Chapter 167: Mangekyo Sharingan!
"That white creature that came out of my body... it must be the same type of special organism that Keisuke pulled out of Kagami-senpai!"
Minato recalled the scene from moments ago, his mind flashing back to the previous encounter.
"It activates without any chakra fluctuation, grows by absorbing another's chakra, and can restrict its target's movements... If used for assassination or surprise attacks, this creature would be an incredibly tricky opponent."
Though Minato didn't yet know the name "White Zetsu," his brief clash was enough for him to quickly analyze its basic abilities. He did a quick self-check; aside from the special kunai, no other ninja tools were missing. He then scanned his own body's condition but found no other suspicious presences, which only made his brow furrow deeper.
"Its ability to hide is too strong. It's easy to fall for its tricks without even realizing it..."
A chilling thought surfaced in his mind.
"Besides me, how many other Konoha ninja have been secretly targeted by this thing? Could Keisuke also have been..."
In Minato's senses, Kagami's chakra was still near the waterfall, but the feeling of threat emanating from that direction was steadily increasing. He forced himself to calm down, pushing his alertness to the absolute limit.
Atop the waterfall, Uchiha Kagami, controlled by Madara, poured a continuous stream of water-style chakra into the cascade, steadily increasing its volume.
CRASH—CRASH—
The river around the waterfall roared like crashing ocean waves. The surging currents spread out in all directions, threatening to submerge the entire area in a vast ocean. Only then did Minato realize what Kagami was doing—he was taking his existing terrain advantage and expanding it even further. In an environment saturated with water, Water Style jutsu were undeniably more powerful than any other element.
"A chakra reserve of this magnitude... even a Tailed Beast would struggle against this."
Minato's figure retreated through the forest, distancing himself from the encroaching flood.
"Don't tell me a reanimated ninja can wield far more chakra than they had in life?"
He hadn't yet made the leap to the concept of "infinite chakra," though Kagami's performance in their two battles was already getting very close to it. As Minato retreated, he remained vigilant. But at that moment, a sudden, thick fog spread out from the waterfall, carried by the wind until it had completely blanketed the forest. This dense white mist was also heavily infused with chakra.
With its appearance, Minato's chakra-sensing abilities were thrown into disarray.
"This is... the Hidden Mist Technique of Kirigakure!"
Another wave of surprise hit him. The Hidden Mist Technique was the signature jutsu of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Though it was only a D-rank technique, it was notoriously difficult to master. A true expert could mix their chakra into the mist, further disrupting an enemy's sensory abilities. Outside of Kiri, very few ninja ever used it. Yet now, Uchiha Kagami had.
A sense of dread washed over Minato. In the chakra-filled fog, his own senses were severely hampered, and his vision was almost completely blocked. If he didn't clear this mist soon, the enemy's advantage would only grow...
"He's completely aware of my position. To keep that 'Madara' from escaping, I can't afford to conserve chakra any longer..."
Minato took a deep breath, his hands flying through seals as he prepared a relatively standard wind jutsu.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale erupted from his mouth, crashing into the surging wall of mist. The fog, being naturally light, had only average resistance to the wind, even with chakra mixed in. Under the force of Minato's jutsu, it was rapidly pushed back. But it was that very same gust of wind that allowed Kagami to lock onto his position from afar.
From within the fog, Kagami quickly formed seals and unleashed another super-advanced water jutsu.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A linear jet of high-pressure water shot out from the mist in a horizontal slash, aiming for the section of forest where Minato now stood. Sensing the threat, Minato was forced to stop his wind jutsu and flicker to the side. The sharp blade of water sliced through the forest, felling another huge swathe of trees with a continuous roar. With the amplification from the water-rich environment, the already-powerful jutsu had its range increased significantly.
Minato stood among the bare stumps, racking his brain for a new strategy. His true strength lay in close-quarters reaping, but his opponent clearly wasn't giving him the chance to get near. If he were to recklessly charge into the mist to find Kagami, he would be highly vulnerable to an ambush. The effectiveness of the Edo Tensei on an artillery-type ninja was on full display.
"I can't drag this out any longer!"
Just as Minato gritted his teeth, preparing to charge into the mist, his senses picked up a familiar chakra signature—his Flying Thunder God kunai!
"Keisuke is here!"
A wave of relief washed over Minato. He, a "ground infantryman," was helpless against this massive fog bank. But Nara Keisuke, the "air force," didn't have to care about the mist at all.
Keisuke, guided by Kōsuke, was rapidly approaching the waterfall on his Shadow Creature. From a great distance, he could see the astonishingly large bank of white fog.
"Now that's just ridiculous. The fight's already started?"
He steered the creature closer, not forgetting to dismiss his passenger. "Kōsuke, you can go back now."
"Of course, Nara-sama." With a soft poof, the toad deactivated the summoning and returned to Mount Myōboku.
The Shadow Creature flew directly over the Hidden Mist, giving them a bird's-eye view. From Keisuke's perspective, the mist below was saturated with chakra, completely scrambling one's senses.
"Tsk, tsk. The Hidden Mist Technique. It really proves the old saying: talking about effectiveness without considering the dosage is just耍流氓 (hooliganism)!" Keisuke marveled. "To create a fog bank of this size... you could bring ten Kiri Jonin here and they probably couldn't pull it off. But for all its width, the height is honestly pathetic..."
