Hanekawa frowned slightly.
There was a deviation in the script.
In the original timeline, Nohara Rin would be captured first, then Uchiha Madara would seal the Three-Tails into her body. Now the Three-Tails was attacking Konoha's base camp while Rin remained a thousand meters away at a separate position.
The math didn't work. She couldn't become a jinchuriki on that timeline.
Which meant only one thing: Uchiha Madara had changed his plans.
Butterfly effect, Hanekawa thought grimly. Everything's different now.
Mei Terumi, however, looked relieved.
With both Tsunade and Hanekawa here, they couldn't return to defend the village. The only person back at Konoha's main camp who could threaten a tailed beast was Chiyo—and her puppet techniques had limited range against creatures that massive.
Hanekawa's eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked into place.
This was a separation tactic. Force one of them to leave. Divide and conquer.
The question was: who should go back?
Logically, he was more useful in defense. But Uchiha Madara was here—and Tsunade didn't know that. Didn't know to prepare. If something happened to her while he was gone...
Can't explain where I got that intel anyway.
Besides, Hanekawa had just acquired a B-Rank Talent Entry: 'Seven Attributes Special Jonin'—which granted him resistance to genjutsu. He was better equipped to handle the Sharingan user than Tsunade was.
"Teacher, go back and provide support!"
Hanekawa used a Body Flicker to appear in front of Tsunade mid-thought.
"But—" Tsunade's hesitation was immediate. She'd reached the same conclusion.
"We can't lose the base camp," Hanekawa said firmly. "Nearly a thousand ninja are there. If the Three-Tails isn't stopped in time, the casualties will be catastrophic."
Tsunade studied him for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. The Third Mizukage isn't worth—"
"How dare you discuss strategy in front of me!"
The Third Mizukage's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!
He formed seals with practiced precision, his body arching backward as a torrent of water—thick as a tsunami—rushed toward them.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
Hanekawa's hands slapped together. An earth barrier erupted from the ground, ten meters high and three times thicker than standard. The water crashed against it and exploded into spray.
Tsunade felt her confidence settle. Right. Hanekawa wasn't just a water specialist.
"Be careful," she said, already turning to leave.
"Earth Style?" The Third Mizukage's confidence wavered slightly. A prodigy in water jutsu shouldn't be equally proficient in earth. Time and talent had limits.
"Mei Terumi, assist the others inside."
"Yes, sir."
Mei glanced at Hanekawa from across the battlefield, her expression unreadable. Don't die, you pervert, she thought, then vanished into the base camp.
---
"I heard you defeated the Four-Tails using Water Style," the Third Mizukage said, his tone almost conversational.
"Yes." Hanekawa tilted his head. "Are we chatting now?"
"Not small talk." The Mizukage's eyes were cold. "Your water jutsu is impressive, but not the strongest. The Hidden Mist Village perfected water techniques centuries ago. You're a child playing with our art."
Hanekawa understood the subtext immediately. The Mizukage's pride was wounded. A Leaf Village ninja—barely a teenager—had become more famous for water jutsu than the entire Mist Village.
"My water jutsu might not be the strongest," Hanekawa said calmly, "but it's definitely stronger than yours."
And if I beat him with Water Style, there's a good chance I'll get a new entry.
"Insolence!"
The Third Mizukage's face darkened. His hands moved through seals with lethal precision.
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Hanekawa gathered chakra in his throat and expelled it as a compressed stream. The water expanded mid-air, transforming into a massive dragon that roared toward his opponent.
The Third Mizukage had only made three hand seals.
The Hidden Mist Village's version required forty-four.
Water Style: Water Ball Technique!
Transparent bubbles materialized around the Mizukage. When the water dragon struck them, explosions erupted in rapid succession. The dragon shattered into rain.
The Mizukage waved his hand casually, and more bubbles formed a defensive perimeter.
Water Style: Water Bullet!
Hanekawa fired compressed water projectiles from both hands. They struck the bubbles with precision, detonating in controlled bursts.
"Good," the Mizukage acknowledged.
Then he was airborne.
Water Style: Explosive Water Wave!
His cheeks puffed impossibly large. Water roared from his mouth like a broken dam, forming a lake-sized impact that crashed down from above.
Body Flicker!
Hanekawa stepped backward—but the water followed, flowing like a living thing.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
An earth barrier shot up. Hanekawa leaped over it, chakra surging through his feet, and landed on the surface of the newly-formed lake.
The Third Mizukage had vanished.
Without hesitation, Hanekawa drew the Thunder and Fire Sword.
Lightning Style: Attract Thunder!
Dark clouds materialized overhead. Lightning bolts rained down into the lake in a devastating cascade.
