Sora appeared before the Six-Tails like a phantom. Golden patterns spread across his body, and an immensely powerful energy fluctuated outwards.
The Six-Tails, under the control of the Sharingan, seemed to possess a certain human-like perception. The moment it saw Sora appear, it retracted all its attacks, gathering all its tails together to form a terrifying giant hammer, smashing down towards Sora.
This was a Tailed Beast's attack, powerful and fearsome. Moreover, the Six-Tails' body was as massive as a small hill. As its tails struck, they directly stirred up a shocking hurricane on the field, sending fragments of buildings from the surrounding ruins flying everywhere.
At this moment,
Before the Six-Tails, Sora's figure seemed incredibly small, occupying only a minuscule space in the entire scene. Yet, the golden light suddenly blooming from his body attracted everyone's gaze like a brilliant sun.
Boom!
Crack!
Snap!
Sora stood firm in the sky. He faced the Six-Tails' strike with a single hand, and then, unbelievably, used his human palm to casually grab the massive tail the Six-Tails had smashed down.
Power continuously erupted.
As the golden light membrane surged, the Six-Tails' tail, which had been balled into a hammer-like shape for the strike, suddenly halted. Then, like an iron bar being crushed by heavy machinery, it was twisted into a spiral.
The dozens-of-meters-long beast tail cracked with numerous fissures. The surrounding air was distorted by that terrifying force, producing transparent, mirror-like distorted halos that radiated an aura of endless destruction.
Blut Arterie erupted.
The explosive force circulated once more.
The next instant, that layer of golden light membrane, like a raging storm, struck the Six-Tails' tail with immense force.
"Roar!!!"
A piercingly miserable shriek suddenly rang out. Even in its controlled state, the Six-Tails felt an intense pain emanating from its very soul, as if it were being torn apart, completely crushed into fragments.
And in fact, at that very moment, under the spread of the golden light membrane, the Six-Tails' six massive tails were completely shattered.
And...
They vanished completely, turning into mist-like Chakra, directly disappearing from the world.
The Six-Tails directly became a tailless slug. Apart from the different color, it looked quite similar to Tsunade's summoned creature, Katsuyu.
The next moment,
Its crimson Sharingan wide, the Six-Tails stared in disbelief at Sora before it, as if seeing that invincible figure from its memories.
Pain!
So much pain!
And so insane!
This tiny human before it had actually shattered its tails with a single strike, dispersing a full thirty percent of its body!??
How was this possible!!!!
Pain?
No!
It was fear.
One must remember, Tailed Beasts are aggregates of chakra.
Compared to humans, they are practically immortal beings. Even if accidentally killed, they can reconstitute their Chakra and revive again after two or three years.
But at this moment,
Even in its controlled state, the Six-Tails could clearly feel that its six tails weren't just dispersed… they were erased from this world by some mysterious force.
To put it more vividly, it wasn't just the tails, even that part of its soul had vanished along with them.
Panic.
Horror.
Inexplicable fear.
At this moment,
Even though the Tailed Beast's eyes were crimson with the Sharingan, one could still see a remarkably human-like look of fear appearing in the Six-Tails' eyes.
In the distance, the Kirigakure's Ninjas who witnessed this scene also felt their scalps go numb and a chill run through their bodies.
Many Ninjas who hadn't participated in the war in the Land of Fire had only heard of Sora's strength.
But now, seeing this strength sufficient to instantly annihilate a tailed beast, they were instantly terrified and pale.
'One palm annihilating a Tailed Beast's tails... was this really something a human could do!??'
"Sora..."
"Let's start changing this cruel world filled with blood mist, right now!"
Yagura stood at the edge of the battlefield, gazing at Sora's back from afar, a brilliant light shining in his eyes.
…
Simultaneously,
The Six-Tails, having taken a hit from the Blut Arterie World Shattering Strike, had no intention of waiting passively for death.
Roaring in pain, it coiled its mountain-like massive body and rolled towards Sora.
It was a lofty Tailed Beast! When had it ever suffered such a great loss before an ant-like human!??
However, facing the Six-Tails' rolling assault, Sora stood his ground without moving. He just slowly spoke, his voice devoid of emotion as he chanted lowly: "Hado #58, Tenran."
As the words fell-
Boom!
Boom!
Rumble!
