Against a black backdrop,
clouds churned and roiled.
A massive figure bound by chains of mist loomed—
a creature with octopus-like tails and the body of an ox.
The legendary Eight-Tails, Gyūki.
Kin landed on the cloud layer, its ethereal appearance belying its solidity.
He greeted Gyūki with enthusiasm.
"Yo, Eight-Tails! Wanna go out and play?"
Who would bother fighting a jinchūriki at the pinnacle of the shinobi world head-on? Unleashing a tailed beast was far more efficient.
Release the Eight-Tails, retreat to a safe distance, and let chaos reign.
"I suggest you deal with the man behind you first."
Gyūki's voice rumbled like distant thunder.
Kin raised his hand, and shattered blade fragments coalesced into a weapon.
Clang!
The fragmented blade intercepted a strike from B, who had descended from above.
Despite the advantage of height and momentum, B was overpowered. He flipped backward, landing on another cloud.
"Ninjutsu won't work here."
Kin had understood the restrictions of this mental realm the moment he arrived.
Yet, the tools he knew best remained at his disposal.
"Wouldn't it be easier to let me end your miserable life?"
Kin frowned at the distant figure.
If the jinchūriki resisted, controlling Gyūki would be impossible.
"Don't even think about releasing the Eight-Tails!" B crouched low, his blade poised.
"Out there, your chakra dwarfs mine. Most of my techniques can't touch you."
Kin pointed his blade downward.
His limited chakra reserves meant he lacked decisive power against Kage-level foes or jinchūriki.
But in pure taijutsu?
"Here, you're no match for me."
Shunpo.
Kin appeared before B in an instant, his blade raised high. The fragmented edge elongated as he swung down.
B rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the slash.
The cloud beneath him split cleanly in two.
Kin pressed the assault, his strikes fluid and unpredictable.
Moon Breathing, a nin-taijutsu hybrid, was unusable here. Only raw physical combat remained.
For a time,
B could only defend desperately against Kin's onslaught.
Though a master swordsman in his own right,
B's single-school style paled against Kin's ever-shifting techniques—
one moment flowing like water, the next blazing like fire, or striking with lightning speed.
Yet B held on, his resilience a testament to his will.
Here, the body was a reflection of the spirit.
Such fierce resistance made it impossible for Kin to replicate his success with the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, where Mind Soul Technique had sufficed.
This battle, Kin realized, would be a marathon.
Rain Frontline.
The Third Mizukage rose from where Might Dai's kick had sent him flying.
A thin layer of water coating his body had spared him injury.
The Green Beast's speed was indeed hard to track.
Even at full alert, he'd been caught off guard.
"But against me, your defeat is inevitable."
The Mizukage pressed his palms together.
He was the natural counter to taijutsu specialists.
"Water Release: Freezing Water!"
Raindrops halted midair before him, forming a wall of suspended water.
Since the Green Beast was stronger than anticipated,
letting the other Konoha shinobi escape mattered little.
Alone, Dai was enough to weaken Konoha's forces.
Dai charged, appearing before the Mizukage in a flash. His foot connected with the Mizukage's head—
Splash!
The Mizukage's skull burst into a spray of water. Dai backflipped, landing in a crouch.
Where the water had touched his leg, a chilling mist began to crystallize.
From the puddles nearby, the Mizukage's body reformed,
his hands already sealed.
"Water Release: Frost Needles!"
The suspended droplets sharpened into needles, homing in on Dai.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Dai retreated as the needles embedded themselves into the ground, freezing everything they touched.
The rising mist obscured vision.
One hit from those techniques,
and he'd be immobilized.
But in the Land of Rain,
escaping water was impossible.
The Mizukage raised his hand, summoning more needles.
Dai weaved through the barrage, spotting a rubble pile. He kicked it with full force—
Crash!
The debris shredded through the Mizukage's watery form,
only for it to dissolve into another puddle.
A Water Clone.
Meanwhile, the frozen terrain expanded, the mist thickening.
Dai was cornered.
"As expected of a Kage."
His grin never faded, even as frost coated his beard and brows.
"You've already lost."
The Mizukage's voice echoed from all directions.
So did the needles.
"Water Release: Barrage Water Needles!"
Dai leaped skyward,
the needles chasing like vengeful spirits.
"Moonwalk! The Sprint of Youth!"
He ran on air, leaving the needles far behind.
Seizing the opening,
"Super Peacock!"
His fists became a blur, friction igniting the air into scorching shockwaves.
The heat vaporized the needles and swept over the frozen battlefield below.
Boom-boom-boom!
"Water Release: Freezing Water Dragon Swarm Technique!"
The mist remained. Instead, countless water dragons surged upward,
tanking the fiery waves as they lunged for Dai.
Outnumbered, Dai ascended higher—
until a sudden stiffness seized his legs.
The cold had seeped into his veins.
The dragons struck.
Ice encased his body as he plummeted.
Impact would mean death.
Such was the might of a Mizukage.
In his fading vision,
a woman holding a child appeared.
"Dai... come home alive."
Steam erupted from his pores.
"I'm a man of my word!"
"I'll protect everything!! This isn't how it ends!!"
"This is the power of my youth!!"
"Eight Gates Formation!"
"Gate of Wonder—OPEN!!"
A pillar of blue flame tore through the sky.
...
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(End of Chapter)