Chapter 649: Mugetsu of the Eight Gates
"Water Release: Mirror Technique!"
The Third Mizukage waved his hand, creating a giant water mirror.
When Rasa's Gold Dust struck the water mirror, the mirror rapidly changed form, ultimately trapping all the Gold Dust inside it and perfectly blocking the attack.
At that moment, Mugetsu and the Third Raikage each retreated several steps, temporarily creating some distance between them.
"Mizukage, you traitor!" Rasa was stunned for a moment, then looked at the Third Mizukage in fury.
There was no doubt about it. The Mizukage had betrayed them.
"I simply cannot stand your evil act of bullying the weak," the Third Mizukage declared righteously.
Although it was a betrayal for personal gain, such matters were best kept in one's heart. Outwardly, one still had to maintain appearances.
Ōnoki, who had finished condensing his Dust Release, frowned deeply. This was an unexpected turn of events for him.
Although Hidden Mist Village was not located on the continent, it had always sought continental interests. Logically, it should not have missed an opportunity to weaken Konoha, the continent's overlord.
Moreover, Hidden Mist had suffered considerable losses at Konoha's hands. With such a good chance for revenge, should Hidden Mist not seize the opportunity to retaliate fiercely?
Ōnoki could not quite understand Hidden Mist's choice.
This was a matter of information asymmetry.
If Ōnoki had known that Konoha had captured over a thousand Hidden Mist Ninja, including Yagura, he never would have dared to seek an alliance with Hidden Mist Village.
But in reality, there was no such "if."
Even Hidden Mist Village itself had only learned this intelligence when Konoha came knocking, let alone Iwagakure.
"This is bad. If the Mizukage betrayed us..." Ōnoki's expression changed drastically as he thought of something.
If the Third Mizukage was a traitor, then Konoha must have known about their encirclement plan long ago.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Hiruzen, dressed in his combat uniform, pulled a gigantic Shuriken from a scroll, then leaped up and threw it toward Ōnoki in the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the massive Shuriken flew, it split into two, then four, then eight, rapidly multiplying until all of Ōnoki's escape routes were sealed off.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki could only use the Dust Release he had prepared to attack Mugetsu for defense, sweeping it across the incoming giant Shuriken.
"Lord Third!"
Many Konoha Ninja cried out in pleasant surprise.
Although they deeply trusted the Wood Release Ninja, Mugetsu was ultimately still a young man who needed to grow. Hiruzen, however, was the Hokage who had protected Konoha for a long time.
The Konoha Ninja still held great faith in Hiruzen, the Third Hokage who had taken office in a time of crisis and protected Konoha ever since.
"You shameless old red-nosed man! To kill a junior, you actually allied with three Kage for an assassination!" Hiruzen cursed without restraint.
The Third Mizukage had told him everything, so he knew that Ōnoki was the one who had spearheaded the encirclement plan.
Ōnoki's expression was grim, but not because Hiruzen had cursed him.
It was because he knew that today, he most likely would not be able to kill Mugetsu.
With the Third Mizukage defecting and Hiruzen personally joining the battle, they no longer had an advantage in the number of powerful individuals.
"Everyone, no matter what your personal intentions are, this is our last chance. If we do not leave Hayate Mugetsu here, we will never have another opportunity!" Ōnoki flew above Rasa and the others and spoke.
Things had already reached this point. Ōnoki could not give up easily.
Because of the Third Mizukage's betrayal, future alliances would be even more difficult. This was their last chance to kill Mugetsu.
After this, it would no longer be a matter of how small the probability was. It would become absolutely impossible to kill Mugetsu.
Here and now, they not only had a numerically superior force, but elite teams would arrive soon. It was still uncertain who would win or lose.
During the meeting, Ōnoki had not explicitly stated how many Ninja each side needed to bring. He had only said that each side should bring an elite team.
Ōnoki was very clear about his role.
He was not some alliance leader and had no right to command everyone.
He was merely the organizer, the one who gathered everyone to surround and kill Mugetsu.
Therefore, even Ōnoki himself did not know their combined strength.
Since he, the organizer, did not know, the mole naturally would not know either.
The next step would be to see whose raw strength was greater.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
No sooner had Ōnoki finished speaking than hundreds of Ninja in Iwagakure uniforms swiftly arrived on the battlefield.
These were all elites selected by Ōnoki, specifically prepared to surround and kill Mugetsu.
Not even half a second later, a group of dark-skinned Kumogakure Ninja also rushed over. Each of them had muscular builds and exuded a murderous aura, looking extremely formidable.
"Lord Raikage!"
The Kumogakure Ninja stood behind the Third Raikage, quickly drawing their weapons and glaring at Mugetsu.
They knew that they had only one mission today.
Kill Mugetsu.
"Lord Fourth!"
Groups of Sunagakure Ninja also quickly arrived near Rasa.
"It seems today will be a difficult battle," Nara Shikaku said with a sigh as he arrived on the battlefield with a large contingent of Konoha Ninja.