A violent tornado rose from the flat ground, reaching for the sky, enveloping the rolling Six-Tails and blowing it directly into the air.
"Finally, let me remind you of the most important thing. This... is a world belonging to humans."
"Hado #90, Kurohitsugi."
Sora, who had appeared in the sky alongside the Six-Tails, had countless thick black lights blooming from his palm. Then, those black lights, radiating infinite danger, transformed into pieces of dark curtain, completely enveloping the Six-Tails' hill-like body.
The next instant,
That black coffin, like a wonder of the world, stood once more in the void.
The Reiatsu running rampant inside directly crushed the Six-Tails' defenses, then, like a meat grinder, completely tore its chakra-formed body into shreds.
"Roar Roar Roar!"
"Argh!"
"Argh!!!!"
Extremely piercingly miserable beast roars continuously sounded in the sky, then gradually changed from grand to mosquito-like buzzing, finally turning into complete silence.
One second later, the black coffin dissipated into the air. Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the Six-Tails fell from the sky hundreds of meters above.
As it fell, numerous trench-like wounds split open on the Six-Tails' body. Red blood flowed down like small streams.
And before the Six-Tails' body could even hit the ground, its massive, hill-like body disintegrated along those trench-like wounds into thousands of slug fragments.
While emitting white acidic mist, they rapidly turned into Chakra invisible to the naked eye and vanished from the world.
The mountain-like Tailed Beast turned into a sky-filling rain of blood, which then became white mist, completely disappearing before everyone's eyes.
This unbelievable scene directly dumbfounded the Kirigakure's Ninjas present.
Petrified.
Stupefied.
Terrified.
Some even couldn't help but rub their eyes, feeling that everything that had just happened before their eyes was like an illusion.
From the moment the Six-Tails was blood-sacrifice summoned by the Third Mizukage, to the Tailed Beast turning into a sky-filling rain of blood and dissipating from the world, the entire process sounded long, but in reality, it had taken less than a minute.
'One minute…'
'The Six-Tails was killed?'
'Killed!?????'
Stunned!
Flabbergasted!
Now, everyone widened their eyes, only feeling a constant roaring in their brains, simply unable to believe what had just happened before their eyes.
Astonishing.
Too astonishing.
One person, with his own power, not only suppressed the rampaging Tailed Beast but even directly beat the Tailed Beast into a state of nothingness. Just what kind of concept was this!!!!
A god!
This was something only a god could do!
Don't forget, even the monster, Third Raikage from Kumogakure only fought the rampaging Eight-Tails to a standstill over three days and nights.
He didn't casually suppress and kill the Tailed Beast within a minute, literally breaking its existence like Sora did.
"Huff... Huff..."
Someone's breathing became increasingly rapid. Even the Ninjas in the Third Mizukage's camp looked at Sora with unconcealable fanaticism in their eyes.
"Third Mizukage..."
"The farce ends here."
At some point, Sora had already passed through the dumbstruck crowd and walked up to the equally completely stunned Third Mizukage.
He sighed lightly, tapped his fingertip on the Third Mizukage's forehead, and chanted in an indifferent and regretful low voice:
"Soul Manipulation!"
"Release!"
Instantly, a golden [Release] character imprint entered the Third Mizukage's mind, instantly shattering the Sharingan's Ocular Power that had bound his soul.
It was only then that Sora somewhat surprisedly discovered that the Third Mizukage's soul had long been riddled with holes due to prolonged Genjutsu Torture.
It was like a dead tree whose vitality had been severed, no longer possessing a single trace of life force.
Obscure, blank, unfamiliar, blank…
The relief of surviving a disaster, the pain of looking back and finding no way to return, the fragility and resolve in the face of death...
At this moment, a series of incredibly complex colors flashed in the eyes of the Third Mizukage, who had suddenly regained his senses.
Standing, but his weak body made even standing in place seem so difficult and disheveled.
"Your life has reached its end."
Sora's expression was grave and still, his face impassive as he spoke.
Opposite him, the Third Mizukage slowly opened his weary eyes. Looking at Sora's face, he suddenly said in an extremely bitter voice, "I'm sorry. As the Kage of this village, not only did I fail to protect this homeland, I instead plunged this village completely into a cruel world. I am guilty, guilty of an unforgivable sin..."
"Whether it was my weakness or my incompetence, they are all unforgivable crimes."
