As his feet skidded backward, deep grooves were carved into the ground. His back slammed heavily against his shield, and the force tore open the skin between his thumb and index finger, causing blood to seep out.
Zzzzt—
The crackling of thunder was sharp and piercing, even amidst the deafening roars of the raging sea beast.
Tetsuya instinctively looked up—above!
A strike targeted the gap in his defense. Yagura kicked off with force, propelling himself forward as he swung his blade.
"Lightning Flash!"
A deadly bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky amidst the storm!
"Damn Mist rat!"
With a flicker of movement, several round chakra shields formed in midair between Tetsuya and Yagura!
Yagura's blade struck the barriers, clashing against the layered defense.
At that moment, Tetsuya finally got a good look at the Mist ninja who had been pressing him to this point.
Well, almost.
The enemy wore a Kirigakure Anbu mask, concealing their identity. From what little he could make out, the ninja wasn't particularly tall or muscular—perhaps even on the smaller side.
Crash!
Several chakra shields shattered under pressure! Without the barriers, the raging waves slammed into the mountainside behind them.
Tetsuya struggled to maintain his defense, forced to watch as the waves smashed against the mining mountain. His shield—his precious ninja tool—groaned under the strain.
"Chakra capacity... it's reaching its limit."
He could only hope that this large-scale Water Release jutsu would drain the enemy's chakra soon, and that his nearby comrades would receive the intel he had sent and arrive as quickly as possible.
Almost as if responding to his silent prayers—
After the second wave crashed, the surging tide began to slow, and the pressure on his defense eased considerably.
Tetsuya let out a deep breath.
Of course. A technique of this scale couldn't possibly be sustained for long!
So that up there... was just a decoy attack using a clone?
An opportunity!
He had been on the back foot since the battle started, frustration boiling within him.
Now—this is my chance to seize the initiative!
The shield blocking overhead suddenly gleamed with chakra! Tetsuya pushed off the ground, leaping as if weight meant nothing! He drove his shield forward, slamming it into Yagura's Water Clone!
The clone attempted to block with its blade, but the sheer impact shattered it like a fragile twig!
Good! Next is the real one!
Seal!
The instant the Water Clone dispersed—
Tetsuya failed to notice the danger beneath him.
The clone had lured him into jumping. Below, water was rising fast, submerging the ground.
The waves had already climbed up the mountainside on both sides, and the remains of the shattered clone above him completed the setup.
All conditions were met.
"Water Release: Demon Flowing Domain."
With a rapid sequence of hand seals, the once-calm water erupted into movement again!
Tetsuya had just reached the peak of his jump and was starting to descend when he saw it—
The water surged open like a massive set of jaws, ready to swallow him whole!
With a second glance, he immediately understood—
It's a trap!
Every direction—above, below, to the sides—was already sealed off. The only open path was behind him, but that led to the mountain.
A dead end.
He was free-falling. The last opening was about to close, his escape route vanishing.
Tetsuya roared in fury. "Damn it—!!"
"Don't underestimate a ninja craftsman!!"
In midair, he twisted his body violently. Channeling every ounce of strength, he slammed his shield into the mountainside!
Abandoning his most treasured ninja tool as a foothold, he pushed off it with all his might—
Breaking free of the Demon Flowing Domain!
...
Not bad. You're pretty agile for such a big guy.
Yagura's eyes narrowed coldly. He lowered his hands, then stepped forward, dashing across the water's surface.
Just as Tetsuya escaped death, he caught sight of something—
A shadow breaking through the mist!
Panic flickered in his eyes.
The attacks were relentless, chaining one after another with no time to breathe or counter!
No time to think, no time to plan—
Tetsuya curled inward, raising his arms in a desperate guard!
Yagura's hand shot forward, overwhelming Tetsuya's crossed arms with sheer strength!
His grip locked around the massive man's thick neck—barely large enough to grasp it with one hand.
The crushing power was absolute.
Tetsuya couldn't break free. His airway was completely cut off, his face flushing red from lack of oxygen.
Pain numbed his arms where they had been forcibly wrenched apart. His throat burned with suffocation.
His mind was too starved of air to even process what hurt the most.
H-How... how is this possible?!
Yagura lifted him higher. "For such a big guy, you sure are weak. Did you skip breakfast?"
Then, twisting his body midair—
He plummeted, dragging Tetsuya with him!
BOOM!!
Tetsuya crashed into the ground, his back taking the full impact. The sheer force cracked the earth beneath them!
Yagura straddled him, tightening his grip.
With his weight pressing down, Tetsuya's lungs were rapidly drained of air.
"Wind Release: Banner Gale!!"
Whoosh—!
A sudden powerful gust blasted through the mist, striking Yagura and knocking him away!
Reinforcements.
Tumbling midair to disperse the force, Yagura raised his arms in defense, scanning the battlefield.
Two figures.
And not just wind—he caught the distinct whistle of metal slicing through the air.
They're combining Wind Release with ninja tools!
"Water Release: Water Barrier!"
A wall of water surged up, shielding him from the incoming barrage of shuriken, kunai, and senbon!
Poom!
White smoke burst forth—
The projectiles, upon impact, suddenly expanded to several times their original size!
The sheer mass and weight tore through the water barrier, slashing deep wounds into Yagura's arms!
"Tch."
Yagura landed, glancing at his injuries. The enlarged ninja tools had cut through his coral armor—
Weapons this sharp weren't standard issue. Clearly, these were crafted by the skilled artisans of the Artisans Village.
Hmph. Reminds me of the Third Kazekage...
The two newly arrived Jonin stood firm. One had just saved Tetsuya and wielded a launcher-type ninja tool. The other, a woman, held a flag-like weapon, likely responsible for the Wind Release.
"Stay sharp, Kuroori," the man warned. "This Mist ninja took down Tetsuya and wrecked the area. He's no pushover."
Kuroori's grip on her weapon tightened. "How dare you hurt Tetsuya-san! I won't forgive you!"
Yagura scoffed. "Forgiveness? Lady, we're enemies. Why would I care?"
His cocky tone clashed with his youthful voice, exposing his age.
Was this... a woman? Or just a boy who hadn't hit puberty?
Zzzzt—
A faint crackling noise echoed—
The sound of burning paper.
Experienced ninja never ignored that sound.
—Explosive tags!
Both Artisans Village ninjas tensed instantly.
Tetsuya, barely conscious, twisted his body—
And there, on his back—
A fully ignited explosive tag!
Too late!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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