The moon-white longsword swept out. In the next blink of an eye, the blade—now visible to the naked eye—shattered into countless fragments wrapped in pale moonlight.
Guided by the wind, these shards coalesced into a jagged, crescent-shaped arc!
Immediately after—VROOOOM!
Like the roar of an engine, the crescent sword aura began to expand violently, hurtling toward the Third Mizukage!
A flash of surprise crossed the Third Mizukage's eyes. He instantly swung his blood wings forward to shield himself while simultaneously twisting his shinobi blade, thrusting it ruthlessly toward Hyūga Yu's heart!
However, just as the blade was about to pierce Yu's chest—a mere centimeter from his heart—CLANG!
The concentrated wind blades sliced clean through the pair of blood wings protecting the Mizukage, severing them at the root!
"Wind Style!?" The Third Mizukage's pupils constricted. He instantly retracted his blade and flipped his wrist. Several streams of blood surged from his sleeves, coating the steel until the entire weapon was dyed a deep, visceral crimson.
Holding the blade steady with one hand and the hilt with the other, he held the crimson sword horizontally to parry the ever-expanding crescent aura.
—SCREEEEEE!
In an instant, the shrill, ear-piercing sound of metal grinding against wind erupted. The crescent aura grew larger and larger. Countless wind blades forcibly pushed the Third Mizukage back more than ten meters. By now, the attack had expanded to over five meters in length and a meter in width. It was less a "sword aura" and more a massive, curved pillar of wind capable of swallowing the Mizukage whole.
Furthermore, due to the nature of Wind Style, the thick blood mist in the area was sucked into the crescent aura, staining the wind crimson. For a moment, the Third Mizukage found it difficult to replenish his blood supply from the environment.
In that brief opening, while the Mizukage was forced to mobilize his own chakra, both Hyūga Yu and Aburame Ryōma—who was struggling on the other side—saw their chance.
"Go!"
The Root agents didn't hesitate. They split into two groups, fleeing in opposite directions at top speed!
With the Kikaichū no longer pinning it down, the churning river of blood surged back to the Third Mizukage, merging into his body.
The blood blade in his hand began to swell and pulse. The steel of the shinobi blade was eroded and melted by the blood until it finally transformed into a massive, three-meter-long blade of gore!
With a single swing of the giant blade, he shattered the moonlight sword aura, sending countless tiny wind blades scattering in all directions.
By then, Hyūga Yu and his team were nowhere to be seen.
The Third Mizukage narrowed his eyes. Through the slits, a flash of violence flickered—a sharp contrast to his usually peaceful expression.
"Hmph... a pack of insects!"
Up until this point, the entire battle had lasted less than a minute. The Hidden Mist Anbu and Tracker Ninjas, having finally sensed the disturbance in the village, arrived belatedly on the scene.
Sensing the approach of others, the Third Mizukage wordlessly dispersed the blood blade, the severed wings, and the river of blood at his feet, hiding the remnants deep within the soil.
The leader of the group, Fuguki Suikazan, looked at the Third Mizukage standing in the center of the devastated battlefield. Seeing that the man's clothes weren't even ruffled, Fuguki—who was usually prone to long-winded chatter—didn't dare utter a single word. He immediately planted Samehada in the ground and knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply.
"Third Mizukage-sama, your subordinates have arrived late!"
The Mizukage turned his head slightly. His face remained as calm as a deep well, but his eyes opened just enough to cast a cold, crimson glare at Fuguki. "Pursue them."
"Yes, sir!"
As if granted a reprieve, Fuguki immediately signaled to the dozen or so Anbu and Tracker Ninjas behind him. In the next instant, they vanished with a series of flickers, turning into black shadows that shot off in the directions Yu and Ryōma had fled.
Once he was alone, the Third Mizukage glanced over his shoulder at the stumps of his blood wings, which were currently being repaired by the gathering blood. He frowned slightly.
