Chapter 240: The Mizukage's Dissolution
As the Mizukage spoke her taunts, her hands flew through the final seals of her jutsu. The moment the last word left her lips, the technique was complete.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"
Her cheeks puffed out, and she exhaled a torrent not of fire, but of a corrosive, light-green, viscous fluid. It surged forth like a river of acid, engulfing the space Ren occupied. The effect was instantaneous and terrifying. The wooden planks of the dock dissolved with a violent hiss, the very earth beneath them sizzled and liquefied, and a thick, acrid white smoke billowed upward, carrying the stench of dissolution.
Ren, caught within the expanding tide, reacted with swift precision. A skeletal, azure arm of Susanoo materialized, curling around him to form a protective cage just as the corrosive wave crashed over him. The legendary, nigh-impenetrable defense held, but to Ren's analytical gaze, something was wrong. The viscous liquid did not splash away; it clung to the chakra construct, and the dreaded sizzling sound did not cease. Thin plumes of smoke rose from the points of contact as the outermost layer of the Susanoo's ribs began to dissolve at an alarming rate.
So, Ren mused, his Sharingan tracking the decay with clinical interest. It can corrode even Susanoo. The destructive power of her Lava Release is not an exaggeration. Impressive. But...
Terumi Mei, watching her technique fully envelop the Uchiha, allowed herself a moment of grim satisfaction. "You didn't dodge... did you underestimate me?" she whispered, a note of genuine regret in her voice. "It's too late for regrets now. Once caught in the melt, even the strongest steel dissolves in an instant. Forgive me. While it always breaks my heart to see a handsome man end this way... you are far too dangerous, Uchiha Ren. Please, die."
Her confidence was born from a thousand battles won with this very technique. But her certainty was short-lived.
Within the corrosive embrace, Ren's chakra flared. A deep, resonant pulse of energy erupted from the skeletal shield. The dissolving sections didn't just stop; they regenerated, the chakra knitting itself back together faster than the acid could eat it away. Not only that, the Susanoo began to evolve. Ribs thickened, ethereal muscles and sinews wove themselves over the skeleton, and with a final surge of power, the half-formed Susanoo violently expanded, shoving the clinging, corrosive liquid away in a great, sizzling wave.
When the smoke cleared, Ren stood unharmed within the head of a more complete, muscular Susanoo. The entire construct smoldered, wisps of green-tinged smoke rising from its surface like a beast steaming after a bath in acid, but it stood whole and formidable.
Mei's wry smile was a mask for her sinking heart. "I really don't like men who won't melt easily."
From his vantage point within the Susanoo's crown, Ren looked down upon her, a predator amused by its prey's tenacity. "Lava Release," he acknowledged, his voice echoing slightly within the chakra giant. "Its destructive power is commendable. Now, allow me to return the favor."
With a thought from Ren, the Susanoo's arm rose. In its grasp, a blade of pure, black fire condensed into being—Amaterasu. The very air around it wavered from the intense, soul-scorching heat.
Sensing the profound, annihilating danger emanating from the black flames, Mei's playful demeanor vanished entirely. Her expression became one of stark seriousness. Her hands blurred into another set of seals.
Hmph! Ren didn't give her the time. The Susanoo's arm descended, the Amaterasu blade carving a black scar through the air as it swept towards the Mizukage.
BOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic. The ground where Mei had been standing shattered, exploding outward in a shower of rock and dirt. The black flames clung to the debris, spreading across the fractured earth in an insatiable, ever-burning carpet.
But a Kage was not so easily slain. Mei had already launched herself backward, her body a blur. Even as she flew through the air, her seals finished.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A colossal jet of water, powerful enough to reshape the landscape, erupted from her mouth. It slammed into the chest of the Susanoo with the force of a tidal wave. The defense held, the water splashing harmlessly against the chakra giant, but it served its purpose. The massive volume of water flooded the area, transforming the shattered dock and surrounding land into a shallow, temporary lake, perfect for a Water Style master.
Mei landed on the newly formed water's surface, not missing a beat. Her second jutsu was already primed. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The lake churned. Two massive dragons, sculpted from the very water she had created, erupted from the surface. They coiled into the air with a roar of crashing waves and shot towards the Susanoo from both sides.
"Futile," Ren's voice was laced with contempt.
The Susanoo moved with surprising speed for its size. The Amaterasu blade became a blur of black fire. With one horizontal sweep, it cleaved clean through the head of the first dragon. A reverse stroke bisected the second. The constructs exploded back into a deluge of harmless water, crashing down into the lake below.
Where the black flames met the water, a tremendous hissing roar filled the air as vast clouds of superheated steam instantly erupted, blanketing the entire battlefield in a thick, impenetrable, white fog. Vision was reduced to zero. The sounds of the other battles—Suigetsu's taunts, Chōjūrō's grunts, Jūgo's roars—were muffled and distant.
Within the silent, blinding whiteness, the true hunt was about to begin.
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