Just a few days ago, Gekko Chizan had confidently declared that his strength had already reached Kage-level.
But looking at it today—heh—he was still some distance away from a true Kage. Not that it mattered, because he wasn't fighting alone.
Inside him, Chōmei was his partner. Not enough chakra? Use Chōmei's. Not enough attack power? Use Chōmei's.
As long as Chōmei was there, Gekko Chizan brimmed with confidence.
If he said counterattack, then there had to be a counterattack. Taking hits endlessly was not Gekko Chizan's style.
"Urokohane, get ready to bite him to death!"
Flying Thunder God activated, man and snake warped away together.
The next second, the small snake that had been entangled in water currents midair instantly appeared beneath the sea surface.
There, a little snake clamped onto a kunai engraved with a jutsu formula swam beneath the Third Mizukage's feet.
As Flying Thunder God triggered, Urokohane suddenly appeared below the Mizukage, gaping its bloody maw and lunging upward.
"Space–time ninjutsu?"
"This should be the Second Hokage's invention, right? Hmph. Instead of properly advancing Water Release, he wasted time tinkering with these pointless ninjutsu experiments."
"Perfection and refinement—that is the true path of the strong."
The Third Mizukage evaded at extreme speed while casually voicing his disdain for the Second Hokage.
Meanwhile, the battle was deadlocked. Beneath the waves, the electric eel Kaiga tangled with Jinlin. No matter how much current Kaiga unleashed, Jinlin absorbed it all—sometimes even showing a look of enjoyment.
On the surface, the Water Giant held off Yamoryū and Kurohebi at once, refusing to yield an inch.
Neither Kurohebi nor Yamoryū were suited for close combat as giant serpents; they could only chip away at the Giant bit by bit with their unique abilities.
By now, Gekko Chizan had reappeared on the sea's surface via Flying Thunder God, watching the Third Mizukage and weighing his options.
It was then that Yamoryū's voice rang out.
"Chizan, something's wrong with that man. His mind is filled with an unfamiliar chakra—he's being controlled!"
Yamoryū's ability was sound waves. With her varied frequencies, her perception ability was exceptional. By now, her sound waves had completely enveloped the battlefield.
Enhanced by natural energy, she could clearly sense the Mizukage's condition.
"Being controlled?"
"Genjutsu?"
"To actually control the Third Mizukage… dammit, could it be Uchiha Madara?!"
For a moment, Gekko Chizan's thoughts raced. To control a Kage-level shinobi with Genjutsu—only the Uchiha clan's eye techniques could manage such a feat.
And in this time period, only one person could possibly do it: the hidden Uchiha Madara.
But why… why would he control the Mizukage to assassinate him?
A terrifying thought struck him.
Could it be that Uchiha Madara, through Zetsu's scouting, had discovered he'd taken Chōmei—and deemed him a real threat?
Heaven help him. If that was true, he'd just been added to a death list!
"Since that's the case—Transformation Jutsu!"
If there was one jutsu in the shinobi world Gekko Chizan loved most, it had to be the Transformation Jutsu.
Simple and effective.
With a shift in form, Chizan once again became the armored figure of Madara.
"Third Mizukage, look closely—who am I?!"
With a roar, Chizan stood tall on the sea, glaring at the Mizukage.
His logic was simple: if Madara truly had placed the Genjutsu, then the moment the Mizukage saw Madara himself, he should immediately stop moving.
"I don't care who you are!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Frenzy!"
As countless water dragons rose, Chizan froze.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
"Aaagh! Why isn't it working?!"
"I'm flying!"
The Third Mizukage's killing intent bore down, making Chizan lose confidence. Could it be that this wasn't Madara's doing after all?
But then he realized—hah, he was being stupid. At this point in time, Uchiha Madara was already a frail, dying old man. How could he possibly look like his Warring States self?
Dodging another fierce strike, Chizan frowned deeply.
"Chōmei, give me more chakra—I'm fighting back."
"You've been taking hits all this time! That's all you've been doing?!"
"Mm… yeah, pretty much…"
Chōmei was speechless. He'd given plenty of chakra already, and this kid had done nothing but get beaten!
"Crystal Release! Mirror Image Clone!"
Crystals shimmered. Chizan split into ten, all rushing at the Mizukage.
"Hmph. Finally daring to attack me head-on?"
"Brat, a heretic like you should just die obediently."
"Water Release, Violent Water Wave!"
It was a minor Water Release technique, yet from the Mizukage's mouth, it carried crushing pressure.
The ten Chizans leapt in unison, weaving hand seals together.
"Crystal Release, Crystal Prison!"
The greatest advantage of Crystal Release—turning anything into crystal, even seawater.
Tenfold power burst forth. Chakra howled, and the waters surrounding the Mizukage instantly crystallized, trying to bind him.
"A decent kekkei genkai."
"Water Release, Water Formation Pillar!"
A towering column of water erupted skyward. Though it too began crystallizing, it bought precious time by slowing the process.
The Mizukage used the moment to leap high, escaping the trap.
But Chizan's true self had been waiting all along.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Countless snakes lashed out, seizing the Mizukage's body.
The opening appeared.
"Got you—Slash!"
Crystal wings sharpened, falling like a blade.
The Mizukage's brow twitched, but he remained unruffled. Water gushed from his skin, condensing into a blade.
"Water Release, Water Blade!"
The water-forged sword shattered the snakes.
Clang!
Two blades that weren't really blades collided, spraying shards of water and crystal alike.
"Tch! Tough bastard!"
Chizan abandoned his wing blade and thrust his fist toward the Mizukage's face.
Both men were still midair. The Mizukage had nowhere to dodge and could only swing his fist in return.
To outsiders, it was a simple aerial clash. But for Chizan, this was exactly what he wanted—contact.
When their fists met, the Flying Thunder God's mark instantly appeared on the Mizukage's hand.In the blink of an eye, Chizan warped to his side.
Both were blasted back by the impact.
"A mere brat… your taijutsu isn't bad."
"Too bad… in the end, this world is—"
Ssshk!
The Mizukage had just landed and begun to speak when something felt wrong. He jerked sideways—too late.
Agonizing pain ripped through him. A crystal longsword had pierced his right arm.
The wielder was, of course, Gekko Chizan.
"No wonder you forced close combat…"
"A space–time ninjutsu marker, is it?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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