Bang!
Ryūjin did not waste a single word on Yagura Karatachi. He seized him by the arms, exerted sudden force, and slammed him violently into the ground.
"Lord Mizukage!"
Mei Terumī cried out in alarm. Seeing Yagura overwhelmed so quickly, she rushed forward without hesitation.
"Lava Release, Molten Sludge Technique!"
She opened her mouth and expelled a large mass of viscous, corrosive liquid straight at Ryūjin.
It passed through him.
The attack splashed onto the ground behind him with a heavy sound. A sharp sizzling followed as the earth rapidly corroded, sinking inward under the acidic substance.
"Intangibility? That is the same technique that fake Uchiha Madara used. How can he use it too?"
Mei Terumī's expression tightened with both shock and anger. One such ability was already troublesome enough. Now there was another.
It felt impossible to deal with.
Unless they could keep attacking him without pause, just like Yagura had suggested.
"Uchiha really are a problem, one worse than the last." Yagura forced himself back to his feet, his voice heavy with caution.
Slap!
Mei Terumī brought her hands together and formed seals rapidly.
"Water Release, Water Shockwave!"
A high pressure stream of water shot forward, cutting through the mist toward Ryūjin.
At the same time, Yagura used the Body Flicker Technique to reposition himself and launched his own water attack from another angle.
Two powerful streams surged toward Ryūjin from different directions.
Their coordination was precise. Drawing from the dense moisture of the Land of Water, they could maintain this level of assault for a long time. In theory, it would be enough to force Ryūjin out of his intangibility.
But they had made a mistake.
Ryūjin was not Uchiha Obito.
Intangibility was only one of his tools, not something he relied on.
As the twin streams closed in, Ryūjin calmly formed hand seals. Sage Chakra flowed steadily through his body.
"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall."
Rumble!
A massive wall of earth surged upward from the ground. It was not merely a wall, it resembled a fortress, towering and thick beyond what ordinary ninjutsu could produce.
"How excessive."
Watching from the side, Kisame Hoshigaki's eyes flickered with interest as he let out a low chuckle.
"Heh, Yagura Karatachi, I did not expect someone of this level would come for your life… cough…"
Zabuza Momochi, still heavily injured, lay on the ground with a cold smile. Even if his assassination failed today, it no longer mattered. With a monster like this involved, the Mizukage's fate seemed sealed.
"Zabuza-sama, are you alright?"
Haku hurried over, helping him up with visible concern.
"I am fine… cough." Zabuza steadied himself, his gaze fixed on the battlefield where Ryūjin faced both Yagura and Mei alone.
Hōzuki Mangetsu also watched in silence.
As for Yahiko and Konan, the dense mist rendered them effectively blind. They could hear the clash of battle, but saw nothing of what was truly happening.
The water attacks slammed into the earthen wall.
Ssh, ssh!
Under the watchful eyes of the others, both streams were completely blocked.
The wall stood firm without the slightest sign of cracking.
Empowered by Sage Mode, this Earth Style Wall was far beyond ordinary. Defending against such attacks was effortless.
At that moment, as the wall cut off their line of sight, Ryūjin disappeared.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he vanished silently. In the next instant, aided by Kamui, he reappeared directly behind Mei Terumī.
"Chidori Current."
The voice sounded right behind her.
Mei Terumī's heart sank. She immediately realized what had happened, but it was already too late.
Crack!
Lightning erupted, striking down upon her in an instant.
Her body stiffened as electricity coursed through her. With a muffled groan, she collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed and unable to continue fighting.
Ryūjin had held back. Otherwise, that strike would have been fatal.
"Mei Terumī!"
Yagura's voice rose in alarm. Losing her would be a devastating blow to the village.
"What are you distracted for?"
A cold voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Yagura's body tensed.
He had just seen Ryūjin standing near Mei. So how could there be another one behind him?
Realization struck instantly.
A Shadow Clone.
While dealing with Mei, Ryūjin had already prepared another move.
Crack!
Before Yagura could react, lightning struck him as well. His body convulsed as he was slammed to the ground, completely immobilized.
In an instant, both of them were defeated.
Ryūjin walked forward calmly, step by step, his expression unchanged.
Yagura stared at him, his eyes filled with unwillingness and vigilance. He no longer had the strength to resist, no matter what came next.
"Are you going to kill him?"
Kisame asked casually from the side, clearly treating the entire battle as entertainment.
"No." Ryūjin's reply was simple.
Yagura let out a breath, tension easing slightly.
Then Ryūjin spoke again.
"I am just going to extract the Three Tails from his body."
Silence fell.
Kisame's expression froze for a moment.
That was no different from killing him.