune and Karin were stunned, looking at Mei in utter disbelief.
They hadn't expected that Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage had been under Madara's control.
Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, impressed by Mei's boldness in revealing such a deep secret about Kirigakure in front of Tsunade. It was a revelation that showed great courage.
"So, Madara is still alive?" Tsunade's expression grew grim as a strong sense of caution overtook her.
"That's why I need to know from you, Lady Tsunade, if someone else was behind the Uchiha clan's massacre." Mei's voice was clear as she looked directly at Tsunade.
Meeting Mei's intense gaze, Tsunade's brows knit tightly as her face revealed uncertainty.
It was clear to her that Konoha wasn't the only village plagued by the mysterious "masked man."
Even the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, recognized as a perfect Jinchuriki much like Killer B, had been controlled by someone claiming to be Uchiha Madara.
And it was likely related to that masked man.
"Your suspicions are correct. There was a masked man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara involved in the Uchiha incident."
Tsunade didn't hesitate, nodding as she shared what she knew.
"Furthermore, the Nine-Tails attack nine years ago, which led to the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, was also likely his doing."
"However, whether that masked man is truly Uchiha Madara remains unclear."
As for the darker secrets of Konoha's higher-ups?
There was no need to divulge those details.
"What?"
Mei, Ao, and the others couldn't contain their shock, their eyes contracting in astonishment.
But at that moment, the rampaging Six-Tails lunged toward them.
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞patreon.com/plotplanner🤞
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.