Chapter 44

Mizunuki Ryosuke turned his head to look at the horizon.

There, a morning sun was slowly rising, and the first rays of sunlight were already spilling down from the sky.

The fate of the Hidden Mist Village would also head toward an unknown turning point today.

(Six updates, seeking flowers, tickets, and support, thank you very much!!) ===== CHAPTER 87 =====

As everyone knows, the Land of Water itself is an island nation independent of the other four great nations.

In the interior of the Land of Water, there is a huge inland freshwater lake, named Lake of Mist.

On the small island in the center of the Lake of Mist, the level of vigilance had reached the highest level of the Hidden Mist Village.

A large number of elite ninjas from the Mizukage Guard were scattered all around.

Within a radius of less than ten kilometers, a defensive line composed of dozens of Jonin and hundreds of Chunin was scattered with extreme density.

Whether on the island or underwater, there were a large number of ninjas acting as guards.

And in the center of the island, besides the Third Mizukage, Mizunuki Taki, and four ninjas with special sealing abilities,

There was also a man on the verge of death and a boy in a coma.

The man and the boy were lying side by side on a stone bed carved with complex patterns.

The man’s breathing was as thin as a thread, his skin looked like withered tree bark, and his chaotic eyes showed no vitality or life.

The man was the current Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, Okubo Shinichiro.

And the boy beside him was the new "vessel" selected by the Hidden Mist to seal the Three-Tails.

"Okubo, how do you feel?"

Mizunuki Taki stepped forward and held Okubo’s withered, thin arm, his tone carrying a trace of concern.

"Hmm..."

"Lord Mizukage, there is no need to worry about me."

"As long as you are ready, the ceremony can begin at any time."

Okubo said with a weak breath, as if just speaking had exhausted all his strength.

Seeing this, a flash of unbearable pain crossed Mizunuki Taki’s eyes.

Once the ceremony began, Okubo’s life, like a candle in the wind, would surely cease to exist.

Few people knew that the Okubo Shinichiro before them had been a guard for the First Mizukage, Bai Lian, alongside Mizunuki Taki in his youth; the two had known each other since they were young and had a friendship spanning many years.

Watching his old friend about to go first, a complex look flashed in Mizunuki Taki’s eyes.

Because he knew clearly that Okubo had become like this today precisely because of the side effects of being a Jinchuriki.

If not for sacrificing himself for the village and voluntarily becoming a Jinchuriki to seal the Tailed Beast, Okubo might have been a strong contender for the Third Mizukage.

Unfortunately...

Okubo’s own compatibility with the Three-Tails could only be described as average; the burden of sealing the Three-Tails alone was already very difficult for him.

Not to mention borrowing the power of the Three-Tails to become a "perfect Jinchuriki."

Okubo’s current appearance was the price of being an imperfect Jinchuriki.

The constant torture of the Tailed Beast within his body was consuming Okubo’s life force.

Even so, Okubo had fully fulfilled his value as a Jinchuriki.

In fact, it had been less than thirty years since Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts, and the major ninja villages' research and application of Tailed Beasts were still at a fairly basic level.

They were far from developing the "perfect Jinchuriki" mode like Killer Bee, who could perfectly utilize the power of the Tailed Beast, as seen in later generations.

At this stage, the major ninja villages' application of Tailed Beast power was still at a fairly crude stage.

Tailed Beasts were currently equivalent to the "nuclear deterrent" power of the major ninja villages.

And they were one of the reasons why the Five Great Ninja Villages held a monopoly.

The power of a Tailed Beast was overwhelming for ordinary ninjas, especially on the battlefield, where Tailed Beasts possessed terrifying destructive power.

As the most direct means of applying Tailed Beast power, "Jinchuriki" were currently generally used as "human nuclear bombs."

For example, during the First Shinobi World War, the Hidden Sand, pushed to the brink, had transported the One-Tail Jinchuriki to the battlefield.

Then, they broke the seal of the One-Tail on the spot, releasing it for indiscriminate attacks.

Of course, as the "carrier," the Jinchuriki died completely the moment the Tailed Beast was released.

A Jinchuriki was equivalent to a one-time tool.

Most ninjas currently held this view of Jinchuriki.

Of course, out of covetousness for Tailed Beast power and dissatisfaction with the uncontrollable nature of Tailed Beasts (which did not distinguish between friend and foe once released), the major ninja villages were accelerating the pace of developing "perfect Jinchuriki."

But for now, Jinchuriki were undoubtedly still synonymous with "tragedy."

As the Third Mizukage, Mizunuki Taki naturally had to do his best to ensure that the Hidden Mist’s "nuclear deterrent" did not have any problems.

The replacement of a Jinchuriki was, of course, a major event for a ninja village.

To prevent mistakes, the location for the Jinchuriki replacement ceremony could absolutely not be chosen inside the village; otherwise, there would inevitably be massive casualties.

Considering the characteristics of the Three-Tails, Mizunuki Taki specifically chose the location by the Lake of Mist.

This was because if any uncontrollable factors appeared, he could temporarily trap the Three-Tails in the Lake of Mist and wait until he was free to continue the unfinished sealing.

"Uncontrollable factors" naturally referred to Karatachi Yagura.

Yes, Mizunuki Taki had made up his mind that even if it meant delaying the sealing of the Three-Tails, he would first deal with Karatachi Yagura’s rebellion.

"Begin!"

After forcibly calming the ripples in his heart, Mizunuki Taki officially announced the start of the Jinchuriki replacement ceremony, which undoubtedly sentenced the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Okubo Shinichiro, to death.

Hearing this, a flash of relief crossed Okubo Shinichiro’s eyes.

On the other side, the four ninjas with special sealing skills began to remove Okubo Shinichiro’s seal while trying their best not to disturb the Three-Tails.

The steps to replace a Jinchuriki were divided into three parts.

The first step was to release the Tailed Beast from the old container.

The second step was to suppress the Tailed Beast.

The third step was to complete the sealing again.

During this process, there would inevitably be a Tailed Beast riot.

And this was an unavoidable situation.

Once started, there was no turning back.

At this moment, a flash of determination crossed Mizunuki Taki’s eyes.

"Karatachi, let me see who will have the last laugh."

A game of chess officially began at this moment.

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