In a small crater, Yagura's body was half-buried in the ground.
Sakiya stood nearby, blinking innocently at Terumi Mei while casually flashing a peace sign.
Terumi Mei stared at her, then turned to Kakashi, her expression blank.
Kakashi, as if nothing strange had happened, casually pulled up his mask, covering his Sharingan. His stance relaxed.
The fight was over.
Terumi Mei, still trying to process what just happened, let out a confused sound.
"Eh?"
She glanced at Sakiya again.
"Eh??"
Then at Yagura, still face-planted in the dirt.
"Eh!!?"
Kakashi gave her a disapproving look.
"Never seen something like this before? You're making a big deal out of nothing."
But in Yagura's mind, there was only one thought—rage.
Unbearable, seething rage.
He got sucker-punched.
From behind.
The humiliation boiled over.
His chakra flared violently, turning red-hot as his Tailed Beast Cloak ignited.
Everyone—Terumi Mei, Kakashi, and the surrounding ninjas—felt the overwhelming surge of pressure.
Yagura was beyond furious.
The ground around him cracked. Small stones lifted into the air, defying gravity.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei tensed. She could feel his killing intent surging.
"Sakiya! Be careful!" she warned.
BOOM!
Yagura's face, now monstrous under the influence of the Tailed Beast, shot up from the ground.
He let out a deafening roar, sending out shockwaves of chakra.
The force was so strong that the ground peeled up in layers, dust and debris swirling into the air.
The sheer pressure forced Terumi Mei and the others to shield their eyes.
Sakiya's hair was tossed wildly by the winds, strands whipping against her face.
And to top it off—he was loud.
Really loud.
Sakiya frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Ugh, shut up already, you stupid turtle!"
Lifting her massive club, she swung—hard.
WHAM!
The weapon slammed straight into Yagura's forehead.
His monstrous face went blank.
Completely dazed.
His mind raced.
I'm supposed to be terrifying. I'm supposed to be unstoppable.
And she just hit me with a stick?!
Before he could recover, another swing came.
And this time—she wasn't holding back.
Yagura's face twisted from the sheer force of the club, his fierce expression completely wiped away.
BOOM!
He was sent flying backward, his body flipping as he crashed headfirst into the ground.
Because of the downward angle of the strike, Yagura's face dragged across the dirt for over ten meters, carving a deep trench before his head finally embedded itself into the soil.
In an instant, the terrifying aura surrounding him vanished.
Terumi Mei and the others stood frozen, their mouths slightly open.
Meanwhile, Sakiya casually strolled forward, resting her massive club on her shoulder as she approached the spot where Yagura's head was buried.
The next second—Yagura exploded from the ground!
His monstrous, tailed-beast-infused face emerged, radiating pure rage.
I'm still terrifying!
Before he could roar, THWACK!
Sakiya swung her club again, slamming his head straight back into the dirt.
No, you're not.
An even stronger surge of chakra erupted from Yagura.
"ROAR!!!"
He pulled himself up and lunged, his massive claws swiping at Sakiya.
But—she was faster.
Another club strike. CRACK!
Yagura's entire body spun a full 360 degrees in midair before—WHAM!—he crashed back into the ground.
But Yagura wasn't giving up.
He pulled himself out of the dirt again.
Sakiya didn't hesitate.
THWACK!
He popped out.
She knocked him back in.
POP!
THWACK!
POP!
THWACK!
The two of them got locked into a ridiculous rhythm, like some bizarre whack-a-mole game.
Every time Yagura's head emerged, Sakiya's club came crashing down.
With each hit, the crater got deeper and wider.
Finally—
Yagura pulled himself up, his vision swimming, his movements sluggish.
"I... I..."
THWACK!!!
Sakiya, fed up, put all her strength into one last swing.
Yagura's head slammed back down with a final, resounding crash.
This time—he didn't get back up.
His tailed beast chakra dissipated completely.
His body, now motionless, remained buried in the ground.
A moment of silence.
Then, ever so slowly, a ghostly white soul seemed to float up from the crater.
The entire battlefield froze, watching in stunned disbelief.
No.
We fought this hard... and she just played whack-a-mole with him?!
