At the same time, the markings around Kiyohara's eyes deepened further.
They transformed into a pattern where orange and red intertwined together.
Inside his Sharingan, an additional horizontal slit also emerged.
Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku!
"Storm Release: Chidori Current."
Bzzzt!
Lightning several times stronger than before erupted violently from his body.
Blue white electric currents surged outward like an inverted waterfall, rapidly spreading in every direction with Kiyohara at the center.
The bone spikes carbonized the instant they came into contact with the electricity.
"What? Storm Release?"
Kaguya Ryuno's shocked voice came from within the forest of bones.
This Kiyohara had actually developed the Storm Release kekkei genkai?
As a shinobi of Kiri, Ryuno naturally did not rely solely on the Kaguya Clan's kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku.
He could also use ordinary Water Release ninjutsu.
As the village with the greatest number of Water Release users, many Mist shinobi also knew that neighboring Kumogakure possessed Storm Release.
Because of that, some shinobi had attempted similar experiments before, but the results had been negligible.
Yet this brat, who belonged neither to Kumo nor Kiri, had actually succeeded in simultaneously fusing Lightning Release and Water Release chakra together to create Storm Release?
"Correct answer, but unfortunately there's no reward."
The corners of Kiyohara's mouth curled upward slightly.
Under his sensory perception, everything around him seemed to have slowed down.
Including the shock on Kaguya Ryuno's face and even the hand seals he was trying to form.
Kiyohara landed back on the ground, and the instant his feet touched the earth—
BOOM!
The ground exploded apart.
If there had been a scoring system, Kiyohara would have given himself full marks for that landing.
In the next instant, Kiyohara vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of Kaguya Ryuno.
"You—"
Ryuno stared at Kiyohara in astonishment.
Then, all he could see was a blade rapidly enlarging within his vision.
That shinobi sword, wrapped in both Wind and Lightning chakra, slashed toward him at terrifying speed.
Too fast.
So fast that Ryuno did not even have time to raise a defense. All he could do was use the remainder of his chakra to harden every bone in his body while simultaneously producing more hardened bone cells.
The blade flashed.
Crack.
A crisp sound of something breaking echoed out.
Kaguya Ryuno lowered his head and saw his upper body separating from his lower half.
A perfectly smooth cut had appeared across his waist. Spine, organs, muscles, everything had been cleanly severed.
His upper body slowly slid downward before landing on the sand with a dull thud.
His lower half still remained standing, while enormous amounts of blood sprayed out from the severed section.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Even the Mist shinobi watching the battle from afar stood there with mouths agape, staring at the scene in disbelief.
Kaguya Ryuno, the genius nicknamed "Spiral Bone Ryuno," had actually been cut in half at the waist.
On the sandy battlefield, Kaguya Ryuno's upper body twitched slightly.
He was still alive.
The immense vitality granted by Shikotsumyaku allowed him to survive even after being bisected.
Struggling, he used his arms to prop himself up, lowered his head to glance at the missing lower half of his body, then looked back toward Kiyohara, who stood before him with blood dripping from his blade.
And then, this battle maniac smiled.
It was a satisfied smile, even carrying traces of madness.
"Hah… hahahaha…"
He coughed up bloody foam, but his eyes shone with astonishing brightness.
"Being cut in half at the waist… truly… a magnificent way to die…"
Kiyohara silently looked at him without speaking.
Kaguya Ryuno adjusted his posture with effort, sitting his upper body up straighter.
He raised his still functioning right hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I can tell… you still weren't fighting at full strength, were you?"
Ryuno spoke slowly.
Kiyohara nodded faintly.
He could still stack Curse Mark State Two on top of this. Right now he was only using Curse Mark State One and Sage Mode.
The shinobi observing from afar looked at one another in shock.
"What is he talking about?"
"He still wasn't going all out even after doing all this?"
Ryuno continued staring at Kiyohara, his eyes filled with regret.
"Our Kaguya Clan is a clan born for battle… and yet I still lost to you."
His voice grew quieter and quieter until it disappeared entirely.
Kiyohara shook his head slightly.
If Kaguya Ryuno had lived during the Warring States Era, or if the Kaguya Clan itself had existed during that time, they probably would have flourished quite well.
But in the shinobi world after the establishment of the Five Great Villages, there would inevitably be periods of peace in addition to war.
With personalities like theirs, sooner or later they would lose control of themselves and ultimately walk toward self destruction.
"I wonder how the other battlefields are doing."
Kiyohara thought inwardly.
Just then, a golden flash suddenly appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
Minato had arrived.
