"Why are you looking at me like that? Now that you're mine, there's no way I'm handing you over," Kaito said as he strode forward, his tone calm with a commanding edge.
"Thank you, Kaito sama," Mei Terumi replied with a soft smile. A blush crept up her cheeks as she glanced at him repeatedly.
He said I'm his… his! she thought, heart fluttering. Her face turned a deeper red, like a ripe cherry tomato.
Kaito, fully aware of her reaction, said nothing and continued walking. In moments, they arrived at the shoreline.
Nearby, three ANBU of the Hidden Mist noticed their approach. As soon as they recognized him, visible tension spread across their faces.
"Kaito! Kaito sama! You—what are you doing here?!" the leading ANBU captain stammered, clearly uneasy.
Kaito didn't respond, eyes fixed on the ocean ahead.
The ignored captain cautiously stepped back. When he followed Kaito's line of sight, his expression shifted to awe. "Could it be… is Mizukage sama coming?"
Beside him, Mei Terumi glanced at the three ANBU with clear irritation and clenched her fist discreetly in protest.
Crash!
A figure surged across the sea surface with unnatural speed, kicking up a wave that stretched into a white arc behind him. From a distance, it looked like someone sprinting on water.
In an instant, the figure halted directly across from Kaito. The wave subsided as his feet touched solid ground again.
The ANBU, eyes wide with anticipation, called out in unison, "Mizukage sama!"
Yagura said nothing at first, locking eyes with Kaito. Then, his gaze shifted to Mei Terumi standing behind him, and he spoke with a calm but pointed smile. "So, this is the famous Kaito of the shinobi world."
"That's me," Kaito replied coolly.
"I'm sure you know who I am. No need for formalities. I came for one reason—hand the woman behind you over. Out of respect, I ask that you show me respect."
Yagura gestured toward Mei Terumi as he spoke, his tone light, but not a request.
"She's my personal caretaker now," Kaito said without hesitation. "And your so-called 'respect' means nothing to me."
The smile dropped from Yagura's face. "Do you even realize who you're speaking to? I am the Mizukage, one of the Five Kage. Don't get cocky just because you defeated Hiruzen and Onoki!"
"This is my domain—the sea. My Water Style is empowered by this terrain. You can't hope to match me here."
Kaito didn't flinch. "So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Give me Mei Terumi, and we avoid conflict. Otherwise, I won't hold back," Yagura warned, eyes narrowing.
"Step back," Kaito said calmly to Mei Terumi.
"Be careful!" she replied, immediately retreating to a safe distance.
Kaito turned back to Yagura with a cold look. "You're not the first Kage I've faced, but you are the first to talk down to me like this."
"And for that," he said with a pause, "you'll leave something behind today."
"Hmph! Let's see what the so-called 'Next God of the Shinobi World' can really do," Yagura scoffed.
He glanced at the nearby ANBU. "You three, move back!"
"Yes, Mizukage sama!" they replied in unison before vanishing from the battlefield.
Now alone on the field, Yagura stepped forward into the shallows, quickly forming hand signs. Chakra surged around him.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The surface of the sea rippled violently, then surged upward into a towering wave that seemed to swallow the sky, crashing down toward Kaito with overwhelming force.
This wasn't a basic Waterfall Technique—its scale and power dwarfed even those used by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Unmoved, Kaito formed his own hand signs. Chakra pulsed through his core and surged outward.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"You're a fool to use fire on the open sea!" Yagura mocked—but his eyes widened a moment later.
Flames erupted beside Kaito, forming a massive sea of fire. The heat warped the air, and the flames matched the size of Yagura's wave, if not surpassed it.
Boom!
Water and fire collided violently.
Steam exploded into the sky, engulfing the entire area in a thick white fog. The mist spread rapidly, blanketing the coastline.
As the two jutsu canceled out, Kaito's flames ceased, and steam drifted down like misty rain. Half-cooked sea creatures plopped onto the wet ground beside him.
Kaito stared at Yagura and asked in a flat tone, "That's it?"
The mockery was clear—and deliberate. He had perfectly mirrored Yagura's earlier tone.
Yagura's face twisted in anger. He clenched his fists and growled before weaving new hand signs.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
The sea swirled, forming a tight vortex. From within, a silhouette stepped forward, gradually taking shape—an exact copy of Kaito.
Yagura's most prized technique, the Water Mirror, manifested an opponent's duplicate with all their abilities and power.
But as the clone surged toward the real Kaito, lightning danced across its body—normal blue-white lightning.
Kaito's expression didn't change. Not even close, he thought.
His true lightning wasn't like that—it was darker, more intense, and infused with his own brand of chakra and Will.
Without a word, Yagura formed signs again.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The ocean churned again, and a massive serpentine dragon rose from the surface, its jaws wide, releasing a barrage of high-pressure water blasts.
Kaito vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared in front of the clone. Black lightning flickered around his hand.
Before the copy could react, Kaito pierced its chest with one strike, obliterating it instantly.
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