Isobu, the Three-Tails, continued his account.
By that time, Yagura Karatachi had long since become a Perfect Jinchūriki. He and Isobu were no longer bound by a fragile relationship of master and beast, nor by force or suppression. Instead, they stood as true partners,two wills intertwined, two consciousnesses sharing a single existence. Because of that profound bond, every fragment of that battle was preserved with terrifying clarity, impossible to forget, impossible to distort.
As both the Mizukage of Kirigakure and a Perfect Jinchūriki, Yagura's mere presence was overwhelming. His chakra spread outward in heavy, crushing waves, pressing down on everything around him like an invisible tide. Even before he moved, the very atmosphere seemed to grow denser, as if the mist itself recoiled before his power.
And yet, the mysterious masked man stepped forward.
With a single casual gesture, he raised his hand, stopping the other two behind him. His posture was relaxed, almost indifferent, as though the battlefield existed solely for his convenience,an arena prepared for him alone.
"There's no need for the two of you to interfere," he said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I'll handle this myself."
At that time, he had only just begun cooperating with Akatsuki and still called himself Uchiha Madara. This was not merely a battle,it was a demonstration. He needed to prove his power, to assert his dominance before allies and enemies alike. And, as Zetsu had once observed, there was another reason. Deep within his heart burned a twisted hatred toward Kirigakure,and toward Yagura Karatachi himself. That festering resentment drove him to act personally. For him, this was not just necessity, but desire.
Yagura felt it instantly.
That chakra,dense beyond reason, violent, bottomless,was nothing like that of an ordinary shinobi. Without the slightest hesitation, Yagura abandoned all restraint. From the very first moment, he released the power of the tailed beast sealed within him.
Partial Bijū Transformation!
A violent explosion of chakra erupted outward. Crimson energy engulfed Yagura's body, thick and oppressive, wrapping around him like living flesh. His muscles swelled, his frame expanded, and a monstrous aura took shape. In that instant, his silhouette no longer resembled a man, but a compact, blood-red tailed beast standing amid the mist. The ground beneath his feet cracked. The air screamed.
Without pause, Yagura charged forward, chakra roaring as it surged into his arm.
"Sango Shō (Coral Palm)!!!"
The strike tore through the air like a cannon blast. This was Yagura's signature secret art,a devastating taijutsu reinforced by tailed beast chakra. Any enemy struck by it would not only suffer a crushing physical impact, but would also be devoured from within as massive coral formations violently erupted through their body, binding them completely and rendering escape impossible.
The attack was decisive.
But at that very instant, the masked man opened his right eye.
A blood-red radiance burst forth, cutting through the mist like a scarlet sun rising in the darkness.
Mangekyō Sharingan!!!
The moment his pupil spun, space itself seemed to distort. An overwhelming pressure exploded outward as his ocular power surged violently, twisting the flow of chakra and warping the air itself. The atmosphere howled as massive, invisible vortexes formed, crashing forward like a roaring storm.
BOOM!!! RUMBLE!!!
The shockwave swallowed Yagura whole. His advance was forcibly halted. Even in a partial tailed beast state, his body trembled violently under the crushing force. His chakra destabilized instantly, as though seized by an unseen hand and forced into submission.
Yagura's pupils contracted sharply.
"That is… the Sharingan?!"
Before he could react, the masked man's gaze pierced straight through him,not his body, but his will.
"That's right," the man said coldly, his voice echoing unnaturally through the distorted air. "This is the power of the Sharingan. Now… submit to me."
In that instant, Yagura's consciousness was torn apart.
And he was not alone.
Even Isobu, deep within the sealed space, felt the genjutsu descend like chains forged from darkness, binding both host and beast simultaneously. The masked man had known from the beginning that Yagura was a Perfect Jinchūriki. That was precisely why his illusion did not target a single mind,it enveloped both.
For the Sharingan, such a feat was not impossible. After all, even Uchiha Sasuke,while wielding only a three-tomoe Sharingan,had once forced his way into Naruto Uzumaki's inner seal and crushed the Nine-Tails' chakra head-on. Let alone Uchiha Obito, wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And just like that, the battle ended,not through prolonged struggle, nor through attrition, but through absolute domination.
From that moment onward, Kirigakure began its descent into darkness.
The account ended there. Silence swallowed the council chamber, thick and suffocating. The distant sound of water flowing through the village's outer canals seemed unnaturally loud, as though Kirigakure itself were struggling to breathe. The image of the former Mizukage being so utterly dominated burned into everyone's mind, turning shock into a restrained, simmering hatred.
