The whistling sound of air being torn apart shrieked in his ears. In his overhead field of vision, a crimson shadow shot forward like a piercing arrow!
The Third Mizukage's first target was Shin, who appeared to be the eldest member of the squad.
Under the crushing pressure of the situation, Shin didn't even have time to perform the Super Beast Imitating Drawing to summon his protective Fūjin and Raijin. He could only draw the kunai-sword from his waist and swing it toward the rapidly approaching Third Mizukage!
The strike was sharp and swift—clearly the result of countless hours of training—aimed directly at the throat of the oncoming Mizukage.
However... "Testing your blade in front of me?"
A cold sneer echoed in the ears of the four-man squad. With a slight tilt of his head, the Third Mizukage evaded the strike. He glided low to the ground, and the moment he closed the distance, he pinned Shin's arm with one palm. Simultaneously, he drove his other elbow forward, slamming into Shin and forcing him back two steps. In a blur of motion, the Mizukage spun on his heel, planting one foot while delivering a powerful kick to Shin's abdomen with the other.
As Shin was sent flying, the sword in his hand slipped into the Third Mizukage's grasp!
The Mizukage gave the blade a casual flourish, pivoted on his toes, and lunged forward again, swinging the sword toward Yamato!
Yamato's expression shifted. Just as he was about to use Wood Style, a ninja sword swept in from the side with immense force!
Wearing a mask to conceal his Byakugan, a cold-eyed Hyūga Yū appeared before the Third Mizukage, parrying with his own blade.
Clang!
Blade met blade, sending a shower of sparks flying!
Hyūga Yū held the strike steady, not yielding an inch.
"Good strength. It's just... your posture is pathetic!"
From this close range, Yū could clearly see the man's face—filled with indifference and mockery. The Mizukage slightly rotated his blade, using his edge to guide Yū's sword into a slide. With a quick flick of his wrist, he slammed the pommel of the sword into Yū's chest!
Thump!
The force, like that of a heavy sledgehammer, sent Yū flying three meters back. But in the next heartbeat, Yū acted as if he felt nothing. He dug his toes into the ground to bleed off the momentum and charged back in with a calm expression. He swung his blade using basic Konoha Swordsmanship, but he held the weapon less like a sword and more like a precise scalpel, aiming it directly at the Third Mizukage's forehead!
"Ho...?" The Third Mizukage's squinted eyes opened a fraction. That blow should have shattered several of the boy's ribs. Yet, Yū acted as if he were entirely oblivious to pain. This strange development piqued his interest.
The Mizukage rose onto the balls of his feet, his steps sliding across the ground in a tight circle. He evaded Yū's thrust with a side-step to the left, followed immediately by a rising knee to Yū's abdomen, lifting him half a meter into the air. He flipped the stolen sword into a reverse grip and drove it straight toward Yū's heart!
Despite taking the knee strike, Yū reacted instantly, swinging his own blade to deflect the Mizukage's sword. Using the impact to backflip in mid-air, he slightly opened his mouth and spat a poisoned needle hidden under his tongue toward the man!
Shring!Clang!
The Third Mizukage casually swatted the needle away with his sword. He stepped forward, chasing down the retreating Yū. His blade blurred, drawing arc after arc of moonlight-like radiance as he rained down a relentless flurry of strikes.
Under the continuous onslaught, Yū struggled to keep up, his body accumulating wounds. Yet, he stubbornly withstood the Mizukage's tide-like offensive.
Moreover, as the Third Mizukage continued to strike, his sword patterns became increasingly clear in Yū's eyes. Even as he took a beating, Yū was constantly copying the man's peerless Hidden Mist swordsmanship.
At the same time, the Third Mizukage stared at the wounds beneath Yū's torn clothes, which were constantly knitting back together. He began to see the pattern. "Medical Ninjutsu?"
"The swordsmanship is mediocre, but the reflexes are fast. He can pre-distribute chakra to the impact point and heal the wound the moment it happens... This is..."
"Yin Heal Wound Destruction!"
"Tch." The Third Mizukage frowned slightly. "Has the Hidden Leaf really fallen so far that they have to send a medical ninja of this caliber to the front lines?"
With that thought, the Mizukage lost interest in playing with Yū. For the first time, he channeled chakra into the blood-red wings growing from his back. Whoosh!
The wings flapped, and a shockwave erupted!
The Third Mizukage's figure vanished instantly from Yū's line of sight!
Yū immediately switched to his overhead vision, his sight looking down from above in a fifty-meter radius. By pulling his perspective back, he was finally able to keep up with the enemy's movement speed. His gaze locked onto the Third Mizukage, who had moved rapidly behind him—into what should have been a blind spot.
The moment the Mizukage bared his blade, Yū felt the blood in his own body vibrate. It churned violently, as if it wanted to burst out of the wounds the man had already inflicted!
Thanks to the repulsive force inherent in his teal-colored chakra, the invisible chakra being applied to Yū was slightly pushed away. He forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit blood, but the boiling sensation left his body stiff and his movements sluggish. He wouldn't be able to swing his sword fast enough to defend. Seeing this, Yū narrowed his eyes.
No choice. I have to try that!
Yū's pupils constricted as he gritted his teeth. A thin film of teal chakra rapidly coated the surface of his body.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. Inside his body, the teal chakra surged frantically. Under the state of his newly activated Byakugan: Wind Style Chakra Mode, chakra erupted from every tenketsu, rushing toward his arms and his blade.
Within the transparent vision of the Byakugan, Yū's right arm suddenly swelled. Inside that arm, countless Wind Style chakra scalpels propped up his muscles, allowing a massive gale to form 'slender air currents' within his body. He was artificially creating a 'meridian' so thick it defied belief.
Then, using the massive thrust generated by the gale flowing through his arm, Yū forced his limb into motion. He used the swordsmanship he had just copied from the Third Mizukage to predict the position of the next strike. Ignoring his own defense, he bet everything on his next swing!
All the chakra in his body flowed through the massive 'meridian' in his arm and into the sword, utilizing the technique of Wind Style: Vacuum Blade.
The influx of such violent chakra caused the blade to instantly sprout countless cracks!
Wind, imperceptible to the naked eye, erupted from those cracks. The faint moonlight shone upon the blade, first condensing into a brilliant white glow. Then, those rays passed straight through the invisible wind, reflecting in countless directions through refraction. In the next instant, the sword in Yū's hand seemed to vanish entirely.
At the same time, the Third Mizukage's eyes turned cold. "Die, medical ninja brat!"
He held his sword before him, and with a flap of his wings, he vanished with a thunderous boom. He transformed into a crimson beam of light, charging straight at Yū!
Shring!
Right then, Yū whipped his body around, swinging his right arm and allowing the gale to spin him like a whirlwind!
As the Third Mizukage watched in stunned silence, Yū took the man's sword strike directly to the chest. Simultaneously...
"Wind Style: Water Moon Divine Dance!"
Two cold lights shot from Yū's eyes as he swung the 'invisible sword' in his hand!
In an instant, the invisible blade became visible light!
It was as if all the moonlight in heaven and earth had gathered, blended, and ignited upon that blade, only to be unleashed as a terrifying wave of moonlight sword qi!
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