Chapter 241: The Mizukage's Peril
The collision of Amaterasu and the Water Dragon Bullet created a cataclysm of steam, a thick, blinding fog that swallowed the battlefield whole. For a moment, the world was reduced to a silent, oppressive whiteness. Though her vision was completely obscured, Terumi Mei's senses were screaming. She knew Uchiha Ren was still there, a predator waiting in the mist.
His voice cut through the silence, cold and precise.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation."
The moment the words left his lips, the white fog ahead of her ignited. It wasn't just a jet of flame; it was a roaring, advancing wall of incandescent death, so vast it illuminated the entire mist-filled area in a hellish orange glow. The target was unmistakably her.
Damn it! Mei's mind raced. The scale of this... it's monstrous! This goes far beyond any conventional Fire Release! The Uchiha's mastery over flame is every bit as terrifying as the legends claim!
There was no time to dodge. The sea of fire was upon her. Her only option was a direct counter. Her hands, moving on pure instinct honed by decades of battle, flashed through a sequence of seals faster than thought.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
She inhaled deeply and exhaled a colossal, fan-shaped curtain of water. It met the advancing inferno with a deafening hiss. Steam exploded outward in a new, even denser cloud as fire and water fought for dominance. Mei poured chakra into the technique, her muscles straining. For a terrifying moment, the wall threatened to vaporize entirely, but she held firm, finally neutralizing the last of the flames. The cost was a landscape now utterly saturated, the air so thick with moisture it was difficult to breathe.
Her vigilance was at its peak. In this zero-visibility environment, another attack could come from any direction at any moment.
For Ren, however, the fog was merely an inconvenience. With a dismissive flicker of his Sharingan, he assessed the situation. This mist is a nuisance. Let's clear the board.
A single hand seal was all it took. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
A powerful gust of wind erupted from him, slicing through the saturated air and shredding the veil of white. In moments, the battlefield was clear again, revealing the two combatants staring each other down across the scorched and flooded terrain.
Ren offered a thin, mocking smile. "The esteemed Fifth Mizukage. Tell me, is this the limit of your power?"
Mei forced a light, airy laugh, taking a deliberate, graceful step back. "Hehe~ Would you like to find out?" Her tone was playful, but her eyes—sharp and focused—betrayed her true state. She was a coiled spring of tension. The brief exchange had been enough. She had felt the gap in their power. Her most potent Lava Release had failed to breach his defense, and his casual Fire Release had demanded her full effort to counter. Worse, a glance to the periphery confirmed her fears: Chōjūrō was being relentlessly pressed by Suigetsu's savage swordsmanship, and Ao was barely holding his own against the monstrous, transformed Jūgo. They were losing. She needed an exit strategy, and fast.
"Oh?" Ren's grin widened, showing teeth. "In that case, let's find out. But I'll be showing a bit more of my hand this time. Try not to disappoint me."
The shift was instantaneous. The casual aura around him vanished, replaced by a suffocating wave of killing intent that felt like a physical weight on the air. The very color of the chakra around his Susanoo seemed to darken.
Mei's heart hammered against her ribs. This is it. He's done playing.
Her hands flew up to form a seal, hoping to pre-empt him, to create an opening.
She was too slow.
The Susanoo's arm, wreathed in the ever-burning black flames of Amaterasu, was already in motion. It wasn't a careful strike; it was a brutal, horizontal sweep meant to bisect the entire field. Mei had no choice but to abort her jutsu and leap high into the air to avoid the annihilating slash.
BOOM!
The Amaterasu blade struck the shallow lake, not just cutting it but unmaking it. Water vaporized instantly in a great plume of steam, and the earth beneath was torn open in a deep, smoldering trench, the black flames clinging to the edges and burning relentlessly.
Even as she soared through the air, Mei's determination didn't falter. Her hands never stopped moving, completing the seals she had begun. She pivoted in mid-air, her cheeks swelling as she locked onto Ren's position below.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"
But the Ren she targeted was already a phantom.
A fraction of a second before the corrosive liquid could spew from her lips, a blur of motion materialized behind her. The legends of his speed hadn't done him justice. It was like teleportation.
A primal sense of danger screamed in her mind, but her body had no time to obey. A colossal force, like a mountain crashing into her, connected with her back.
The air was driven from her lungs in a choked gasp. The world became a dizzying whirl as she was launched from the sky like a broken doll. She slammed into the ravaged earth with a sickening crunch, the impact cratering the ground around her and sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.
Dazed, her body screaming in protest, Terumi Mei struggled to push herself up on trembling arms. A sharp, coppery taste filled her mouth, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of her lips, staining the dirt beneath her. She was injured, isolated, and her opponent was now standing between her and her guards. The peril of the Mizukage was absolute.
💀 WANT TO READ AHEAD? 💀
👉 JOIN MY PATREON — Patreon.com/The_Ripper_87
════════ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ⬛ ════════
🔥CURRENTLY AT Chapter 341: A Serpent's Refuge🔥
⚡ SUPPORT THE STORY WITH YOUR POWER STONES! ⚡
🖤 EVERY STONE AND EVERY PLEDGE HELPS KEEP THE STORY GOING! 🖤