Terumi Mei, still in shock, barely managed to speak.
"…That's it?"
Kakashi simply shrugged, hands in his pockets.
"Seems like it."
Terumi Mei took a deep breath, trying to process everything, then quickly turned to Ao.
"Ao! Hurry!"
Understanding immediately, Ao rushed forward alongside her toward Yagura's motionless form.
Sakiya understood immediately. Like pulling up a stubborn root, she grabbed Yagura's left leg with one hand and yanked him out of the ground.
Terumi Mei and Ao quickly moved Yagura onto a flat surface nearby.
Looking down at his swollen, bruised face, Terumi Mei couldn't help but feel a little pity.
At least he wasn't dead.
Ao wasted no time, forming a seal and activating his Byakugan.
His eyes locked onto the abnormal Yin chakra inside Yagura, spotting the Sharingan imprint embedded in the mind of the Three-Tails.
With a solemn expression, he placed one hand on Yagura's stomach, sending a sealing rune into his body.
"Illusion—Release!"
A sudden shockwave surged through Yagura's mind.
Inside his spiritual world, both he and the Three-Tails snapped awake. The ominous three-tomoe Sharingan imprinted in their consciousness began to spin—then faded away.
Ao let out a deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead.
Suddenly, Yagura gasped for air, his body jerking forward as if he had been drowning moments before.
Everyone tensed, ready for another fight.
Sakiya's grip on her club tightened.
But Yagura didn't attack. Instead, he collapsed back onto the ground, eyes staring up at the sky, filled with overwhelming grief.
A single tear slid down his cheek.
His voice was weak and hoarse.
"…Kill me."
The words were barely a whisper, but Terumi Mei and the others heard them loud and clear.
The weight of it sank into them.
Years of being controlled.
Years of unknowingly turning his beloved village into this.
Countless innocent lives lost—because of him.
Terumi Mei's eyes burned with tears, but she refused to give in.
"Bastard! You think this ends just because you want to die?!" She clenched her fists. "You owe this village an explanation. You don't get to take the easy way out!"
Yagura understood. He wanted to die, but the information he held—and the Three-Tails within him—was the last thing he could offer the village.
He said nothing more. His eyes simply closed, exhausted.
With that, he was taken away for treatment.
---
As things settled, Terumi Mei turned toward Kakashi and Sakiya.
She let out a sigh.
"You two—wait here."
There was too much to handle. The battle had left the village in chaos.
Many powerful elders had died.
But the remaining elders… had finally acknowledged Terumi Mei as the village's future.
With their approval, she was now fully responsible for handling the village's dealings with Konoha.
And as for the next Mizukage—there was no longer any doubt.
It would be her.
---
Later, in a quiet meeting room, Kakashi and Sakiya sat across from Terumi Mei, with Ao standing nearby.
Terumi Mei looked at the innocent-looking girl before her and couldn't hold back any longer.
She strode forward and—pulled Sakiya into a tight hug.
Sakiya blinked in confusion as Terumi Mei rubbed her cheek against her.
Her voice was filled with frustration.
"Sakiya! You're too much! How could you lie to me like that?!"
Sakiya pushed against Terumi Mei's face, trying to escape.
"Aghh—stop rubbing me! I—I didn't lie to you!"
Terumi Mei froze for a moment, thinking back.
Now that she reconsidered… Sakiya really hadn't lied at all.
It was just her own assumptions.
But—Sakiya's face was too soft!
She wasn't going to let go!
"I don't care! You still tricked me!"
She hugged Sakiya tighter, pressing the girl's small hands against her face.
Kakashi, watching this, felt a headache coming on.
He coughed.
"Ahem."
Terumi Mei ignored him.
Ao, unable to take it anymore, cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem—Lady Terumi Mei?"
Finally, she reluctantly released Sakiya.
Sakiya quickly backed away, eyeing her suspiciously.
"…Are you actually an evil witch?"
Terumi Mei stiffened.
"…What?"
Kakashi quickly stepped in to prevent disaster.
"Ahem! Lady Terumi Mei, she's just being childish. Don't take it seriously."
But Terumi Mei's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.
"…Evil witch?"
____________
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