Chapter 24: The Man Who Split a Tailed Beast Bomb in Two, Juzo Biwa!
Outside the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water.
Two men dressed in Akatsuki uniforms stood quietly, looking toward their destination. Juzo Biwa turned to Uchiha Itachi and asked:
"Hey, newbie! Are you good at sneaking in?"
"Somewhat."
Itachi replied coolly.
"Then let's see what you've got!"
With that, Juzo took the lead. He asked because he was worried that the newcomer, Uchiha Itachi, might lack the skills necessary and end up blowing their cover, ruining the mission.
Without a word, Itachi followed him.
They advanced swiftly through the dense forest until Juzo seemed to sense something off. He quickly formed hand seals.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick mist spread across a wide area around them, meant to obscure the vision of any pursuers.
"Wind Style: Passing Typhoon!"
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the forest, followed by a strong gust that dispersed the mist.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Several figures appeared, landing on the trees behind Juzo and Itachi, their eyes fixed on the two.
"This is…"
Juzo recognized them instantly. His expression darkened as he put some distance between himself and the enemies, unwilling to turn his back on them.
"The Fourth!"
"Well, so much for catching them off guard and using your genjutsu to handle them. That's clearly not an option now!"
Juzo spoke with a heavy heart.
In his mind, although the Uchiha clan's Sharingan genjutsu was powerful, it would be ineffective against the perfect jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage.
Now, there was no choice but to fight.
"So what do we do?"
Itachi asked indifferently.
"We'll have to use Strategy C!"
Before the mission, Juzo and Itachi had discussed this strategy. Strategy C involved Itachi distracting the enemy, drawing their attention so that Juzo could launch a surprise attack.
Of course, it was Juzo who had come up with this plan, with Itachi merely going along without objecting.
"Strategy C, huh? No problem."
Itachi responded in his usual calm tone.
But as soon as he spoke, he did something unexpected: he lunged at Juzo with a kunai.
Everyone watching, except Yagura, was shocked. Weren't they teammates? Why would he suddenly attack his own ally?
"Watch out!"
As a perfect jinchuriki, Yagura saw through Itachi's genjutsu immediately and shouted a warning.
But in the split second Yagura was distracted, Juzo had already closed in, swinging his massive executioner's blade down on him.
As a Kage-level shinobi, Yagura reacted quickly, raising his coral club to block the strike, sparks flying from the clash.
Meanwhile, Itachi threw shuriken to drive back the other Mist shinobi, then launched a Great Fireball Jutsu toward Yagura.
Juzo had anticipated this and left only a water clone to confront Yagura, according to their strategy.
The raging fire engulfed Yagura, hiding him from view, causing the other Mist shinobi to worry, which gave Itachi and Juzo a chance to quickly take them down.
Both knew this wouldn't be enough to kill the Fourth Mizukage.
Sure enough, from the spot where Yagura had been burning, a violent energy surged, instantly extinguishing the flames to reveal Yagura's form, now covered in dark red chakra.
He was in his tailed beast state!
Juzo, holding on to a sliver of hope, took advantage of Yagura's focus on Itachi to rush in with a powerful slash.
But Yagura, in his tailed beast form, merely threw a punch, sending Juzo flying into a tree, where he coughed up blood, his energy fading.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Seeing his partner under attack, Itachi quickly hurled kunai toward Yagura, but they were swept away by Yagura's chakra tails.
Yagura then lunged forward in a burst of speed, turning into a dark red blur. In an instant, he was upon Itachi, swiping at him. Itachi managed to dodge, but a brief touch left coral-like growths spreading across his body, immobilizing him within seconds.
Seizing this opportunity, Yagura charged to deliver a finishing blow.
Given a moment to breathe, Juzo realized that if Itachi died, he'd be next.
Ignoring his injuries, he used the Body Flicker Technique to slash at Yagura, forcing him back and freeing Itachi.
"Let's go!"
After a brief exchange, Juzo realized they were no match for Yagura in his tailed beast state and decided to retreat.
Itachi had no objections. He could likely defeat Yagura using his Mangekyo Sharingan, but the toll it took on his body wasn't worth it for a single mission.
"Swish! Swish!"
They dashed through the forest, with the beastly figure of Yagura, cloaked in dark red chakra, rapidly gaining on them.
"Damn it!"
"To run into the Fourth Mizukage… just our luck!"
Juzo grumbled, feeling helpless.
Unable to win, they had no choice but to run. This feeling of powerlessness reminded him of a mission long ago outside Konoha, where he'd encountered a strange ninja in a green jumpsuit with a bowl-cut hairstyle.
Though that shinobi seemed comical, his terrifying strength had crushed the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, turning them into a laughingstock.
The mission's failure and the shame of returning to the village led him to desert and join Akatsuki.
He had thought this mission to lure Kisame Hoshigaki to defect from the Mist would be straightforward.
Unexpectedly, complications arose, and they hadn't even reached their target before encountering the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, who was now hunting them as rogues.
Facing the perfect jinchuriki and uncertain of Itachi's true strength, Juzo saw no option but to run for his life.
But as time passed, Yagura continued to close the distance.
"Itachi, could you do me a favor?"
Juzo asked, feeling uneasy.
"…"
Itachi didn't respond, but Juzo, who had come to know Itachi's personality over the past few days, continued speaking.
"If I get captured by the Mist, please kill me."
"And if I die here, please bury me under a cherry blossom tree in the Land of Water."
Hearing this final request, Itachi remained silent, but something stirred within him. It was as though a small knife had cut into an old wound, bringing a faint ache.
"Watch out!"
A sense of danger shot through them as Juzo turned to see a dark red sphere of chakra hurtling toward them.
Without thinking, Juzo shoved Itachi aside, turning to face it and swinging his blade down.
There's no denying it—splitting a Tailed Beast Bomb in two is a rare feat!
If Juzo had the strength of a tailed beast, he might have succeeded.
But he didn't. So he died.
And he died in a most gruesome manner.
The Tailed Beast Bomb shattered his executioner's blade, and the broken blade tore through half of his body, beyond saving.
"Not a bad end, I suppose," Juzo muttered, taking his final breath.
As he looked at Juzo's lifeless form, Itachi couldn't hide his sorrow.
Perhaps this was the fate of a ninja.
"Amaterasu!"
Seeing Yagura close in, Itachi finally unleashed his full power, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Black flames appeared on Yagura without warning, consuming him.
Unfamiliar with this strange fire, Yagura had no means to extinguish it and soon collapsed, unconscious, having reverted from his tailed beast form.
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