"Five Kage gathered on one battlefield. There hasn't been such a grand battle in history, has there?" Uchiha Fugaku nodded in agreement.
To ensure Mugetsu's safety and heavily cripple the three Ninja Villages, Hiruzen had mobilized as many of Konoha's elites as possible.
Most of the Jonin and Chunin from Konoha's major clans were on this battlefield.
Even the Police Force, which was responsible for maintaining Konoha's public order, had been brought to the battlefield by Hiruzen.
"My apologies, Lord Third."
Yagura arrived on the battlefield with a large number of Hidden Mist Ninja, bowing his head slightly as he stood beside the Third Mizukage.
Because of Hidden Mist's sincerity, and because Yagura was a rare high-level combatant, Konoha had released Yagura early.
"It's not your fault," the Third Mizukage said, narrowing his eyes slightly and shaking his head.
It was perfectly normal to be defeated when facing a ruthless individual with the potential to become the second God of Shinobi, especially without prior intelligence.
"I can give you all a chance. If anyone is willing to negotiate peace with Konoha, then I can pretend that what happened before never occurred and proceed with unconditional peace talks."
Hiruzen shielded Mugetsu behind him, his sharp gaze sweeping across Ōnoki, Rasa, and the others.
Hiruzen had prepared thoroughly for this battle, but if it could be avoided, he still did not want to fight.
Because even if they won, the losses would be significant.
It would be better to accumulate strength. Once Mugetsu became stronger, Konoha would naturally regain its initial transcendent position.
Mugetsu, standing behind Hiruzen, remained silent.
If peace was possible, that would naturally be the best outcome.
Too many elite Ninja were currently gathered on this battlefield.
Among the elite Ninja from various villages who arrived later, many were Jonin with Chakra levels above twenty thousand and multiple Mastery-level skills. There were even a few Ninja World powerhouses with seventy to eighty thousand Chakra and numerous Mastery-level skills.
If the battle truly went to the end, even the victor would pay a heavy price.
"Don't be ridiculous. What do you mean, pretend nothing happened? You just want to defeat us one by one and minimize your losses, don't you?" Ōnoki scoffed.
With that, Ōnoki brought his palms together, preparing to condense Chakra and unleash Dust Release.
Ōnoki's action became the signal to attack, and the great battle, which had temporarily stalled because of the chaotic situation, resumed.
Rasa: ...
He had actually been somewhat tempted just now, but after thinking carefully, he felt that Ōnoki's words also made a lot of sense.
"Then let's settle this with our own hands!"
Seeing that Ōnoki had not given up on his plan to kill Mugetsu, Hiruzen also grew angry and decided to give Ōnoki a proper lesson.
"Summoning Technique!"
Hiruzen slammed his hand onto the ground, summoning Enma.
"Transform directly. This will be a tough fight," Hiruzen said quickly.
Enma could transform into an Adamantine Staff, which could freely extend and retract and was incredibly hard. It was a crucial part of Hiruzen's strength.
Aside from the Five Nature Transformations Ninjutsu, what Hiruzen was most proud of was his Taijutsu.
Without saying a word, Enma directly transformed into a black staff standing before Hiruzen.
Hiruzen acted just as decisively. He gripped the Adamantine Staff transformed from Enma and aimed it at Ōnoki.
Whoosh!
The Adamantine Staff continuously extended, tearing through the air as it lunged toward Ōnoki.
Ōnoki knew the power of the Adamantine Staff, so he flew to a higher altitude.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
"Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The battle instantly became incredibly fierce. All the newly arrived elites from every side unleashed their full power.
The Ninja from Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure aimed to kill Mugetsu, while the Ninja from Konoha and Hidden Mist protected him.
"Kamui!"
Seeing the Third Raikage slaughtering his way through the crowd, neither defending against nor dodging any Ninjutsu the enemies used, Obito's eyes streamed with blood tears as he distorted the space on the Third Raikage's left side.
His Kamui was the bane of all defensive Ninjutsu.
No matter how powerful the defense, it could not withstand the power of spatial distortion.
Whoosh!
A flash of lightning passed by, and the Third Raikage instantly vanished from the place where Kamui was unleashed.
"Ah."
Obito was dumbfounded.
Why did he dodge when it came to him?
And with such incredible speed?
Bang! Bang!
Mugetsu sent all the surrounding Jonin who had encircled him flying, then flashed to the Third Mizukage's side.
"Please, senior, help me block the Raikage. I have a good Ninjutsu to deal with the Kazekage," Mugetsu said quickly.
Mugetsu, with his Byakugan, had been observing the entire battlefield.
The Third Mizukage's performance could be described as astute.
He was putting in effort, constantly targeting strong opponents of his level, but the Third Mizukage kept his eyes fixed on the weakest, Rasa, as if he could not see the Third Raikage nearby.
