Chapter 110: This Whole Situation is Bizarre
Uchiha Taiga wasn't being narcissistic, but given his current situation, he knew very well that he had inevitably become a renowned figure in the ninja world.
From the moment he left Konoha, intelligence reports about him would have flooded the desks of every major village. A rogue ninja of Konoha, possessing the dual Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha and Hyuga, an existence who had single-handedly suppressed Kumogakure.
For someone like that to suddenly appear in the outer seas of Kirigakure, any sane leader would have paid close attention in advance and received the news immediately.
After all, Taiga had been completely open about his journey, showing no intention of hiding his tracks.
No matter how chaotic Kirigakure was right now, their standard intelligence network should still be operational. Taiga refused to believe that no one had been keeping tabs on him along the way.
However, the reaction of these Kirigakure ANBU was completely abnormal no matter how he looked at it.
Taiga figured that what had just happened was simply him and Yugito Nii stumbling into a Kirigakure ANBU operation designed to eliminate rogue ninjas.
There were quite a few rogue ninjas, so it made sense for the Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, to personally hold the line in the shadows to ensure nothing went wrong.
But for the Kirigakure ANBU to attack so eagerly even after recognizing him was baffling.
His Byakugan saw it clearly: Yagura was the only one on the scene being controlled by a Sharingan. The mental states of everyone else were perfectly normal.
That was the most illogical part. Where did a group of normal Kirigakure ANBU get the nerve to attack him?
At this moment, Yagura remained silent. Standing at the bow of the ship, his face hidden behind a white veil was devoid of expression as he simply gave a slight wave of his hand.
The meaning was obvious.
Seeing the gesture, the surrounding Kirigakure ANBU immediately sprang into action, proving just how much weight Yagura's orders carried among them.
There were no probing attacks; they struck with everything they had right from the start.
Some charged from the front, their ninja swords coated in chakra, the blades gleaming with a cold light.
Some flanked from the sides, their hands already completing hand signs as Water Style chakra gathered.
Some leaped onto the masts, throwing kunai and shuriken from above to seal off all avenues of escape.
Others circled to the stern, blocking any potential retreat.
It was a lethal encirclement right out of the gate!
Yugito frowned, not because the attacks were particularly strong, but because of the enemy's sheer decisiveness.
She had no time to overthink, as the attacks had already arrived.
Yugito vanished from Taiga's side. Her speed was incredible, leaving behind a series of afterimages across the deck.
Before the ANBU charging from the front could even swing their swords, she struck their wrists with the back of her blade. Their weapons flew from their grasps, clattering and bouncing across the deck.
As for the ANBU unleashing Water Style from the flanks, their jutsu had barely formed when she countered with her Mouse Hairball technique. She manifested multiple spheres of chakra, manipulating them with chakra threads from her ten fingers to launch explosive fire attacks.
She intentionally kept the explosions small, but the sheer number, speed, and stealth of the chakra hairballs made it incredibly easy to interrupt the Kirigakure ANBU's jutsu.
As a result, one by one, the Kirigakure ANBU lost control of their jutsu or had them outright canceled, before being effortlessly injured by Yugito.
As for the ANBU throwing kunai from above, she deflected every single projectile with her sword while they were still mid-air. The rapid, sharp clinking sounded like a heavy downpour.
Her body spun through the air, her sword flowing like a silver ribbon as it parried all the kunai. Not a single one managed to get within three feet of Taiga.
Yugito's speed was immense, her strength formidable, and her reflexes precise to the millimeter.
Although these Kirigakure ANBU were considered elites, they were simply out of their league against the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
One tried to engage her in close-quarters combat, but the moment he got near, she struck his chest with her palm. He was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ship's railing with a dull thud.
Another attempted to disrupt her with genjutsu, but as a Jinchuriki with Tailed Beast chakra flowing through her, genjutsu was practically useless against her.
The ANBU's attacks came wave after wave, but not a single one could breach her defenses.
However, she didn't deal any lethal blows.
It wasn't that she couldn't; she was holding back out of caution.
