The mist hung thick over the water as the Third Mizukage stood motionless, blood dripping from his wound into the sea below. He ignored the pain, his focus entirely on finding Hanekawa.
The water erupted.
A compressed stream cut through the air like a blade, aimed directly at his torso. The Mizukage's instincts kicked in—he flickered left, leaving only an afterimage behind.
The water knife bisected it cleanly.
But the technique was faster than his escape. His left leg caught the edge of the blade, and agony exploded through his limb. He dropped to one knee, blood mixing with seawater.
"You're lucky," Hanekawa's voice cut through the mist. "Only one leg."
The boy emerged from the fog like a ghost, chakra crackling around him with visible intensity.
"That was Water Style: Water Break Wave," Hanekawa continued calmly. "Second Hokage's technique."
The Mizukage's face went pale. He'd survived by pure chance—and now his opponent was explaining what he'd done, which meant there was worse coming. He sealed the wound with crude chakra control and forced himself to move, limping toward the stronghold.
He needed backup. He needed Mei and Ao.
Now.
Water surged around Hanekawa as he formed seals. A massive dragon materialized from the sea itself, coiling through the mist with predatory grace. The Mizukage didn't even try to fight it—he just ran, forming seals on the move.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
The defensive barrier shattered like glass against the dragon's assault.
Hanekawa's eyes narrowed. He inhaled sharply, chakra gathering in his throat.
Three needle-thin jets of water shot forward with lethal precision.
The Mizukage spun, water sword manifesting in his hand. He slashed desperately, cutting two of the needles from the air. The third punched through his defense and buried itself in his shoulder.
He screamed.
That moment of hesitation was all Hanekawa needed. The water dragon descended from above like divine judgment, swallowing him whole. When it receded, the Mizukage was gone—only blood and foam remained.
---
Inside the stronghold, the fighting paused.
Everyone heard the screams.
Aoi's eyes went wide. "That's... that's the Mizukage's voice."
Mei Terumi's heart seized. She hadn't wanted Hanekawa to die, but this—this wasn't supposed to happen either.
"Go!" Aoi barked. "Save the Mizukage!"
Mei didn't hesitate. She turned and ran, the surviving Mist ninja following in her wake.
"Stop!" Kurenai called out, but her voice fell on deaf ears. She'd been losing the exchange with Mei anyway—the older girl's command over Boiling Release and Dissolving Release had kept her on the defensive the entire time.
When they reached the shore, the sight that greeted them would haunt them forever.
The Third Mizukage lay motionless in a pool of blood.
"Lord Mizukage!" Aoi's cry of anguish echoed across the water.
The remaining Mist ninja surged forward, but Hanekawa was already gone—flickering away before they could even process his location.
Mei dropped to her knees beside the Mizukage. She reached out, searching for a pulse, for any sign of life.
Nothing.
Her hands trembled. The Third Mizukage—one of the Five Kage, nearly invincible in her mind—was dead. Killed by a teenager.
"We need to leave," Aoi said, his voice hollow. "Now."
There was no argument. Mei wrapped the body in a water sphere and they retreated, the Mist ninja following without protest. Revenge was impossible against someone like that.
---
Hanekawa reappeared beside Kurenai, and immediately scanned the group. His eyes found Rin, and he exhaled in relief.
"Are you hurt?" Kurenai asked, grabbing his arm.
"I'm fine."
"You... you killed the Third Mizukage?" Hizashi's voice shook. The other Hyuga ninja stared in stunned silence. That was one of the Five Kage. One of the five most powerful shinobi in the entire world.
Dead.
At the hands of a child.
Rin's eyes had gone wide, filled with something between admiration and confusion. But when she glanced at Kurenai—at how possessively the red-haired girl held Hanekawa's arm—her expression dimmed.