He first swept his gaze across the battlefield. When he saw the bisected Kaguya Ryuno and Lady Katsuyu currently healing the injured shinobi, his brows lifted slightly before he turned toward Kiyohara.
"Looks like I came late."
"Not really."
Kiyohara replied.
"The Third Mizukage is still here."
The real boss battle had not even started yet.
And Kiyohara had a feeling Kirigakure might have even deployed a tailed beast.
Aside from the Three Tails, they still possessed the Six Tails.
According to the timeline, Utakata of the Six Tails should not have fallen out with his master and defected from the village yet.
"Then I'll go scout things out first."
Minato nodded, and with a flash of golden light, his figure disappeared.
Kiyohara also turned around to continue cleaning up the remaining Mist shinobi.
About ten minutes later, an enormous chakra fluctuation suddenly erupted in the distance.
Kiyohara's brows lifted slightly.
Looks like a tailed beast really had appeared.
Kirigakure was determined to tear a massive chunk of flesh off Sunagakure this time.
No wonder, in the original story, Suna had been forced to sacrifice Pakura in exchange for breathing room and a ceasefire.
Even if they won a battle like this, the losses would still be catastrophic. Sunagakure truly had been pushed to the brink of collapse.
He raised his eyes and looked into the distance. Far away, a sea of gold dust churned violently, and with the vision of his Sharingan, Kiyohara could even make out several puppets clad in white robes.
"Rasa and Chiyo, huh…"
Kiyohara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Then, without even looking, he casually sliced a Mist shinobi who had tried to ambush him into two pieces.
On another side of the battlefield—
The Third Mizukage stood atop mud stained red with blood, his aged face expressionless.
Moments ago, Minato had arrived here.
And thus, battle had erupted between the two of them.
Capture the king first to take down the thieves. This principle was just as effective in shinobi warfare.
Moreover, Minato's speed truly was troublesome enough that even the Third Mizukage found it difficult to deal with.
"Blood Release: Blood Dragon Technique."
The Third Mizukage slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers curling slightly inward.
Below him, the lake of blood churned violently as sticky blood condensed into a ferocious crimson dragon. The dragon raised its head high, opened its enormous maw formed from blood plasma, and lunged toward Minato.
Everywhere the dragon passed, the air itself filled with a nauseating stench of blood.
Minato's hands blurred as he threw out more than a dozen kunai.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The kunai split apart in midair, transforming into countless green streaks of light that pierced through the blood dragon.
The dragon collapsed apart, turning back into a rain of blood that fell downward.
Almost at the same moment the blood dragon shattered, Minato's figure vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared directly behind the Third Mizukage. The Rasengan condensed in his palm spun with violently rotating chakra as he slammed it toward the old man's back.
The Third Mizukage did not turn around.
At that moment, his body suddenly became as light as paper, allowing him to evade the attack instantly.
Blood Release: Light Blood Technique!
By altering the mass and density of his blood, he granted his body astonishing mobility.
The Rasengan brushed past the edge of his clothes and blasted a spiraling crater into the muddy ground below.
"A fine technique."
The Third Mizukage spoke, a trace of solemnity flashing through his eyes.
Minato's strength had already fully reached the level of a Kage, and in terms of speed, he had even surpassed the vast majority of veteran Kage.
The Third Mizukage even vaguely felt that this man might very well become Konoha's next Hokage.
If he were Sarutobi Hiruzen, he too would nurture such an outstanding shinobi.
But just as he was preparing to attack again, an unfamiliar will suddenly invaded his mind.
It was Madara, far away within the Mountains' Graveyard, controlling his consciousness through some mysterious secret technique.
"Go test Kiyohara's strength."
Madara's voice echoed coldly.
Though he was far away in the Mountains' Graveyard, he could still observe the situation here and even issue commands.
The Third Mizukage had been subjected to Madara's hypnosis and brainwashing for years. Long ago, he had become completely obedient to Madara's will.
The Third Mizukage glanced at Minato, then suddenly turned around, transforming into a streak of bloody light as he rushed toward the direction where Kiyohara was located.
Minato was briefly stunned. Just as he was about to pursue him, the roar of the Six Tails in the distance suddenly intensified.
Alarmed cries came from the direction of Suna.
The new One Tail jinchuriki who succeeded Bunpuku seemed to be beginning to lose control as well.
Among all the One Tail jinchuriki, only Bunpuku had truly been able to understand Shukaku. Every other jinchuriki was hated by the One Tail.
The later successors would lose control every so often and could never maintain decades of stability like Bunpuku had.
Minato frowned slightly.
With the Six Tails already present, adding an out of control One Tail would create unimaginable destruction.