From his high vantage point, the fog looked like a giant white pancake spread on the ground. Compared to its massive area, its height was negligible. Just as he was about to make his move, a chakra signature suddenly appeared beside him.
"Minato-san?" Keisuke turned, his brow furrowed slightly. "How did you get up here? What's the situation down there?"
Before leaving, Keisuke had gotten the three-pronged kunai from Shisui precisely for this purpose.
"The fog below was summoned by Kagami-senpai. The enemy re-reanimated him," Minato explained rapidly. "Fighting him head-on will be extremely difficult. But we can go straight for the waterfall. Based on my earlier observations, the ninja who might be Uchiha Madara is hiding inside."
"Good idea!" Keisuke's eyes lit up. "I thought his secret base was in the fog, but it's in the waterfall... Hold on tight!"
He steered the Shadow Creature, completely ignoring the mist and making a beeline for the massive cascade. The powerful current of the waterfall prevented the fog from gathering near it, making it the one spot in the area with perfect visibility. However, the Shadow Creature was far too conspicuous. Before they could even get close, they were spotted by a White Zetsu on lookout.
The controlled Kagami below received the message, formed hand seals, and slammed his palms on the water's surface.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"
A massive vortex appeared on the water, and condensed spheres of water shot into the air like cannonballs, aimed directly at them.
"Keisuke! Dodge!"
Without the mist to obstruct him, Minato easily sensed the chakra fluctuation and shouted a warning. Keisuke expertly weaved the Shadow Creature through the continuous barrage, nimbly avoiding the impacts while closing the distance to the waterfall.
Seeing this, Kagami didn't wait for the water in the sky to fully converge. He manipulated the half-formed sphere, shaping a water dragon from within it.
"ROAR—"
A slender water dragon charged towards them, trying to intercept their advance.
"Keisuke! Keep going!" Minato reacted instantly, flying through hand seals and molding his fire-style chakra. "Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
BOOM!
A giant, blazing fireball shot from in front of Minato, meeting the aggressive water dragon head-on. They collided in mid-air and dissipated into steam. The Shadow Creature's advance was completely unaffected.
Just as they were about to break through the waterfall's defensive line and enter the cave behind it...
CRASH—
The torrential flow of the waterfall was forcibly blocked by a power erupting from within. Deep brown branches of wood shot out from behind the water, coming straight for the Shadow Creature. The thick branches formed an impenetrable net in mid-air. The Shadow Creature, like a bird flying into a trap, was about to crash right into it.
At the last second, Keisuke pulled back, avoiding the sudden Wood Style counter-attack.
"Wood Style! That's the First Hokage's unique Kekkei Genkai!" Minato wiped the water from his face, his eyes wide as he stared at the thick branches hanging in the waterfall. "How is this possible?! If it's really Uchiha Madara, how can he have Lord First's Wood Style?!"
Keisuke opened his mouth, a habitual urge to blame Orochimaru rising, but he bit it back. Madara was right in front of them; there was no time to waste on scapegoating.
"We'll find out when we see him face-to-face," Keisuke said, making the Shadow Creature rapidly gain altitude. "But it looks like we've lost our easy chance, Minato-san."
In the river below, the mist was gradually clearing. Keisuke's arrival had essentially rendered the "visual obstruction" tactic useless. Creating a fog bank powerful enough to obscure the sky was extremely difficult, even for an Edo Tensei Kagami. It wasn't the execution that was hard, but the time it took. And Keisuke wouldn't give him that time.
Spiraling Shadow Binding Bullet!
Keisuke raised his hand and, taking advantage of the clear line of sight, fired a black pellet at Kagami. But Kagami, already familiar with Keisuke's combat style, simply used his "Instant Water" technique to easily dodge the attack, avoiding the shadow's control.
"Keisuke, you keep attacking from the sky," Minato suggested. "I'll go down and tie up Kagami-senpai in close combat."
"Don't forget the mask," Keisuke reminded him. "My Flying Thunder God is still a bit clumsy, but it's usable."
"Don't worry, I have it right here."
As he spoke, Minato threw a kunai downwards, his figure vanishing from the Shadow Creature's back. Keisuke maintained his "firepower" suppression from the sky, providing constant cover for Minato's approach. Minato landed on the water and, with his teammate's support, approached Kagami from an extremely tricky blind spot, avoiding eye contact.
The controlled Kagami noticed Minato's descent but couldn't find an opportunity to face him. Under remote control, he performed no hand seals, instead diving deep into the water using only his physical strength. The natural refraction of the water provided him a brief respite.
In the clear depths, Kagami activated his Sharingan. In his crimson eyes, the three black tomoe connected, morphing into a unique pinwheel shape. The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan poured out, infusing the surrounding water.
Hidden beneath the surface, he silently unleashed his exclusive Mangekyo dōjutsu—
"Weeping Marsh!"
Rumble—
The surface of the water erupted into a dense cluster of whirlpools. The rapidly spinning currents pulled at everything around them, trying to drag them into the depths. Minato dashed across the water, dodging from one vortex to another.
But in the next moment, the entire body of water reversed course, shooting up into the sky like a subterranean geyser!
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