Sora gazed at the pale-faced Third Mizukage and said lightly, "You are still the Mizukage. I do not have the power to judge you. But I believe history will give you the fairest evaluation."
"The most incompetent Mizukage of Kirigakure?"
The Third Mizukage took a deep breath and said with some difficulty, "While trapped in that Genjutsu Prison, I witnessed your astonishing talent. Back then, I wondered if it would be you who rescued me from that terrible Genjutsu Prison before my death. Now it seems my premonition was accurate. Only you could break that Sharingan's Ocular Power and protect this village."
"Sharingan's Ocular Power?"
"Genjutsu?"
"So the Third Mizukage-sama really was controlled!"
At this moment, the Third Mizukage's weak words held earth-shattering significance, instantly causing exclamations from all the Ninjas present.
Even the direct Anbu who were die-hard loyal to the Third Mizukage had their expressions beneath the masks twist violently from shock.
'So...'
'He really was controlled by Genjutsu?'
If the Kirigakure's Ninjas present still had some reluctance to believe it when they saw the Sharingan in the Six-Tails' eyes earlier, the Third Mizukage's words now completely shattered all illusions.
The cruel reality was that Kirigakure's strongest Ninja, the Mizukage, had been controlled by the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
The esteemed Third Mizukage had thus been reduced to another's puppet plaything.
Disgrace.
This was a huge disgrace.
"So it's true?"
Mei exclaimed: "As Sora said, was it the long-dead Uchiha Madara who controlled the Third Mizukage-sama with Genjutsu?"
"Uchiha Madara?"
Hearing this name, a blank expression suddenly appeared on the Third Mizukage's ashen face: "I don't know who that person really was either. My last memory is of that pair of crimson Sharingan that suddenly appeared in my vision, eyes I simply couldn't resist..."
As he spoke, the expression on the Third Mizukage's face suddenly became grief-stricken and indignant and ashamed.
This was also normal.
As the esteemed Mizukage of Kirigakure, to be toyed with and controlled by an Uchiha Ninja using Genjutsu… such a thing was absolutely unacceptable, even if the other party might be the legendary Uchiha Madara.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
The implications in the Third Mizukage's words had too strong an impact on the Kirigakure's Ninjas present, causing many to stand frozen in place, not knowing how to react.
Uchiha Madara…
That name carried too much weight, impacting the souls of all the Kirigakure's Ninjas present.
After a moment of silence, the Third Mizukage finally recomposed his expression. He took a deep breath and said gravely, "Yuki Sora, even while imprisoned in the Genjutsu Prison, I heard of all the contributions you made for the village. You are far more outstanding than I. You..."
"are Kirigakure's future."
"Then..."
"Let it be announced here. Yuki Sora, you shall succeed me as Mizukage after my death. From now on, the future is yours. Yuki..."
"No!"
"Not Yuki Sora, but..."
"The Fourth Mizukage."
As he spoke, under the astonished and disbelieving gazes of everyone, the Third Mizukage picked up a kunai he had somehow obtained and resolutely stabbed it into his own heart.
Thud!
A mouthful of blood was coughed up.
The Third Mizukage's final gaze fell upon Sora before him.
"Fourth Mizukage, the village and the future... are entrusted to you."
As the words fell, the light in the Third Mizukage's eyes completely faded. His body collapsed to the ground, having finally walked the last steps of his life's journey.
The Mizukage is dead.
The entire scene was filled with grief.
This Third Mizukage, who had single-handedly opened the era of the Village of the Bloody Mist, had finally reached his ultimate end on the pillar of shame.
Kirigakure Calendar, Year 47, December 21st. (T/N: Kirigakure Calendar is the same as Konoha Calendar.)
The Third Mizukage committed suicide, using his life to end the era of Kirigakure's Bloody Mist.
One day later,
December 22nd.
After a vote by all of Kirigakure's Jonins and the appointment by the Daimyo of the Land of Water, the former Supreme Commander of the Kirigakure's Expeditionary Force, Yuki Sora, succeeded as the Fourth Mizukage.
Thus,
Kirigakure entered a completely new era.
And the day of December 22nd, Year 47 of the Kirigakure Calendar, would often be referred to by later historians as the birth day of the Eternal Empire.
Historically known as:
The Eternal New Century.