A berserk tailed beast posed a far greater threat than a single Third Mizukage.
"He's heading toward Kiyohara…"
In the end, Minato chose to trust Kiyohara's strength. Even if he could not win, Kiyohara's ability to fly would at least allow him to escape safely.
He threw out a Flying Thunder God kunai, his figure flashing rapidly through the battlefield as he headed toward the location of the tailed beasts.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The moment the Third Mizukage arrived in Kiyohara's area, he wasted no words and immediately formed hand seals.
Massive chakra surged from his body as the dry sandy terrain around them was instantly flooded by seawater summoned out of nowhere.
In just a few breaths, an area spanning several hundred meters transformed into a giant lake.
Immediately afterward, the Third Mizukage bit his finger and dripped blood into the water.
The characteristics of Blood Release activated, and the entire lake visibly turned dark red before their eyes.
The blood lake churned violently.
"Kiyohara, be careful!"
Kurenai cried out in alarm.
The Third Mizukage waved his hand, and a crescent shaped blood blade formed from highly compressed plasma tore through the air. Its speed was so terrifying that it had already arrived in front of Kiyohara almost the instant it was launched.
The three tomoe within Kiyohara's Sharingan spun rapidly.
At the very instant the blood blade reached him, he wrapped one arm around Kurenai's waist and exploded chakra beneath his feet, launching both of them high into the sky.
The blood blade swept beneath them and cleanly sliced a gigantic rock submerged in the blood water into two perfectly smooth halves.
"Go regroup with Kakashi in the rear."
Kiyohara placed Kurenai down on a high area untouched by the blood water.
"I'll handle things here."
"But…"
Kurenai wanted to say more, but when she met Kiyohara's scarlet Sharingan, the words stuck in her throat.
She bit her lower lip before finally nodding.
"You… be careful."
She knew that remaining here would only make her a burden.
Kiyohara watched her figure disappear behind the shattered rocks before turning around and descending back onto the surface of the blood lake.
Dark red ripples spread beneath his feet while the heavy stench of blood assaulted his senses.
The Third Mizukage stood in the center of the blood lake, his cloudy gaze falling upon the long straight sword at Kiyohara's waist.
"That sword was reforged from the Executioner's Blade?"
He suddenly asked.
"Yes."
Kiyohara admitted openly, his fingers brushing across the scabbard.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are too weak. They don't deserve a blade like this. It's better off in my hands. At least I won't disgrace its material."
A trace of anger flashed through the Third Mizukage's eyes.
Arrogant.
This Uchiha brat was arrogant beyond all limits.
"You will pay for that arrogance."
The Third Mizukage formed hand seals once more as chakra erupted again.
"Water Release: Water Vortex Technique!"
The blood lake surged violently as a massive water tornado rose into the sky.
Dark red plasma mixed within the vortex, and wherever it passed, even the ground itself was torn open into deep trenches. Rocks caught inside were instantly ground into dust.
Kiyohara formed hand seals.
"Storm Release: Thunder Cloud Inner Wave."
The sky suddenly darkened.
Dense black storm clouds condensed out of thin air as lightning crackled within them, producing low rumbling thunder.
In the next moment, dozens of azure bolts of lightning descended from the heavens. Rather than falling in straight lines, they twisted and curved through the air like lightning serpents before crashing into the water tornado.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Lightning collided with water, exploding into vast clouds of mist.
Under the continuous bombardment, the water tornado trembled violently before finally collapsing apart and turning back into bloody rain.
The Third Mizukage's pupils contracted slightly.
Storm Release.
"The fusion of water and lightning chakra natures…"
He muttered quietly to himself.
This was entirely new intelligence.
At least in all previous reports, there had never been any record of Kiyohara possessing Storm Release.
"Back then, I also tried to develop this kekkei genkai, but I was always one step short. I never expected you to actually succeed."
At this moment, he finally understood why that man valued this boy so highly.
This level of talent was truly terrifying.
Most people would already be monsters if they possessed even one bloodline limit. Yet this Uchiha brat, at such a young age, already possessed three kekkei genkai.
Kiyohara did not give him time to continue sighing in amazement.
The Third Mizukage suddenly leapt upward, soaring fifty meters into the air as his chest expanded massively.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
An enormous torrent of water, enough to form an entire lake, erupted from his mouth like a heavenly river overturning itself as it poured down toward Kiyohara's location.
The attack covered such a vast area that evasion was impossible.
Kiyohara raised his head, his Sharingan reflecting the gigantic descending flood.
He took a deep breath as Sage Chakra gathered within his chest and throat under Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Fire Release: Microwave Flame Bullet."
Kiyohara spat out a blazing white fireball.
