Naruto: Promotion is my Ninja Way

Uchiha Obito had escaped!

Shihouin Naraku's powerful Observation Haki clearly detected that the Three-Tails Isobu was completely surrounded by the raging fires, and its life force was steadily becoming weaker and weaker with each passing moment.

The Three-Tails Isobu was already in a critical, near-death state after being struck by Naraku's devastating attacks.

The battle had finally reached its conclusion, but except for Shihouin Naraku who remained completely unharmed, everyone else who had participated in the fierce conflict had suffered tremendously. Only the Kirigakure shinobi had sustained truly heavy casualties!

The Three-Tails Isobu and Yagura Karatachi were both on the verge of death!

Elite jounin Mangetsu Hozuki had died in battle!

Dozens of other Mist shinobi had also perished tragically during the conflict!

To summarize the aftermath, the losses suffered by the Kirigakure forces were by far the most severe and devastating!

"Oh? Dead already?"

Naraku looked down and observed the Three-Tails Isobu lying motionless within the dying firelight, completely devoid of any signs of life.

Both Yagura Karatachi and the Three-Tails Isobu that had been sealed within his body were now completely dead!

Perhaps for Yagura Karatachi, dying in battle was actually the best possible outcome and choice available to him.

As the Fourth Mizukage, he had been controlled and manipulated by an enemy using powerful genjutsu for many long years. No proud, strong shinobi would ever want to experience such a humiliating and tragic fate.

Now, at last, it was all finally over.

The surviving Kirigakure shinobi remained anxiously positioned at a safe distance from the battlefield. Even though they were deeply worried about the Three-Tails Isobu's condition and their leader's fate, they simply didn't dare approach any closer to the dangerous area.

Naraku found himself contemplating what kind of significant impact this devastating battle would have on future events and the balance of power in the shinobi world.

Just then—

BOOM BOOM BOOM...

The entire island began to shake violently and continuously, as if struck by a massive earthquake. Deep cracks appeared across the ground, trees and bushes toppled over, chunks of rubble flew everywhere, and thick clouds of smoke and dust filled the air.

Endless volumes of seawater began flowing backward onto the land, rapidly submerging many different sections and areas of the island.

At this critical moment, the ocean seemed to open its enormous mouth, preparing to completely swallow the island whole.

"It appears that after enduring this intense battle, the island can no longer bear the structural damage and is about to sink beneath the waves!"

Naraku watched as the seawater surged inward with tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, the island was sinking faster and faster into the depths.

Whoosh!

His powerful aura exploded outward as Shihouin Naraku launched himself into the sky, soaring high above the ocean and looking down at the massive geological changes occurring below.

Within the detection range of his Observation Haki, the Kirigakure shinobi saw Naraku departing from the area and finally took decisive action, rushing toward the location where the Three-Tails Isobu had fallen.

Dead or alive, they were absolutely determined to recover Yagura's body and bring him home.

As the Fourth Mizukage, even if Yagura had died in battle, his corpse still contained many crucial secrets and classified information belonging to Kirigakure. If his body fell into enemy hands, it would represent a complete disaster for their village's security.

Therefore, they had no choice but to retrieve Yagura's remains and bring them safely back to Kirigakure!

If Shihouin Naraku had still been present on the island, they wouldn't have dared to risk angering such a dangerous opponent. The Mist shinobi would have attempted to search for Yagura much earlier if not for that overwhelming threat.

Moving at maximum speed, the Kirigakure forces led by Terumi Mei and Ao successfully arrived at the location where the Three-Tails Isobu had died, reaching the site just before the island sank completely beneath the ocean's surface.

"Ao!" Terumi Mei called out urgently.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ao immediately activated his Byakugan and quickly scanned the surrounding environment with his enhanced vision. The seawater had already flooded much of the area, and he couldn't immediately determine where Yagura Karatachi's body might have been washed away by the powerful currents.

"Found him!" Ao announced with relief.

"Over there!"

The Byakugan's incredible visual prowess proved extremely useful in this situation. While the other Mist shinobi also began their own desperate search efforts, Ao managed to locate Yagura Karatachi first!

Ao took the lead and rushed forward immediately, followed closely by the other Kirigakure shinobi. They soon discovered Yagura Karatachi's body being carried along by the rushing seawater, floating among a pile of debris and wreckage.

Yagura's corpse hadn't been swept away entirely because it had become caught against a massive boulder that blocked its path.

"Fourth Mizukage-sama!" several shinobi called out with respect and sorrow.

"Mizukage-sama!"

Although Yagura, while under Obito's insidious manipulation, had caused Kirigakure to be hated by its own people and had greatly reduced the village's overall strength and reputation, he was still the Fourth Mizukage after all. There were actually many people who continued to recognize and respect his legitimate authority.

