Secret Technique: Water Iron Cannon Jutsu
A single droplet unleashed a devastating power—piercing through rock, shattering steel. Even though Hema had reinforced his body with the Hardening Technique, the droplet that pierced a layer of stone wall still managed to strike his forearm painfully.
The pain felt as though it would snap his bones!
"Damn it! This is just miserable!"
Facing an opponent with such incompatible abilities was a nightmare for Hema.
In terms of strength, Hema was certainly no weakling. Even without his clan's forbidden techniques, he was an elite among high-ranking ninjas, capable of leading the more radical faction of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi. But this opponent was a terrible matchup.
Hema specialized in Earth and Wind Techniques, and logically, he should have had the advantage against a Mist ninja proficient in Water Techniques. However, the Hozuki Clan had honed their Water Techniques to such a degree that their unique Hydration Jutsu rendered Hema's Earth and Wind Techniques ineffective.
No matter how strong his attacks were—whether a chilling stone spear or a wind blade capable of slicing steel—they lost their effectiveness against the flowing water. His attacks felt futile.
Lightning and Fire Techniques were the only two jutsu that could injure Hozuki Mangetsu, but unfortunately, Hema wasn't skilled in either.
From the start, Hema was forced into a defensive struggle, fighting hard just to keep up.
Swish!
Another droplet shot through the air.
This move was incredibly troublesome, not only powerful but also fast, requiring no hand signs and firing instantly. Even with his guard up, Hema couldn't dodge every time, and this time… the droplet was aimed at his head. In a quick reflex, he twisted his neck, barely avoiding it… but not completely!
Crack!
The droplet shattered his hat.
Without the hat's cover, Hema's unmasked face was exposed.
"You are... the former Guardian Shinobi Twelve, Hema! So it's you rebels!" Recognizing Hema, Mangetsu glared. For years, Mangetsu had worked in the Leaf Village under the Konoha and Kirigakure Anti-Rogue Shinobi Division, becoming familiar with notable rogue shinobi.
While Ziko was also one of the former Twelve Guardians, she wasn't as well-known on the rogue registry, so he hadn't recognized her at first. But Hema's face was more familiar.
"Recognized again... troublesome," Hema muttered, touching his face.
Despite the close calls and stressful fight with Mangetsu, Hema didn't appear overly tense. After all, he was still alive, and panicking would serve no purpose—better to keep his composure.
"You rebellious rats, skulking in the shadows. Instead of cowering in your holes, you come out to stir up trouble. Well, now that you're here… stay!" Mangetsu drew his twin swords, Hiramekarei.
A surge of murderous intent flooded the air.
Attack,
like an unstoppable wave.
Blood Mist Sword Style: Bone Extract
With a flash, Chakra-infused spikes shot out like meteors, shattering the stone wall Hema had erected. With one strike, Mangetsu displayed the terrifying power of his blades.
Hema was forced to retreat underground.
But Ziko and Tenmoku lacked the Earth Moving Technique.
Tenmoku held a hostage, and Mangetsu refrained from attacking him directly, simply blocking his escape route. However, Ziko, without a hostage, wasn't so fortunate.
Before she could use the Body Flicker Technique to escape, a lightning-fast spike pierced her left leg.
Blood and shattered bone sprayed from the wound.
Losing support in her left leg, Ziko barely avoided collapsing. She knelt on one knee, bracing herself.
"Ziko!" Tenmoku shouted, eyes wide.
"Hema, Tenmoku, go. I'll hold them off!" Glancing at her leg, Ziko, a skilled medical ninja, knew she wouldn't be leaving today. Her left leg was useless; even if she survived, it wouldn't fully recover.
Her career as a ninja was over.
A ninja unable to run, stripped of mobility, was finished.
"Ziko?"
"Go, now!"
As she spoke, Ziko threw a series of poison gas bombs, blanketing the area in a toxic fog. She followed with poisoned needles, shuriken, kunai, and a slew of explosive tags, all hurled without hesitation. Yet, such desperate tactics proved ineffective.
As she reached for another scroll, a Chakra-infused spike tore through the fog, piercing her wrist. Her hand hung by a strip of skin, barely attached.
"Aaahhh!"
The pain forced a guttural scream from Ziko.
It was an agony that nearly broke her; her left hand trembled as she tried to thrust a kunai into her own heart, yet the overwhelming pain and blood loss made the attempt futile. All she could do was endure this torture.
"If you don't want your comrades to die here, then drop your hostage," Mangetsu commanded, his Hiramekarei pointed directly at Tenmoku.
Clearly,
Ziko's attempt to cover their escape was a fool's hope. Though all three were high-ranking ninjas, the difference in strength was clear. Mangetsu was an adversary they simply couldn't overcome.
Tenmoku fell silent, sensing Chakra pulses from underground, even through layers of stone.
Hiding underground wasn't entirely to avoid confrontation. Ever since he acquired the forbidden technique of the Tsuchigumo Clan, he had been contemplating ways to overcome its flaw: the inability to move freely while casting the technique. He devised various combat strategies, like using the Earth Release technique to create a space underground.
As long as he didn't face an opponent who was also adept at Earth Release, or one capable of striking deep underground, he could avoid detection.