"Wind Style of that caliber, and at such a young age... Is Root about to produce another top-tier Wind Style master like Danzō Shimura?"
Although Hyūga Yu's strike had seemed "immature" and hadn't actually broken his ultimate defense, the Mizukage knew the truth. It was only because Yu was facing him that it seemed ineffective. In reality, Yu had used that technique to neutralize the Hidden Blood Mist Technique.
Moreover, during the execution of the entire sword technique, he hadn't seen Yu use a single hand sign. It was a No-Sign Jutsu.
No-sign, Wind Style, high speed, and the ability to unleash thousands of wind blades in seconds—for an ordinary ninja, that was a technique you only saw once before you died.
"But... if that's all he has, then it's a perfect surprise gift for that old ghost. Hmph!"
The Third Mizukage let out a cold laugh. He turned, his blood wings unfurled, and he took to the sky in an instant.
On the other side, Hyūga Yu had his Byakugan active. He followed the route provided by Shin while keeping a close eye on the pursuers and the Third Mizukage's location. His expression was grim.
"Infinite conversion of blood mist, flight, Blood Style that can manipulate the blood in others' bodies, top-tier Taijutsu, and... that strange blood blade that can erode chakra and instantly cut through my 'Water Moon Divine Dance'."
The series of abilities displayed in their first encounter made the Third Mizukage more troublesome than any ninja Yu had ever faced. Specifically, the man's swordsmanship.
While Taijutsu was admittedly Yu's weak point, the dual enhancements from his Byakugan combined with Yin Healing Wound Destruction—which allowed him to trade injuries for hits—should have allowed him to hold his own against a standard Jōnin. Yet, he had been completely suppressed, unable to even touch the hem of the Mizukage's clothes.
Truthfully, the gap was staggering.
This realization solidified Yu's next goal for improvement: Taijutsu.
In this era, eighty percent of a battle was decided by Taijutsu. Top-tier powerhouses were those who could dance between a thousand blades.
While Yu's mastery of Wind Style was quite high, its flaws were obvious: his Wind Style relied too heavily on the environment. The amount of wind he could manipulate in a set space was limited, and it could be countered by terrain-altering ninjutsu. Ultimately, he hadn't solved the problem of "reaction force."
To maintain his Wind Style, he had to sacrifice Taijutsu. He was essentially a glass-cannon turret that relied on the enemy getting close just to recover chakra. His entire combat system had become warped to compensate for his chakra deficiencies.
But now, after integrating eighteen portions of Hashirama Cells and fixing his chakra issues, he could finally change his approach.
The Wind Style: Water Moon Divine Dance was his first attempt at this.
By forming a slender, high-pressure current of wind to circulate within his body, he could allow his muscles to explode with greater power. It was a concept similar to "Inner Qi" from martial arts novels, or the body-altering nature of Water Style: Great Hydration Technique.
Having verified the feasibility, more ideas for Wind Style applications flashed through Yu's mind.
However, he didn't have time to dwell on them. A more urgent problem was right in front of him. Terai, who was running alongside him while performing sensing signs, turned his head and said in a heavy voice:
"Ten-nin, the number of Mist Anbu pursuing us is increasing!"
"The path ahead is blocked. What's the plan?"
Yu looked up. His Byakugan vision stretched three blocks ahead. He saw dozens of ninjas, led by Fuguki Suikazan, already converging to block their only exit.
Yu turned and asked, "Shin, how much further to the safe house?"
Shin held up a wooden board he had scavenged from somewhere. Written on it was:
[3 Kilometers!]
Yu took a deep breath, preparing to lead a breakthrough. He slowly extended his hand, and a sphere of azure chakra began to swirl in his palm, spinning rapidly.
The Rasengan spun faster and faster until a ring of green wind surrounded the sphere, forming a violent, rotating cyclone!
However, at that moment, Yu's eyes shifted. In the block ahead, he spotted a group of figures that took him completely by surprise.
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)