Chapter 71: Passing Away
The tailed beast Chakra filled with violence was like a volcano about to erupt, suddenly and without warning violently erupting in all directions! The shockwave formed by the Chakra was like a tangible substance, carrying unparalleled power, instantly stirring up an extremely violent Chakra storm!
The tailed beasts truly lived up to their name as natural disasters.
Kiyoshi, who had originally been preparing to press his advantage and continue his attack on the Six-Tails, could clearly sense that the erupted Chakra power was extremely strong. Unwilling to take it head-on, Kiyoshi had no choice but to retreat backward, avoiding its sharp edge.
Suddenly, a cold, bone-chilling wind whistled past, as if to freeze the entire world.
Outpost Number 6 at this moment had completely turned into nothingness, completely disappearing under the aftershock of the battle, leaving only a desolate and deathly silence.
Kiyoshi watched the Six-Tails in the distance, his eyes cold and firm. He tightly gripped the bone sword in his hand, his whole body exuding a solemn aura.
"This position should be about right. I can go all out," Kiyoshi thought to himself. This place was already far away from where Jūzō Biwa and the others had fought earlier.
The Six-Tails' enormous pupils were also staring intently at Kiyoshi. This tiny insect actually dared to sever its tail!
Kiyoshi and the Six-Tails confronted each other like this. Time passed second by second, the atmosphere becoming increasingly tense, the surrounding air seeming to freeze.
Finally, Kiyoshi broke the silence first. He walked forward step by step. With each step he took, his speed increased compared to the previous step. Soon, Kiyoshi's originally steady pace began to become hurried. His steps became faster and faster, rapidly rushing towards the Six-Tails' location.
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At Outpost Number 3, the Third Mizukage Ice, who had already subdued the Three-Tails, finally awaited the arrival of Elder Haruame, who had rushed over from the village, and Ken, the Anbu Commander who was guarding him.
"Elder Haruame, quick, let's seal the Three-Tails back first!" Ice said urgently. "The Six-Tails has also gone berserk simultaneously. I sent the Shadow Guards over, but they probably can't hold it back for too long. I need to rush over there to support!"
Haruame nodded, indicating he understood, then put down the sealing pot he was holding and quickly began the complex process of forming hand seals with both hands.
Seeing this, Ice also began forming hand seals in synchronization with Haruame. After a long sequence of hand seals, the two simultaneously ended with the Tiger Seal, then joined their index and middle fingers together, pointing them at the Three-Tails, which was frozen in ice.
"Ninja Art: Two Extremes Sealing!"
Under the effect of the sealing technique, the Three-Tails' enormous body began to slowly shrink, as if being squeezed by an invisible pressure. As time passed, the Three-Tails' body became smaller and smaller, eventually turning into dark red Chakra and being resealed back into the Three-Tails Jinchuriki's body.
When the last trace of Chakra was sealed into the Three-Tails Jinchuriki's body, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for an instant. Then, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. Only the rich tailed beast Chakra fluctuations remaining in the air still proved that the thrilling battle just now had existed.
Ice steadily caught the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, who was falling from the sky. At this moment, the dying Three-Tails Jinchuriki opened his eyes as if in a final burst of energy.
"Cough... cough... cough...!!! I'm sorry, Third Mizukage-sama!"
The Three-Tails Jinchuriki gasped for breath with difficulty. Each breath was as painful as being burned by fire. His hoarse voice seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat. Blood continuously溢出 from the corner of his mouth, forming a shocking red line, while tears flowed non-stop from his bloodshot eye sockets like a flood breaking a dam.
As his consciousness gradually recovered, all that the Three-Tails Jinchuriki's eyes could see was a scene of devastation. Broken buildings, fallen trees, and corpses and blood all over the ground—these scenes haunted his mind like a nightmare.
A strong sense of self-blame surged into his heart. He finally realized what he had done. Those once familiar faces had now become cold. They had all lost their lives because of him. He painfully closed his eyes, tears flowing again, his body trembling involuntarily, his heart filled with endless regret and guilt.
His life's experiences played quickly before his eyes like a movie, the scenes in his memory flashing by like a revolving lantern. At the last moment of his life, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki was filled with guilt towards his fallen comrades and longing and reluctance for life.
With difficulty, he raised his right hand. His right fist clenched weakly in the air, as if trying to grasp something.
Looking at the dying Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Ice was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Do you... have any last wishes?"
Hearing Ice's question, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki's eyes lit up slightly, and he used the last of his strength to request, "Thank you, Third Mizukage-sama. After I die, please bury me here. I want to be with my wife forever. Finally, please have the village take care of my child, Yūgao. He's not even one year old yet."
Before the Third Mizukage Ice could answer, Haruame, who was beside him, spoke first, "You are a hero who sacrificed yourself for the village. This old man will take your child as my disciple and raise him to adulthood. Go in peace!"
Seeing Haruame speak, Ice didn't say anything more and nodded slightly at the Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
As an unnamed hero of the Hidden Mist, this reasonable request had to be fulfilled.
Having received a satisfactory reply, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki slowly closed his eyes, his life force beginning to weaken rapidly. The flame of his life was quickly extinguishing.
Ice and Haruame, who were already accustomed to life and death, still felt quite unwell. After all, the Three-Tails Jinchuriki had given everything for the village.
The two didn't communicate further but silently formed hand seals. Taking advantage of the fact that the flame of the Three-Tails Jinchuriki's life was still burning, they extracted the Three-Tails from his body and sealed it into the sealing pot that Haruame had brought from the village.
Composing his slightly heavy heart, Ice instructed Ken, "You are responsible for escorting the sealing pot and rushing back to the village immediately. Elder Haruame and I will now go to Outpost Number 6 to deal with the Six-Tails."
(Official databooks show that the Six-Tails Jinchuriki Utakata lived to be 26 years old. He should have been captured by Pain and had his tailed beast extracted during Shippuden, but the exact time of his death is not specified. So, roughly estimating, it should be around the time Gaara was captured, which is around Hidden Leaf Year 63. This book sets his birth year as Hidden Mist Year 35, slightly earlier, to smooth out the process of him meeting his master Elder Haruame.)
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