"Quickly, retrieve the Fourth Mizukage's body immediately!"

"The island will sink completely very soon—don't let us get caught in the whirlpool!"

"Move fast!"

Someone immediately ran forward, ignoring the dirty and chaotic environment completely. They carefully lifted Yagura's body with proper respect and began retreating with the other shinobi.

BOOM BOOM BOOM...

The island began shaking more and more frequently with each passing moment. Soon it started collapsing from the central area outward. Large sections of ground broke apart completely and were directly submerged by the rushing ocean.

As seawater rushed inward with tremendous force and speed, the island's collapse accelerated dramatically.

In the blink of an eye, the sea completely swallowed the entire island.

A massive whirlpool appeared on the ocean's surface and began generating powerful suction that could easily trap anyone. Any shinobi who was affected by the whirlpool's pull and possessed insufficient strength would find escape impossible.

The Kirigakure shinobi had reacted quickly and moved away from the danger zone before the island sank completely and the deadly whirlpool formed, so they managed to avoid being affected by the devastating phenomenon.

Naraku remained suspended high in the sky, watching as the island below gradually disappeared piece by piece until it could no longer be seen at all.

"The battle has ended, and the Land of Water has lost a piece of territory. That represents quite a significant loss for them."

"Although it was originally just an abandoned island, Kirigakure was indeed extremely unlucky this time. However, they are now free from Obito's control, which is genuinely good news for their future."

Obito had blamed Kirigakure for what had happened to Nohara Rin during the Third Shinobi World War.

So after successfully using his genjutsu to control Yagura, he had desperately tortured and weakened Kirigakure, causing tremendous damage to the Land of Water's military strength and stability.

Powerful shinobi had defected one after another over the years, and even the world-famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were now unable to gather together as a complete unit.

Although it was perhaps a little late, Kirigakure had finally gotten rid of this terrible burden and could begin moving forward on the path to recovery.

"Terumi Mei, the next Mizukage!"

As the beautiful figure with her attractive, curvy silhouette gradually disappeared from within the coverage area of his Observation Haki, Naraku suddenly came back to his senses. He shook his head with an amused smile, then turned and began flying toward the Land of Fire.

This time, the mission that Tsunade had assigned to him was simply to investigate the battle occurring on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.

As a result, Naraku had ended up participating in a major battle himself, killing Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage and Three-Tails jinchuuriki—Yagura Karatachi—and had also encountered Black Zetsu and defeated Uchiha Obito once again.

What an incredibly productive and successful outcome!

He just hoped that Tsunade wouldn't completely lose her mind after learning about everything Naraku had experienced and accomplished during this supposedly simple reconnaissance mission.

Konohagakure Village.

"What?!"

"You killed the Fourth Mizukage—Yagura Karatachi?!"

Tsunade held her head in her hands frantically, staring at the returning Shihouin Naraku with complete disbelief and shock!

Hatake Kakashi, who was standing nearby, covered his face with his hand in speechless exasperation. Haruno Sakura, who was desperately trying to reduce her presence and avoid attention, couldn't help but take several steps backward, not daring to even look directly at the terrifying man who had actually killed a Kage.

"Ah, yes, that's correct."

Naraku smiled casually, confirming that Tsunade had indeed heard him correctly.

"Oh my god! You killed the Fourth Raikage not too long ago, and now you've killed the Fourth Mizukage as well!"

Tsunade had absolutely no idea what she should say in response to such shocking news.

The mission she had assigned to Naraku was clearly intended to be just an exploratory reconnaissance operation. But because it involved potential conflicts between two major nations, she had sent Naraku just in case serious problems arose.

The results had been excellent in preventing an actual war from breaking out between the countries.

However, Konoha's top military advisor, Shihouin Naraku, had killed the Fourth Mizukage Yagura!

Tsunade felt that being the Hokage was becoming far too exciting and stressful, with one major crisis after another. It was simply too much to keep up with.

"You'd better stay in the village from now on. If you go out on any more missions, I'm genuinely worried that the other four great shinobi nations will band together to besiege Konoha!"

Tsunade was developing a serious headache. She truly didn't dare allow Naraku to undertake any more external missions. The international incidents were becoming louder and more serious each time, and Tsunade simply couldn't handle the diplomatic pressure anymore.

Naraku spread his hands with a nonchalant gesture and replied: "Don't worry about it. Kirigakure is in complete chaos right now, and it's absolutely impossible for them to cause any trouble for us. If the Land of Water wants to recover to its previous scale and military strength within the next ten years, it will require divine intervention and a miracle!"

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