A notification appeared before Hanekawa's eyes:
[B-Rank Talent Entry: I Am the Water Shadow]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat the Third Mizukage]
[Effect: All Water Style ninjutsu power increased by 100%]
Hanekawa's lips curved into a smile. Combined with his other water-based entries, his Water Style techniques now had a 300% power multiplier. It was absurd. It was perfect.
The sound of something cutting through the air made him turn.
A figure landed in front of them, clad in black robes. A white mask with red spiral patterns covered their face—but Hanekawa recognized the presence immediately.
Obito Uchiha.
But he was different. Larger. The mask wasn't a mask at all—it was White Zetsu, grafted onto his body.
"Who are you?" Kurenai demanded, hand moving to her kunai.
Obito ignored her completely. His attention was fixed on Rin, and when he spoke, his voice came out distorted, layered with something inhuman.
"Rin..."
He stepped forward, and Rin's body went rigid.
"You are not allowed to hurt Hanekawa!" she shouted.
She flickered forward, placing herself between them, and threw two kunai in rapid succession.
Obito's head snapped down reflexively, but the projectiles passed through him harmlessly—White Zetsu's body absorbed the impact.
But his heart shattered.
Rin had just put herself between him and Hanekawa. Rin had chosen to protect Hanekawa.
Scarlet bloomed across his eyes.
Three tomoe appeared, spinning with terrible purpose. The Sharingan's power radiated from him like heat from a furnace.
"Sharingan?" Kurenai's eyes widened. "Who—"
"Why?" Obito's voice cracked. "Why would you do that?"
"Because you're the enemy," Rin said simply.
Hanekawa's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. Rin wouldn't identify an unknown opponent as an enemy so quickly. Not unless—
He grabbed her wrist and pushed chakra into her system.
The genjutsu shattered like glass.
Rin's body went limp, and she fell backward directly into his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, confused and disoriented.
"Ahhhhh!"
Obito's scream tore through the air. The sight of Rin in Hanekawa's embrace, the way she'd grabbed his arm for support—it was too much.
His world collapsed.
I want to destroy this world. I want to create one where Hanekawa doesn't exist.
The three tomoe in his eyes began to move, spinning faster and faster. All of his chakra, all of his pain, all of his rage channeled into those eyes. The tomoe connected, forming a new pattern—a pinwheel, a boomerang, something that made the very air scream.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Power exploded outward from his body, a qualitative leap in strength that made everyone step back.
"Stand back," Hanekawa said quietly, his eyes locked on Obito. "This one's mine."
Rin nodded, still shaky, and moved away. She didn't miss the way Obito's body convulsed with rage at the sight.
Kurenai and the others retreated to a safe distance, though Hizashi's Byakugan tracked every movement, every fluctuation of chakra.
"His eyes..." Hizashi whispered. "I've never felt anything so... wrong."
On a distant mountain, Madara watched with satisfaction.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan," he murmured. "Awakened so young. True talent."
White Zetsu bobbed beside him. "Lord Madara's plan worked perfectly."
"A pure heart," Madara continued, as if White Zetsu hadn't spoken. "When such a person falls into darkness, they become the deepest shadow. He will be perfect for carrying out my will."
"Should we retrieve him?"
Madara shook his head slowly. "Not yet. He doesn't recognize his own nature. Let him vent. And let's see what eye technique he manifested."
Below, Hanekawa stood motionless, calculating.
Obito now possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan—enhanced dynamic vision, increased pupil power, and almost certainly the Kamui technique. If it followed the original timeline, he'd have dual Kamui: one eye for defense through intangibility, one eye for offense through spatial displacement.
The weaknesses were significant, though. The right eye's power required solid objects and had a five-minute cooldown. The left eye's long-range attack had a long wind-up and required line of sight. And most importantly—Obito had just awakened these powers. He wouldn't be proficient yet.
That was Hanekawa's advantage.
He'd known this was coming. He'd prepared for it. And he had three hundred percent power multipliers on his Water Style techniques.
The battle was about to begin.
---
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