Kimimaro raised both arms. Fine bumps appeared across his skin, and bones broke through the surface, growing out from his palms until they formed two pale-white bone blades.
The edges of the bone blades were sharp enough to cut the air, and the blades gleamed with a cold, bony luster beneath the sunlight.
Shikotsumyaku—the Kaguya clan's kekkei genkai.
Kimimaro made the first move.
He leaped into the air, spread all ten fingers, and fired ten white bone bullets from his fingertips.
Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!
The bone bullets tore through the air, moving as fast as bullets leaving a barrel.
Uchiha Itachi did not retreat. The Sharingan appeared in his eyes, and two tomoe spun rapidly.
In an instant, he judged the trajectory of all ten bone bullets. Each one was aimed precisely at a different chakra point on his body.
Kimimaro's battle instincts were frighteningly sharp. From the very first move, he had aimed to seal his opponent's movements.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi swung his kunai, knocking away every incoming bone bullet.
Using the recoil, Itachi retreated smoothly, formed hand seals, slightly expanded his chest, and spat out a massive fireball.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Orange-red flames rushed toward Kimimaro with a scorching heat wave.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!
Kimimaro's body moved with inhuman flexibility, slipping along the edge of the flames like drifting willow fluff.
Wrapped in bone blades, Kimimaro spun in close. Itachi sidestepped the blade and struck toward Kimimaro's wrist with the handle of his kunai.
Kimimaro flipped his wrist, and the bone blade in his other hand swept upward from below, slashing toward Itachi's chin.
Itachi tilted his head back to dodge, then pointed the tip of his kunai toward Kimimaro's shoulder socket.
Mei Terumī stood beside Kiyohara, the shock in her eyes growing stronger.
She had long known that Kimimaro was the strongest child of the Kaguya clan.
But that child named Uchiha Itachi was only a few years older than Kimimaro, yet in a pure taijutsu exchange, he was not at any disadvantage.
And his Sharingan only had two tomoe, yet he could perfectly predict every one of Kimimaro's movements. Just how had these children been trained?
At that moment, Uchiha Itachi took half a step back.
The two tomoe in his dark eyes spun and met Kimimaro's gaze.
Kimimaro's movements froze.
He wanted to move, but he could not move at all.
Genjutsu: Sharingan!
Kimimaro tried with all his strength to circulate chakra and break free from the genjutsu, but by the time he escaped, a kunai was already pressed against his neck.
Uchiha Itachi held the kunai, his face expressionless.
Kimimaro lowered his head, looked at the kunai before his throat, withdrew his bone blades, and took one step back.
"I lost. You're strong."
Uchiha Itachi put the kunai back into his ninja pouch.
"You're strong too."
Kimimaro straightened. There was no resentment in his eyes.
For a pure battle clan, the process of fighting itself was a supreme pleasure.
Kimimaro turned toward Kiyohara, his gaze lingering on him for a moment.
He was thinking: if the disciple was already this strong, then the master must be unbelievably powerful.
No wonder the world honored him as the strongest Hokage.
The Kaguya clan ninja silently put away their weapons as well.
They were warlike, yes, but not suicidal.
When Senju Hashirama had still been alive, not many Kaguya clan ninja had gone to challenge Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara either.
Otherwise, the Kaguya clan would have been wiped out decades ago.
Kiyohara was not surprised by this result at all. He turned to Mei Terumī.
"Lead the way. It's time to handle the real business."
Mei nodded and led Kiyohara toward the Mizukage building.
After a few steps, Kiyohara spoke again.
"I can let today's matter go, but afterward, you'll come apologize to me. Make sure your attitude is good. Otherwise, how much effort I put in will be hard to say."
Mei's steps paused. She pressed her red lips together.
Of course she understood what he meant.
In simple terms, he was taking advantage of the situation.
But she had no choice.
And the only outside help she could find was Kiyohara, who was taking advantage of the situation.
She took a deep breath, suppressing both the humiliation rising inside her and her uselessly racing heartbeat.
