Most ninja released jutsu from their hands or mouths. Using a foot to manifest an S-rank caliber defense was a first for Mei Terumi.
In reality, Saiki hadn't cast it with his foot; he had simply used his foot as the conduction point for the chakra provided by his clones.
Mei's Water Style had been neutralized, but she had successfully bought time for Kisame. Refusing to be stingy with his chakra, Kisame's wounds finished closing almost instantly.
The future Mizukage's output was impressive; she had kept Saiki busy long enough for Kisame to recover fully.
The moment Mei's water stopped, Saiki cut off the chakra supply to his wall. He raised his sword to lunge at Kisame again, but Kisame had already finished a long sequence of signs. He slammed both palms together in front of his chest.
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!!"
Kisame lowered his head and unhinged his jaw. With a violent roar, a cataclysmic volume of water erupted from his mouth, looking like a dam had just burst wide open.
ROAR!
Standing in the center of the surge, Kisame was lifted higher and higher by the rising tide, acting as a living fountain for the artificial sea.
After that brief exchange, Kisame realized that in terms of raw strength and Kenjutsu, he was hopelessly outmatched by Saiki. If Mei hadn't saved him, he'd already be dead.
But Kisame wasn't afraid. Brute force wasn't his primary weapon—his true power lay in Water Style.
If he couldn't beat Saiki in a duel, he would simply drown him.
Facing the massive, rising wall of water, Saiki knew his best option was to blitz Kisame before the jutsu was complete.
But instead, Saiki turned around and scooped Rin Nohara into his arms. He had to get her away from the impact zone, or she'd be crushed by the weight of the flood.
Before she could process what was happening, Rin found herself in a "princess carry," being whisked away at high speed. Though confused, her instincts took over, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Saiki's neck.
Carrying Rin barely hampered Saiki's speed. In a few seconds, he had cleared over a hundred meters.
Elsewhere, Obito and Maeda stared in horror at the approaching wall of water. Had Maeda not grabbed Obito and scrambled up a tree, they would have been fish food.
Once they were safely clear of the surge, Saiki set Rin down.
"Alright, you're safe here." Saiki smiled at Rin, who was still clinging to his neck as if her life depended on it.
Realizing she was still hugging him, Rin's face turned bright red and she quickly let go.
"Wait here. This spot is safe. Shizune and the others will be here soon. Look out for yourself."
Saiki turned and charged back toward the incoming tide. If he let Kisame keep moving that "lake," Rin wouldn't be safe for long.
"Saiki!" Rin called out, but he was already gone.
Leaping between the massive trunks of the forest, Saiki reached the canopy. Just like Saiki's own earlier display, Kisame's massive chakra had manifested a kilometer-wide sphere of water in the middle of the woods.
Staring at the endless expanse of water and the duo of Kisame and Mei standing at the peak of the sphere, Saiki couldn't help but groan. "Fucking hell. Am I the one with the cheats, or are you guys the ones hacking?"
Mei was the Kage, but in terms of pure "waterpower," Kisame was the undisputed king. It was a shame he was a shark-faced man.
Kisame couldn't understand Saiki's grumbling, but his confidence was fully restored. With the terrain transformed into a lake, he believed he could finally neutralize Saiki's speed.
A chakra fluctuation of this magnitude didn't go unnoticed at the Central Tower.
"Lord Hokage! Another massive chakra surge has been detected in the forest!" a sensory ninja reported.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't need the report. He was already staring into a crystal ball. Under the "Telescope Technique," the battlefield was being displayed in high definition.
"This level of chakra reserves... is it a special bloodline?" Hiruzen's expression was grave. He shot a glance at the Mist representative, Fuguki Suikazan, who was currently grinning with smug satisfaction.
Turning his focus back to the fight, Hiruzen felt a twinge of doubt. He knew Saiki had killed a Jonin yesterday, but seeing Kisame Hoshigaki's performance, he wasn't sure if Saiki could pull off another miracle.
Saiki, however, didn't care about Hiruzen's confidence. The Telescope Technique carried its own distinct chakra resonance, and Saiki—having prepared for a brawl with Kisame—sensed it immediately.
"Hiruzen is peeping," Saiki thought with a scowl.
He looked around with a look of profound annoyance. Being monitored like a lab rat while fighting was a terrible feeling; a ninja's jutsu and style were their greatest secrets. Displaying them for the village elders to dissect was a massive intrusion.
Kisame and Mei noticed the shift in Saiki's mood. His fighting spirit had suddenly plummeted.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Kisame shouted, his grin widening.
Saiki ignored him. His focus shifted to Rin's location. Shizune and Genhai had already regrouped with her and were arguing about whether to join the fight.
A flurry of petals drifted by, and a Flower Clone materialized next to them.
"Saiki? Boss!" Shizune and Genhai shouted in relief.
The clone nodded. "The enemy is powerful. You three need to get out of here and head to the tower immediately. I'll catch up."
They hesitated. "But Saiki...!"
Standing in Kisame's "ocean" while Hiruzen watched through a crystal ball, Saiki's patience was paper-thin. He snapped, "No 'buts.' If you want to die, stay. If not, run."
He turned to Rin. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Obito and the other guy get the message to move to the tower too."
Without giving them a chance to argue, Saiki dispelled the clone.
Left standing in the woods, the trio looked at each other. Genhai asked, "Shizune? What do we do?"
Knowing Saiki, she knew his tone meant he wouldn't tolerate disobedience. "Do what he says. We're just a liability here."
Kurenai and Rin were reluctant, but they agreed. They had absolute faith that Saiki would emerge unscathed.
Over by Obito and Maeda, they were still arguing about going back for Rin. Maeda was getting a headache until another Saiki clone appeared silently on a branch.
"Rin is with my team heading for the tower. You two go there now."
Obito snapped his head around. "You bastard Saiki! Where is Rin? Where is she?!"
Saiki frowned at the boy's lack of manners. "I said: she's on her way to the tower. Move."
After a quick nod to Maeda, the clone dissolved into petals.
"Dammit! That guy is so arrogant!"
Obito cursed Saiki's back, but Maeda's brow furrowed. He had just seen Saiki rescue them and coordinate their safety, and with the terrifying sea looming nearby, he knew the battle was escalating to a level they couldn't touch.
Back at the "lake," Kisame and Mei were done waiting. This was their territory now. They both slammed their hands onto the water's surface simultaneously.
"Water Style: Water Shark Missile!"
Fueled by Kisame's massive chakra, the lake churned. With a violent splash, over a dozen hyper-realistic sharks formed from the water and lunged at Saiki, their jaws wide and ready to tear him to shreds.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Mei completed her signs at the same time. She focused her chakra in her throat and exhaled a massive water dragon from her soft, cherry-pink lips.
ROAR!
The water dragon let out a silent, crushing roar. Even though she couldn't directly control the chakra in Kisame's lake, the sheer ambient moisture allowed her to supercharge the jutsu. Her dragon was every bit as lethal as Kisame's sharks.