Facing Chizan's teasing, Gekko Chizan burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, that's exactly how it should be. Otherwise what?"
"Should I really run up there and fight them?"
"I know you really want to fight the Three-Tails, but it's not the right time."
Karatachi Yagura had already become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, and he was also the Fourth Mizukage. If they made a move now—
Who knew what things might turn into?
"What's wrong with that? He's just a jinchūriki. It's not like you haven't killed one before."
"Lure him out to sea and finish him off?"
Gekko Chizan was just about to retort when something suddenly crossed his mind, and he fell into deep thought.
Seeing him go silent, Chōmei grew puzzled instead.
Based on his understanding, Gekko Chizan would definitely mock him first—but he didn't.
"Hey, Chizan, you're not seriously thinking about killing him, are you?"
"I was just saying."
Chōmei knew Gekko Chizan's temperament well. Hiding in the shadows? Sure. Making money and stirring up trouble? No problem. But asking him to take the initiative? That was another story.
"Killing him might not be realistic."
"But don't forget—there's another battlefield out here on the sea right now."
At that, Gekko Chizan smiled.
And this time, the smile was even more wicked.
He suddenly had a brand-new plan—one that would make everything far more interesting.
"Chōmei, I'm taking the initiative!"
The moment he decided, he acted. Gekko Chizan dashed forward, stepping onto the sea from the shore, then shot through the mist at high speed toward the battlefield ahead.
The fighting on the sea had already begun.
And it was intense from the very start.
The Shadow Clones' assault was ferocious.
Even with the Mizukage personally leading the Mist forces, they had no good countermeasures for the moment.
"Damn it, did these Kumogakure ninja specifically train in Water Release?"
"Was it all for the sake of wreaking havoc on our Land of Water?"
Karatachi Yagura stared at the roaring waves ahead of him, feeling like his brain couldn't quite keep up.
Each of the Five Great Ninja Villages had its own preferences when it came to ninjutsu.
Iwagakure favored Earth Release.
Sunagakure favored Wind Release.
Kirigakure favored Water Release.
Kumogakure should favor Lightning Release.
As for Konoha—it didn't count.
But the Kumogakure ninja in front of him hadn't used Lightning Release at all. Every technique was Water Release, and the quality of their Water Release even surpassed that of the Mist ninja he had brought.
For a moment, Karatachi Yagura felt as if his understanding of the world had completely fallen apart.
"Damn it! Just how much preparation did those Kumogakure brutes make for this day?"
"Using the terrain of my Land of Water against us—bastards!"
"Water Release! Five-shot barrage!"
Fury surged through Karatachi Yagura as he swung his long-handled weapon. Chakra poured out like it was free. The water, driven by chakra, instantly condensed into five massive cannon shells that blasted toward the crowd ahead.
"All units—full assault!"
The island was still being plundered. They couldn't afford to waste any more time here.
Unfortunately, Gekko Chizan's goal from the beginning had never been to keep them all here—
Only to stall them.
From the current situation, his plan was working.
Using the terrain, the Shadow Clones whipped up massive waves to attack, forcing the Mist ninja into a defensive posture.
But as Karatachi Yagura's voice rang out—along with those five water cannon shells—the Mist ninja began fighting with everything they had.
Water Release techniques were unleashed one after another.
There were nearly ten Water Dragon Bullets alone.
After all, fighting on the sea was still advantageous for the Mist ninja.
It was a clash of Water Release on both sides—ninja versus clones.
Just as the torrents collided—
Something changed.
"Wind Release!"
A violent gale suddenly swept away all the dense mist. Countless wind blades sliced even through the seawater.
That single Wind Release technique subjected the already chaotic battlefield to a terrifying cleansing.
"Hmph!"
"Water Release! Water Formation Pillar!"
Seeing the overwhelming wind blades about to crash into them, Karatachi Yagura immediately unleashed a defensive ninjutsu.
A surging column of water shot into the sky, colliding with the wind blades before ultimately dissolving into a torrential downpour.
"It's not over yet!"
The assault didn't stop.
As his voice rang out, the sea beneath the Mist forces began to shift.
Water dragons burst from below, tearing through their formation and scattering it.
"Damn it!"
"You Kumogakure bastards!"
The successive attacks sent Karatachi Yagura's anger surging once more.
And the one responsible for it all was watching him from not far away.
"If he's a perfect jinchūriki, making him lose control won't be easy."
"I need to draw his attention—make him chase me."
After a moment of thought, Gekko Chizan decided that his next attacks would target Karatachi Yagura alone.
Once he triggered him, everything else would become much easier.
"Hmph. The Mist arrived quickly."
"Too bad—for the sake of our grand plan, we can't let you pass."
Gekko Chizan had already used the Transformation Technique to turn himself into the appearance of a pirate. He stepped forward and walked straight to the front of the formation.
The other clones tacitly made way for him.
To the enemy, it looked exactly like subordinates clearing a path for their superior.
"You Kumogakure scum think you can stop me? You're not quite there yet."
"Still, I didn't expect Kumogakure to go so far just to stir up trouble—training so many ninja proficient in Water Release."
"Hmph. Truly malicious."
Karatachi Yagura had been completely misled.
Well—not entirely.
After all, this war had indeed been initiated by Kumogakure.
Gekko Chizan was merely riding the wave and taking advantage of the situation.
"Hehehe, we're not from Kumogakakure—we're pirates."
"We couldn't stand how prosperous the Land of Water is, so we came to loot it. What? Is Kirigakure really that narrow-minded?"
When it came to sarcasm, Gekko Chizan was beyond Kage-level.
Let alone a Mizukage—so what if it were his own Hokage?
If he felt like it, he could drown them in words alone.
Sure enough, hearing Gekko Chizan's taunts, Karatachi Yagura laughed.
He was furious.
He was enraged.
And in the end, he laughed.
"Enough talk. Kill them all!"
"Water Release! Water Mirror Technique!"
Karatachi Yagura swung his long weapon and smashed it against the sea's surface. Instantly, a massive mirror appeared before him.
It was the Fourth Mizukage's signature technique—the Water Mirror Technique.
But what emerged from the mirror was a surging torrent, overwhelming in force and power.
"Oh? Making a move?"
"Fine. It's just playing with water. Who's afraid of who?"
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (814 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)