"So that's how it happened…" one of the councilors muttered, fists clenched against the table. "Our Mizukage… reduced to a puppet."
"Controlled as if he were nothing more than an animal," another added, his voice heavy with fury and contempt.
Resentment spread through the room, directed not only at the masked man, but also at those who had stood beside him. The red-clouded cloaks surfaced in everyone's thoughts as symbols of something far greater,something still lurking in the shadows. One by one, all eyes turned toward Chiba, who remained seated with an almost provocative calm, as though none of this had come as a surprise to him.
"Mizukage-sama," Mei Terumi said, breaking the tense silence. "What do we do now?"
Chiba slowly lifted his gaze, his expression firm and unmoving, like the surface of a lake before a storm.
"This matter will be resolved," he replied calmly. "Without exception."
The certainty in his voice did not ease the tension,if anything, it deepened it.
"Resolved… how?" asked an older councilor, his weathered face tight with concern. "We're talking about someone who subdued a Perfect Jinchūriki with a single genjutsu!"
Ao, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, spoke next, his concealed Byakugan sharp and focused.
"It wasn't just Yagura," he said quietly. "The tailed beast was controlled as well. A genjutsu capable of binding two souls at once… that's not common, even among the Uchiha."
Chiba gave a small nod, acknowledging the point without a trace of unease.
"Which is precisely why," he said, "we cannot allow that man to remain free."
Mei took a steady breath, her serious gaze fixed on him.
"Do you believe he intends to act against Kirigakure again?"
"It's not a matter of belief," Chiba answered immediately. "It's inevitable."
Several council members exchanged tense looks, the weight of that statement settling heavily over the room.
"So he's still a direct threat to the Hidden Mist?" one of them asked.
"As long as he lives," Chiba said flatly, "Kirigakure will never know true peace."
The atmosphere grew even heavier. Miru, seated slightly apart from the others, inhaled deeply before speaking. Her body no longer trembled, but the memory of being controlled was still fresh.
"Then should we hunt him now?" she asked. "Strike before he moves again?"
Chiba rose calmly to his feet, drawing everyone's attention as he placed both hands on the council table.
"Yes… but not recklessly."
His gaze swept across the room, as though weighing the resolve of every person present.
"There are two distinct threats," he continued. "The masked man is one. The other is the organization those two shinobi belong to."
"Akatsuki…" someone murmured, the name sounding like an omen.
"Exactly," Chiba confirmed. "A group that has operated in the shadows for years. Few understand its true scope now, but in the future, it will become the greatest threat the shinobi world has ever faced."
The impact of his words was immediate. Even the most experienced among them showed unease.
"You speak with absolute certainty," Ao observed, narrowing his eyes. "What is that based on?"
"Facts," Chiba replied without hesitation.
Mei frowned slightly, processing his words before asking:
"And the masked man? Who is he, really?"
Chiba paused briefly,just long enough to draw every ounce of attention,before answering:
"He is an Uchiha."
The murmurs were immediate.
"An Uchiha?"
"But that clan barely exists anymore!"
"Wait… don't tell me,"
Chiba continued, his voice firm, ignoring the reaction.
"The name he uses is Uchiha Madara."
The response was explosive.
"Impossible!"
"Madara died decades ago!"
"Hashirama Senju killed him himself at the Valley of the End!"
Even Ao lost his composure for a moment, his expression darkening.
"If that's true…" he muttered, "then we're dealing with something that shouldn't exist."
Chiba smiled faintly.
"He only calls himself Madara," he explained. "I'm not saying he is the original. But there's no doubt he has an unnervingly deep connection to him."
Silence returned when Chiba added:
"The Nine-Tails incident in Konoha was also orchestrated by this man."
No one argued. No one dared. Chiba's record spoke for itself.
Miru was the first to break the silence.
"Then what's the plan?"
Chiba answered without the slightest hesitation:
"Akatsuki is still hidden. Attacking them now would be foolish."
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
"But the masked man cannot be allowed to roam free."
Mei inclined her head slightly.
"He'll be our top priority."
"Exactly," Chiba confirmed. "He manipulated our Mizukage and dragged Kirigakure into darkness. That debt will be repaid."
Ao frowned.
"And how do you plan to find him? Until now, he's appeared and vanished like a ghost."
Chiba's smile deepened, calm and confident.
"Who said we don't know where he is?"
The words fell like an invisible blade. The entire council froze, a chill running down their spines.
The same question echoed in everyone's mind, impossible to ignore:
Was this Mizukage truly omniscient?