"Perfect! With this bottle of Hero Water, I shall rise as an elite expert in the ninja world."
"Back then, Takigakure will once again blaze with glory thanks to my name—Mizuge!"
"As for the rest of them...those villagers can only hope for the best."
In the depths of the forest, Mizuge cradled a crystal-clear vial, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Inside the bottle he carried was none other than Takigakure's secret treasure—the Hero Water!
Back then, thanks to Earth Grudge Fear and the Hero Water, Takigakure rose to become the most powerful ninja village next only to the Five Great Ninja Villages. It even earned the allegiance of the Seven-Tails after the Five Kage Summit.
How glorious Takigakure was back then!
Unfortunately, as time passed, Takigakure had gradually declined.
And now, it couldn't even withstand the assault of two obscure rogue ninjas.
There was no point in continuing to stay in such a village.
With the Hero Water, he could thrive anywhere!
Just as Mizuge was fantasizing about his future, his neck was suddenly grabbed from behind.
Immediately afterward, Mizuge felt his body fly backward uncontrollably.
Crash!
With a loud thud, Mizuge slammed hard onto the ground.
"What the hell? What just happened?"
Confused, Mizuge lifted his head—and his mouth dropped open wide in shock.
Standing before him were none other than his former comrades.
Many of them looked at him with blazing fury in their eyes.
This place was clearly Takigakure!
"I didn't just run dozens of miles away? Why am I suddenly back here? How is this possible?!"
Shaken, Mizuge stood up, completely bewildered by his sudden return to the village.
He wasn't the only one stunned—many of Takigakure's ninja also wore dazed expressions.
According to Shibuki's report, Mizuge had fled nearly two hours ago. At a ninja's speed, he should have been dozens of miles away by now. So how did Mirai Uchiha grab him out of nowhere?
Only Kisame realized what had truly occurred—and he was deeply unsettled inside.
That attack clearly involved space-time power from Mirai Uchiha.
But unlike ordinary Space–Time Ninjutsu, Mirai had directly created a stable portal that pulled Mizuge back from dozens of *li* away.
That was infinitely more difficult than using space-time techniques to transport oneself!
And...
Pinpointing Mizuge's exact position and linking the portal directly beside him demanded extraordinary precision.
In other words, Mirai Uchiha had sensed Mizuge's presence from several miles away in an instant…
This kind of power nearly shattered Kisame's worldview—he had always been so disciplined and rule-abiding.
Ninja…
Could they truly wield such immense power?!
As Mizuge stood up, Hidekazu couldn't help but shout, "Mizuge, why are you trying to flee with the Hero Water?"
Mizuge snorted coldly, "The Hero Water shouldn't be in your useless hands—it would only waste such a powerful treasure."
"Only I can unlock the full potential of the Hero Water!"
After hearing Mizuge's words, all the ninja from Takigakure wore furious expressions.
How dare this bastard speak like that?
Mizuge sneered at Hidekazu and the others, smirking, "I originally planned to find a place to train and grow stronger, but since you won't let me leave, then I'll stay in the village."
"This Takigakure will become my private property!"
"Anyone who dares defy me will be destroyed—completely!"
"Hahahaha…"
Mizuge laughed loudly, his eyes burning with madness.
Takigakure had only ever recognized him as a Jonin, and now he had obtained the Hero Water—what force could possibly stop him?
However, after Mizuge finished speaking, none of the villagers challenged him directly. Instead, they looked at him with strange gazes.
The way they stared at him made Mizuge uneasy, and he couldn't help snorting, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Hidekazu suppressed his smile and pointed toward Mirai Uchiha beside him, saying, "We've already submitted to Lady Mirai just now. Now Takigakure belongs to Lady Mirai."
Upon hearing this, a look of contempt appeared on Mizuge's face: "You cowards who fear death are truly disgracing Takigakure!"
After speaking, he turned his head to examine Mirai Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
"So it was you two who pulled me back just now?"
"The moment you touched me, you should've known you'd meet your end."
Looking at the confident Mizuge, Kisame grinned. "Lady Mirai, shall I go deal with this guy?"
Mirai Uchiha nodded indifferently, "Go ahead."
Kisame grinned, hoisted Samehada over his shoulder, took a couple steps forward, and swung his giant blade in one motion!
A sharp whistling sound erupted through the air. Mizuge was startled and quickly raised his kunai to block.
Clang!
Samehada collided with the kunai. Its razor-sharp spikes punched multiple holes through Mizuge's face and arms.
At the same time, half of Mizuge's chakra was drained by Samehada's bite.
With a single strike, Mizuge had already lost half his strength.
"What the hell is this?"
Mizuge staggered backward in disbelief, quickly channeling chakra to stem the bleeding from his wound.
Kisame sneered mockingly. "Your big talk—was that really all you've got?"
Mizuge's expression turned fierce as he coldly shot back, "Your weapon may be strange, but thinking you can beat me with just that? That's pure fantasy, buddy."
"With Hero Water in me, there's absolutely no way I can be defeated."
Mizuge uncorked the ceramic bottle and chugged a large dose of Hero Water—the next instant, his face twisted in agony.
Yet at the same time, his chakra surged wildly, turning him into a primal, ferocious beast.
Witnessing the transformation, Hidekazu urgently warned, "Mirai, Hero Water makes a ninja ten times stronger! Mizuge is extremely dangerous now—stay on guard!"
Kisame snorted.
He especially loved fighting ninjas with loads of chakra.
Of course, Mirai Uchiha was an exception.
Faced with Mizuge's amped-up chakra, Kisame charged again.
One slash, then another... then another!
Mizuge indeed had skill—after taking Hero Water, he actually matched Kisame blow for blow for a while.
But as time passed, sweat started forming on Mizuge's forehead.
Even with ten times the chakra, he couldn't withstand Samehada's power to devour chakra.
"If this keeps up, I'll lose for sure."
"Take care of the other one first."
Mizuge calmly decided—compared to this shark-faced brute with bizarre abilities, the other opponent looked far less threatening.
Mizuge unleashed a ninjutsu to push Kisame back, then activated the Shifting Body Technique, dashing straight toward Mirai Uchiha. "I'll kill you first!"
*[Smack!]*
Mirai Uchiha raised his arm, and his right hand precisely caught the high-speed moving Mizuge by the neck.
The Rinnegan pulsed with terrifying power as Mirai Uchiha slowly spoke: "Ready to dance, too?"
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