Mist Village was once again shrouded in thick white fog over the vast ninja island.

The streets had collapsed.

The ground lay shattered.

In the dead of night, under the sweeping beams of mist lamps, the Mist ninja worked tirelessly to rebuild their village.

Master Genji sat in a wheelchair, being pushed by Ao as they inspected the reconstruction progress.

"Master Gen! Lord Ao!"

Several Mist ninja greeted them in succession.

Gen and Ao nodded in response.

Everywhere they looked was rubble and debris—craters pockmarked the land, the devastation complete.

"The power released by that Uchiha chakra giant… truly makes a ninja feel hopeless," Ao said with a sigh, gazing over the ruined district.

Cough cough— Gen coughed violently. His dim yellowed eyes fixed on the massive crater before him, as if struck by a falling star, and he sank into thought.

That was the impact crater from when Uchiha Yu's fully-formed, orange-hued Susanoo had descended from the sky.

The scale was immeasurable at a glance, the depth cloaked by white mist—like an abyss.

"That's called Susanoo... What's truly despairing is that this man can use that kind of power to fight a tailed beast," Gen muttered, hunched over, voice filled with weariness.

That was why, when negotiations with the Uchiha failed, Gen had decisively agreed to offer two tailed beasts and three of their ninja swords. He had no choice!

"Elder, you should go rest soon," a gentle voice called through the mist.

Mei Terumi approached, her steps light and graceful.

"No rush… Let me look a little longer," Gen leaned against the wheelchair.

Mei looked around at the Mist ninja using Earth Release to fill in craters. Her beautiful face showed complicated emotion.

"The structure of the shinobi world may be reshaped by the Uchiha," she said quietly.

Gen shook his head and replied, "No. It's because of Yu."

Mei and Ao fell silent.

"By the way, Elder, have you seen that little brat Suigetsu?"

Mei suddenly asked.

Mist had suffered severe losses. Many powerful families lost key members. Suigetsu, being a talented youth from the Hōzuki Clan who had mastered the Hydrification Technique at a young age, was someone Mist intended to cultivate with priority.

Gen and Ao turned to look at Mei. All three were struck with a sinking feeling as they raised their heads to glance in the direction the Uchiha had departed.

Gen's cheeks twitched. Cursing internally:

"Damn Uchiha. Taking the tailed beasts was one thing—but now they're abducting Mist ninja too? Bastards!"

---

Two days later.

Morning.

Over the sea, hundreds of miles inland on the eastern side of the ninja world.

A massive island grew rapidly larger in the distance.

"Am I hallucinating from waking up too early? When did that part of the sea gain an island?"

"T-That's not an island!"

"That's a monster!"

The fishermen turned pale in terror. Through binoculars, they spotted the three-tailed beast, Isobu, and panic spread among them. They scrambled to steer their fishing boats away in all directions.

It wasn't unheard of for such giant beasts to exist in the oceans of the shinobi world, but none ever ventured near the mainland.

Splash—

On the hardened gray-white shell of the Three-Tails, near the front end, beneath a large white dorsal spike—

In a recessed area…

Shaped like a nest-bed.

Uchiha Yu opened his eyes, fully refreshed. Rising from Mikoto's soft lap pillow, he looked toward the hazy line where sea met sky.

Riding on the Three-Tails was like living on an island—no rocking, just stable comfort.

"Mm…"

Mikoto's expression gradually softened. Her exhausted body curled into the sunken spot, breathing steadily.

Her long legs, wrapped in black mesh stockings, were red from being used as a pillow. These mesh-like armored leggings were a gift from Mei Terumi to the female ninja in the group.

Smooth to the touch.

Soft and silky.

Last night, Yu had specifically asked Mikoto to wear them, saying it was some kind of "attack-speed gear," leaving her utterly confused.

"..."

Mikoto's eyebrows twitched.

She was already awake.

But still pretended to be asleep.

Afraid that the energetic Yu-kun might do something to her early in the morning.

Lately, Yu had become increasingly bold with her. Even though they were at sea, even though it was outdoors...

Even if Yu-kun said that Nonoyu wouldn't use her Byakugan to peek at them.

Mikoto still felt that, after all, she was a conservative person. She couldn't fully accept Yu-kun's progressive ideas and teachings just yet.