"…I understand. I will."
…
The Mizukage Building, top-floor office.
Karatachi Yagura sat in the wide Mizukage chair, holding a document.
He was small in stature, and his face looked like that of a teenage boy.
The Elder was also seated in the chair opposite him, seemingly waiting for Yagura to make a decision.
Mei Terumī pushed open the office door and bowed respectfully to both of them.
"Mei Terumī."
Karatachi Yagura put down the document and looked up at her.
"What is it?"
"Mizukage-sama, there are some matters regarding the western coastline patrol deployment that I need to report to you in person."
Mei walked forward slowly, eyes lowered, her posture respectful.
When she reached a distance of three steps from Yagura, she took out a scroll from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.
Yagura reached out to take the scroll.
The instant his fingertips touched it, Mei let go.
She formed hand seals with both hands, opened her red lips, and spewed a cloud of white steam so hot it seemed to distort the air.
The map was unrolled, and the dagger was revealed.
Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!
Karatachi Yagura's reaction was far faster than his youthful appearance suggested.
Almost the instant the steam was released, he leaned backward. Unfortunately, he was still half a step too late.
The scalding steam brushed past half his cheek and shoulder, instantly raising a large patch of burns and blisters on his skin.
He grunted, rolled away from the second burst of steam, braced one hand against the windowsill, and opened the distance between them.
"Mei Terumī, have you lost your mind?"
Yagura suppressed his rage. The pain from his seared skin twisted his boyish face.
Bang!
The door was slammed open from outside.
Hōzuki Mangetsu rushed in with a team of Kirigakure ninja, his blade flashing coldly.
The Elder was also in the office. He stared at Mei, who had suddenly attacked Yagura, and then at the ninja outside, his face full of disbelief.
His withered finger trembled as he pointed at Mei.
"Mei Terumī, are you trying to rebel?!"
"I'm not rebelling."
Mei shook her head.
She looked toward the corner of the office, where more than a dozen dark figures emerged from the shadows at the same time.
These were Kirigakure's Anbu, an organization loyal to the Mizukage.
"I'm clearing out the traitors. The Fourth Mizukage-sama has long been secretly controlled by someone. For years, the orders issued here were not the Mizukage-sama's own will at all.
"Have you never doubted it? Those unreasonable deployments. Those intelligence gaps that just happened to avoid key clues. Those kekkei genkai ninja who were sent out and never returned. Did you truly think all of that was coincidence?"
"Seize Mei Terumī at once!"
The Elder slammed his cane against the floor.
One Kirigakure Anbu threw shuriken.
Clang!
Hōzuki Mangetsu knocked the shuriken away with one slash.
"Don't be so impatient, everyone."
Hōzuki Mangetsu said.
For a moment, no one dared to make the first move.
The space here was too narrow. Once a full battle broke out, someone as old and frail as the Elder would be the first to collapse.
Karatachi Yagura covered the burn on his cheek and gave a cold snort.
Then his injuries began to recover.
He raised his hand and waved toward the darkness.
"Take them down."
Seeing this, Hōzuki Mangetsu aimed his blade at the Anbu and shot a water bullet from his fingertip.
Water Release: Gunshot Technique.
The water bullet struck the leading Anbu and knocked him back several steps.
But more Anbu surged out from the shadows, surrounding Mei and Hōzuki Mangetsu.
The ninja behind them also charged forward, and both sides broke into battle.
Rumble!
The narrow office was instantly filled with ninjutsu.
"What's happening?"
A passing ninja looked horrified.
The Mizukage building had already been smashed open, and many ninja fighting figures were scattered outside.
"So much smoke!"
Another ninja spoke.
But the smoke was too thick, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
The collapsed building also blocked their view.
They could only see the ninja who had been thrown outside and were fighting at the perimeter.
"Those are Kaguya clan, Hōzuki clan, and members of other clans. Why are they fighting the Anbu?"
The Kirigakure ninja were dumbfounded.
