Chapter 201:
Because he was completely surrounded by water, Mitsuki couldn't breathe. He could clearly feel the air in his lungs gradually depleting, and the suffocating sensation was overwhelming.
"These waters are strange!"
Unable to sense the tail kagune behind him, Mitsuki clenched his left hand into a fist, forcing himself to stay calm. He wasn't without a solution to the current predicament—he just didn't want to resort to it.
This was a new ability Mitsuki had gained after devouring Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. According to Kara, it was known as the Kāma mode.
Though activating Kāma granted him immense power, it also gave rise to a vague but terrifying feeling—that he was no longer himself.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Mitsuki glanced over toward Red Tai Wolf.
"You've already lost."
Because the enemy might be affiliated with Hydra, and given the current cooperative stance between the Hidden Leaf Village and Hydra, Jiraiya held back and didn't go for the kill.
"Is that so?"
Haku responded with a sweet smile, then turned into a puff of white mist and disappeared.
"A shadow clone!" Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, twisting his body to evade a surprise attack from behind—a flying knife.
It seemed Jiraiya was on the third level while Haku was on the first, but in reality, Haku had been on the fifth level all along.
From the very start of the fight, it was Haku's clone that had been constantly throwing the flying knives.
"I can't hold back anymore. If I do, Mitsuki won't last much longer..."
Jiraiya shot a quick glance at Mitsuki, then began forming hand seals rapidly. Just as he was about to get serious, Mitsuki also activated his Kāma mode—markings appeared on his left arm, spreading all the way to his face.
"What!"
Zabuza shouted in shock—his Water Prison Technique was being absorbed by Mitsuki's left hand.
Zabuza immediately and decisively stopped maintaining the Water Prison, choosing to distance himself from Mitsuki.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
As a surging water dragon charged at him, Mitsuki remained calm. He didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his left arm again and absorbed Zabuza's jutsu.
"His left hand can absorb jutsu...?"
Mitsuki kept his head bowed. Water dripped down from his hair. He was already troubled enough by the mental presence of Snake Mom—a persona that only surfaced when he was starving. Now, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's consciousness had also taken root in his mind. Alongside his own, the three of them were practically ready to play poker together.
Just then, Mitsuki silently appeared beside Zabuza, pretending to be stoically deep in thought.
The enhancements granted by Kāma mode didn't just allow him to absorb jutsu—it strengthened all aspects of his physical abilities.
"So fast!"
As Zabuza reacted in surprise, Mitsuki lightly struck him with a punch that sent him flying.
"Lord Kōsuke!"
The clash between Mitsuki and Zabuza also drew the attention of both Haku and Jiraiya.
"That marking... is it from the Ōtsutsuki clan...?" Jiraiya slowed his offensive, focusing on Mitsuki's side of the battlefield.
Zabuza, having been knocked back, stabilized his body and landed on the ground. He slapped a hand onto the surface: "Summoning Technique!"
A black suitcase appeared before him.
"No! Lord Kōsuke!"
As Zabuza's companion, Haku knew very well what was inside that black case.
Even someone as strong-willed as Zabuza subconsciously gulped. But in the end, he opened the case. A black, living substance burst out and clung to Zabuza's body, gradually forming the shape of armor.
"Hekija Armor... Fusion..."
Zabuza groaned in pain.
Though it could dramatically boost the user's stats, the Hekija Armor came with a price—it continuously devoured the user's body while attached.
"Argh!"
Wielding his broadsword, Zabuza charged at Mitsuki. Mitsuki's tail kagune countered his attacks repeatedly, but it could only leave shallow marks on the black armor covering Zabuza's body.
In the blink of an eye, Zabuza was already in front of Mitsuki, completely disregarding Mitsuki's offense as the two exchanged blows.
One relied on the protection of his armor; the other relied on his extraordinary regenerative ability.
Blood sprayed from Mitsuki's unmoving form. Zabuza, panting heavily, furrowed his brow.
"Is he dead...? No—wait!"
Mitsuki's tail kagune twitched, then lashed out and sent the adjusting Zabuza flying.
"What insane vitality... If I don't finish this quickly, that armor might devour me down to the bone..." Zabuza struggled to rise, assessing the situation. "Damn it... I have to risk everything..."
He pressed a button on the collar of his armor and groaned in agony.
Zabuza's Hekija Armor began to evolve. This time, even his head was encased. His own blood started seeping out through the gaps in the armor.
"Hekija Armor... feast...!" Zabuza locked eyes with Mitsuki and charged again with increased speed. "Haaah!"
Zabuza's broadsword blurred into afterimages. Mitsuki was forced to retreat continuously, gradually unable to keep up.
"Though his power has surged tremendously... to think he's using his own body to fuel the armor... Damn it... I just need to hold on a little longer..."
In the end, it was Mitsuki who outlasted him in this battle of endurance.
Zabuza staggered back a few steps and dropped to his knees, blood spurting everywhere.
"Lord Kōsuke!"
Without sparing a glance for Red Wolf, Haku rushed to Zabuza's side. Using all his strength, he ripped the Hekija Armor off Zabuza's body—flesh and all. Zabuza's bones were laid bare.
"It won't let go... Argh... it feels like I'm being devoured completely..." Zabuza turned toward Mitsuki and said, "Haku... this isn't good."
On the other side, Jiraiya had arrived beside Mitsuki. While Mitsuki was in slightly better shape than Zabuza, it was obvious he couldn't continue fighting either.
"You alright, Mitsuki?"
"Mm." Mitsuki nodded slowly. "Just... a bit hungry..."
Restoring his body required an enormous amount of energy, and for ghouls, that energy came from eating.
"...You mean, food?"
Because Mitsuki rarely ate in front of others, Jiraiya had deliberately ignored the fact that Mitsuki was a man-eating monster.
Long-absent due to hunger, Snake Mom reappeared before Mitsuki, tempting him once again.
"..." Slowly losing consciousness, Mitsuki silently walked toward Haku and Zabuza, his body moving purely on instinct to feed.
The reason he didn't attack Jiraiya was that Jiraiya's current body wasn't human—it was that of a wolf.
"Juuzou, run..."
"No!" Haku stood in front of Zabuza, holding a flying knife, his voice firm.
Just as Mitsuki lunged to attack, Jiraiya suddenly kicked him aside from the flank. He turned to Juuzou Suzuya and Kōsuke Hōji and shouted, "You two, run!"
With no time to question why their enemy was doing this, Haku quickly helped Zabuza up and began retreating.