Chapter 421: Overwhelming Advantage
CLANG!
The ear-splitting shriek of metal striking metal exploded across the battlefield. Zabuza's steel-forged blade collided head-on with Juzo Biwa's Executioner's Blade, sending sparks flying in every direction.
However, the gap between an ordinary weapon and a legendary ninja blade became apparent instantly. The force transmitted through the Executioner's Blade was heavy as a mountain, sending violent tremors through Zabuza's grip.
Can't match him head-on!
The moment their blades met, Zabuza used the momentum to retreat. His blade slid along the direction of the slash, spinning sideways to narrowly avoid the horizontal sweep that followed. The wind from the massive sword sheared off a few strands of his black hair.
"Brat!" Juzo grinned savagely. "You want to inherit my blade? Come back in a few hundred years!"
He gripped his sword with one hand while rapidly forming seals with the other.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The sea surface churned violently as a massive water dragon burst through the waves, opening its ferocious maw and roaring toward Zabuza.
"Tch!" Zabuza's hands flew through seals of his own.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Another water dragon rose from the sea beneath his feet, surging upward to meet the attack head-on.
CRASH!
The two dragons collided violently in midair, sending water cascading down like a torrential downpour.
However, Juzo's water dragon smashed through Zabuza's technique, shattering it section by section and reducing it to ordinary spray. Juzo's dragon continued forward with undiminished momentum, jaws gaping wide.
"Lightning Burial: Lightning Banquet!"
Just as Zabuza focused entirely on dealing with the water dragon, a sinister killing strike came from the side. Raiga Kurosuki clashed his twin blades together, detonating his Lightning Release chakra.
CRACKLE!
Countless blue-white lightning serpents erupted from the sea surface, coiling around Zabuza's legs.
"Gah—!"
Caught off guard, electricity invaded Zabuza's body, bringing intense paralysis and searing pain. His entire form went rigid, his movements delayed for that fatal instant.
"Now!" Juzo roared.
"Come! I'll give you a proper funeral!" Raiga and Juzo attacked from left and right, blade-light and lightning weaving a deadly net as they closed in on the immobilized Zabuza.
SPLASH!
The dull sound of a blade striking flesh echoed across the water.
However, the "Zabuza" they'd cut didn't spray blood—instead, he dissolved into clear water that scattered across the sea surface with a splash. A water clone!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Almost simultaneously, two new "Zabuzas" emerged silently from beneath the water behind Juzo and Raiga, their blades thrusting directly at their backs.
Both men reacted with incredible speed, hearing the displacement of air and spinning to block. The Executioner's Blade and the Lightning Blades: Kiba intercepted the surprise attacks, creating harsh grinding sounds.
"I see... water clones, then."
A flash of irritation at being toyed with crossed Juzo's eyes. "Lately, every enemy I've faced has been throwing around world-ending techniques. I'd almost forgotten about these little tricks."
Raiga's eyes glimmered with anticipation. "I'll remember you. When I hold your funeral... you'll definitely make me cry."
The two water clones had limited strength, and under the fierce assault of the two legendary blade wielders, they quickly began to waver, clearly unable to hold out much longer.
But Zabuza's objective had already been achieved.
Lure them in. Group them together. Seal them off.
"Haku," Zabuza's real body appeared on the sea surface some distance away.
"Do it."
"Yes, Zabuza-san."
Haku, who had been concealed until now, quietly revealed himself. His hands formed a seal, and his chakra spread out like a freezing tide—
"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
In an instant, centered on Juzo and Raiga, the sea surface within a radius of several dozen meters sprouted countless massive ice crystals—smooth as mirrors, their edges razor-sharp.
These ice crystals formed an inverted hemispherical transparent prison, completely sealing the two men inside.
"This is... Ice Release?!" Juzo recognized the technique immediately. "Impossible! The Yuki Clan... they were supposed to have been wiped out! There are still survivors?!"
"Damn it..."
Raiga's expression darkened as well. Lightning crackled along his Kiba blades, but he didn't dare carelessly strike those ice mirrors that radiated extreme cold.
Outside the ice prison, Zabuza and Haku stood side by side.
The two began forming seals in perfect synchronization, their chakra surging and intertwining—the flexibility of water combined with the extreme cold of ice merged in this moment.
"Ice Release: Water-to-Ice Dragon Bite Explosion!"
Inside the prison.
Juzo suddenly sensed something wrong—within the depths of those mirror-smooth ice surfaces, something seemed to be moving.
Then, reflected in the ice mirrors, a pair of slowly opening crimson eyes appeared.
ROAR!
An earth-shaking dragon's cry erupted from deep within the ice mirrors. In the next second, several ferocious dragon heads formed entirely of crystalline ice and radiating frigid air simultaneously emerged from different ice mirrors.
They opened their massive jaws and lunged from all directions toward the two men trapped at the prison's center.
"Watch out—!"
Juzo didn't hesitate. He swung the Executioner's Blade with both hands, bringing it down hard on the nearest ice dragon's head.
---
Hidden Rain Village. The tower.
Tendo Pain stood motionless as cold rain continuously slid down the tower's iron exterior, beating out an endless monotonous rhythm.
His vision wasn't limited to what lay before him—through the shared sight of the other Pain bodies scattered across the battlefield, the entire situation at sea flowed piece by piece into his cold consciousness.
This isn't good.
The chakra signatures of Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki had already weakened, trapped in that strange Ice Release barrier. Their defeat was all but certain.
The sensory feedback from Hiruko was even more bizarre—some kind of black flame had ignited instantly, following him like a shadow, impossible to absorb. A Mangekyo Sharingan ability, no doubt.
Konan was engaged with that so-called "immortal ninja" Kakuzu. They were temporarily evenly matched, but she couldn't achieve a quick victory to provide support elsewhere.
As for Hidan... Nagato had simply blocked out the sensory input from that puppet—nothing but meaningless curses and insane roaring.
At this rate, forget forcing out "Menma's" true strength—they'd suffer complete defeat before even discovering the full capabilities of his subordinates.
The rhythm of the war had been in their opponent's hands from the very beginning.
Just as Nagato evaluated the situation in his mind, calculating whether he needed to deploy all Six Paths of Pain ahead of schedule—
"Um, that... Leader, I'm back. I'm... I'm not too late, am I?"
A voice that tried to sound casual but only revealed fear more clearly came from behind him.
Tendo Pain slowly turned around. Pale skin. White hair cropped short. Crossed on his back was the ninja blade Kabutowari—that peculiar weapon combining a hammer and broad-bladed axe.
Suigetsu Hozuki stood there, his gaze shifty, not daring to meet Pain's eyes directly.
Several years ago, it was Pain himself who'd retrieved Suigetsu from one of Orochimaru's abandoned experimental facilities. Afterward... Suigetsu had tried to settle his debt to Pain in his own way.
So even now, Suigetsu was terrified of Pain.
"The war has already begun."
Tendo Pain's voice made Suigetsu's spine stiffen even more.
"The other members have all engaged the enemy."
"Your mission—"
Pain's voice carried undeniable finality.
"Go kill Menma."