Was this an armed coup?
Then who were they supposed to support?
Or rather, who had started this coup in the first place?
…
Inside the ruins of the Mizukage building.
Karatachi Yagura stood up from the rubble. The blisters burned into half his cheek by Boil Release were healing at a visible speed.
New skin spread outward from the edges of the wound. The curled, dead skin peeled away, revealing perfectly intact flesh beneath.
Hōzuki Mangetsu tightened his grip on his ninja blade, his narrow eyes narrowing even further.
He had personally watched Yagura's injuries recover in just a few breaths. That kind of recovery speed was not something an ordinary ninja could possess.
"Careful. His regeneration is wrong."
Hōzuki Mangetsu lowered his voice and said this to Mei.
Then he turned into an afterimage and charged toward Karatachi Yagura.
His ninja blade was covered in a layer of high-speed vibrating water-nature chakra, producing a piercing hum.
Water Release: Water Vibration Blade Technique!
Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique!
Hōzuki Mangetsu used two techniques in succession.
The muscles in his arm suddenly swelled, becoming thicker than his torso.
The strength behind his grip instantly multiplied several times over as he slashed horizontally toward Karatachi Yagura's neck.
This slash had reached the limit of his speed and strength. The airflow it kicked up even swept the broken stones on the ground into motion.
Karatachi Yagura struck out with one palm.
A shield made of coral-like material appeared in front of him out of nowhere.
Clang!
The ninja blade struck the coral shield.
Hōzuki Mangetsu felt a massive recoil travel up the blade, numbing the web of his hand so badly he nearly lost his grip.
And on that coral shield, only a shallow white mark remained. In the next instant, new coral filled it in.
"That's all you can do?"
Karatachi Yagura's right hand reached out from behind the coral shield. A layer of blue chakra appeared over his palm.
That chakra quickly condensed into coral-like crystal, covering his entire hand.
Coral Palm!
Even without the Three-Tails, Karatachi Yagura had managed to achieve a similar effect through his own study of Water Release.
Hōzuki Mangetsu instinctively tried to retreat, but he had put too much force into that slash. His previous strength had just been spent, and his new strength had not yet formed. His feet could not move in time.
He could only watch helplessly as the coral-covered palm struck toward his chest.
At the moment that palm was about to hit Hōzuki Mangetsu, a cloud of scalding white steam surged in from the side, rushing straight toward Yagura's face.
Mei Terumī had made her move.
Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!
The temperature of that steam was terrifyingly high. Even the air twisted under the heat.
Karatachi Yagura had no choice but to withdraw the hand aimed at Hōzuki Mangetsu and dodge the direct impact of the steam.
The white wave of superheated vapor brushed past his shoulder and melted half of the collapsed wall behind him into a pool of dark-red magma.
Hōzuki Mangetsu took the chance to retreat.
His chest rose and fell violently. Several strands of his silver-white hair had been curled by the steam, and a layer of cold sweat seeped across his forehead.
"Thanks."
He said between breaths.
"Don't be careless. His strength is far beyond what it used to be."
Mei could not make sense of it.
This did not match the strength Karatachi Yagura normally showed at all.
What did she not know?
Mei frowned. She felt that the Yagura before her was not only abnormal in recovery, but that his strength, speed, and reactions had all risen by more than one level.
"You think this is enough to defeat me?"
Karatachi Yagura tilted his head.
He raised his right hand, palm facing upward. A stream of water emerged from his palm and slowly spiraled around his wrist.
Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!
The water rapidly expanded in his palm, turning into an oval water mirror.
The mirror's surface was as smooth as glass, clearly reflecting Mei Terumī and Hōzuki Mangetsu.
Then two figures simultaneously leaped out from the mirror, becoming mirror images identical to Mei Terumī and Hōzuki Mangetsu.
The two mirror clones attacked from left and right at the same time.
Mei's mirror clone opened its lips and sprayed a cloud of scorching steam.