Yagura stood not far away, his eyes watching the battlefield through his white veil, yet he never made a move.
His behavior was far too bizarre, making it impossible to gauge his true intentions.
After all, Yagura was the Mizukage, and the Kirigakure ANBU were his subordinates. While his men fought, he simply watched. He neither helped nor retreated, just standing there like a statue.
Yugito noticed this, her frown deepening, and she subconsciously pulled her punches as a result.
The ANBU suffered injuries—dislocated wrists, fractured ribs, shattered knees—but no one died.
She knocked the final ANBU to the ground, sheathed her sword, and turned to cast an inquiring look at Taiga.
It was obvious she was asking him what exactly was going on here.
Taiga hadn't moved an inch from the very beginning.
He simply leaned against the railing, watching the ANBU charge in, watching them get taken down by Yugito, and watching them groan on the deck, his expression entirely unchanged. His gaze remained fixed on Yagura, as if looking at a fascinating puzzle.
"Oi."
He spoke up, "Do you still have your own consciousness right now?"
Yagura didn't answer. Instead, he reached behind him and drew his weapon.
It was a coral club, pitch-black with a hook at the end, adorned with a single green flower.
It had a rather girly aesthetic, but paired with his boyish appearance, it didn't look entirely out of place.
Yagura gripped the shaft, gently stroking the long club. His movements were slow, as if caressing something precious.
Yugito's body immediately tensed.
As a fellow Jinchuriki, she knew all too well what they were capable of.
Yagura was the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, Isobu, while she held the Two-Tails. Going strictly by Tailed Beast rankings, the two of them were the closest.
The Three-Tails was renowned for its defense. Once fully transformed, its massive size and destructive power would be devastating. Fighting on a ship meant limited space; if Yagura fully transformed here, the merchant vessel would be reduced to splinters in seconds, and very few on board would survive.
She didn't particularly care about that, but with Taiga watching right beside her, she needed to prove her worth.
After all, she was now Taiga's subordinate.
She had a very clear understanding of her position.
Just like now, she took a direct step forward, placing herself between Taiga and Yagura.
Taiga looked at her back as she shielded him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. He reached out, patted her shoulder, and smiled at Yagura.
"Since the Mizukage wants to go at it, Yugito, why don't you play with him for a bit?"
His tone was casual. "It'd be best if you could wake him up."
Saying that, he paused, as if remembering something.
"Oh, right. Don't forget to use the jutsu I taught you. Don't underestimate the Mizukage."
Yugito let out a cold snort.
"I know."
Her voice carried a hint of reluctance, but she didn't refuse.
Taking a deep breath, she walked past Taiga and headed toward Yagura.
Her pace wasn't fast, but every step was steady, making soft thuds against the deck.
Immediately after, chakra began to surge around her. It started as a faint blue, then gradually deepened, shifting from light blue to dark blue, and from dark blue to an orange-red. The orange-red chakra poured from her body, condensing and coating her skin, forming a chakra cloak in the blink of an eye.
The Tailed Beast Cloak of a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
Her body still maintained its human form, but it was enveloped in Tailed Beast chakra, with a tail made of pure chakra swaying behind her.
Her eyes shifted into vertical slits, reflecting Yagura's figure. Her nails grew long and pointed, her teeth sharpened, and her entire being exuded a beast-like aura.
Facing Yagura, Yugito entered her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation right from the start, proving just how seriously she was taking him.
The coral club in Yagura's hand pointed diagonally at the deck. Then, his hand twitched slightly, raising the tip of the club just a fraction.
Yugito crouched slightly, lowering her center of gravity like a cheetah ready to pounce.
The air on the deck seemed to freeze. The injured ANBU lying on the ground even stopped their groaning.
The sailors and merchants on the ship huddled in the corners, trembling in fear, not daring to make a sound.
Taiga leaned against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest. A faint smile played on his lips as he watched the scene unfold with absolute amusement.
The next moment.
Boom!
The bow of the merchant ship suddenly dipped, causing the stern to tilt upward. Amidst the terrified screams of the sailors, a pale red figure shot forward like a bullet.