[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
===
"Lord Mizukage."
Mei Terumī stepped forward, her expression unwavering, filled only with resolute determination.
"Mei Terumī, I once held high hopes for you," Yagura said, his voice laced with regret. "Had things gone as planned, you would have been the next Mizukage after my passing."
Ordinary genjutsu control would turn its victim into a mere puppet, but the Mangekyō Sharingan was different—it preserved the target's original demeanor almost flawlessly. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss.
"Lord Mizukage, are those words truly your own," Mei questioned coldly, "or do they come from the one controlling you?"
"What are you talking about?" Yagura replied calmly. "I am the Mizukage. Who could possibly manipulate me?"
"If you truly were the Mizukage, tell me—what have you done for Kirigakure in all these years?" Mei pressed. "Ao's Byakugan has already detected anomalies in your chakra flow."
The surrounding Kiri-nin hesitated, unsure whom to believe. But facts spoke louder than words. The village had grown weaker under Yagura's rule.
"Your pretty words won't disguise your treason today," Yagura snapped, his voice turning icy. "Capture Mei Terumī and her conspirators! There will be heavy rewards!"
He knew further debate would only sow doubt. It was time to act.
The battle erupted once more.
Mei took a deep breath. Tonight would be bathed in blood. Already weakened, Kirigakure would suffer even more. But this sacrifice was necessary.
Her eyes hardened as she charged toward Yagura.
The fight proved far harder than she anticipated.
This was her first time facing a jinchūriki.
Under Obito Uchiha's command, Yagura had already entered a partial Tailed Beast state. Crimson chakra surged outward, forming three massive tails. In an instant, Yagura transformed into a monstrous, three-tailed humanoid.
Before Mei could react, the other shinobi scattered—including Ao and the Elder. Against a Tailed Beast, they were outmatched. Their only hope was to regroup and find another way.
Yagura lunged, his clawed hand slashing toward Mei.
Splash!
A water clone dispersed under the strike.
Mei reappeared a short distance away, her heart pounding. The speed of his transformation was terrifying.
Water Release: Water Pillar!
Mei's cheeks bulged as she spat out a torrent of water, which solidified into a massive, plummeting orb.
Yagura didn't dodge. He smashed it apart with a single punch—but the water didn't vanish. It surged around him, swallowing him whole.
A thick mist billowed outward.
Mei felt no relief. Instead, an overwhelming force gathered within the haze.
ROAR!
A colossal, three-tailed tortoise-like beast emerged—Isobu, the Three-Tails. One of the most feared Tailed Beasts in history.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Unshaken, Mei formed hand seals. A roaring water dragon materialized midair, its power dwarfing standard techniques.
Yagura swung his tails, smashing the dragon's head—but the remaining force sent Isobu staggering back.
Sasame nodded in approval.
Impressive.
This was the same Mei who, in the original timeline, had blasted Madara's Susano'o with a water dragon. Even against a Tailed Beast, she held her ground.
But Isobu's defenses were formidable. And Mei's chakra wouldn't last much longer at this rate.
She was still young—not yet the battle-hardened kunoichi she'd become.
The situation was clear.
If Obito didn't intervene, they still had a chance. Ao was already preparing to break Yagura's genjutsu—just as he had in the original story.
But Obito hadn't left.
Sasame's eyes narrowed. No more holding back.
Sage Art: Water Release: Water Whip!
Ten liquid tendrils lashed out, binding the surrounding ANBU in an instant.
"Incredible…" The Elder stared in awe.
Restraining one enemy was easy. But ten at once? That was mastery.
No matter how they struggled, the Kiri-nin couldn't break free.
This man is a monster.
Sasame sidestepped a slash, flicked his wrist, and wrapped the attacker in liquid chains. He moved like a specter, incapacitating enemies with effortless precision.
Mei, panting, noticed his actions. Despite his power, he hadn't killed a single Kiri-nin—only subdued them.
