With a loud bang!
Zabuza was kicked flying as well, crashing down beside Mei. The Executioner's Blade in his hand had already snapped in half.
His aura was weak—clearly the result of excessive chakra consumption.
But that wasn't surprising. At most, Zabuza was only an elite jōnin, while Kisame, who wielded Samehada, was a genuine Kage-level powerhouse.
The fact that he had held out this long was already impressive.
With the two of them defeated, Mei's subordinates could no longer hold the line. Aside from a dozen particularly strong jōnin, the remaining dozens had all been slaughtered.
"Mei-sama, hurry and escape! We'll hold them off!"
"That's right! You're the last hope of the Hidden Mist. You must overthrow Yagura's rule!"
"We don't want our descendants to suffer the same life we did. Please, Mei-sama!"
Even Zabuza stuffed several soldier pills into his mouth and said in a low voice, "Mei, sacrificing myself for others… this is a first for me."
"You have to get away. Don't let our deaths be in vain."
Hearing what sounded like final farewells from her comrades, Mei bit her lip until it bled.
"I won't abandon everyone and run away alone," she said firmly. "Chōjūrō has already gone to Konoha for help. As long as we hold on a little longer, things will turn around."
Thinking of Yuzuru, Zabuza felt a faint spark of hope ignite within him.
If it was that man… maybe he really could make it in time.
With that thought, Zabuza forced his remaining chakra into motion.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The others immediately understood his intent and formed hand seals as well.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
In just moments, a dense fog blanketed an area spanning a thousand meters.
Yagura snorted coldly, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Trying to stall for time? Dream on!"
As the Mizukage, he knew better than anyone how to deal with Hidden Mist ninjas.
"Wind Release: Typhoon Sweep!"
A storm like a raging hurricane swept across the sea, instantly dispersing the thick fog Zabuza and the others had just created.
Kisame formed hand seals. "Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
The Hidden Mist Anbu followed with their own attacks.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Gun Technique!"
"…"
Hundreds of water-style ninjas unleashed their techniques in unison over the ocean, forming a roaring, apocalyptic tsunami that surged toward Mei and Zabuza's group.
Despair appeared in their eyes.
There was no way to dodge.
They could already see their bodies being crushed by the massive waves.
But in the next instant, everyone suddenly felt a chill run through them.
The surging sea and the towering waves dozens of meters high froze solid at the same time.
Everything seemed to come to a standstill.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
…
The sound of footsteps crunching on ice echoed in their ears. Everyone turned to look.
A man with pitch-black eyes was walking across the sea step by step.
With every step he took, the ice on the ocean thickened.
"Yuzuru?!"
Mei cried out in surprise.
Her voice snapped everyone back to their senses, and in an instant, the situation reversed.
The despair on Mei's side vanished, replaced by the joy of surviving a disaster.
Meanwhile, Yagura and his forces grew visibly serious.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
Yuzuru helped Mei up and circulated chakra to give her simple treatment.
Mei's face flushed slightly, her voice unconsciously softening. "Yuzuru… I've troubled you."
"Yagura… he's now the Three-Tails jinchuriki."
Yuzuru smiled. "That saves me the trouble of looking for the Three-Tails."
With that, he walked toward Yagura.
Chōjūrō, standing nearby, was completely stunned.
After following Mei for so long, he had never seen her act like this before…
"It's Uchiha Yuzuru. This is bad."
"What's there to fear? He's alone. Can he really defeat the all of us?"
"Don't be fooled by his bluff. With Mizukage-sama and Kisame-sama here, even Uchiha Yuzuru can't stir up much trouble."
After a brief discussion, nearly a hundred Anbu charged straight at Yuzuru.
The Hidden Mist had long been isolated from the outside world, so they knew little about him.
And those who survived the Bloody Mist policy were all ruthless elites. Even facing Yuzuru, they showed no fear.
"Hmph."
"Ice Release: Thousand Mirror Wheel!"
Yuzuru raised his arm lightly, and a massive, mysterious ice mirror appeared above him.
As the mirror slowly rotated, countless blade-like ice shards rained down upon the charging ninjas.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
…
In almost an instant, the Hidden Mist Anbu suffered devastating losses.
Yuzuru didn't stop. Several massive, high-temperature fireballs formed in his palms, surrounding the Anbu from four directions.
"Scorch Release: Scorching Steam Swamp!"
Under the terrifying heat, the Anbu at the edges were instantly dried into corpses.
Those slightly closer to the center let out miserable screams as they were scorched by the burning steam.
"Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai…"
"Ice Release Kekkei Genkai…"
Yagura's pupils shrank as he muttered, "Impossible… Did Uchiha Yuzuru ask for those Kekkei Genkai clans back then for this?"
"He can actually learn other Kekkei Genkai!"
"How can there be such a genius in this world?"
In the ninja world, Kekkei Genkai weren't passed down only through bloodlines.
Through study and research, ninjas also had a chance to master them.
But unlike bloodline inheritance, where they could be used naturally, mastering a Kekkei Genkai independently required understanding chakra fusion ratios, timing, circulation paths, and activation moments…
The difficulty was self-evident.
As far as Yagura knew, aside from bloodline inheritance, only Ōnoki had successfully mastered a Kekkei Genkai through training alone.
And now, Yuzuru had done the same.
Not just one—but multiple!
"How terrifying~"
Seeing how easily Yuzuru had wiped out nearly a hundred Anbu, Kisame's fighting spirit ignited instantly.
He hoisted Samehada onto his shoulder and stepped forward.
"Fourth Mizukage, let me handle him."