A massive Fire Release technique roared toward Ao, carrying overwhelming heat that instantly dried the air around him.
Even the dense mist from his Hidden Mist Jutsu was scorched away in patches.
Ao's eyes narrowed. Despite his shock, his hands moved swiftly into seals.
"Water Release: Water Wall Jutsu!"
A towering wall of water surged up, colliding with Uchiha Yu's flames. The jutsu managed to block the attack, but Ao's expression didn't ease. The mist no longer concealed him—Uchiha Yu's movements were completely unaffected.
Shuriken whistled through the air, the tearing sound betraying their terrifying speed. Ao met them with his short sword, lunging straight for his opponent.
Uchiha Yu drew a long blade, his movements smooth and precise. His swordplay—rooted in the Uchiha clan's kenjutsu style—easily deflected the kunai. Steel met steel again and again, sparks flashing as the two exchanged dozens of blows in quick succession.
Ao grew increasingly unsettled. He was no ordinary shinobi—an Elite Jōnin of rare caliber—yet his strikes had failed to land even a single decisive blow.
And that swordsmanship… it felt familiar.
But the Uchiha clan had been wiped out. He hadn't even considered that possibility.
Unbeknownst to him, Uchiha Yu's style was his own creation, an evolution of the traditional Uchiha kenjutsu. That was why Ao sensed familiarity but could not place it.
"Who sent you?" Uchiha Yu's voice was low, demanding.
Ao offered no reply. His fingers blurred into seals again.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A razor-sharp torrent burst forth, a high-pressure jet so powerful it could slice steel in two. The ground split into deep gouges as Uchiha Yu evaded with swift rolls.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique—Scarlet Claw!"
Dozens of flaming shuriken rained down, each wrapped in searing fire. Even if the flames were doused, the steel projectiles promised deadly secondary damage.
Ao's eyes narrowed again. He countered swiftly—
"Water Release: Multiple Water Walls!"
Several towering water barriers rose. The flaming shuriken pierced through the first, then the second, but were eventually smothered. Yet the steel cores still tore through, striking Ao's body.
But Uchiha Yu didn't relax. His eyes sharpened, watching intently.
The "wounded" Ao suddenly collapsed into a puddle of water—vanishing.
A faint look of respect crossed Yu's face.
Water Clone Jutsu. Clever.
Ao's real body emerged, clashing blades with Yu once again. Their battle spilled toward the water's surface.
With a crushing blow, Uchiha Yu sent Ao flying. The Mist shinobi skidded across the lake, his sandals gripping chakra to remain above the surface.
Yu's lips curled into a faint smile. He advanced, his sword becoming a blur of afterimages.
Ao barely managed to parry, his arms numbing under the overwhelming force. He was flung back again, this time plunging into the water before resurfacing.
His shock deepened. This man wasn't just skilled in Ninjutsu—his kenjutsu and taijutsu were monstrous, his raw strength even greater than Ao's own. He was already brushing the level of a Quasi-Kage!
And if he were to awaken his Sharingan… Ao had no doubt the man would truly stand at that tier.
(Quasi-Kage—shinobi stronger than any Elite Jōnin, yet not quite at the Five Kage's level.)
Shaking off the pain in his hands, Ao leapt out of the water, shouting:
"You're finished! Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
A sphere of water snapped into place, engulfing Uchiha Yu and locking him in place. At the same time, Ao tightened his grip on his short sword, driving it toward Yu's restrained body. One hand maintained the prison while the other struck.
But with a puff of smoke, the body inside vanished.
A Shadow Clone!
A chill shot down Ao's spine. He instantly tried to retreat—
But a voice whispered at his ear, dangerously close.
"Lightning Release: Earth Corridor."
Ao's face froze.
Not good…!
He had intended to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape, but the surge of Lightning Release had already taken hold of Ao's body.
Instantly, a numbing paralysis spread through him.
"You… you deliberately lured me onto the water's surface!"
Ao's shocked voice broke out, his expression grim.
Uchiha Yu seized the opening. With Ao immobilized, he swung his blade in a decisive strike. Ao shut his eyes, prepared for death.
But the killing blow never came.
Instead, Yu turned the blade and slammed the flat edge into Ao's body, sending him flying onto the shore. In a blur, Yu followed, his sword pressed coldly against Ao's neck.
The icy steel stung against his skin. Ao could feel the sharpness, the reminder that his life hung by a thread.
His eyes hardened as he glared at the mysterious Uchiha. A man of such strength—yet he had never once heard his name in the shinobi world.
What Ao didn't know was that Uchiha Yu's power had only skyrocketed within the past year. Naturally, his existence was unknown.
"I won't kill you," Yu said calmly.
Before Ao could recover from his shock, Yu's voice carried on, steady and commanding:
"Go back and tell the Fifth Mizukage this—our Seven Colors Trading Company is not so easily dealt with. I am nothing more than an ordinary member."
"If she wishes to move against us, then she had better be prepared to pay in blood. Your Mist Village only just abandoned the Blood Mist policy… do you really wish to stain yourselves in blood once again?"
"If you want cooperation, we welcome it. We need the strength of the Hidden Mist. And you—likewise—need our strength. This could be a win-win situation. If the Mizukage truly wants to talk… let her come in person."
With those words, Uchiha Yu vanished without a trace, leaving Ao stunned, his thoughts in disarray.
Coughing up blood, Ao felt a bitter clarity settle over him. The man hadn't even used his full strength. And yet, the Seven Colors Trading Company was already proving to be far from ordinary. This matter could only be decided by Mizukage-sama herself.
In the Mizukage's office—
"You're saying… the Seven Colors Trading Company has such formidable backing?"
Mei Terumī's delicate features were stern as she read the report. An enemy of Elite Jōnin-level strength had easily overpowered Ao, and that man wasn't even the leader. Did this mean the Trading Company harbored shinobi at the Kage level?
Were they backed by one of the Great Nations? Or perhaps an entirely new power?
"Interesting," Mei murmured with a faint smile.
"You may leave."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
Ao bowed and withdrew from the Mizukage's office, leaving Mei Terumī deep in thought.
She knew Ao's caliber well. His real identity wasn't "Ao"—that was his codename within the Hunter-nin and assassination unit. His true name was Kawa Ryū Aoba, and he carried a trace of the Hōzuki clan's bloodline.
And yet, even he had been injured by a member of this mysterious Trading Company. Worse, according to his account, the enemy had spared his life only to deliver a message of "cooperation."
The audacity.
She was the Mizukage, the leader of a Hidden Village. For someone to demand that she, of all people, come forward in person… what arrogance.
The number of people in this world who could address her in such a manner could be counted on one hand.
And as a Kage, Mei Terumī had her own pride.
...
TN:
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