And although Rasa's strength was inferior to the Third Mizukage's, he could still be considered on the same level overall and would not be defeated quickly, thus creating a stalemate.
This was not the situation Mugetsu wanted to see.
He planned to quickly eliminate one Kage and change the flow of the battle.
"Alright," the Third Mizukage nodded with a slight smile.
"The younger generation is truly formidable," the Third Mizukage sighed inwardly.
He envied Konoha for producing such a Ninja.
Not only was Mugetsu strong, but he was also composed. Even on such a fiercely contested battlefield, Mugetsu politely used honorifics with him, making his words pleasant to hear.
The Third Mizukage had a premonition that the landscape of the Ninja World was about to undergo a massive change.
During the first Five Kage Summit, the Third Mizukage had attended as the Mizukage's guard. He had personally witnessed Senju Hashirama presiding over the meeting and knew the character and personality of the God of Shinobi.
He was the type of person the Third Mizukage found very difficult to understand.
The meeting had just begun, and Senju Hashirama had happily bowed his head to the Kage sitting around the meeting table.
To be honest, if the Third Mizukage had Senju Hashirama's strength, not making others bow to him would already be considered kind. How could he possibly bow to others?
The Third Mizukage did not know what kind of personality Mugetsu had, but it was definitely different from Senju Hashirama's.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
Rasa immediately showed a vigilant expression, looking at Mugetsu as he channeled Chakra to create a large amount of Gold Dust, arranging it around himself.
He did not dare underestimate Mugetsu.
After all, this was the Ninja who had forced Ōnoki to unite the three Great Ninja Villages to surround and kill him.
"Eight Gates, Gate of Wonder, open!"
Mugetsu directly opened the Eight Gates to the Seventh Gate. His body's Chakra surged, and his aura soared.
At the same time, Mugetsu concentrated his Rock Breathing to the extreme, entering Rock Breathing Chakra Mode and continuously consuming the Chakra in his body to enhance his defense and strength.
The Eight Gates combined with Rock Breathing was an excellent technique.
However, it was somewhat awkward for Mugetsu because he usually had better options and did not need to use the Eight Gates.
The Eight Gates would cause the Chakra within the body to run wild. During this period, Mugetsu could not use many of his techniques, and the massive amount of Chakra could only be used for a very small portion of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu.
But gold would always shine.
On the current chaotic battlefield, in order to quickly defeat a Kage who was not weak, the Eight Gates stacked with Rock Breathing was a good choice.
Rock Breathing combined with Armament Haki's high defense allowed Mugetsu to ignore attacks coming from all directions, while also giving him the speed and strength to quickly defeat enemies.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Rasa continuously consumed Chakra, the soil around him suddenly became extraordinarily active, as if pulled by an invisible force, and began spinning and rising wildly.
High-density Gold Dust shimmered with golden light as it intertwined and collided in the air, forming an overwhelming golden ocean.
It poured down like giant waves from the sea, enveloping Mugetsu's surroundings in a golden glow.
Some Hidden Mist and Konoha Ninja wanted to help Mugetsu block this terrifying Gold Dust, but their Ninjutsu were quickly swallowed by the golden storm.
Without changing his expression, Mugetsu charged toward Rasa as if he did not see the golden sand wave about to strike him.
"He actually dares to take it head-on."
Rasa was both annoyed and excited.
He was annoyed that Mugetsu underestimated him, but excited that he had a chance to eliminate Mugetsu.
His Gold Dust was not comparable to ordinary sand, let alone this amount of Gold Dust. Just smashing it onto someone could directly turn them into pulp, and that was not even counting the sealing effect his Ninjutsu carried.
"Armament Haki!"
At the moment before contact with the Gold Dust, Mugetsu's entire body was covered in pitch-black Armament Haki.
Boom!
A large amount of Gold Dust surged wildly around Mugetsu, quickly forming a golden pyramid.
Bang!
The moment the pyramid formed, a large amount of Gold Dust exploded outward, shooting in all directions as if a terrifying bomb had detonated inside the pyramid.
Whoosh!
A black light flashed, and Rasa's hair instantly stood on end as he felt a life-or-death crisis approaching.
His rich combat experience allowed him to instantly create a Gold Dust barrier around himself.
"Serious Punch!"
Facing the Gold Dust barrier, Mugetsu unleashed a full-power punch, his fist covered in Armament Haki.
It seemed like just a simple punch, but this single blow contained the full power of Armament Haki, Rock Breathing Chakra Mode, Transparent World, and a massive amount of Chakra.
Crash!
The Gold Dust exploded and shot in all directions. Rasa's body flew backward rapidly, knocking down an unknown number of Ninja before finally stopping.
The Third Mizukage's eyelids twitched.
He knew Mugetsu was about to exert himself, but he had not expected it to be this ruthless, beating Rasa into this state in less than a minute.
This junior was far too terrifying.
"Lord Fourth!"
Some Sunagakure Ninja ignored the enemies around them and rushed toward Rasa.