Chapter 210: The Unrestrained Beast

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 210: The Unrestrained Beast

Kakashi and Yamato seized the opportunity to escape from Orochimaru and hurried after Kabuto, deeply concerned about the mysterious plan he was enacting.

They found the silver-haired ninja standing on an old, wooden dock that had clearly seen better days. Next to him was the boy they had seen earlier, looking both exhausted and terrified.

As Kakashi and Yamato approached, Kabuto reacted swiftly, placing a kunai to the boy's throat. "Don't come any closer!" he snarled.

"Tsk… what a coward," Kakashi muttered in frustration.

The mist was thinner here but still obscured many details, making it hard to fully grasp the scene. However, the waters of the lake were visibly becoming more turbulent.

"Kakashi, we have to act quickly. Whatever Kabuto is doing, it's draining the chakra of that poor boy," Yamato observed grimly.

Kabuto kept glancing at the lake while the boy's skin grew increasingly pale.

Kakashi signaled Yamato with hand signs, avoiding speech to maintain stealth. "I know. We move on my signal. You grab the boy; I'll take down Kabuto."

Yamato nodded, and the two acted without wasting a moment.

With his Sharingan uncovered, Kakashi rushed at Kabuto, analyzing every movement before striking at the arm holding the boy.

Kabuto dropped the boy and leaped back from the dock, allowing Yamato to retrieve the child immediately.

Kakashi anticipated seeing panic on Kabuto's face but instead was met with a smug grin.

"Too bad, Kakashi. You're too late. The boy's chakra has already been consumed, and…"

"Kakashi!" Yamato interrupted, holding the boy close as he checked his vitals. He couldn't find any.

At that moment, he noticed the lake's waters growing even more violent. Something was approaching the surface...and whatever it was, it was very big.

"Yamato, get away from the water!" Kakashi shouted a warning before jumping off the dock.

As he did, the wooden boards cracked and splintered.

Columns of water erupted from the lake, destroying everything in their path.

"What is that?!" Yamato felt a deep sense of dread as a colossal creature emerged from the waters.

Kakashi recognized the chakra radiating from the beast...it was disturbingly familiar. This creature spelled nothing but trouble.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Kabuto turned and fled. His mission was complete, and Orochimaru had given no orders to fight this two Konoha ninja.

Kakashi realized his mistake too late. By the time he turned, Kabuto was already gone. But right now, he could not worry about that. His priority was the monster before him.

"Yamato, the boy…"

"He's dead," Yamato said, still clutching the lifeless body. "His chakra was forcibly extracted."

"Yes, it seems like Kabuto has used it to awaken this creature," Kakashi surmised, his gaze fixed on the towering beast.

Half of the creature's body rose above the mist and water, its immense form now clearly visible.

Its body was encased in a gray, shell-like armor with a metallic sheen. The largest section of the shell rested on its back, from which three massive tails swayed ominously.

"A gray tortoise?" Yamato thought aloud. But he knew, even at a glance, that this was no ordinary tortoise. "Wait… this chakra…"

"That's right, it's an unsealed Bijuu," Kakashi confirmed, his expression darkening. And not just any Bijuu...it was one he knew all too well.

"Rin…"

"The Three Tails?!. This one should have been under the control of the Mist Village, why is it in this lake?." Yamato exclaimed, realization dawning on him as he glanced at Kakashi.

This event predated Yamato's time, but as a member of both Root and ANBU, he had been briefed on many of Konoha's secrets. Among them was the tragic fate of Kakashi's former teammate, Rin Nohara.

The Mist Village had kidnapped Rin and forcibly sealed the Three Tails inside her, planning to release the unstable Jinchuuriki in Konoha to wreak havoc. Kakashi had intercepted their plan, and in the end, he killed Rin himself to prevent her from being used.

"Kakashi… are you—"

"I'm fine," Kakashi cut him off. "We can't let this thing run wild. We need to do something about it."

The Three Tails rose higher from the water, letting out an earth-shaking roar.

"The only thing we can do, is to report this to Konoha. We're not equipped to handle a Bijuu by ourselves," Yamato said urgently.

Though Yamato had methods to restrain chakra demons, and it was one of the reasons he'd been chosen to accompany Naruto...sealing a Bijuu was an entirely different matter. They would need a skilled sealer and a proper container.

'Kakashi might be competent enough to perform the sealing, but the container…' Yamato considered.

Kakashi hesitated. He knew Yamato was right, the best course of action would be to retreat, report to Konoha, and return better prepared, perhaps with Jiraiya's help. If they were lucky, the Sannin had already returned to the village.

But he couldn't shake the thought of what Orochimaru might be planning for the Three Tails. Clearly, this Bijuu was the reason Orochimaru had come to this remote island.

"Kakashi!" Yamato shouted suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Kakashi followed Yamato's gaze and spotted two figures standing a short distance away.

At first, he thought they might be more of Orochimaru's men, hidden until now.

But the moment he saw the long black cloaks with red cloud patterns, he realized their troubles had just multiplied tenfold.

"Akatsuki?!"

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