Being underground not only allowed him to use the forbidden technique Raging Sky securely, but also benefited from the earth and rock layers above to mask chakra fluctuations. Unless they were skilled sensory ninjas, most wouldn't detect underground changes through the thick earth layers; otherwise, techniques like the Earth Walk wouldn't be iconic among the Iwa ninjas.
As for the fact that the rock layers would diminish Raging Sky's destructive power to some extent—well, he could accept that.
To be honest, from Kazuma's perspective, the destructive power of Raging Sky was almost excessive. Killing was straightforward—a kunai could kill, an explosive tag could destroy, and a Tailed Beast Bomb could obliterate; using a little extra force didn't matter much.
"Sorry, Shiko, I'm going to end your suffering soon."
Underground,
Kazuma looked up expressionlessly at the rocks above him, as if he could see through them to the writhing, agonized Shiko above.
In reality, he could. A shadow clone, transformed into a rat on the surface, dispelled itself and relayed the information from above back to him. With that, he immediately activated Raging Sky, unleashing a blinding, destructive white light that surged upward.
"What the—"
Mangetsu Hozuki sensed something was wrong.
He had been vigilant against Kazuma, who was hiding underground. Although his Hydrification Technique made him immune to most attacks, a few methods could still harm him. For example, if he was hit directly with explosive tags, they could injure or even kill him.
Because of this, he was constantly on guard.
Thus, when he felt the destructive surge rapidly expanding from underground, he reacted immediately, using Body Flicker to escape into the air. In the next instant, white light erupted from below, disintegrating earth and rock, withering plants, and swallowing the agonized Shiko in its devastating glow.
In the moment Shiko was engulfed by the white light, a faint smile of relief appeared on her face.
…
Three seconds later, the white light faded.
The teahouse was gone, replaced by a round crater that severed the road running north to south. At the edge of the crater, a puddle of clear water rippled in the breeze as Mangetsu Hozuki cautiously peeked out.
"You've got to be kidding! That kind of power... it's terrifying. Is this the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden technique?"
Mangetsu Hozuki stared, stunned, at the abyss in front of him.
He couldn't calm himself down. Knowing about the Tsuchigumo Clan's forbidden techniques was normal; as the deputy head of the Konoha-Kirigakure Rogue Ninja Search Unit, he was familiar with targets like Kazuma, who were specially marked. Besides, they had once saved the granddaughter of the Tsuchigumo Clan's leader, Genzō, although they hadn't managed to save Genzō himself or kill Kazuma.
In any case, he had seen Raging Sky noted in Kazuma's file as possibly under his control. But now, he realized it was no longer just a possibility—Kazuma had indeed mastered the Tsuchigumo Clan's purely destructive forbidden technique.
Mangetsu stood at the edge of the pit for a long while, then sighed softly, "It's really that outrageously strong. If I hadn't escaped quickly, I might've died here today. It's thrilling, but… what are these guys doing in the Land of Water? If they want to cause trouble, shouldn't they be harassing Konoha in the Land of Fire?"
Kazuma and Tenmoku had already fled.
Right after the destructive white light faded, he scanned the surroundings, hoping to catch any sign of Kazuma's escape. Unfortunately, he wasn't a sensory ninja, and without any tracks, he had no leads to follow.
"Just my luck."
Mangetsu Hozuki rubbed his face, looking disgruntled.
In this unexpected attack, two of his comrades had died, and one was captured. To be honest, he didn't feel much emotional attachment to the deceased comrades—they barely knew each other, and he himself was somewhat cold-hearted by nature.
But the capture of Hirofusa…
Mangetsu couldn't help but frown at the thought.
He might not care much about those two, but Hirofusa… Hirofusa, whose full name was Hirofusa Shimizu, possessed the Boil Release Kekkei Genkai and was a rising talent from the Shimizu Clan, as well as the cousin of the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi. The Shimizu Clan, who inherited the Boil Release, were related to Mei Terumi, and Hirofusa was her close cousin. Mangetsu was accompanying him on this mission at Mei's request.
And now—
He had completely failed to protect the Mizukage's cousin, who had been captured.
How could he possibly report this to the Mizukage?
"Did they capture Hirofusa… for the Boil Release Kekkei Genkai? But a group of rogue ninjas… what use would they have for a Kekkei Genkai? Or… is someone else behind them?" Mangetsu pondered for a while but came up with nothing.
Were they after the Boil Release? If it had been Suna, Konoha, or Kumo, it wouldn't have been surprising. After all, Kumo once tried to steal the Magnet Release from Sunagakure and the Byakugan from Konoha, and even Kirigakure had coveted others' Kekkei Genkai. It was common.
But rogue ninjas, who live day-to-day, what good would a Kekkei Genkai do them?
He simply didn't have enough information.
He had no idea why Kazuma and the others wanted Hirofusa Shimizu.
"Forget it. I'd better report this to the Mizukage." Mangetsu circled the area, finding the unconscious teahouse owner and patrons. They were lucky, spared despite being thrown into the bushes and bitten by mosquitoes; at least they were alive.
But the teahouse owner was less fortunate; his teahouse had been obliterated, with nothing left.
Mangetsu interrogated the owner and customers one by one.
But he learned nothing useful.
Seeing he couldn't squeeze any more information out of the situation, Mangetsu stopped wasting time and hurried back toward Kirigakure to report the incident.