Uchiha Fugaku's heart sank to the bottom.
In an instant, hundreds of Konoha shinobi scattered in desperate retreat, but it was nothing more than a futile struggle before death.
With just a single glance from his rapidly spinning three-tomoe Sharingan, Fugaku could already tell how terrifying the chakra contained within that massive wave truly was.
If a large-scale Water Release ninjutsu of this level crashed down on them, then among the hundreds of Konoha shinobi present, only a handful would survive by sheer luck.
And even if they somehow endured this disaster, they would still have to face the final desperate counterattack from the Hidden Mist shinobi afterward.
"It's over…"
Compared to the despair on Konoha's side, the Mist shinobi—who had been forced into a corner step by step until now—were filled with joy.
They had finally survived.
Finally, they would be able to avenge the comrades who had fallen in the bloody battle before this.
But then—
Why did the Third Mizukage suddenly look terrified?
"Retreat! Move back immediately!" the Third Mizukage shouted urgently at the Mist shinobi.
"???"
The Mist forces were completely stunned.
Weren't they the ones holding the absolute advantage now?
Shouldn't they press forward immediately and deliver the final blow to the Konoha shinobi?
Why retreat instead?
Then, in the very next moment, despair spread across every face as an enormous shadow swallowed them whole.
It was a tsunami that should never have appeared within the Lake of the Hidden Mist.
It was even larger than the previous wave, carrying a pressure and destructive force far more terrifying than before.
And its target was unmistakably—
The Hidden Mist shinobi themselves.
Thus, in the span of a single breath, the emotions on the Mist side shifted from ecstasy, to confusion, and finally to utter despair.
BOOM—!!!
Without the slightest suspense, the second tsunami-like wave instantly devoured the Third Mizukage's Water Release ninjutsu before surging toward the Mist shinobi with undiminished force.
The sheer pressure churned even the storm clouds in the sky.
"We're saved!"
"It's Uzuki-senpai!"
"As expected, Uzuki-senpai's Water Release is the strongest!"
Cheers immediately erupted across the Konoha side as the survivors rejoiced after escaping death.
"That level of Water Release..." Takano muttered blankly as he stared at the sword-wielding figure standing atop the tidal wave. "Even the Second Hokage probably wasn't much stronger than that…"
"Sensei... has become even stronger." Shisui's two-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Shimizu... I never imagined he'd surpass even the Mizukage." Megumi's expression was equally shocked.
"This level of explosive power... and that amount of chakra..." Even Fugaku was shaken beyond words. "Has he broken through to Kage level?!"
With the insight of his three-tomoe Sharingan and his vast experience, he instantly recognized the overwhelming difference in both the quality and quantity of chakra between the two Water Release techniques.
A Mizukage who had stood at the Kage level for years was actually inferior to Shimizu Uzuki in Water Release mastery?
"Clan Head Fugaku... let's kill the Mizukage first!" Riding atop the giant wave, Shimizu charged directly into the Hidden Mist defensive line.
"Good!" Fugaku answered with delight.
"Then let's move!"
…
The moment he saw the terrifying tsunami, the Third Mizukage immediately erected a massive wall of water before himself.
The Yuki Clan shinobi beside him instantly understood his intention. At the same time, they activated Ice Release and completely froze the water wall into a gigantic crystalline barrier.
The instant the ice wall formed, the terrifying tsunami crashed down with overwhelming force, sweeping across the entire lake.
BOOM—!!!
Under the immense pressure, horrifying cracks spread rapidly across the crystalized ice barrier.
But in the end, the Ice Release defense managed to withstand the tsunami.
"We stopped it!"
Although only a little over thirty Hidden Mist shinobi remained alive, they had not lost yet.
They still had the strength to fight.
"The enemy's here!"
The one charging in from the crest of the tsunami was the Konoha shinobi known as Shunshin Shimizu.
And beside him was the head of the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Fugaku.
Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Crescent Moon Dance!
Three identical figures suddenly appeared within the Hidden Mist formation, slashing toward the Third Mizukage from three different directions at once.
"Mizukage-sama, be careful! They're all real bodies!" a shinobi from the Yuki Clan shouted in warning.
"Protect Mizukage-sama!"
Six Mist shinobi rushed forward simultaneously, intercepting all three shadow clones and stopping the assault cold.
The surprise attack had failed.
"Clan Head Fugaku!" While still suspended in midair, Shimizu began forming hand seals.
At the same time, Fugaku had already completed his.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
A massive and ferocious fire dragon erupted from Fugaku's mouth, and the raging flames instantly swept across the lake.
The intense heat generated enormous amounts of steam, obscuring everyone's vision in moments.
He was trying to divide the battlefield.
If they wanted to kill the Third Mizukage, they first needed to isolate him by separating the Hidden Mist shinobi from the fight and creating a smaller battlefield.
But with Fugaku's strength alone, there was no way he could hold back the counterattack of more than thirty enemy shinobi.
Fortunately, Konoha's reinforcements arrived at that moment. The assault from hundreds of Konoha shinobi instantly crushed the Mist's attempted counteroffensive.
Still, in a battlefield engulfed by dense white steam, how many people could truly tell where friend or foe was located?
"Protect Mizukage-sama—!" Some Mist shinobi shouted anxiously after losing sight of him.
"AAAH—!" Others were ambushed and killed by enemies hidden within the thick mist.
"Kill them!" Enraged by the deaths of their comrades, the Hidden Mist shinobi launched increasingly desperate attacks.
"Keep using Fire Release on the lake surface!" Fugaku ordered.
Soon, scorching heat and endless white steam covered the entire battlefield.
…
The Third Mizukage sprinted across the water's surface.
At his side remained only one final shinobi from the Yuki Clan.
"Mizukage-sama, we—"
A flash of lightning suddenly tore through the mist.
The Yuki Clan shinobi never managed to finish his sentence.
"…Shunshin Shimizu." For the first time, a trace of fear crept into the Third Mizukage's voice.
How had the enemy discovered his location?
How had Shimizu launched such a precise and lethal attack?
That sudden burst of lightning clearly meant one thing—
Shimizu had already been lying in wait here for quite some time.
Most of the Mizukage's guards had become separated during the chaos, and now even the last one beside him had been killed by Shimizu.
What awaited him next… was likely pursuit by hundreds of Konoha shinobi.
And leading them were two monsters:
"Shunshin Shimizu" and the head of the Uchiha Clan.
Shimizu slowly lowered his left hand, still crackling with lightning chakra, and watched as the corpse before him sank into the lake.
Through the dense steam, the two could only vaguely make out each other's silhouettes.
"What kind of deal did you make with Tobi and the others?"
"How do you know about them?!" The Third Mizukage's expression changed instantly.
Uchiha Fugaku was rapidly approaching this position now. Clearly, he had also discovered where the Mizukage was hiding.
"Why are those two helping you search for a jinchūriki?"
"Hahahaha…" Believing he had finally found a chance to survive, much of the fear in the Third Mizukage's heart faded. "It's not impossible for me to tell you…"
"But first, you have to—"
Before he could finish stating his condition, nine blue-white streaks of lightning attacked from every direction at once!