Just as Kiyohara and Kakashi were quickly talking and preparing a decapitation strike, an aura far stronger than anything before suddenly surged within the mist!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Whip!"
A heartbeat later, several long whips formed from highly compressed water lashed out from different angles in the fog, all snapping toward Kiyohara.
These water whips were not only incredibly fast—they carried enough impact to smash rock with ease.
"Hm?"
Kiyohara slipped aside, dodging the first strike.
He finally got a clear look at the attacker.
Around his age, long wavy brownish-red hair, bright green eyes, fair skin.
Her features and every small motion carried a faint, effortless charm.
Combined with the Mist headband, the flawless Water Release, and that appearance, a name immediately flashed through his mind.
Terumi Mei.
Future Fifth Mizukage. A prodigy with two bloodline limits: Lava Release and Boil Release.
And she was here personally?
"This mist is still annoying…"
Kiyohara frowned.
Fine, then.
As he clashed with Mei blade-to-whip, his body kept shifting, and he continued flicking shuriken out from his tool pouch.
Mei watched his movements, casually knocking shuriken out of the air with snapping water whips, scattering them around.
The dense mist left both sides with very limited visibility.
But Mist shinobi trained specifically for these conditions; they were at home in this environment.
"Hmph, shuriken throwing, is it…"
Mei was already forming hand seals, watching Kiyohara dodge in increasingly ragged motions. Her interest had mostly faded.
For a moment she'd thought he was a rare pretty boy with actual skill. Shame he seemed to be all looks and no bite—just dodging and flailing.
That's the weakness of pure sword types—if all you have is close-range basics, it's hard to counter ninjutsu at range.
But before she finished her seals, Kiyohara moved.
His fingers curled subtly—almost like forming a one-handed seal—and the faint smell of scorched dust spread through the air.
Thin, barely visible wires suddenly tightened in the mist.
Thanks to the fog, the lines were even harder to notice—even Mei hadn't realized how many threads had been quietly laid around her.
Snip—
A lock of her curled hair fell, sliced by a taut copper wire.
These weren't ordinary wires either, but custom copper lines—blunt at both ends, sharpened in the middle.
Careless handling could easily cut the user instead.
"How…?"
Mei frowned and lifted her head, scanning her surroundings.
To her shock, she realized she was already wrapped inside a mesh-like structure of wires.
"How is that even possible? Your lines don't tangle?" she muttered, wide-eyed.
In such a short time, he'd woven a shuriken net around her.
It meant every single shuriken he'd thrown—including the ones she'd knocked away—had been placed according to a plan.
And the brat wasn't even an Uchiha. How was his Manipulated Shuriken skill this good?
"Kakashi, don't come any closer," Kiyohara called out.
As he spoke, his fingers curled again.
The wires tightened and began to shrink inward.
In the next instant—
Sparks of lightning began racing along the copper lines, swallowing Mei in a shrinking cage of crackling blue.
Lightning Release: Manipulated Shuriken Lightning Conduction Technique.
At the same time, Kiyohara formed more seals.
His palm slammed down onto the ground.
Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder.
Lightning crawled across the earth like a venomous snake, streaking toward her feet.
Then he poured Wind chakra into the shuriken themselves.
Gale Palm amplified the Wind Release attached to the tools, further boosting piercing power and destructive force.
Wind and lightning met, their power merging—the shuriken even began to show hairline cracks from the strain.
Wind to the left, lightning to the right—both at his command.
"So, Mist shinobi… how will you deal with this?"
Kiyohara smiled slightly at the sight of Mei's clearly rattled expression.
He'd sealed off her paths—above, below, all around.
Mei's danger sense screamed at her.
The flickering lightning web was closing fast, and the ground beneath her crackled with climbing arcs.
Wind and Lightning intertwined—a killing field with no escape.
"Damn it!"
Mei's green eyes hardened.
She'd planned to win with pure Water Release and keep her trump cards hidden, but Kiyohara's combo opened with full force, completely ruining her plan.
Faced with a blow that could easily be lethal, she had no choice.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Her lips parted as she spewed a thick, lava-like stream of highly acidic chakra-infused fluid.
Mei had unleashed it.
This was no ordinary Water Release—but her unique bloodline, Lava Release.
Sss—
A choking white vapor billowed up, accompanied by the harsh sound of corrosion.
The viscous acid slammed into the tightening lightning net and Electromagnetic Murder current.
But this time, her usually unstoppable Lava Release didn't simply erase the enemy jutsu.
Tiny bubbles erupted throughout the molten stream; the once-stable, heavy liquid churned violently and became unstable.
Even so, Kiyohara's combo was monstrous—especially with Gale Palm boosting it, its penetration and impact jumped again.
Mei's hastily released Lava blocked most of the attack—
But breaking its stability weakened its defensive power, and remnants of the wind and lightning still pushed through, slamming into her.
"Urgh!"
She let out a muffled grunt.
Fabric tore at her arms and shoulder, and pale, flawless skin beneath was scored by cuts from the wind pressure, leaving her looking noticeably disheveled.
Her breathing came rough, and her eyes were full of shock.
If she hadn't used a bloodline limit at the last second, that strike might've killed her—or left her critically injured.
This civilian ninja… his methods were far more troublesome than she'd expected.
"To think you forced me to use my bloodline…"
She stared at Kiyohara—who still looked perfectly calm—with no trace of contempt left in her heart.
"Mei, fall back!"
Just as she steadied herself and began to form new seals—ready to unleash something stronger to even the score—a sharp voice cut through from behind.
Ao.
He'd been hiding nearby, using a Water Release similar to Telescope Technique to monitor the fight.
Seeing Mei forced to use Lava Release just to barely deflect the blow—and still take injuries—had rattled him. He could no longer simply watch.
This was one of Kiri's brightest talents.
She'd been brought here to gain experience. He couldn't let anything happen to her.
Ao stepped between them, positioning himself squarely between Mei and Kiyohara.
"Ao," she said, biting back her frustration.
She knew she'd lost the exchange just now; if he hadn't spoken up, she might have kept pushing recklessly.
"So you're finally showing yourself…" Kiyohara thought as he popped a soldier pill.
If he could take out the one interfering with the Byakugan, then Nobuhiko and Ginka's dōjutsu—and jōnin-level skill—would finally be fully online.
With everyone focusing fire, Ao was far from untouchable.
And when would he complete the revenge wish?
Today.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!