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"To test my limits!"
He declared his resolve to Izuna.
The four Wood Release clones landed before the Four Kage, one by one.
The corner of Gengetsu Hōzuki's mouth twitched. "Hey, hey… I'm known as a gentleman of the Water Style, but using clones to play with us? Aren't you looking down on us a bit too much?"
The clone facing him didn't utter a word. Its hands formed a rapid series of seals—unfamiliar, unseen.
Even with Gengetsu's knowledge, he could only roughly identify them as Water Release hand signs.
"Hmm? Using a clone to show off Water Release in front of me? You think you're that stoic Hokage…?"
On Azure Moon Island, a hundred miles away, Orochimaru gave a hoarse chuckle. "The essence of ninjutsu lies in the ingenious use of chakra. Its power varies dramatically depending on the user."
Snap! The clone completed the final seal, its hands coming together.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The nameless island shook. The ground collapsed in thirteen places. Towering pillars of water erupted skyward, rising hundreds of feet into the air, churning and coalescing with terrifying order—morphing into the shape of a monstrous leviathan.
Gurgle—ROAR—!!
The sound of surging water became the world's only anthem.
As the creature took form, Gengetsu's hands clenched within his sleeves. "Damn it… As the Mizukage, I'm actually awed by water!"
A colossal whale blotted out the sky, casting the land into shadow.
Orochimaru's voice turned solemn. "Indeed. That is the super-S-rank Water Release technique created by Sasuke-kun himself. It bypasses the standard chakra output limitations of ninjutsu… a water projectile with the destructive mass of a meteorite!!"
Gengetsu's smirk vanished. "You trying to sink this island? I don't mind, but you'll be done for too!"
The clone spoke. "You're the Mizukage, right? How can a Mizukage concede defeat in Water Release? If you admit you're outmatched, just say you're all talk. I'll let you off the hook."
Gengetsu scratched his flamboyant pompadour. "Damn it!! I know it's the cheapest provocation, but I can't help taking the bait! Fine! Let's clash, you bastard!"
The Third Raikage shouted across the field. "Old man Gengetsu! Can you really block that?!"
Gengetsu's hands shifted through seals, his usually comical face holding rare seriousness. "That level of Water Release… it's only possible because of Hashirama Senju's monstrous chakra reserves! No human can match it head-on!! But if it's Water Release augmented by the sea itself… that's a different story! And don't call me 'old man'!!!"
ROAR—!!
Beyond the island, the sea churned. Dozens of Water Dragon Bullets surged from the waves, converging above Gengetsu before being compressed to their absolute limit.
RUMBLE…!!
Amidst the ocean's roar, Gengetsu stood like a sovereign of water.
"If I were alive, using this jutsu once would cripple me!! But with the Impure World Reincarnation… that's another matter!!"
An unprecedented volume of seawater was compressed into a single, heavy-caliber projectile—a 'Water Gun' of siege weapon proportions.
The battle-hungry cells in Gengetsu's bones awakened. "Hahahaha…! The Water Gun I used to block a Tailed Beast Bomb when the Six-Tails ran amok in Kirigakure wasn't even this spectacular! It's good to be alive!! …Wait, I'm dead. Whatever! Bring it!!!"
Sasuke's clone grinned. "Now that's more like it."
—Water Release: Divine Whale Fall!
ROAR…!
The leviathan dominating the sky descended with meteor-like force, howling toward the earth!!!
"RAAAAAAAAH…!!"
CRACK! Gengetsu brought his palms together, fingers pointed skyward like a 'Thousand Years of Death' aimed at the heavens.
—Water Release: Realm of Ten Tides!
BOOM!!!
Two cataclysmic Water Release techniques collided.
For a moment, the sky and sea lost all distinction.
A storm of wind and rain, like divine punishment, scoured the land.
Who could possibly be spared?
The Gold Dust Rasa had just extracted was blasted apart by the torrential downpour, unable to coalesce. He himself was drenched, a soggy mess.
The normally unflappable man lost his cool.
"You're both madmen!!!"
Sasuke's power was like a deus ex machina, but what truly stunned Mū was the performance of his old rival. "To think that chatterbox could wield Water Release of this caliber, even with the sea's aid… Hmph. Dying to him back then… perhaps it wasn't undeserved."
The Third Raikage stood firm in the storm, arms crossed, his spirit ablaze. "This is what it means to be a shinobi!!!"
Amidst the clash, Izuna only glanced at the sky once before his eyes locked back on Sasuke. He asked, a curious edge in his tone, "You enjoy this kind of spectacle too?"
Sasuke's reply was measured. "No. Using feints to find an opening, then ending it in one move… that's always been my specialty. Chakra was never my strong suit before this, after all…"
"What a coincidence… Neither was it mine."
Izuna slowly closed his left eye.
Sasuke's Byakugan focused on the pupil, observing the strange, agitated flow of Yin Release chakra within.
Full alert. Chakra pathways in the left eye. A dōjutsu reaction. The left eye's ability… is about to be revealed.
"I never imagined I'd use this dōjutsu… on one of my own clansmen."
Fizz—! Izuna's left eye snapped open.
—Ayakashi!
Whoosh.
Sasuke felt… nothing. No sensation, no change.
But Izuna looked at him as one would a corpse. "Sasuke. I regret to inform you… your life has entered a countdown."
"?" Sasuke's face was blank, utterly confused.
Izuna raised a hand, partially covering his left eye. "Ayakashi. At the cost of thirty years of my own lifespan, it condemns you to die within three months. There is no way to stop it."
"..." Sasuke's expression remained impassive. This sudden death sentence held no sense of reality for him.
Izuna lowered his hand. "I intended to use this on Hashirama Senju. But my brother forbade it. Had I known what would befall our clan… I should have acted on my own will back then."
On Azure Moon Island, an uproar erupted.
Karin: "Hey… is he telling the truth???"
Orochimaru: "So that explains the cause of the First Hokage's death. I finally understand."
Kabuto: "How so?"
Orochimaru: "Three months after the final battle at the Valley of the End between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha… Hashirama-sama died suddenly. Without any warning. Officially, Konoha attributed it to accelerated aging from years of warfare. But the sheer vitality of Hashirama's cells… they should have been impervious to such decay. That conclusion never held water. The Second Hokage's theory was closer—that Madara had used some unknown technique on him. Looking at it now… it must have been this 'Ayakashi.'"
Karin was frantic. "Who cares about that! What about Sasuke!!!"
Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Itachi, whose face had grown grim.
"Itachi. You once said every technique has a weakness. Ayakashi is, in the end, merely a Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu. I've found ways to counter even Rinnegan techniques. So, there's no need for you to worry…"
Beneath his sleeve, Itachi's tightly clenched fist relaxed slightly. "With your words, Orochimaru-sama… I am somewhat relieved."
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