He's preserving our strength.
Gratitude flickered in her exhausted eyes before she refocused on Yagura.
She couldn't win this alone. Her only hope was Ao.
Then—Isobu's maw split open.
A swirling sphere of black chakra formed, its malevolent aura suffocating the battlefield.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!" Mei paled.
The Mizukage's office stood at the village's heart—the most densely populated area. Detonating that here would be catastrophic.
Even the Mizukage's guards froze in horror.
They'd never seen a Tailed Beast Bomb, but they knew its legends. At this range, no one would survive.
Now, they believed Mei.
But it was too late.
Sage Art: Water Release: Severing Wave!
A hyper-pressurized water jet sliced the unstable bomb in half.
The explosion that followed sent a shockwave tearing through the village—but not before Sasame erected a spinning water barrier, shielding Mei and the others.
The Mizukage's office and surrounding buildings vanished in the blast.
Mei stared at Sasame's back, her pulse racing.
The survivors stood in stunned silence.
"Lord Mizukage… have you gone mad?!"
"He's no Mizukage! He nearly destroyed the entire village!"
"Mei was right—he is being controlled!"
"We can't keep fighting each other!"
No persuasion was needed. The devastation spoke for itself.
The Mizukage's guards and ANBU lowered their weapons.
Amid the ruins, the Kiri-nin surrounded the Three-Tails.
Then—a figure descended onto Isobu's head.
Black cloak. Tiger-striped mask. A single, exposed Sharingan eye.
This was Obito Uchiha—years before joining Akatsuki.
"You're the one controlling the Mizukage?" Mei demanded.
The answer was obvious. No one could stand atop a Tailed Beast unharmed unless they controlled it.
"It was me."
Obito's admission sent shockwaves through the crowd.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"All this time—I was following orders from an outsider?!"
"My teammates died for nothing?!"
The Kiri-nin's fury erupted.
Obito listened—then threw back his head and laughed.
Sasame raised an eyebrow.
Ah, the classic Uchiha meltdown.
"You bastard!" Even Mei's composure cracked.
But before she could attack, Sasame gripped her wrist.
"Distract Yagura. Let Ao break the genjutsu. I'll handle him."
Obito wasn't done.
Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs!
Giant thorned trees erupted, impaling nearby shinobi in a rain of blood.
"Wood Release?!" Mei gasped.
The Elder and Ao recoiled. A lost kekkei genkai, now wielded by their enemy.
"Fall back!" Sasame ordered.
Sage Art: Water Release: Severing Wave!
His water blade cleaved through the forest.
Obito's Sharingan narrowed.
That technique again.
He vanished into the earth—then reappeared behind Sasame.
Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs!
His arm morphed into jagged spears, lashing out—
"Look out!" Mei screamed.
—Only to stab air as Sasame's body dissolved into water.
Obito's smirk froze.
How?!
Kamui was a near-unbeatable technique. Few survived their first encounter with it.
Yet this man had dodged it effortlessly.
"How did you evade me?!" Obito snarled.
"I know a thing or two about the Sharingan," Sasame replied calmly.
"The Sharingan?!" Mei whirled on him. "You're from Konoha? Are they trying to start another war?!"
"DON'T MENTION KONOHA!"
Obito's roar came with a fireball that dwarfed the battlefield.
Sage Art: Water Release: Water Wall!
Sasame's barrier swallowed the flames.
Steam billowed, obscuring vision.
Obito seized the chance.
Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!
He dove underground—then grabbed Sasame's ankles.
Kamui's vortex yawned open.
Obito grinned in triumph—
—Until Sasame's fist slammed into his chest.
Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs!
You're not the only one with this power.
Obito's scream echoed as wooden spikes impaled him. Blood gushed. Without Hashirama's cells, he'd have died instantly.
Kamui's intangibility saved him—but the damage was done.
Obito fled, his pride in tatters.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 145 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 35 power stones I will publish the next chapter.
(Give me all your power stones)