Honestly, even Yuu himself was rather surprised.
His Water Formation Wall was Senju Tobirama's improved version, so it was indeed more refined than the ordinary technique. Moreover, Wild Water Wave's [Ever-Changing Flow] trait allowed him to release Water Release of the same level using only half as much chakra as an ordinary person.
But those advantages alone were not enough to make his Water Formation Wall produce such an astonishing visual effect.
The main reason it had reached this level was—
[Water Formation Wall: As long as I'm here… I will never allow these people to hurt Master!]
[Ding! Special-event keyword detected.]
[Water Formation Wall longs to prove her worth as a "tool." Her wish is to block seven potentially fatal attacks for you, preferably by activating on her own without you consciously casting her. Current wish progress: 1/7.]
"…?"
The Water Formation Wall's special event… had actually triggered at a time like this?
Moreover, it seemed Yuu did not even need to worry about this special event. He only had to wait for the Water Formation Wall to climb on top and move by herself?
Mm. Considering the Water Formation Wall's characterization, she was somewhat similar to Haku and Kimimaro—an existence that viewed herself as a tool. Her previously unlocked [Water Merging with the Body] trait also gave her "strong self-management ability," allowing her to activate her defense independently.
So the current situation was not particularly surprising.
That made things easier.
All this happened in the blink of an eye.
While these thoughts flashed through Yuu's mind, a thunderous sound erupted—
"Rumble—!!!"
The violent wave slammed heavily into the enormous dome of water, producing a deafening crash. Vast quantities of spray exploded in every direction like cannon shells, and the entire valley trembled violently.
The hemispherical water curtain Yuu had cast by himself displayed astonishing resilience. Although it rippled violently and caved inward beneath the impact, it ultimately remained standing, gradually dispersing and neutralizing the destructive force.
Amid the roar of the waves,
Yuu changed the seal formed by his hands.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Splash—!
The hemispherical water curtain instantly collapsed.
Before the countless droplets filling the sky could even touch the ground, they reversed direction and surged upward, gathering in midair into a fierce, winding dragon.
The water dragon raised its head and roared. Then it charged fiercely toward the right side, where the Kiri ninja were most densely gathered.
"…Not good!"
The row of Kiri ninja standing there turned pale with fright and hurriedly formed seals to release Water Formation Wall in defense.
However, they were not especially powerful to begin with, and they had cast the technique in a rush. The resulting water walls could not withstand the soaring water dragon at all.
With a roar, the walls exploded apart.
The violent current sent several Kiri ninja flying, smashing them into the rock wall more than ten meters away. The sounds of bones cracking were clearly audible.
Then,
Yuu continued mobilizing chakra, controlling the water dragon as it swept toward the other Kiri ninja nearby.
"This brat…"
Fuguki Suikazan was both shocked and furious. His long orange-red hair nearly stood on end. He suddenly stepped forward, displaying agility completely at odds with his massive body, while his hands formed seals as swiftly as lightning.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Splash!
A white, turbid wave poured from Fuguki's mouth, resembling a moving mountain range made of water as it pressed down upon Yuu's Water Dragon Bullet.
The two forces collided, producing an impact like a meteor striking the earth. Waves scattered outward and smashed into the cliffs on either side of the valley, shattering into spray that blotted out the sky.
"Now!"
A sharp whistle sounded from within Kirigakure's formation.
Then—
"Ninja Art: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Several Kiri ninja formed seals simultaneously. Their chakra mixed with the countless droplets filling the air, becoming a gray-white mist that rapidly expanded in every direction.
Soon, a large portion of the valley was swallowed by thick fog.
Even the Sharingan found it difficult to see under these conditions. Damp, icy air washed over everyone.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Using the thick mist as cover, large numbers of poisoned kunai and shuriken tore through the air, weaving into a net of death that descended upon the Konoha ninja.
In the original story, when Pakura died due to the conspiracy between Kirigakure and Sunagakure, she had also been killed in this manner—pierced by countless weapons from every direction.
For ordinary low- and mid-ranking ninja, this attack was indeed extremely difficult to handle perfectly. Being injured and bleeding was only natural.
At the critical moment, Yuu once again clapped his hands together.
A blazing orange-red ring of fire suddenly spread outward from his body, becoming a circular wall of flames dozens of meters wide that protected Kakashi, Rin, Shisui, and everyone else within it.
