On the other side, just two blocks away from the epicenter of the chaos, stood the izakaya.
Aburame Ryoma suddenly raised his head, turning his gaze toward the towering six-story pavilion on the main street. The Kikaichu bugs within his body were stirring restlessly, giving him an ominous premonition. The surroundings had fallen deathly quiet, as if the very wind carried a scent of slaughter.
In the next moment, Ryoma lowered his gaze, casting a cold look at Seiichiro Uchiha. He reached out from his wide sleeve, attempting to snatch the scroll held by the Uchiha.
Seiichiro, however, was not about to let him have his way. That scroll contained the rewards granted to Ren by the clan. He immediately stepped aside, his Sharingan flaring to life as he glared back.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Ryoma frowned, displeased by the Uchiha's lack of cooperation. He was about to use his authority to suppress him when—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted from the street nearby. Structures collapsed as a wall of water surged forth! A ten-meter-high wave swept through the area, sending everyone present leaping toward higher ground.
As Seiichiro looked toward the source of the disturbance, his pupils trembled. After Ren had "borrowed" those 100,000 ryo, he had scurried out the door quite suspiciously. Seiichiro didn't even need to think to guess where the kid had gone. As a senior, he could only offer Ren a "knowing look" regarding such activities.
But now...
A shinobi conflict had broken out right in that spot?
Seiichiro cursed under his breath. What is it with this kid? Why does a fight break out everywhere he goes! He immediately leapt up, carrying the massive scroll on his back, and charged toward the wave. Ryoma, seeing Seiichiro's movement, understood the situation instantly and gestured for his three subordinates to follow. In a flash, the group turned into dark blurs, racing toward the scene of the conflict.
[Yagura Karatachi intends to kill you instantly.]
Facing both Yagura and Mangetsu while surrounded by Steam Country refugees, Ren immediately realized he needed to change the battlefield. Fighting these two on the water's surface was suicide. Within two rounds, his momentum would be crushed, and he'd be infinitely suppressed by Yagura's mastery of Water Style.
Fortunately, Ren was half a Water Style user himself. While he couldn't win a head-on power struggle, he could at least manage a tactical retreat. By utilizing the high-speed currents of a nearby vortex with Water Style: Water Surface Slice, he was able to quickly slide away.
He only needed to stall. Once the wave from the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave subsided, he could return to solid ground. With the battlefield littered with throwable objects, his immortal body's high resistance to ninjutsu, and his "life-for-a-life" forbidden technique, he had options. He could kite them with a barrage of projectiles or close in to find a weakness in a melee.
As long as he avoided being stabbed by the Samehada that Mangetsu might summon, he could hold his own for a dozen rounds.
Across from him, the two Mist ninjas noticed his movements. Yagura raised his hooked staff, conjuring a Water Mirror to deflect the incoming roof-tile shuriken. He chuckled, his brow arching.
"Trying to run?"
"I'm afraid in this environment, no one escapes my grasp."
Yagura maintained his hand seal. In truth, a massive amount of chakra had already permeated the surrounding water, allowing him to sense everything while making it easier to manifest jutsu.
He dropped onto the water's surface, crouching low and pressing his hands against the liquid.
In an instant, the water erupted. Over twenty whips made of pressurized water surged out, their tips breaking the sound barrier with a sonic crack as they lashed toward Ren.
Ren recognized it immediately: Water Style: Water Whip. But while a standard pursuer-nin could only manage one, Yagura had produced over twenty. The sight of the dense, massive whips made Ren's scalp tingle. He tapped the surface and leaped backward in a desperate dodge.
But that was exactly what Yagura wanted.
"Don't cause too much noise. I'll restrict the combat to this rooftop area. You use your blade and finish him," Yagura said to Mangetsu without looking back.
Recalling reports that Ren had once been impaled by Samehada and was now perfectly fine, Yagura added a final instruction:
"He likely possesses powerful medical ninjutsu. Once my Water Prison forms, use the full power of Hiramekarei's Release to grind him into dust."
"As you wish," Mangetsu nodded, his shark-like teeth baring in a twisted grin. He liquefied into the water, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Yagura narrowed his eyes, funneling even more chakra into the water. The whips increased to thirty-six. Their purpose was simple: restriction. He knew from intelligence that this brat's taijutsu was both underhanded and slippery.
So, he would give him no room to move.
Limit his movement with whips, crush his defense with multiple Water Dragon Biting Explosions, and then trap him in a giant Water Prison. Finally, let Mangetsu deliver the finishing blow.
How will you deal with this, Uchiha? Yagura smiled, certain of his victory.
Ren was feeling the crushing weight of the pressure. He shifted positions constantly, struggling to move under the relentless lashing of thirty-six water whips. He dodged through a gap in one, only to find three more forcing him back.
Fifty meters felt like fifty miles.
In the original story, Yagura's non-Jinchuriki abilities were rarely shown, as he was usually controlled by Obito. Ren only knew of his bizarre Water Mirror and the Typhoon Water Vortex. But the real Yagura was far more difficult to handle. He fought with a style entirely different from previous enemies—the style of a shinobi who had refined his elemental mastery to the absolute peak through massive chakra reserves.
It was honorable, direct, and unyielding! He crushed you with sheer power and forced you into a confrontation with superior technique. This was Yagura Karatachi—the future Fourth Mizukage.
Suddenly, the wind and waves stilled.
Ren's heart skipped a beat. He looked toward Yagura, who was crouching on the water, finishing the final seal.
The water surged. Two massive water dragons roared forth, their maws wide as they lunged at Ren. Simultaneously, the surrounding water began to vibrate and rise, forming the skeletal structure of a massive cage!
To escape the prison, he'd have to run into the dragons. To fight the dragons, he'd be caught by the prison.
Ren's heart sank. But a second later, he exhaled, casting the doubt aside. He looked at Yagura's confident smile and his gaze turned cold. He raised his palm, pressing it against his chest over his heart.
However...
Just then, the world went dark.
Literally dark. Clouds blotted out the sun, casting a massive shadow over the earth. A deafening buzzing sound filled the air.
Everyone looked up in shock.
The "clouds" weren't clouds at all. They were composed of millions of tiny, swarming insects!
Amidst this terrifying display, a figure draped in a black robe, hands in his pockets and wearing dark sunglasses, walked slowly across the water.
His face was a mask of absolute indifference.