As Ren Uchiha's voice faded, the battlefield cleared.
The five Hunter-nin lay defeated. Of the team sent to intercept Yagura and capture Mei, only Mangetsu Hōzuki remained.
The torrential rain stopped abruptly. The dark clouds over the castle dispersed, and the surging waves momentarily stilled. A beam of sunlight pierced through the dome, reflecting off the colorful stained glass and the water's surface, illuminating the entire hall.
In the shadows, Uchiha Madara shook his head. "Running and jumping around... his dancing is barely passable."
Then, he opened his crimson Sharingan, staring at Ren with newfound interest. "But now, facing the brat from the Hōzuki clan, what will you do?"
Behind Madara, the Third Mizukage—trapped in a genjutsu—spoke indifferently. "A mere two-tomoe... he'll likely die here before even forcing Mangetsu to draw his swords. Mangetsu is the successor I am grooming to be the next Mizukage. He is not someone a brat like this can compare to."
Down in the hall...
[The Third Mizukage expresses contempt for you.]
Ren froze at the sudden subtitle. He scanned the room but saw no one. Is the system bugging out? he wondered. That's terrifying. I've run into four or five Kage-level experts in two days. If another one shows up now, while I'm trying to save Mei and fix the timeline... that's too much.
He took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and looked solemnly at Mangetsu. Mock them strategically, but respect them tactically.
Mangetsu glanced at his broken blade, his eyes narrowing. He had never seen an hardening technique of this caliber. It was far superior to any Earth Style: Hardening he knew. His Great Hydrification punch had done nothing to the boy, but had shattered his own sword.
He leaped backward, forming his hands into pistols.
Water Style: Water Pistol Technique!
This was the Hōzuki clan's secret—firing high-pressure liquid from the fingertips like bullets. It was instant, required no hand seals, and had immense piercing power. The Second Mizukage had nearly killed the Third Tsuchikage with this move.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ren'in Sharingan darted around, trying to track the trajectory, but the "bullets" were too fast at this range. He relied on instinct, using Earth Spear to harden the spots where he sensed danger.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of bullets hitting a steel wall rang out. As soon as the hardening ended, Ren wove signs, drew a spiraling Water Fang Blade, and lunged at Mangetsu to stop him from firing again.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!" Ren roared.
Mangetsu's heart skipped a beat. He immediately looked away and performed a backflip, liquefying the area Ren was about to strike. Ren used the opening to hurl four shuriken, followed by a powerful sword throw.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The weapons tore through the air. Ren followed up with a kick, his Water Surface Slice creating a blade of water aimed at Mangetsu's throat. This relentless chain of attacks caught Mangetsu off guard; even with his liquefaction, a few shuriken grazed his arms.
Ren had actually gained the upper hand in that exchange. But his expression didn't lighten. He was compensating for his lack of raw power with pure reaction speed.
Mangetsu, now at a distance, let out a cold laugh. He had seen through the Uchiha brat. Incredible reflexes, flashy shurikenjutsu, decent taijutsu, and a ridiculously tough Earth Style. A fan of diversions and dirty tricks. Annoying.
But... Mangetsu noted, his hardening technique has a flaw. It causes a moment of stiffness. His great reflexes are actually bound by that very move.
Mangetsu crouched low, his gaze turning icy. He slowly drew a scroll from his back. Ren's eyes widened, and he reached for his leg holster—for the scroll containing the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra! He was ready to go into Dark Chakra mode and deliver a Super Activation Punch combined with Earth Spear.
But suddenly, Mei Terumī stepped in front of him, blocking his hand. She looked into Ren's eyes with a steady, emerald gaze. "It's not time yet. Your hunch was right. Leave the rest to me."
"Ren Uchiha... can you trust me?"
Ren frowned, then nodded. Mei turned toward Mangetsu and shouted, "Enough, Mangetsu! This fight is pointless!"
"Pointless?" Mangetsu sneered. "I am here to kill you and that traitor Yagura!"
He unfurled the Seven Ninja Swords Summoning Scroll.
[Twin], [Great], [Thunder], [Severing],[Long], [Blast], [Blunt]!
Seven seal markings appeared. As he stood on a rising tide of water, he looked down at them. "Did you think winning against five burdens meant you had won?"
The water beneath him surged, draining the moisture from the floor to create a massive platform.
BOOM!
A ten-meter-tall water monster erupted from the surface—fearsome, jagged-toothed, and massive. Every move it made caused the hall to tremble.
Water Style: Tate Eboshi!
Mangetsu stood atop this "Water Gundam," holding his scroll. His single purple eye glared down at them. "The game has only just begun."