The incoming ninja tools struck the flame wall and fell with crisp metallic clatters, melting as they dropped.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Wall!"
At this moment,
Obito widened his eyes and watched Yuu's movements from the side, his expression becoming somewhat strange.
No, wait… did you really form seals just now?
How are you clapping your hands together and getting whatever technique you want?
What kind of ninjutsu is that? Which Hokage taught it to you?
Can you teach me too?
In truth, at least when using Water Release, Yuu had indeed formed seals. It was just that all his techniques had been improved by Senju Tobirama and generally required only two or three seals. When performed a little faster, the process looked instantaneous.
As for Fire Release…
because of the passive ability granted by Heavenly Fire Judgment, Yuu could release Fire Release techniques with thought alone.
However, under everyone's watchful eyes, he still needed to put on a little performance. That way, it at least looked somewhat reasonable.
"…Everyone, form groups of three and stand back-to-back! Don't isolate yourselves! Sharingan users, watch the blind spots! Sensory ninja, report enemy positions immediately!"
Yuu spoke rapidly.
He personally did not fear the Hiding in Mist Technique.
However, combined with the Silent Killing Technique, it still posed some danger to Rin and the others, so they had to respond carefully.
Hearing Yuu's order,
Kakashi and Shisui reacted first.
The former drew the White Fang short blade from his back, while the latter called for Inabi and the others to activate their Sharingan together. Each watched a different direction.
Although the Sharingan's range of vision was also limited within the Hiding in Mist Technique, they could still see farther and more clearly than ordinary people.
Although Obito was still inwardly muttering about Yuu's strange casting method, he said nothing in this situation. He turned around decisively, drew a kunai, and prepared for battle.
Soon,
the dense fog rolled like a living creature, and several ghostly figures silently drew near.
The people at the front moved unpredictably, their blades drawing cold trajectories through the mist. They were clearly experts in the Silent Killing Technique.
There were also several tall, muscular figures with twin hair buns and pale bone spikes protruding beneath their skin.
They were Dead Bone Pulse users from the Kaguya clan.
At this moment, Yuu opened one hand and dispersed the Great Fire Wall, transforming it into several violent fire dragons that lunged outward.
Several Kiri ninja deflected them using long blades or the bone spikes on their bodies. However, two who failed to dodge were swallowed by the dragons and let out miserable screams.
After that, Yuu left this battlefield to Kakashi and the others.
Although Kirigakure had more people, it was only two or three times as many. Kakashi, Shisui, and the others were all elites of Konoha's new generation.
Fighting seven at once might have been difficult, but handling three each should not be a problem. At the very least, they would not lose in a short period.
As for Yuu himself,
his figure flickered.
When he appeared again, he was already in a position diagonally ahead, deep within the mist.
Only a short distance before him stood an enormous figure more than two meters tall.
"?!"
Fuguki Suikazan was startled by Yuu's sudden appearance.
One had to know…
the technique at which Kirigakure ninja excelled most was precisely the Hiding in Mist Technique. The Land of Water itself was a land of fog, so many Kiri ninja trained in this environment from childhood.
No one understood mist better than they did.
When ordinary people were trapped in such an environment, they often became flustered and unable to adapt.
Even sensory ninjutsu struggled to function here, because the fog was mixed with the caster's chakra, which confused perception. Unless one possessed a special kekkei genkai like the Byakugan, accurately locating someone was extremely difficult.
But…
what was wrong with this brat?
How had he instantly found Fuguki's position?
Was he cheating?
Yuu naturally would not tell Fuguki that his All-Spirit Perception had an effect similar to the Byakugan.
Because it specifically sensed "living creatures," it could filter out the chakra-infused droplets that confused ordinary perception, rendering the Hiding in Mist Technique ineffective.
At this moment,
the instant Yuu landed, he activated Heart-Blade Domain.
White lines appeared across Fuguki Suikazan's body, indicating his weaknesses.
Then, in the next instant, the Sword of the Thunder God tore through the mist in Yuu's hand, carrying an ear-piercing roar of thunder as it slashed directly toward Fuguki's face.
The blue-white lightning illuminated the astonishment on his opponent's face.
"…You're courting death!"
Fuguki roared and drew his own blade.