The instant the fireball appeared, the surrounding air twisted violently from the terrifying heat.
The fireball shot upward against the sky and collided directly with the descending waterfall.
At the moment of impact, the horrifying temperature instantly vaporized every stream of water it touched into towering steam.
The fireball resembled a red hot iron block plunged into ice and snow. Wherever it passed, a massive cavity was forcibly melted through the waterfall itself.
Steam erupted upward, forming a white pillar dozens of meters wide that pierced into the clouds and even disturbed the cloud layer high above.
Across the battlefield, whether they were Leaf shinobi, Sand shinobi, or Mist shinobi, everyone immediately sensed the enormous disturbance.
Violent winds nearly knocked nearby shinobi off their feet while scorching steam blasted against their faces.
"W-what was that?"
A Sand chunin's voice trembled.
"Kiyohara…"
Kurenai stood atop the distant high ground, her hands unconsciously clasped tightly against her chest.
Kakashi spoke calmly beside her.
"Don't worry, Kurenai. That guy Kiyohara… isn't going to lose so easily."
Guy kicked away a Mist shinobi in front of him as green steam erupted from his body.
The Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation, the Gate of Limit, opened!
"That's right! Kiyohara's youth will absolutely not end here! AHHHH!"
Overflowing with boiling passion, Guy immediately charged straight back toward the Mist shinobi.
If there was anyone especially enthusiastic about fighting Kirigakure shinobi, then Guy definitely counted as one of them.
After all, for him, there was the hatred of his father's death.
As time slowly passed, the steam gradually dispersed.
Kiyohara and the Third Mizukage stood more than a hundred meters apart, facing each other across the blood lake where waves constantly rolled beneath them.
Kiyohara felt that the Third Mizukage's Blood Release bore some similarities to the Ketsuryugan.
It simply lacked the enhancement effect on genjutsu.
And the power displayed by the Third Mizukage far surpassed Chinoike Chino by an unknown number of levels.
The Third Mizukage's breathing had become slightly heavier.
The power of that fire jutsu attack had greatly exceeded his expectations. Not only had it completely neutralized the Exploding Water Shockwave, but even the steam backlash had caused his blood and chakra to churn violently.
This Uchiha brat… had to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
In an instant, the Third Mizukage rushed directly toward Kiyohara.
His figure sent twin waves surging across the surface of the blood lake.
At the same time, the Third Mizukage clenched his right hand, causing plasma from the blood lake to rise up and condense into a blood red longsword within his grasp.
Drops of blood continuously slid from the blade.
Clang!
Kiyohara raised his sword to block.
He could feel that his ocular power was subtly increasing during this battle against a powerful opponent.
He had moved one step closer toward entering that entirely new realm.
Then chakra exploded beneath Kiyohara's feet, blasting a crater into the blood lake.
Borrowing the force, his entire body shot upward. Midair, he spun and inverted himself, gripping his blade in reverse before slashing downward!
The blade light aimed directly at the back of the Third Mizukage's neck.
"So fast!"
Alarm bells rang wildly within the Third Mizukage's mind.
But after countless battles, he remained calm even in danger.
The blood lake beside him surged as two gigantic hands made of blood burst from the water, one from each side, grabbing toward Kiyohara in midair.
At the same time, the Mizukage twisted his body and swung his blood red blade horizontally toward Kiyohara's waist.
A three sided assault.
But Kiyohara moved even faster, instantly severing both blood hands apart.
Meanwhile, the Third Mizukage's blood blade had already reached Kiyohara's waist.
Steel Release: Steel Hardening!
Earth Release: Earth Spear!
The skin along Kiyohara's waist instantly turned black with a metallic sheen.
The blood blade scraped across the hardened skin, leaving behind only a pale mark without breaking through his defense.
The Third Mizukage's pupils shrank violently.
And Kiyohara's counterattack had already arrived.
"Storm Release: Thunder Cloud Inner Wave."
This time, the black storm clouds did not appear high in the sky. Instead, they condensed directly above the surface of the blood lake itself.
Crackle!
Dozens of Storm Release lightning bolts burst from the clouds and shot toward the Third Mizukage!
"Blood Release: Blood Body Technique!"
The Third Mizukage shouted as surrounding blood surged toward him, forming a thick suit of blood red armor over his body.
The Storm Release lightning struck the armor.
Bzzzt!
The blood armor indeed blocked the lightning's direct impact, but the characteristic of Storm Release was the fusion of water and lightning, granting the electricity the penetrating properties of liquid.
The lightning slipped through the gaps within the blood armor and instantly pierced deep into its interior!
(End of Chapter)