The Third Mizukage erupted from the water a split-second before the electricity could reach him. That was close.
"What a hassle," the Mizukage muttered, studying Hanekawa with new respect. Water Style alone was manageable. But combined with Earth and Lightning? This was becoming complicated.
Then Hanekawa did something unexpected.
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!
He aimed it not at the Mizukage, but at the dark clouds above.
The rain stopped.
The Third Mizukage smiled. "After all, you're young. Inexperienced. Rainwater strengthens water jutsu for both of us. Your effort was wasted."
"You're right," Hanekawa agreed, his expression calm.
But I have the B-Rank Entry: Rain God. 100% bonus in water environments. You don't.
"Then the battle officially begins," Hanekawa said.
His hands moved through seals.
Water Style: Great Explosive Water Wave!
The sea erupted. Water fountained upward like a geyser, pulling the lake with it, creating waves that towered overhead.
The Third Mizukage leaped—but the rain transformed into a water dragon that roared after him.
"Why so fast?!" His heart seized. There were no hand seals. No incantation. Just instant execution.
He dodged, but the dragon's tail caught him. The impact sent him plummeting toward the sea.
He recovered mid-fall, forming seals as he entered the water.
Water Style: Water Prison Technique!
A transparent cage of water formed around him, both shield and cage.
Another water dragon fell from above.
The Third Mizukage's eyes flashed with anger.
Water Style: Cutting Rain!
Water flowed like razor-sharp blades, slicing through the descending dragon.
"Wrong," Hanekawa whispered.
The severed dragon released a torrent of lightning that spread through the water prison.
The Mizukage screamed as electricity coursed through him. Water conducted the current perfectly—amplifying it.
He released the prison immediately and submerged himself in the sea.
Eye of the Heart.
Hanekawa closed his eyes. His spiritual perception pierced through the water, locating his opponent instantly.
Water Style: Water Rush Wave!
His hands clapped together. The surrounding sea water spiraled inward, forming a tornado with the Third Mizukage at its center.
The Mizukage's eyes widened. He couldn't fight this head-on. Not in water. Not against someone who controlled it like this.
Body Flicker!
He erupted from the sea, gasping for air.
The Third Mizukage looked at Hanekawa—still standing calmly on the water's surface—and finally released his contempt. This water jutsu could indeed defeat a tailed beast.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!
Thick fog erupted from his mouth, so dense that visibility dropped to zero. As the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village, he was a master of this technique. It was his domain.
---
On a distant mountain, Bai Zetsu watched in shock.
"The Third Mizukage is being suppressed!"
"He's talented," Uchiha Madara said casually. "Few ninja his age can pressure a Kage. But his strength isn't sufficient yet."
He'd hoped the one transferred away was Hanekawa, not Tsunade. Hanekawa was far more troublesome.
"Will this affect your plans?" Bai Zetsu asked.
"No." Madara's tone was absolute. "He's not strong enough. Not yet."
"As expected of Lord Madara!"
"Where is Obito?" Madara asked.
"He passed through the Land of Rain and entered the Land of Rivers. He should arrive within thirty minutes."
"And Tobi?"
"With him."
Madara nodded. Tobi was essential—both to mask Obito's identity and to possess him if things went wrong, amplifying his power when needed.
---
In the thick fog, the Third Mizukage moved silently behind Hanekawa.
The boy was looking around, searching blindly. Victory was finally within reach.
Water Style: Water Fang Blade!
Water condensed into a rotating blade in the Mizukage's hands. He thrust it toward Hanekawa's back at lethal speed.
The blade pierced clean through.
No blood.
The Mizukage's expression shifted. It was a water clone.
Hanekawa's form dissolved into puddles.
The Mizukage's instincts screamed a warning. He looked down.
Detonating talismans. Dozens of them. Floating on the water.
"What the—"
BOOM!
The explosion was catastrophic. The shock wave obliterated the fog, sent waves crashing across the sea, and slammed into the Third Mizukage's body.
He flew backward, his clothes torn, blood staining his skin. The pain was intense, but he forced himself to stand, alert.
Why doesn't the Hidden Mist Technique work on him?
And how is his water jutsu so powerful?
The Third Mizukage's confidence had finally shattered.
He was no longer facing a talented child.
He was facing a monster.
---
[A-Rank Ninjutsu Entry: Water Style Mastery]
[Trigger Condition: Suppress a Kage-level opponent using Water Style techniques]
[Effect: Water Style jutsu power increased by 50%. Chakra consumption reduced by 30%. Automatic water environment creation within 500 meters.]
[Note: Cannot be synthesized]
Hanekawa felt the notification settle into his being like a key turning in a lock.
Perfect.
---
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