"What's your name, kid?"
"Asakawa Kiyosuke."
Kiyosuke turned his head, narrowly dodging Hōzuki Gengetsu's sneak attack, and sprinted toward the direction of Kirigakure.
Boom!
Several trees were sliced clean in half as a torrent of water surged forward.
There was no way to block this head-on. The jutsu's cutting force was similar to Tobirama Senju's Water Severing Wave—sharp and powerful, but not hard to dodge if one was fast enough.
Kiyosuke's body burst into flames, splitting into two streams of fire as the water current split through the space between them. The flames reformed a moment later into his body.
"That was close, that was close..."
"Careful! Here it comes, run! This technique once seriously injured Mū!"
Gengetsu's hands flashed through hand seals, and a small doll appeared beside him—wearing a striped high-collared coat, with a massive blade-like arm that was nearly half its own height extending from its right arm.
"No way... is that—"
The doll lunged toward Kiyosuke at incredible speed, gliding just above the ground with uncanny agility. In an instant, it reached him and slashed downward, slicing his body clean in two.
Kiyosuke's body reformed without injury. He countered with a solid punch that sent the doll flying back—but the impact caused the doll's body to grow larger.
"This thing's a real pain."
He turned and ran again, with the doll close behind. Gengetsu followed after him, shouting,
"Run, now! Once it reaches maximum size, it'll explode!"
The Hōzuki clan's signature forbidden technique—Steaming Danger Explosion!
Even the Second Tsuchikage had trouble dealing with this one, and it was this very technique that had once gravely injured him.
Gengetsu created the doll using oil and water within his own body—it looked like a child, its exterior made of oil and its insides filled with water. Because oil heats and cools easily, every time the doll moved, the surface oil rapidly heated up, causing the internal water to vaporize, which triggered a violent steam explosion.
The resulting steam burned anything it touched, then condensed into scorching droplets that fell back and burned again—a cruel, self-sustaining cycle.
It was because of this jutsu that Mū had to wrap himself in bandages for the rest of his life.
The more the doll moved, the hotter it became, causing the water inside to evaporate faster and faster. After each explosion, hail would fall from the sky, rapidly cooling the doll and preparing it for the next blast. Once the water stabilized, the process would repeat endlessly—a cycle of explosion and regeneration.
Steam, however, was also one of Kiyosuke's natural counters—its heat restricted his body's full mobility. So, he did the smart thing: he ran.
The doll behind him, its movements growing faster, began to swell larger and larger.
"It's gonna blow!"
"Shit!" Kiyosuke shot upward into the sky just as a massive burst of white vapor erupted below. The heat was so intense that the trees nearby turned yellow, their leaves losing all color.
Even though he was revived through Edo Tensei, Gengetsu was panting—his body appearing visibly weakened. Steaming Danger Explosion consumed tremendous energy from him. Still, since Kiyosuke didn't know sealing techniques, there was no way to stop him completely.
"Damn it... that bastard Tobirama, always coming up with cursed jutsu. Even after death, he's still causing me trouble," Gengetsu muttered, leaning against a tree as hail began to fall again. The doll's body was shrinking, cooling off and preparing for another explosion.
Kiyosuke crouched on a branch, watching him.
"Hey, you look pretty drained. Back then, how did you handle this thing when you fought the Second Tsuchikage?"
"I was just smarter than Mū, that's all," Gengetsu replied proudly. He would never admit being weaker than Mū—even after the man's death, he refused to concede.
"Really? I'd say you were just more of a clown."
"Hey! Brat! It's starting again!"
The doll suddenly reactivated, shooting toward Kiyosuke, forcing him to take off running again.
Boom!!
Another explosion rocked the forest. Kiyosuke barely escaped with his life, his body singed and covered in soot.
This thing really hated him—it was like the jutsu was personally out to get him. The only hope now was to reach Kirigakure as soon as possible.
But he still had a long way to go.
Kiyosuke moved at incredible speed, but the doll and Gengetsu weren't slow either. They clung to him from behind, maintaining almost the same distance. Fortunately, Kiyosuke's reaction time was sharp—he managed to evade each explosion by a hair's breadth every single time.
"Dammit, kid! Can't you stop running for just one second? Let me hit you once! Just once!" Gengetsu shouted in frustration.
From trying to help Kiyosuke avoid the explosion to cursing him furiously—his tone had completely shifted.
The kid was just too slippery. Not a single hit had landed. His pride was taking serious damage.
"Just once! Come on, let me land one attack!"
"No way! Getting hit by that hurts like hell!"
The two of them chased each other through the forest, a bizarre sight indeed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions echoed one after another, drawing the attention of Kirigakure's shinobi. A squad immediately set out to investigate—and soon found Hōzuki Gengetsu locked in battle with Kiyosuke.
"Kiyosuke-sama!"
They called out, then pointed at Gengetsu.
"Is that your enemy? Who is that guy?!"
"...Brats!" Gengetsu roared. "I'm your Second Mizukage!"
Then, with a resigned sigh, he muttered, "Damn it, I really should've left more records behind... Kirigakure's secrecy policies are ridiculous. Who came up with them? Oh, right—it was me. Never mind then."
"...Kiyosuke."
No wonder Mū must've been exhausted fighting this guy all those years ago.
"Second-sama? Don't joke around! The Second didn't have a mustache!"
"Mustache?!"
A killing intent surged through the air like an icy wind.
So, the clown act really was just a mask. You don't become a Mizukage in the First Great Ninja War without being a monster.
"Apologize!" Kiyosuke barked, smacking the reckless Kirigakure ninja on the head.
"S-sorry!"
Gengetsu's killing intent faded. He exhaled deeply.
"Go report to the Fifth Mizukage. Tell her I've been revived by Edo Tensei. Bring the sealing unit immediately. This kid will keep me busy until then."
"Yes, sir!"
The team scattered, sprinting back toward the village. This was big news—the Second Mizukage had been resurrected and was fighting one of Konoha's top shinobi.
Come to think of it... did every Mizukage have a grudge against this guy? The Second, Third, Fourth, and now even the Fifth had fought him. The only one left was the First.
As soon as they left, another explosion erupted. Kiyosuke was blasted backward, tumbling through the air.
"Old man! You blew yourself up again! That was a sneak attack! Where's your honor?!"
Gengetsu's laughter echoed across the forest.
"Hahaha! Finally! I actually got you that time! Hahaha, that felt good! If I were still alive, I'd never let you get away with mocking me like that. But if you were a Kirigakure shinobi, I'd definitely train you myself."
He could tell—the kid was talented. A prodigy worth nurturing.
Too bad he was from Konoha.
If Kiyosuke had been born in Kirigakure, he'd have been an excellent successor for the Mizukage position.
"I wonder if the Fifth Mizukage is up to the task," Gengetsu murmured.
He looked toward the distance, where a group of shinobi was fast approaching.
At their head was none other than the Fifth Mizukage—Mei Terumī.