The Great Dragon Fire's impact instantly buckled the ice prison, and the surging water columns vomited by Kisame Hoshigaki followed suit, bursting through the breach. Like a dam collapsing, a massive volume of water thundered out, crashing onto the frozen sea.
Swept out by the giant waves was Ren Uchiha, standing atop the crest of the surge with a faint smirk.
The moment he had seen that eye made of ice, Ren had pieced together the Third Mizukage's secrets. He understood exactly why this man's fighting style was so bizarre.
The reason Byaran kept his eyes closed was that he possessed a technique similar to the Third Eye used by Gaara. Specifically, it was the Ice Style: Ice Thousand-Mile Eye, a technique seen once in the Land of Snow that utilized ice crystals to refract light and track enemies. A ninja without the Yuki clan's Kekkei Genkai could use a version of it in snowy conditions, so for a master like the Third Mizukage, it was second nature.
In essence, the Third Mizukage was a "field control" specialist, much like the Third, Fourth, and future Fifth Kazekage. He fought by manipulating vast quantities of his elemental bloodline. The difference was his specific combat system: he used the Eye of Polar Ice scattered around the battlefield to serve as his vision. This allowed him to maintain a perfect view of the area while keeping his own eyes closed to avoid direct eye contact—a hard-counter to the Sharingan's ocular genjutsu.
He likely developed this style specifically to deal with a certain "partner" of his... Uchiha Madara.
As for the lack of hand signs? Ren had a theory.
Maybe the old bird uses his eyes to weave signs.
Covering his eyelids hid the process. The act of opening his eyes likely corresponded to the "Snake" or "Rat" seal—the final trigger for most Water or Ice Style jutsu. In the shinobi world, if you eliminate the impossible, the remaining truth—no matter how unbelievable—is the fact. Whether it's using someone else's hands, feet, or a single hand, the history of ninjas is full of weird casting methods.
"I see. No wonder this guy acts so high and mighty while letting Kisame do the heavy lifting and hiding in his mirrors to provide 'support'."
Crouched on the wave, Ren dragged one hand across the water to arrest his momentum. He stood firm on the surface, staring at the two men leaping from the broken ice prison. His gaze shifted to the long-haired man trailing a step behind Kisame, and he let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
"Third Mizukage! Has your Taijutsu regressed so much that you have to rely on cheap tricks to feign strength?"
"What?!" Behind Kisame, Byaran's expression shifted instantly. How did he know?
It was true. Byaran was an even older Kage than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Combined with his nature as a field-control specialist like Rasa, Taijutsu was never his forte. He relied on the young, vigorous Kisame—enhanced by Samehada fusion—to act as a front-line anchor specifically because he knew he was no match for Ren's physical power. After all, this was the kid who had beaten the Sand's Taijutsu king, Ebizo, and wrestled two Tailed Beasts into the ground with his bare hands.
If that brat got close, Byaran would be seeing Gengetsu Hōzuki in the afterlife within three punches.
Though his eyes were closed, Byaran's face darkened. To see through my disguise after just one exchange... This boy's insight is identical to Uchiha Madara's!
He tilted his face toward Ren, teeth gritting. He's too dangerous. He cannot leave this place alive. The memory of the humiliations Madara had heaped upon him steeled his resolve. The world doesn't need a second Madara.
"Kisame, do it!" Byaran roared.
He snapped his blue eyes open, glaring at the water beneath Ren's feet. Ice instantly surged out from under the Mizukage, spreading across the surface like a virus!
Kisame smirked, giving Ren a cold look before diving headfirst into the sea. Byaran, no longer bothering to hide, wove the 'Snake' sign with his hands and barked:
"Ice Style: Ice Dragon Biting Explosion!"
Layers of ice crawled up Ren's legs, locking him to the surface. Four massive ice dragons burst from the sea, intertwining to block every possible escape route.
Beneath the surface, the fused Kisame wove signs, his jagged teeth bared.
"Water Style: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!"
Suddenly, the sea beneath the ice began to boil. No—it was rising. The ocean was flowing toward the sky!
Moonlight caught the rising droplets, reflecting off Ren's face. To his credit, he didn't look panicked; he almost seemed to be enjoying the view as he was swept into a gargantuan, 300-meter-wide ellipsoidal water prison.
The previous waves had already infused the area with Kisame's chakra. This second wave stacked on top of it, lifting the ocean itself to form a massive sphere of water. Ren was trapped in a field where there was nowhere to run.
Byaran smirked as Kisame darted into the floating prison. He pressed his palms against the outer surface of the water sphere.
"Ice Style: Polar Ice Prison!"
The outer layer of the 300-meter sphere froze instantly, turning into a massive ball of ice that began to sink slowly into the dark depths.
Inside the sphere, Kisame swam up to Ren. He laughed, the sound muffled by the water. "Uchiha brat, you should thank me. This is a burial ground prepared specifically for you!"
Floating in the water, Ren opened his eyes and gave the monologuing Kisame a flat look.
"What? You don't believe me? Hehehe~" Kisame's shark eyes narrowed. "Every drop of water in this prison is saturated with my chakra. Every second you spend here, your energy is being stolen. In this environment, you can't breathe, and you can't use that fire that broke the ice prison. Outside, Lord Third is constantly thickening the ice."
"Eventually, this will become a solid 300-meter ice ball, sinking 10,000 meters to the bottom of the ocean. The rising pressure will slowly rob you of your ability to move."
"You will get weaker and weaker," Kisame's tone turned lethal. "And at the moment your chakra is fully drained—when you are at your most vulnerable—I will kill you."
Kisame slammed his palms together, creating a trail of bubbles. "Until then, play with my little pets!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
A massive summoning formula appeared. Hundreds of tiger sharks with serrated teeth and dark markings began to pour into the prison, circling Ren like hungry shadows.
Facing a thousand starving sharks, a fused Kisame, and the Third Mizukage watching from above, Ren simply stared at them with a look of genuine confusion.
He had figured it out. These two kept shouting about killing him, but despite having multiple chances to close in, they were terrified of a direct confrontation. They were trying to use "boiling frog" tactics—relying on chakra drainage, summons, and environmental pressure to wear him down.
It was a classic ninja strategy. But...
I'm waiting for my cooldown. What the hell are you guys waiting for?
Are you really that afraid of a boxing match?
Ren glanced at his own chest. Inside, his Sage Heart was being constructed with meticulous precision. The Regeneration Barrier within the Uchiha Flame Formation was complete. Using the Eight-Tails' chakra as a core, it was generating a suction force that surpassed anything Ren had ever felt.
In a perspective invisible to the mortal eye, natural energy for ten thousand meters around was spiraling into a vortex—
And it was violently pouring into Ren's heart!
A power that felt like a throbbing abyss was slowly waking up.
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