More precisely, he tore away the bandages wrapped around its body, revealing the greatsword Samehada, covered in countless barbs. With a heavy rush of wind, he swept it horizontally forward.
Sword and blade collided.
"Clang—!!!"
The thunderous metallic crash exploded through the air, painfully rattling everyone's eardrums.
"…Not bad."
Yuu narrowed his eyes slightly.
One important reason he had stopped using ninjutsu and instead closed in to clash blades with Fuguki was that he wanted to experience the swordsmanship of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
After all, for them to become famous throughout the ninja world, they inevitably possessed some skill. Perhaps they even had corresponding sword schools.
The World's Greatest Swordsmanship mission attached to Hatake Swordsmanship had not yet been completed. If he could use Kirigakure to increase its progress, that would be ideal.
Judging from the current situation,
the result was somewhat pleasantly surprising.
On the other side, Fuguki Suikazan frowned.
At the instant their weapons collided, an overwhelming force traveled through Samehada, slightly numbing even his thick, powerful arm.
This was not something an ordinary opponent could achieve.
How could a half-grown brat who still smelled of milk possess such immense strength?
He had even exerted real pressure on Fuguki, an elite jōnin whose physical power ranked highly among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The answer was naturally Super Strength.
Yuu had habitually infused that sudden close-range slash with Super Strength, which was why Fuguki, a Kiri ninja known for his formidable body, had shown such shock.
However, Kirigakure did not know about Yuu's relationship with Tsunade, so Fuguki merely assumed that Yuu had been born with monstrous strength.
Using the force of their clash, Fuguki immediately retreated several steps. His orange hair stood upright.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō Hair Senbon!"
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Countless strands of hair hardened into steel needles, becoming a black-and-red rainstorm that engulfed Yuu.
This move was remarkably similar to Jiraiya's Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon. It was difficult to say who had copied whom.
At once,
Yuu neither dodged nor retreated. He merely opened his mouth and spat out a surging mass of white-hot flames.
"Great Fireball: Burnout!"
The more hair one had, the weaker one was against fire.
Although Fuguki's Hair Needle Senbon appeared threatening, before Yuu's flames—nearly a thousand degrees in temperature—it looked rather feeble.
As ripples appeared in the air, the storm of poisoned needles struck the massive fireball and quickly burned away, like butter meeting a heated blade.
Then the white-hot fireball continued forward without losing momentum, charging straight toward Fuguki Suikazan.
The latter dodged sideways somewhat awkwardly. He watched the flames strike the rock wall behind him and blast out a deep crater with glowing red edges.
Shock and fury appeared on his face.
"Damn Konoha brat! Do you really think your Fire Release is invincible?"
"What else would it be?"
Yuu casually responded as his figure closed in once again.
The Sword of the Thunder God transformed into a continuous blur of blue-white light as he unleashed a barrage of slashes.
Fuguki Suikazan swung Samehada to meet him.
To be fair, Fuguki's level of swordsmanship was actually quite good. It could even be called refined. He certainly deserved the title of one of the Ninja Swordsmen.
However, Yuu's Hatake Swordsmanship had already reached more than eighty affection.
In terms of proficiency, even if there was still a difference between him and the White Fang of Konoha at his peak, it was only a slight one. Moreover, Yuu possessed Heart-Blade Domain, which allowed him to see through Fuguki's movements.
As a result, no matter how skilled Fuguki was, he could only struggle awkwardly beneath Yuu's offensive.
Whenever Yuu struck one of the weaker points in his force, Fuguki felt his arms grow numb and the blood in his chest surge violently.
At this moment, a certain sword technique appeared to offer its criticism:
[Hatake Swordsmanship: Hmph. Flashy nonsense. The path of swordsmanship lies in the person, not the blade. Is he using such a strange weapon because he wants to look impressive? Little Mikami, show him what true "technique" really means!]
"…"
Yuu thought that this sword was far from simple.
Among Kirigakure's seven ninja blades, Samehada probably had the highest upper limit.
Leaving everything else aside, its ability to absorb another person's chakra was exceptionally rare. Even Killer B, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, had nearly been drained dry by it.
During their brief exchange just now, Samehada had also seemed to be attempting to consume Yuu's chakra.
However, because his offense had been too fierce and his defense completely airtight, it had failed to succeed.