As Jūzō shouted, Kakuzu sprinted through the corridor, hesitating for only a fraction of a second before speaking. "If you dare try to escape on your own, expect a pursuit far more terrifying than your Fourth Mizukage. No one, no one, dares to cheat the Yorozuya, and no one cheats Kakuzu out of his money!"
With that, the Earth Grudge Fear threads binding Jūzō instantly uncoiled. Jūzō regained his freedom; though his injuries weren't fully healed, moving under his own power was far better than being carried like a sack of potatoes by Kakuzu.
"I get it! Money, money, money... you're obsessed!" Jūzō grumbled, keeping pace with Kakuzu. "Where's my blade? That's a top-tier Ninja Sword. Give it back! I can't fight at full strength without it!"
"Full strength my ass! Just don't be a liability!" Kakuzu cursed, having no intention of returning the Kubikiribōchō.
Releasing the man was already a difficult concession for Kakuzu. As for the Kubikiribōchō? Impossible. If Jūzō ended up dead here, Kakuzu at least wanted to walk away with a legendary weapon as collateral to offset his losses. If Jūzō died with the blade or got captured, Kakuzu would be left with a massive net loss. Given his nature, the sword was staying with him.
Jūzō continued to swear, but Kakuzu remained unmoved.
The two burst out of the inn. The moment they stepped into the courtyard, the ground erupted. Like a geyser, two high-pressure streams of water tore through the turf, rising like fangs to strike at them.
"It's the Water Fang Bullet Technique!" Jūzō identified immediately.
"I don't need a play-by-play!" Kakuzu huffed. He found Jūzō's commentary grating; clearly, their personalities didn't mesh. I've been in the shinobi world longer than you've been alive; do you think I can't recognize a common Water Release jutsu? Instead of yapping, Jūzō should have been focusing on the Mizukage.
With a flick of his feet, Kakuzu used a Body Flicker Technique to vanish from the courtyard. In the next breath, he stood atop the roof of an adjacent building, leaving Jūzō to fend for himself. If a single Water Fang Bullet could take him out, then he deserved to die.
The moment Kakuzu landed, his fingers flew through a sequence of signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!" Kakuzu growled.
The roof beneath him shifted violently as a dragon's head made of solid earth extended from the wall. Unlike the 'Dragon Bullet' techniques of other elements, like Water or Fire, where the entire dragon usually crashes into the target, the Earth Dragon Bullet remained stationary, opening its maw to spit 'Dragon Breath.'
In reality, these were high-velocity projectiles of dense Earth-attribute chakra.
Six chakra bullets fired in rapid succession, whistling through the air with devastating force.
Yagura remained standing on the opposite roof, cool and composed. He didn't even shift his stance, casually forming a single seal.
"Water Formation Wall," he whispered.
Before the earth projectiles could reach him, a curtain of water erupted at his feet. This wall of water didn't just stand there; it began to rotate rapidly around him like a protective sphere. The powerful Earth Dragon Bullets struck the technique one after another, but they failed to penetrate the spinning defense.
Surprise flickered in Kakuzu's eyes. Normally, Earth-style chakra counters Water-style. That was precisely why he had chosen that jutsu. Yet, the opponent had blocked his Earth Dragon Bullet with a mere Water Formation Wall?
What shocked Kakuzu more than the single-seal casting was the fact that the wall was rotating to enhance its defensive properties. A standard Water Formation Wall is a stationary screen of water. This was an advanced, superior version.
He didn't realize that the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, a true master of Water Release, could also make his walls rotate with a casual gesture. It was a high-level finesse technique known only to true masters of the element. (As for why Tobirama, the Hokage, was so proficient in Water Release? Because the Uchiha clan specialized in Fire Release. Whatever an Uchiha was good at, Tobirama made sure he was better at the counter.)
Inside the swirling water, Yagura remained calm. Hidden from Kakuzu's sight by the water, his hands moved through several seals with measured pace.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" Yagura murmured.
His chest expanded like a balloon. An instant later, he spat out a colossal volume of water that seemed bottomless.
This was the same jutsu Hoshigaki Kisame would later use to great effect. Depending on the caster's chakra reserves, this jutsu could fundamentally rewrite the local geography. Kisame was known as the "Tailed Beast without a Tail" due to his massive chakra; Yagura, who could harness the Three-Tails' power, was certainly not lacking in that department.
In an instant, it was as if a dam had burst. A surging flood swept away countless buildings, catching many innocent civilians in its wake. This, after all, was the capital of the Land of Waves. Within moments, the area was transformed into a marshland. Only a few sturdy buildings remained with their top floors poking above the surface like lonely islands in a vast lake.
