No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Third Mizukage dropped from his perch.
A swirling, azure vortex materialized beneath his feet, and the ground instantly glazed over with a sheet of pristine ice. A bone-deep chill radiated outward, flash-freezing the very moisture in the air into a glittering, crystalline mist.
Yuta's pupils contracted.
'Is the Third Mizukage from the Yuki Clan?'
The display bore a strong resemblance to the Yuki Clan's legendary Ice Release. But… something about it felt off. It wasn't quite the same.
To prevent the Kage from targeting his comrades, Yuta chose to seize the initiative. Sage Mode flared to life around him, and a vortex of coruscating light coalesced in his palm.
Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
The sheer, oppressive power radiating from the technique made the Third Mizukage's heart lurch. The annihilation of his Seven Swordsmen had been warning enough—this enemy was formidable. But this formidable? A casually thrown attack with so much chakra?
The Mizukage's eyes finally snapped fully open, understanding dawning on his face.
In response, a torrent of water erupted from his own hand. It didn't splash or pool; it solidified in mid-air, sharpening into a gleaming, translucent blade.
No, blade wasn't quite right. It was a manifestation of chakra, a seamless fusion of Water and Ice nature transformations.
And then, to Yuta's astonishment, the Mizukage made no move to evade. Instead, he raised his chakra-forged blade and swung, meeting the Rasenshuriken head-on.
Yuta's mind reeled. He'd thought Biwa Jūzō blocking a Tailed Beast Ball with the Kubikiribōchō was a feat. To see someone attempt to cleave a Rasenshuriken with a blade of chakra was on another level entirely.
What shocked him more was that it worked.
With a sound like a mountain being sheared, the Third Mizukage was hurled backwards dozens of meters by the colossal impact, his heels carving twin trenches in the earth.
But the trajectory of the Rasenshuriken was violently altered, sent screaming off into the distance where it detonated harmlessly against the barrier. It had been swatted aside.
Yuta's eyes narrowed, analyzing everything. The victory wasn't clean. The Mizukage's chakra blade shattered, dissolving into a splash of harmless water. The blue vortex under his feet winked out of existence.
'A secret technique? A one-time defense?' Yuta shook his head, disappointment crossing his features.
This first exchange had yielded little intel. The man had mastery over Water Release, and likely Ice Release or a similar derivative. If he wasn't of the Yuki Clan, then he must also possess an affinity for Wind Release to facilitate the fusion.
"Yuta! We'll back you up!" a voice called from behind.
"No!" Yuta commanded without turning, his focus locked on the recovering Mizukage. "Handle the other Kiri-nin he brought. The Mizukage is mine. Uncle Nusaku!"
"Understood!"
Uzumaki Nusaku didn't need the order spelled out. With practiced efficiency, he and three other Uzumaki clansmen dashed to the four corners of the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, the familiar purple flames erupted skyward, sealing the two combatants inside the Four Violet Flames Formation once more.
Outside the barrier, Meyuri clenched her fists, a pang of helpless frustration striking her.
She knew, rationally, that charging into that cage would only become a liability for Yuta. Their power levels were not yet in that league. Knowing it, however, didn't make the feeling any less bitter.
Her violet eyes, glowing faintly, swept across the remaining Kirigakure shinobi. A cold smile touched her lips.
'If I can't help him in there, I'll make sure no one disturbs him from out here.'
To the Kiri-nin, her figure suddenly seemed to waver and fade, becoming a translucent ghost before vanishing entirely from their sight.
In reality, Meyuri hadn't moved an inch. Standing perfectly still, she formed a single hand seal, and her Genjutsu unfurled like a silent, poisonous bloom.
Genjutsu: Five Senses Manipulation!
'Drown in a world of my making.'
——
Inside the violet-lit barrier, the Third Mizukage watched the sealing flames rise. A cold, humorless smirk twisted his lips.
"Heh. Confident, aren't you?" His voice was a dry rasp. "You killed those fools, I take it? To be so strong at your age… Konoha has indeed birthed a monster. Well then. Killing a monster of Konoha here won't be a total loss."
The death of his Seven Swordsmen was a grievous wound to the village, a pain that lanced through him. But if he could crush this prodigy here and now, the trade-off… might just be palatable.
"That's if you're capable of it," Yuta replied, his voice steady.
Now, with the barrier sealing away the outside world and protecting his allies, his hesitation vanished. He could cut loose.
Sage Art: White Rage Technique!
This was a reward from a past life simulation. While the Sage Arts he wielded now had evolved beyond the pure canon of Ryūchi Cave, the techniques granted directly by the simulation were still his to command.
His version, however, was different from Kabuto's.
From Yuta's mouth, an orb shot out, reminiscent of a draconic pearl. It began to orbit his body, spinning faster and faster until it became a blur of blinding light. Then, with a soundless pop that was felt more than heard, it exploded.
Not with force, but with light.
A supernova of brilliance flooded the sealed space, leaving no shadow, no corner untouched. The Third Mizukage had no time to blink, no time to react. He was simply… consumed.
In an instant, his world shattered. Sight—gone. Sound—silenced.
Even his chakra sense, his ability to feel the presence of others, was scrubbed away. All that remained was a void of disorienting numbness and the pulse of his own combat instincts.
'Damn it! What kind of jutsu is this?!'
Flash bombs existed, of course. The Fourth Hokage's famous combination technique utilized them. But those only robbed you of sight.
'This… this was an annihilation of perception itself. He was adrift, blind and deaf in his own skull.'
He couldn't locate Yuta. He couldn't predict the next attack. Any movement could be a fatal mistake. Forced into a desperate defense, he rooted himself in place, every fiber of his being straining to anticipate a blow he could neither see nor hear.
Yuta, protected by the unique parameters of his own technique, saw everything with perfect clarity. He saw the mighty Mizukage standing frozen, a statue of vulnerability.
This was not the time for testing, for probing. This was the moment for the killing strike.
Spirit Transformation Technique!
Sage Art: Spirit Form!
Sage Art: Spirit Devouring Spiral Sphere!
He would end this with his ultimate technique, in one flawless, decisive motion.
'I can't just stand here!'
A lifetime of battle screamed at the Mizukage. He didn't know what the boy was preparing, but the strange, paralyzing vibration that had accompanied the light still tingled in his limbs. To wait was to die. Instinct overrode logic.
With a roar that was soundless in his own silent world, he poured his chakra outward, manipulating the moisture in the air and the ice at his feet into a thousand deadly points.
Water Release: Cutting Rain!
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