Mangetsu's mirror clone swung its ninja blade, the blade wrapped in a high-speed vibrating water edge.
Those were their techniques!
Mei and Hōzuki Mangetsu dodged to either side at the same time.
The Boil Release steam brushed past Mei's shoulder, burning a patch of her sleeve black.
Hōzuki Mangetsu raised his blade to block. Two water-chakra-covered blades collided in midair, erupting in a blinding white flash.
But at that moment, Karatachi Yagura's main body suddenly appeared between them.
Water Release: Body Flicker Technique!
He struck out with both hands at the same time. Both palms were covered in pale-red coral crystal as they aimed for Mei and Hōzuki Mangetsu's chests.
Double Coral Palm!
Mei quickly gathered chakra and cast a technique.
Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
A highly corrosive stream of melting liquid rushed toward Karatachi Yagura.
"Troublesome."
Seeing this, Yagura chose to avoid the technique.
This move was extremely powerful. He did not dare to tank it with his body.
If he were too badly injured, it would affect the rest of the battle.
Because Karatachi Yagura believed that since Mei dared to overturn the table, she must have some kind of trump card.
Otherwise, what they had shown so far was far from enough.
Just as Karatachi Yagura tried to retreat, Mei added another technique.
Water Release: Water Encampment Pillar!
Mei spat a massive water sphere forward. After landing, the water sphere burst into a high-impact surge.
Karatachi Yagura used the Water Release Body Flicker Technique to avoid it.
The Lava Release liquid landed on the ground and melted a deep pit into the floor tiles.
Hōzuki Mangetsu half-knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his blade. There was a cut on his left arm from a coral fragment, and blood dripped down his elbow.
He raised his head, looked at Karatachi Yagura standing not far away, and gritted his teeth.
"What is with his chakra reserves… He's used so many techniques in a row, but he still barely looks affected."
"I don't know."
Mei's expression was also grim.
Her chakra reserves were not especially massive to begin with, and using two kekkei genkai at once placed a huge strain on her chakra network.
"Then we end this quickly."
Hōzuki Mangetsu tightened his grip on his blade again.
The two of them were fighting Karatachi Yagura. The Kirigakure Anbu and the Elder were being handled by the other ninja.
As for Kiyohara, he was their last trump card.
Hōzuki Mangetsu charged at Karatachi Yagura again.
This time, he refined all the chakra he could currently draw out and gathered it into the blade in his hand.
Swish, swish, swish!
Hōzuki Mangetsu swung his ninja blade, leaving one trail of water after another in the air.
Mei coordinated with his attack, forming seals again and spraying out even hotter Boil Release steam.
The steam spread into a vast white mist wall, completely blocking Karatachi Yagura's vision.
Their coordination could be called seamless.
But Karatachi Yagura did not dodge at all. He lifted his right foot and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
With him at the center, a violent burst of chakra exploded outward.
The stone tiles underfoot shattered, sending chunks of debris flying in every direction.
Hōzuki Mangetsu had only charged halfway when the shockwave hit him head-on. His entire body was sent flying backward, crashing hard into a stone pillar in the ruins. Sweetness rose in his throat, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Mei's Boil Release steam was also scattered by the shockwave, turning into countless wisps of white mist that disappeared into the air.
Karatachi Yagura slowly walked out from the white mist. A pale human face was exposed on his chest.
What was that?
Mei frowned.
"It seems you were right to ask me for help, Mei Terumī."
Hearing that voice, Karatachi Yagura immediately thought of someone he hated.
Kiyohara!
Karatachi Yagura tried to use the Water Release Body Flicker Technique to leave, but every ninjutsu had a process before activation.
"0.2 seconds to activate? That's enough."
Kiyohara stood with both hands in his pockets. In his eyes, the world seemed to slow down.
To Kiyohara, Karatachi Yagura's movements while casting ninjutsu were far too slow.
The next instant, invisible Yin Release ocular power spread outward.
That Yin Release eye power struck Karatachi Yagura directly, washing clean the residual ocular power Obito and Madara had left inside his body.