Kakuzu and Jūzō stood together on a high point. Kakuzu looked around in shock. "Is your Mizukage always this ruthless? This is a residential area! The capital!"
"Don't let the Fourth's gentlemanly appearance fool you," Jūzō criticized harshly. "When he gets serious, he's incredibly violent. He wouldn't hesitate to do this in a town within the Land of Water, let alone here. Why do you think they call it the 'Blood Mist Village'? Cruelty from the top down is the most terrifying kind!"
Before Kakuzu could respond, a figure lunged out from beneath the lake-like surface, propelled by jets of water from his feet.
It was Yagura.
He wielded a strange weapon, a long staff with one thick end and one thin end. The thin end featured a hook, while the thick end was decorated with a green, camellia-like flower. He swung the staff upward, aiming the hook directly at Jūzō.
"Traitor. Death sentence," Yagura said softly.
The attack was too fast. Jūzō, still hampered by his injuries, found himself unable to dodge in time.
Fortunately, Kakuzu proved reliable. With a look of disdain at the 'noob' Jūzō, he flung his arm out. The black threads of Earth Grudge Fear exploded from his limb, weaving a dense web that enveloped Yagura from all sides.
The threads were so thick they were impossible to evade. They first snagged Yagura's weapon, then quickly latched onto his body, beginning to burrow into his flesh. If this succeeded, Kakuzu could rip out Yagura's heart!
He didn't care about the diplomatic fallout of killing a Mizukage. Besides, within the Yorozuya, only he and Orochimaru hadn't killed a 'Kage' yet. Orochimaru was a newcomer, but Kakuzu was a 'founding member.' He felt a bit of competitive pressure being outshined by the likes of Diarmuid and Sasori.
Killing a Kage would suit him just fine.
However, the moment the threads entered Yagura's body, the Mizukage dissolved into a puddle of water.
"It's a Water Clone!" Jūzō narrated again.
"Shut up, you useless waste!" Kakuzu cursed. Did I ask for a commentary?
"You bastard! Who are you calling a waste? Give me my sword, and I'll take your head off right now!" Jūzō roared in anger.
Kakuzu ignored him. Holding a kunai, he scanned the surroundings with grim focus. He spread his chakra sensing wide, but Yagura's signature was nowhere to be found.
"As long as there is water, you cannot escape the Fourth's tracking, and you won't find him. Why do you think he was able to hunt me across an entire ocean? Because he's impossible to shake!" Jūzō added.
This time, Kakuzu didn't snap back. His expression grew even more solemn. This Yagura was a handful. When Diarmuid killed the Third Raikage, was it this complicated?
As Kakuzu searched for his opponent, the massive 'lake' around them began to stir. On the edges of the flood, the water started rising toward the sky, forming a vertical curtain that began to curve inward.
"This is..." Kakuzu gasped. What kind of jutsu was this?
"Dammit, it's the Great Water Prison Technique! Move! We have to get out of range before the curtains close, or this entire kilometer will become the Fourth's water prison!" Jūzō urged. He kicked off the roof, leaping toward the shrinking gap in the sky.
"The Great Water Prison?!" Kakuzu leaped as well, desperate to escape. He had never heard of a Water Prison on this scale. Normally, it was for a single target, but Yagura could turn a square kilometer into a cage? This was insane!
However, as the two reached for the exit, Yagura's silhouette manifested within the rising wall of water. High above them, he formed a simple 'Ram' seal.
"Rain Technique," Yagura whispered.
Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall from the gap in the sky.
"Curse it!" Jūzō shouted. He formed a seal and thrust his hand upward. "Clay Surge!"
A mass of clay erupted from his palm, forming a lid over them like a pot cover. A second later, the seemingly gentle drizzle transformed into a dense barrage of needle-like water senbon!
Because of that split-second delay, the water curtains overhead met, sealing perfectly. They were now trapped inside a massive sphere of water, though the interior was not yet filled.
Then, Yagura spoke softly: "Water Release: Heavenly Waterfall Imprisonment."
He began to pump water into the sphere.
Kakuzu and Jūzō landed back on the roof, watching the water level rise relentlessly. Both men felt a sense of helplessness.
"We're done for," Jūzō muttered.
Kakuzu finally understood Jūzō's fear. This Fourth Mizukage wasn't very famous in the wider world, but he was a monster. How Jūzō had managed to outrun him across the sea in the first place was starting to look like a miracle.