Only when Yu left did Mikoto finally breathe a sigh of relief. She raised her hand and massaged her faintly aching waist.

Having easily captured both the Six-Tails and Three-Tails, Yu was in a great mood. He pulled out his daily dose of green potion from his storage space. Pop—the bottle cap opened, and he downed it in one gulp.

Feeling his strength rise and his state restored to peak condition, Yu exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Gazing toward the distant horizon.

Yu began to ponder.

Whether released or sealed inside him, he could freely absorb the violent chakra of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.

The difference between Tailed Beast chakra and ordinary chakra lay in its sheer density—it held the power to destroy worlds.

With these two beasts, he no longer had to worry about running out of chakra, and he now had the leverage to step into the game for control of the ninja world.

Setting aside his thoughts.

Yu walked toward the back of the Three-Tails, intending to check on the others before they made landfall.

At the edge of the grayish-white shell—

Wearing a white hooded robe and a plain dress that outlined her graceful figure, Nonoyu smiled gently.

She had been sitting on one of the jagged spines since early morning with a fishing rod, hoping to catch some fish to make porridge for everyone—a change of flavor.

Unfortunately, not a single fish had bitten in half a day.

Tamayo happened to pass by and glanced at the bucket. Not even half a fish in it.

He chuckled, "Don't lose heart. Maybe the fish haven't woken up yet this early in the morning!"

Nonoyu twitched at the corner of her eye, caught between laughter and tears.

Then footsteps came from behind the two of them.

"Haven't woken up? Let me give them a wake-up call!"

Minami grinned warmly. He leapt to Nonoyu and Tamayo's side, drew the Thunder Blade Fang, and unleashed a powerful current.

Zzzt—Crack!

Blue arcs of lightning crackled wildly, covering a hundred-meter radius. In an instant, under the intense current, the sea surface churned.

A scorched aroma filled the air.

Countless sea fish leapt from the water, splashing everywhere.

"Electro-fishing with the Thunder Blade? Damn, Minami, you've finally figured it out!"

Tamayo praised him.

With a big grin, he rolled up his sleeves and started gathering fish.

"Uhh…" Nonoyu was dumbfounded, staring at the fish floating on the water, completely lost.

"This way, you don't have to struggle fishing anymore!"

Minami flashed a simple, honest smile and quickly joined in collecting the fish.

"No, but I just baited that spot!" Nonoyu sighed helplessly and spread her hands.

Honestly, these two uncultured Uchiha had no appreciation for the joy of reeling in a catch!

Standing atop the shell, Yu witnessed the scene and shook his head helplessly before preparing to leave.

"Big bro, you're awake!"

Tamayo spotted Yu and greeted him excitedly.

Yu gave the three of them a nod.

"Captain!"

Nonoyu, seeing that Yu was awake, immediately placed her fishing rod aside and quickly followed.

Coming before Yu, Nonoyu's fair face and willow-like brows drooped slightly. She looked toward the edge of the Three-Tails' shell and asked softly, "Captain… that kid?"

"Let him follow us ashore," Yu said calmly, glancing toward the sea.

"Really? Is that okay?" Nonoyu asked with concern.

She was overflowing with maternal instinct and couldn't bear to see the boy suffer—even if he was a chakra-wielding child of the ninja world.

Yu explained, "He's been soaking in the sea with his Hydrification Technique for days now. At night, he even climbs onto the Three-Tails' shell to rest."

"Mm."

Nonoyu nodded slightly. She was aware of this, but hadn't expected the captain to know too.

Ever since they left Kirigakure—

Nonoyu had been using her Byakugan daily to scan the area around the Three-Tails, checking for signs of White Zetsu. She hadn't found any, but did spot a kid.

It was none other than Suigetsu Hozuki!

This guy had been trailing the Three-Tails all along using his Hydrification Technique. When the Three-Tails sped up, he'd cling to its tail.

Yu suspected that the kid had probably snuck out of Kirigakure, wanting to join their group.

Before departure, Yu had Suigetsu copy a scroll of the Hydrification Technique.

Back then, when the Uchiha left Kirigakure, Suigetsu already looked at them strangely.

°°°

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