Who the hell was that?!
Someone actually had the nerve to ambush him—Kazuyama—and the scale of this technique was seriously over the top. Water Release? No, this had already gone beyond that. At this level, it had to be Sea Release. Sure, they were near the coast, so the enemy had the terrain advantage, but to pull off a Water Release of this magnitude...
Kazuyama's heart sank. That kind of sudden attack clearly wasn't improvised—it had been planned in advance.
"Tch! Chōmei, send me some chakra! I need to get out from under this damn umbrella!"
"Crap!"
"Again?!"
Before he could finish, more water dragons swirled up around the umbrella, snapping toward him.
"Eight o'clock! Kazuyama!"
"Here's your chakra—get moving!"
Chōmei had already pinpointed the attacker's location and began pouring chakra into him. Without hesitation, Kazuyama formed a tiger seal and drove his hand forward, ramming it into the shimmering blue barrier.
"One Thousand Years of Death Rasengan!! Break open, damn it!"
Who said the Thousand Years of Death could only be used to jab people? With spiraling chakra, Kazuyama turned it into a weapon to smash through barriers.
Boom!
Just before the water dragons struck, he pierced through the umbrella's suppression and shot out.
A moment later, the dragons collided in midair, spraying water like torrential rain across the landscape.
"That was close!"
"Time to prep the field!"
Freshly escaped, Kazuyama wasted no time. He threw kunai inscribed with jutsu around the area and turned his eyes toward eight o'clock.
Sure enough, there was the bastard who tried to kill him.
"What the hell?! Why is the Third Mizukage here?!"
His brain nearly short-circuited. He recognized the man—not well, maybe, but the face was unmistakable. The Third Mizukage of Kirigakure.
The most mysterious, most brutal Mizukage in history. The one who had personally turned the village into the infamous Bloody Mist.
None of that had anything to do with him. What baffled Kazuyama was why such a legendary figure would show up here—and target him.
"Slippery little mudfish... but you have to die."
"Water Release: Fang Cage!"
Standing atop the sea, the Third Mizukage's eyes flashed coldly. His voice was as icy as the Land of Frost.
His hands moved in a blur of seals, and the water around him surged upward, spinning into towering torrents. With a sweep of his arm, the torrents lunged at Kazuyama.
Kazuyama winced. That move... it reminded him of something from a past life. It looked exactly like Bakuryūha from Inuyasha.
Unfortunately, this was no time to reminisce. The technique was already almost on him, and he had no intention of testing its power with his body.
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
There was no time for hand seals. Even if he was fast, he couldn't outspeed those water vortexes. He slammed his palm down midair, instantly summoning serpents from the skies.
Dozens of water tornadoes clashed with thousands of snakes.
The moment they met, a blood rain poured from the sky.
And Kazuyama could feel it—those swirling torrents generated terrifying destructive force. Even the scaled serpents were shredded into pieces the instant they touched the water.
"Damn it... If this isn't Sea Release, then what the hell was Tobirama's?"
Kazuyama had always looked down on Water Release. As far as he was concerned, only Tobirama could be said to wield true Sea Release.
Now, he realized just how wrong he'd been. This man's Water Release wasn't just strong—it was terrifying. Even Kisame or Terumi in the future wouldn't compare.
Sure, terrain advantage played a role, but the sheer power was absurd!
"Screw this—I'm out!"
He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, canceled the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation, and vanished.
Reappearing over the sea, he immediately used Transparent Escape to conceal his presence, waiting for a chance to strike again.
The Third Mizukage, now without a visible target, let out a cold laugh.
"Hiding your presence and form... is that a Kekkei Genkai?"
"If this were Kirigakure, someone like you would've been executed on sight."
"Kekkei Genkai... monsters like you shouldn't exist in this world."
"It's because of you that this world is broken."
For some reason, the Mizukage harbored deep hatred for Kekkei Genkai. Voice dripping with disdain, he made his next move.
"Water Release: Liquid Bloom Technique."
After finishing his seals, he pressed a hand to the sea. No sound, no motion.
But Kazuyama suddenly felt a chill rise from beneath his feet.
"Found you."
His heart skipped. Without thinking, he kicked off and leapt into the air.
The sea beneath him began to boil, water swirling in chaotic motion.
"Sensor-type ninjutsu? Damn... this guy's a total package!"
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The next wave came instantly.
A massive surge of water blasted upward, easily over a hundred meters high.
Kazuyama felt like the ocean itself was trying to crush him.
This is a waterfall?! No, this is a goddamn skyfall!
"Crystal Release: Crystal Barrier!"
There was no land beneath him—he'd be a fool to try Earth Release now. He tapped into his second Kekkei Genkai instead.
A curved crystal wall shot up, shielding him just in time from the massive waterfall's impact.
"Time to fight back! Don't think I'm some pushover!"
"So what if you're a Mizukage? It's not like I've never fought Kage-level enemies!"
"Crystal Release: Torrential Pear Blossom Needles!"
As the waves receded, the crystal barrier shattered into fragments. Under his control, the shards morphed into thousands of senbon, launching his counterattack.
"Hmph? Two Kekkei Genkai?!"
"You freak!"
Seeing the sky filled with crystal senbon, the Mizukage's fury spiked.
One Kekkei Genkai was already detestable. But this brat had two?
He had to die. Now. Immediately. No delays.
Enraged, the Mizukage canceled the chakra at his feet and dove straight into the sea with a splash.
The icy water did nothing to cool his rage—instead, it only made the fire burn hotter.
This battle was far from over. It had only just begun.