Dawn was just beginning to break.
Because the surrounding terrain dipped into a low basin, Shimizu's Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave quickly transformed the entire area into a surging, restless sea.
Shukaku stood in the middle of it, momentarily stunned, its massive body rising above kilometers of churning water. For as long as it could remember, it had existed in an arid desert where rain was scarce and water even scarcer—how could it have ever witnessed a flood of this magnitude?
Now, waves of deep blue crashed endlessly against its massive form. Almost instinctively, it raised its claws and slammed them down onto the water's surface.
A tremendous splash erupted.
"It really is the sea! Ahahaha!"
Overcome with curiosity, Shukaku began wildly slapping the water again and again, almost… playing in it.
Shimizu had long since given up any desire to reason with a creature this erratic. Right now, all he cared about was exploiting this fleeting moment of carelessness to achieve his goal.
Instant Water.
A true space-time technique—one that required no hand seals.
With a few silent flashes, Shimizu slipped through space itself, reappearing soundlessly behind Shukaku.
All that remained… was to climb onto its back.
And even now, Shukaku seemed utterly unaware.
Idiot…
But just as Shimizu was about to close the final distance, a sharp, piercing whistle tore through the air beside his ear.
Shukaku's massive tail lashed toward him like a blade.
"Caught you off guard, didn't I? AHAHAHA!"
Instant Water!
One jump wasn't enough to escape its range.
Another—then another—
Boom!
The enormous sand-forged tail came crashing down like a falling guillotine, releasing an unstoppable force that slammed into the ocean below, instantly throwing up a towering wave.
Cold sweat broke out across Shimizu's forehead.
Good thing I hadn't left the water just now… otherwise…
"Hm… strange," Shukaku muttered, sounding mildly surprised. "With your speed, you shouldn't have been able to dodge that."
Its long tail swayed restlessly, poised to strike again at any moment.
That tail was far too dangerous.
And more troubling still—despite not detecting his approach directly, Shukaku had somehow sensed his position in advance, as if it had been waiting for him to walk straight into a trap.
Until he figured out how it was tracking him, Shimizu didn't dare attempt another close-range assault.
So instead, he began circling Shukaku at high speed, weaving across the water's surface in search of even the slightest opening—a single chance to turn the tide.
Ripples spread endlessly in his wake, marking his path across the sea.
"Hey, stop running in circles—you're making me dizzy."
Shimizu ignored it completely.
"I said, stop running around like an idiot!"
To Shukaku, he was nothing more than an annoying fly buzzing endlessly at its ears.
At last, its patience snapped.
Wind Release: Air Bullet!
A massive sphere of compressed wind chakra screamed through the air toward him—
Instant Water!
Boom!
The projectile detonated violently upon impact, sending towering waves crashing in every direction and further agitating the already turbulent sea.
But Shimizu had already vanished, reappearing elsewhere as he continued circling relentlessly. With every second he bought, he regained a little more chakra… and drained a little more of Shukaku's patience.
"You… are seriously irritating."
The Air Bullet was powerful enough to cripple a thirty-meter serpent in a single hit—something even beings like Manda or Xinya could only withstand a few times at most.
If even a glancing blow struck Shimizu… there wouldn't be anything left of him.
And yet—
Using a cannon to swat a fly.
No matter how destructive the attack, if it couldn't hit its target, it meant nothing.
Another Air Bullet roared through the air—
Boom!
As expected… the attack missed again.
"Then let's try this instead!"
Wind Release: Rapid Air Bullets!
Shukaku opened its maw and unleashed dozens of compressed wind spheres in rapid succession, saturating the entire area around Shimizu in a relentless bombardment.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Explosions roared one after another, the overlapping shockwaves shaking the sea itself and triggering a surging, localized tsunami.
"Got you this time, didn't I?! Nowhere left to run, huh?!"
But when the smoke and chaos began to settle… Shukaku suddenly realized something was wrong.
Within its sensory range—Shimizu had vanished.
…Where was the sand it had attached to him?
Had the violent waves just now… washed it all away?
Before it could think any further, a sharp pain suddenly tore through its abdomen.
Beneath the rolling blue waves, a streak of cold green light flashed—sharp, relentless, and hungry—as it carved viciously along Shukaku's underside.
Only then did it realize—
The moment Shukaku began that devastating barrage, Shimizu had already dived beneath the surface, decisively entering his Fisherman Mode.
He had nearly forgotten he still had this move.
Hidden safely underwater, Shimizu had then noticed something strange—Shukaku seemed… lost, as if searching blindly for his position.
Its perception had failed?
Whether it was due to the water or some other factor, Shimizu couldn't be sure.
But one thing was clear.
If the enemy couldn't pinpoint his location… then he could go all out.
In one fluid motion, he drew his blade. Infused with Wind Release chakra, its edge pierced effortlessly through Shukaku's sand armor, slicing in again and again in a relentless storm of attacks.
"Ah—! That hurts! That hurts!" Shukaku howled, its voice rising in genuine pain.
It lashed out wildly, claws smashing into the water in an attempt to catch the figure beneath the surface.
At the same time, it twisted its massive body, trying to shake off the unseen attacker clinging to it.
But it was all in vain.
In the water, Shimizu was more elusive than an eel—so slippery that Shukaku couldn't even brush the edge of his clothing.
"Don't get cocky, brat!"
Wind Release: Rapid Air Bullets!
Shukaku gathered an enormous amount of wind chakra once more and hurled dozens of massive spheres straight into the sea below—
Damn it!
By the time Shimizu realized what it was about to do, it was already too late to evade.
So many compressed wind blasts detonating in the same area… even Shukaku itself would take damage from such a reckless attack.
But Shukaku was a being formed from immense chakra. As long as its reserves remained, it could endure.
Shimizu, on the other hand…
If even a single fragment of that wind chakra grazed him, he would be torn apart instantly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shockwaves shook the entire sea, sending waves dozens of meters high crashing into the sky.
In that split second between life and death, Shimizu could only raise a Water Wall, pouring chakra into it to shield himself from the devastating blast.
The next moment—
A sphere of water, with a human figure trapped inside, was blasted high into the air by the overwhelming force.
Shukaku's grin twisted into something savage.
"Got you at last, little rat!"
Its massive claw snapped forward, seizing the water sphere in its grasp as crushing pressure closed in from all sides.
The water barrier rippled violently, trembling as though it might collapse at any moment.
To maintain its integrity, Shimizu was forced to pour out even more chakra…
But at this rate—
He would die.
"Sensei!" Shisui's voice rang out across the raging sea.
Standing atop the surging waves, his Sharingan spun—
And from those tomoe-marked eyes, a single tear of blood slipped down.
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin