Infinite Anime [243-244] (Patreon)

Chapter 243: The Will of Water

Oppression.

For the first time, Yagura felt oppressed by someone other than Uchiha Madara.

But who was Uchiha Madara? The strongest shinobi who'd made his name since the Warring States era—the one who lost at the Valley of the End by barely half a move to the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.

Could it be that the man before him had already reached that legendary level!?

Yagura lifted his gaze to lock onto Gusion, dropped his hips, gathered his strength, and was the first to charge him.

As the Mizukage, he could not retreat at a time like this. He had to be the first to rush in to rouse everyone's morale.

In partial Tailed Beast Transformation, Yagura swung his black rod, sweeping at Gusion with the power of his Coral Palm.

Gusion did not underestimate Yagura just because he'd entered Sage Mode. In truth, thanks to Black Tech's gear, Yagura was stronger than when they first met—and now he was fighting with the resolve to defend his village to the death.

And he judged Yagura's current call to be correct. Full Tailed Beast Transformation did grant overwhelming power and durability, but at the cost of flexibility.

After all, the Three-Tails itself was a giant turtle—slow and cumbersome in a fight.

Only in partial transformation was Yagura at his most well-rounded, able to fluidly employ ninjutsu and taijutsu.

In the next instant, Mazuko and the black rod clashed, sparks bursting. The two were locked in the air for a heartbeat before they recoiled apart from the impact.

On the surface it was an even exchange, but Yagura knew he was already running out of stamina.

In that clash, he hadn't injured Gusion at all. On the contrary, the blade aura from Gusion's sword had cut open his chest. The corrosive force gnawed at his body, and even his jinchuriki-level regeneration struggled to keep up.

Worse, the sword in Gusion's hand was absorbing his chakra. He had far less chakra than when he started.

Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone. Seizing the moment, Kisame attacked from the flank. The greatsword Samehada was ecstatic at the sight of Gusion's chakra. Its spikes burst through the bandages, baring themselves hungrily toward Gusion.

Bang—

Mazuko met Samehada with a dull thud, sounding nothing like two blades clashing. When the weapons connected, their energies tugged at each other.

Samehada was, in essence, a living being. When Mazuko slashed it, it actually injured Samehada.

That meant Mazuko's passive would siphon the residual chakra within Samehada.

As a result, not only did Kisame fail to drain chakra from Gusion, he was almost reverse-siphoned through Samehada instead.

And Kisame's confidence in his own physique looked laughable before Gusion. In a head-on collision, an irresistible force surged through his arms, as if it would crush every bone in his body.

Boom—

Kisame crashed into the ground like a cannonball, blasting open a deep crater. Black Tech broke out in a sweat at the sight. But his mind was no longer on fighting Gusion to the bitter end so he could continue his grand Kirigakure plan afterward—he was wondering whether he should run.

He was an Explorer, and he felt nothing for Kirigakure. If Gusion truly meant to annihilate the village, why should he stay to be buried with it?

Running now would only waste the time and money he'd sunk into his setup. The shinobi world was big; he could recoup elsewhere.

But if he died at Gusion's hands, then he'd have nothing left.

With that thought, he stopped hesitating and turned to flee.

"Hey, I just spotted a deserter."

Garaga bared its fangs, lunging at Black Tech.

"Out of my way!"

Black Tech snarled. He had no time to tangle with a dumb snake. He blasted out a palm strike. As a traditional cultivation-path reinforced fighter from Heaven's Will Space, he was very well-rounded, with overall stats superior to Garaga's.

Garaga hadn't expected the short guy who hardly attacked Gusion to be this strong. Its jaw took the hit, its body even hung in the air for a moment, and it landed groggily.

Getting up, it was burning with shame and anger. It had just boasted it would prove itself the strongest summoning beast.

But it had already suffered at the hands of the Three-Tails Isobu, and now it had been floored by a short human. Where was it supposed to put its snake face?

Rumble—

Just as it was about to give chase, a gust of force roared past. Yagura had been blasted aside, bowling over a row of trees.

With Shunpo paired with Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Gusion moved like a specter—most people couldn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow. He slipped past behind Garaga, not aiming at the Mizukage who'd just staggered up from being launched, but at the fleeing Black Tech.

Every cell in Black Tech's body screamed danger. He turned, circulating his mystic arts. His robe billowed, his face flushed red, and an ancient sword appeared in his hand. He slashed toward the streak of light surging at him.

As a fourth-tier Explorer, his overall stats were actually quite high—not worse than Gusion's current numbers. Yet he still wanted to run because he simply couldn't track Gusion's movements.

He really wanted to complain: You're wielding a Shinigami's Zanpakutō, stepping with Shunpo, stacked with Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Sage Mode buffs—who the hell is supposed to play against a wall-hacking cheater like you!?

With all those states layered, Gusion's speed didn't match his stats at all. Even a fourth-tier Explorer like him couldn't see clearly.

As The Beast from kung fu hustle said: Of all the martial arts under heaven, speed is the only unbreakable one.

The Fourth Mizukage was the example. In his hands, the Three-Tails Isobu was a heavy armored war machine with a brain. Yet before Gusion, it was a turtle shell to be toyed with. In the end, even Yagura had to switch to partial transformation.

Black Tech had no desire to engage Gusion up close. He'd only just advanced to fourth tier and was still in a metamorphosis phase; Gusion's passives alone were terrifying to look at—Ryuo, conqueror's coating, lightning glow—one touch in close quarters would mean death or maiming!

But the worst had happened: Gusion had ignored the Mizukage and targeted him instead.

Black Tech mustered everything he had. On the knife's edge between life and death, he honed his mind to a razor's edge and slashed forward.

Whoosh—

He heard only the sound of his sword tearing the air—no ring of steel meeting steel.

A heartbeat later, he heard an artery being sliced, a blade biting bone. Then the world spun and went dark.

Gusion and Black Tech passed each other. As Gusion's figure settled, he flicked the blood from his blade. "If you're the one who dragged everyone into this game, how can you be the first to run?"

He stepped over Black Tech's corpse, turned his gaze to the Mizukage and Kisame—who had just crawled out of the crater, still coughing blood—and smiled the textbook villain's smile. "Come on, try protecting your village."

"Calamity…"

Kisame's face was grim. He again formed hand seals, unleashed Exploding Water Colliding Wave, reshaping the battlefield and diving below the surface.

Seeing this, Gusion sent a high-voltage current into the water—only for the Kisame inside to burst into a splash. 

A water clone.

Gusion realized he'd treated Kisame like a fool. Knowing Gusion had a Lightning Release bloodline limit, there was no way Kisame would flood the field and then have his true body swim into it.

Sure enough, Kisame's real body had used the dust cloud to flicker to Yagura's side. He thrust a hand toward the water. 

"Thousand Feeding Sharks!"

In an instant, a torrent of sharks leaped from the water's surface like a violent storm, crashing down on Gusion.

But Gusion was too fast. He wove through the gaps between the sharks. Dark red lines seemed to etch a picture into the sky. By the time he broke through the Thousand Feeding Sharks' encirclement, he was already on top of Kisame and Yagura.

Without a word, Yagura and Kisame fell into step. Yagura stepped forward, black rod swinging to meet Mazuko and check Gusion's advance.

At the same time, Kisame poured all his chakra into slamming a palm onto the water. A shark dozens of meters long vaulted up behind Gusion, jaws yawning to devour him.

Yagura's eyes held resolve. As rod and blade collided, the Three-Tails' tails snaked from his back to bind Gusion. He meant to sacrifice himself to take Gusion down with him!

Kisame did not pause his jutsu. This was his Great Shark Bullet Technique—it absorbed the enemy's chakra-based attacks and grew stronger the more chakra it ate.

If he could swallow Gusion with this technique, they would win.

He'd understood the look in the Mizukage's eyes: facing an enemy like Gusion, there could be no victory without sacrifice.

They had to defeat Gusion, or Kirigakure would be history today.

Boom—

But Kisame and Yagura miscalculated one thing in the tension of battle. A massive figure barreled through, smashing the Great Shark Bullet apart.

Garaga blocked Gusion's back. "Did you forget your lordship was here?"

Kisame's face went ashen. He'd poured everything into that last move to make sure it killed Gusion. He had almost no fight left.

"As the strongest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, you really are something."

Gusion sighed, then amped up the current coursing through him, locking Yagura's tail rigid with electricity. He pressed forward, forcing Yagura back, and then cut for Yagura's neck.

"Mizukage-sama!"

Without hesitation, Kisame lunged and shoved the paralyzed Yagura aside, meeting the blow with Samehada.

But he was a spent arrow. In that hasty guard, he couldn't stop Gusion's sword.

Samehada was driven into his face and, following Gusion's force, was blown spinning upward. In the instant Samehada flew skyward, Kisame instinctively looked up.

In that moment, he saw a sky scrubbed clear of mist by the battle, a limpid blue vault and a warm sun.

So beautiful.

Kisame thought.

The next instant, the world went black; the lovely sight was the last thing he saw.

Mazuko traced a line across his throat, ending the life of the most formidable of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—a man whose life had been hardship upon hardship.

"Kisame…"

Seeing Kisame's head hit the ground, Yagura neither screamed nor raged. His tone held sorrow and regret.

He had been a derelict Mizukage, yet after Kisame learned the truth, he had still chosen to follow him.

Two of the people Yagura trusted had died today, but he could not stop because of grief.

Yagura straightened his back, moved to the flank, and stood in Gusion's way. Behind him loomed Kirigakure's main gate.

"Mizukage-sama!"

"Mizukage-sama, you can do it!"

"Mizukage-sama, defeat the intruder!"

…

Cheering rolled out of the village, tinged with deep worry.

One by one, jonin, chunin, even genin stepped forward, faces set with determination, glaring at Gusion with hatred and at Yagura's back with respect.

Feeling those gazes, a smile appeared on Yagura's face—the first in decades.

He leveled the black rod with the withered blossom on its tip. "Calamity, you cannot destroy the Mist."

"Can't destroy it? You, as Mizukage, are already on the verge of defeat."

Gusion stood there, aura farming, Garaga crouched by his side, its head resting near him—man and snake radiating danger.

Yagura's smile shone bright. "Even after I was controlled by Uchiha Madara and ruled the Mist with terror for decades, I could not destroy it. Water is both soft and tough. The shinobi of Kirigakure are tougher than you think."

Gusion regarded Yagura quietly, not interrupting.

Yagura glanced up at the rare clear sky, voice soft with feeling. "Even if I die, the resilience and strength of water will be passed on."

Chapter 244: Withering

Gusion listened without moving. Only after Yagura finished did he step forward. "Mizukage, I'll see you off."

He had changed his mind. He would not capture Yagura alive to provoke a tailed beast rampage and hurl him onto the Konoha battlefield as a weapon.

That would insult a resolute warrior. He would not do it.

Without a tailed beast, he could always put more pressure on Konoha by himself.

In Gusion's eyes, the Yagura before him should die as a Mizukage defending his village.

"Calamity, we haven't settled this yet. Let me show you a Kage's resolve!"

Yagura's gaze was firm as he launched himself forward.

As he charged, the shinobi who had been watching from the sidelines surged in as well, kunai and mist-nin blades in hand, rushing Gusion.

This was no longer about whether they wished to follow Yagura. Gusion had declared he would destroy Kirigakure. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. They had to follow the Mizukage and fight.

Boom—

Yagura's black rod met Mazuko, the blast of force sinking the ground and scattering rubble.

At the same time, Gusion canceled the summoning to send Garaga back—he could see that the snake, eager to prove itself, was about to start a mass slaughter among the Mist ninja.

Before Garaga could protest, it burst into a massive puff of smoke and vanished.

Then, as Gusion's dark red Conqueror's Haki rippled outward, the charging shinobi stiffened for a beat.

The genin on the field fared worse, toppling like wheat before a scythe.

"Everyone except the elite jonin, fall back with Terumi Mei!"

Yagura shouted. He had no desire for the village's youth to die needlessly.

He could fight freely now because he knew Terumi Mei had already led a group of promising youngsters to safety. Even if the worst happened and he fell here today, Kirigakure would have seeds left to sprout.

Gusion, as a missing-nin, could not remain in the Land of Water for long. At most he was a destroyer. Once he left, they could rebuild.

As long as the daimyo of the Land of Water wasn't a fool, he would fund Kirigakure's resurgence—otherwise the country would be left without basic national defense.

Buoyed by the people's support, Yagura's heart unknotted. He no longer thought of revenge, and fought with growing momentum.

But Gusion had no intention of dragging this out. Since he'd said he would see Yagura off, he would not dawdle.

In Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Gusion pushed his speed to the limit. High-voltage arcs coursed through the water pooled across the field into Yagura, making the exhausted Mizukage twitch and lock up.

Even a jinchuriki with a powerful physique, once his chakra ran low, could no longer withstand Gusion's lightning.

At top speed, Gusion's cuts slipped cleanly through Yagura's slowed, stiff defense. The first stroke knocked the black rod from his hands.

The rod spun upward through the air. Gusion's second strike followed. With his state maxed out, the blade came down. Disarmed and only in partial transformation, Yagura had no chance.

Before the shocked, furious eyes and shouts of the Mist shinobi, Mazuko traced Yagura's throat, leaving only a strip of skin clinging at the back.

In that last instant, Yagura's face showed no fear—only a touch of regret. Regret that he had failed to protect Kirigakure; that he had been a failed Kage.

The black rod spun down from the sky and stabbed into the earth. The withered flower at its tip… finally fell apart.

A breeze stirred. The fallen blossom twirled and drifted down onto Yagura's body.

Gusion flicked the blood from his blade, bent to pick up an epic-grade loot chest, and tucked the withered flower into Yagura's collar. "Whatever came before, in the end, you were a proper Kage."

As he straightened, he staggered, looking for all the world like he was spent.

Even so, none of the enraged Mist shinobi dared rush him.

"He even canceled his summoning. His chakra's nearly gone. Move! Avenge the Mizukage-sama!"

A jonin shouted through tears and charged Gusion.

Gusion had already dropped Sage Mode. He turned without drawing his blade and simply kicked the jonin, booting him into the village wall and leaving a crater.

A wave of brave jonin rushed him in the chaos. Gusion didn't use lightning, acting as if he were low on chakra; he fought with pure taijutsu.

Even so, it was like a tiger among sheep—the Mist shinobi went flying.

In that respect, the shinobi world wasn't quite like the world of pirates. In the pirate world, if Gusion killed a boss in such dominant fashion, the small fry often wouldn't dare swing at him.

But shinobi were different. Many truly weren't afraid of death and clung to certain virtues. On the battlefield, they did not retreat.

Especially now, with their village at stake—even genin dared to rush him.

"Chunin, fall back—don't give him a chance to absorb your chakra!"

An elite jonin shouted, knowing how deadly Gusion's blade was.

As if to match the warning, Gusion acted like his state had recovered a bit and released Lightning Release, frying a swath of shinobi.

"So much for water's resilience. The Mizukage is dead. Who's left to stop me?"

Gusion wore what, to the crowd, looked like a vicious grin. Inwardly, he thought: Zabuza, if you don't get your ass out here, I won't be able to keep up this act much longer.

Thankfully, Zabuza wasn't that unreliable. A roar of air being torn by a massive blade rang out as the Executioner's Blade spun toward Gusion.

Gusion hopped back. The man-tall blade whirled and buried itself in the ground not far ahead. Gusion couldn't help grumbling internally: Zabuza, you really know how to make an entrance. In a real fight, throwing away your weapon would get you killed, you know?

Oh right—he actually did that in the original…

That said, the man nailed the vibe. His entrance was maximum cool.

Because the jonin and elite jonin had just led the charge at Gusion, most had been battered senseless or knocked out. That left only chunin and newly arrived genin on the field.

In their despair, they saw the legendary Executioner's Blade of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen carve into the battlefield—and force the rampaging Calamity to dodge!

"Yare yare, I just get home and it's this kind of mess."

At some point, mist had crept back into the air. It wasn't thick across most of the field yet, but it veiled the speaker's form.

As the words faded, a figure dropped onto the Executioner's Blade's handle, crouching with his back to the people of the Mist.

Right then, the mist thinned enough for the shinobi to see Zabuza clearly.

"Zabuza-san!"

"It's Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"

"He's back!"

"He's here to defend the village!"

"I knew Zabuza-san would never abandon us—he'd stand up!"

…

The crowd's sagging morale ignited at Zabuza's dazzling entrance.

This was thanks to Zabuza's past reputation—and the flyers he'd spread after returning today.

The people of Kirigakure already knew he was back, and they knew the truth about the Mizukage. Though the Fourth Mizukage's last stand to defend the village had softened much of their hatred, compared to Zabuza, Yagura still bore more stains. After all, during Yagura's dark reign, only Zabuza had dared to stand up for the people.

To them, Zabuza had always held Kirigakure in his heart—a revolutionary hero.

In this desperate hour, Terumi Mei—the one they'd expected—had evacuate with the village's precious seedlings, while the man branded a missing-nin by the Fourth Mizukage had stepped up to face the invader. The stark contrast left many newly disappointed in Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei, leading the village's youth to safety, would never have imagined that by faithfully carrying out the Mizukage's orders, she would miss her chance to become the Fifth Mizukage.

In such a tense moment, with emotions running hot, no one was in the mood to parse nuance. All they knew was that in their darkest hour, the one standing between them and the enemy was none other than their former revolutionary hero—Momochi Zabuza.

Watching the stirred-up crowd, Gusion subtly curled his lip. Not bad, Zabuza. When you said you had clout, you weren't bluffing.

Still, that worked just fine. His stiff acting would pass now.

"Momochi Zabuza? I heard you were the Mist's prodigy of silent killing. But you're just one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. The Mizukage himself died by my hand. You think you can stop me?"

Gusion sneered, convinced he'd nailed the villain act.

"That only means you've never seen my Silent Killing."

Zabuza spoke, forming a one-handed seal. "Hidden Mist Technique."

At once, the mist—already seeded by his earlier jutsu—grew even thicker.

The chakra-laden fog was hard to pierce even for dōjutsu. The Mist shinobi tensed, forced to rely on sound to place Gusion.

None of them questioned Zabuza's tactics. He was famed for silent killing. They felt that even a hundred of them couldn't beat Gusion head-on; better to place their hopes on Zabuza and see if the prodigy could strike true.

Squelch—

From within the dense fog came the sound of a blade slicing flesh, sending the Mist shinobi's nerves taut.

"Not bad. There aren't many in the current shinobi world who can wound me."

Gusion's voice drifted out of the fog, and spirits soared.

What? Zabuza-san cut him!?

"Calamity, you're strong. But you fought Kisame and the Mizukage-sama back to back. You're a spent arrow too, aren't you?"

Zabuza's cold voice came from every direction, making the Mist's chunin and genin click their tongues in awe. As expected—impressive. Even though they could also use the Hidden Mist Technique, they couldn't tell where Zabuza was speaking from.

The clang of blades rang out again and again in the fog. The Mist shinobi could practically picture the duel—Calamity and Zabuza crossing steel in a flurry.

"Ungh—"

Gusion grunted as if struck. "Silent Killing… never thought I'd be nicked by such a parlor trick."

His words infuriated the Mist. Their village was famous for killing under cover of mist—and he called it a parlor trick? Their fury spiked.

Then they thought again: he was just lashing out after being wounded by Zabuza-san—impotent rage. That made them feel better.

"To insult the Mist like that—even if you're strong, you're not leaving today."

Zabuza's voice floated in the fog, followed by another burst of furious clashing—music to the Mist shinobi's ears.

In reality, inside the fog, Gusion and Zabuza were standing face to face, staring at each other.

Zabuza had planted the Executioner's Blade in the ground.

Gusion was going clang clang clang, chopping Mazuko against the Executioner's Blade to make noise.

PS: LOL