"I… what happened to me?"
Karatachi Yagura looked at his own hands, then at the face on his chest, and suddenly felt lost.
What had he been doing all this time?
Why did he have no memory of it?
And what had happened here?
Karatachi Yagura realized that this place was a field of ruins.
When he looked again, he discovered that it was Kirigakure's Mizukage building!
Seeing this, complicated emotions rose in Mei's heart.
She and Hōzuki Mangetsu had fought with everything they had and still could not defeat him, but Kiyohara had taken away all his ability to resist with only one look.
Was this the strength of the strongest Hokage?
"Ca—"
Mei wanted to warn Kiyohara.
The Elder stood on half of a collapsed stone wall, forming seals with both hands. His withered fingers turned into afterimages before his chest.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Scale Technique!"
His aged face was full of fury. A massive water dragon rose from the puddle beneath his feet.
This water dragon was far larger than an ordinary Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique. The ferocious water dragon opened its jaws and lunged at Kiyohara.
Mei shouted instinctively.
"Careful! The Elder is Kirigakure's oldest Water Release master! His Water Release is extremely strong!"
But Kiyohara did not even glance at the oncoming water dragon.
He merely raised his right hand casually.
Smack.
His palm pressed against the water dragon's head.
That water dragon, formed from high-density water flow and powerful enough to smash through a mountain peak, exploded from head to tail the instant it touched Kiyohara's palm.
The condensed water-nature chakra lost its shape and burst into spray across the sky.
Water rained down over the ground, forming countless tiny streams between the broken stones of the ruins.
The Elder stood in the rain created by his own technique, soaked from head to toe.
His eyes were wide, and his withered fingers remained frozen in a hand seal in midair.
Kiyohara did not give him time to react.
He threw another punch through the air.
The resulting blast sent the Elder flying.
Bang!
The Elder slammed into the wall. His aged body slowly slid down the cracked stone surface and collapsed at its base.
He did not die on the spot because Kiyohara had held back.
Mei stood where she was, lips slightly parted, Kiyohara's back reflected in her eyes.
She suddenly felt that everything she had done earlier had been a waste of effort, as though she had gone in a giant circle for nothing.
She and Hōzuki Mangetsu had fought with all their strength and used every method available, yet they had not even defeated Karatachi Yagura.
And Kiyohara?
He restrained Karatachi Yagura with one look and shattered the Elder's Water Release technique with one palm.
If that was the case, why had she gone through all the trouble of contacting the Hōzuki clan and Kaguya clan and carefully planning this operation?
She could have simply made a deal with Kiyohara alone.
And while doing all of this, Kiyohara had never once looked strained or nervous from beginning to end.
At that moment, dense footsteps came from the distant street.
Kirigakure's higher-ups had heard the commotion near the Mizukage building and were leading a large number of ninja toward this place.
Mei snapped back from her daze.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the wildly beating heart in her chest, and lifted a hand to tuck the damp strands of hair stuck to her cheek behind her ear.
Mei quickly walked to Kiyohara's side and lowered her voice.
"Kirigakure's higher-ups are coming. Step back for now. I'll handle this."
Kiyohara raised his brows slightly and glanced at her.
"You're Konoha's Hokage. If they see you here, things will become very complicated."
Mei explained quickly, speaking faster than usual.
"I know you're not afraid of them, but this matter is best resolved by me, a Kirigakure ninja.
"Otherwise, even if things settle down, Kirigakure's higher-ups will think Konoha has been manipulating Kirigakure's internal affairs from behind the scenes."
Kiyohara looked into her emerald-green eyes and nodded with a half-smile.
"Fine."
He turned and walked toward the shadows of the ruins.
After a few steps, he stopped and added without looking back.
"Remember our deal."
Mei's body trembled slightly. She pressed her red lips together, but in the end, she did not say anything in protest.
Kiyohara's figure disappeared into the shadows.
In any case, from today onward, Kirigakure would be changing masters.