Ceaseless Melee
The massive rock, in a fit of rage, pierced through eight walls before finally collapsing.
"... It can't be confronted head-on; it's truly a monster."
The Third Mizukage, having dodged the attack, stared at the blasted path, a chill running down his spine. This monster was too powerful to fight head-on; only ranged attacks would suffice. His earlier rash approach and use of Explosive Tags had been far too impulsive and reckless; thinking back, he felt a lingering fear. If Katsuki had reacted quickly enough and punched him... well, that would have been the end of it...
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique"
Mud bullets shot out of the shop at high speed, relentlessly bombarding the Third Mizukage's trail. The iron-hard mud bullets struck the bluestone floor, creating shallow dents before bouncing high into the air, piercing the door with a loud crack.
"Boiling Release, Extreme Speed"
Despite the barrage of mud projectiles, the Third Mizukage easily dodged them all with his incredible speed.
Kirigakure is his home turf, so there's no need to rush. The longer it drags on, the better for him, especially considering Katsuki's incredible survivability after surviving five Explosive Tags and his terrifying close-combat Taijutsu. It's almost impossible to take him down quickly.
As for the Uzumaki Clan who escaped, the Third Mizukage didn't care. As long as he controlled Katsuki's main body, the Shadow Clones would eventually be exhausted. With the power of the Mist Ninja, it was impossible for them not to be able to deal with a group of Shadow Clones without any source or origin, even if these Shadow Clones were Katsuki's Shadow Clones.
The more Shadow Clone creates, the weaker their power becomes; this is an unbreakable law.
However, Katsuki, hiding in the shop, was not in a hurry either. Indeed, the possibility of him escaping with his battered clansmen by relying solely on his Shadow Clones was extremely low, which was why he had sought reinforcements, wasn't it? With his eyes closed, everything within a ten-kilometer radius was under the control of his Mind's Eye. The Jonin from the Yuki and Kaguya Jonin were rapidly approaching, breaking through the layers of defenses imposed by the Mist Ninja outside the village.
Once his clansmen and the Yuki and Kaguya families Jonin forces, he can unleash his full power and cause chaos.
Both sides were stalling for time, and the battle inevitably became somewhat lukewarm, completely lacking the fierce momentum at the beginning. Katsuki maintained a steady barrage of firepower but did not cause much casualties. The Third Mizukage and Shikura, wearing the Tailed Beast Cloak Shitsukura, dodged the attacks and launched counterattacks in a respectable manner, but they also could not inflict effective damage on Katsuki.
In short, the battle scenes were very flashy and dazzling, but the level of danger was several levels lower than before.
At the main gate of Kirigakure, six of the Seven Man Group were blocking the way, along with about twenty Jonin who had come to provide support. In total, the Jonin their early thirties, led about a hundred Anbu and more than five hundred Chunin, blocking the clones' path.
"Leave it to me."
One of the clones, who had not made a move until now, stepped forward and, with the help of two other clones, soared into the sky like a kite. Ninety percent of its Chakra was concentrated in its right hand, and the dazzling light caused many Mist Ninja to instinctively close their eyes or tilt their heads.
A hand crackling with lightning was raised high into the sky, then slammed down again.
"Electric Execution..."
A series of hard, orange-red Senbon struck the unshielded shadow clone in mid-air, instantly turning Shadow Clone back into a cloud of Chakra smoke. Suikazan Fuguki's hair, which had been as hard as steel needles, softened again, and the once mighty lightning strikes became weak and scattered as they fell. Although they still posed a threat to the Mist Ninja, they were no longer as deadly.
"Lightning Release: Summon Lightning."
The girl's soft voice attracted the attention of the clones, who saw a young girl standing in an open space, holding two strange-looking long swords aloft. At the slightest touch, sparks flew and thunder roared, and then all the lightning bolts falling from the sky were deflected, striking the two long swords in the girl's hands.
The lightning was swallowed by the longsword, Ringo Ameyuri energy as if she had taken a powerful tonic, charged out wielding her Thunder Sword Kiba.
"Which of you is your true form? Come out now so I can have a good slaughter!!"
Hearing this nonsensical shouting, Katsuki's clones twitched their lips. What did she mean by "kill for a while"? Couldn't she speak properly? Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but judging from the girl's tone, she was planning to torture them to death! They couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Women in the Shinobi World really couldn't be judged by common sense. When they got fierce, even men would have to give way.
Ringo Ameyuri forward, and the other five followed closely behind.
"The Seven Man Group Swordsmen... they're definitely not ordinary Jonin."
Seeing the six figures rapidly approaching, the clones bared their teeth. If their true selves were here, they would naturally have no fear of these guys, but they were just clones, unable to utilize their powerful physical attributes. They could deal with Genin and Anbu using Ninjutsu alone, but these dozens of Jonin in front of them were not easy to deal with.
"Well, at least they've arrived."
The first clone grinned at Suikazan Fuguki and the others.
A sudden gust of cold wind swept in from outside the village's main gate, and snowflakes the size of a palm fluttered down, causing many people to shiver from the cold.
"Ice Release, blowing snow."
More than thirty Jonin from the Yuki clan Jonin forces, stirring up a massive blizzard. They bravely advanced through the gates of Kirigakure, instantly creating a layer of snow on the ground. A thin layer of frost condensed on the doors and walls, and even many Chunin had frost on their eyebrows.
"Shikotsumyaku, Dance of the Willow"
Sharp bone knives shot out from their bodies like giant humanoid hedgehogs. The Jonin of the Kaguya clan crashed into the ranks of the Mist Ninja, immediately unleashing a bloodbath. Amid the screams of the Mist Ninja, severed limbs flew everywhere, and scalding blood poured onto the snow, quickly turning into red ice crystals.
"It's Yuki, Yuki's Ice Release..."
"Damn it, retreat! Retreat! Don't engage in close combat with the freaks of the Kaguya family... Ah!!"
The surprise attacks from both clans left the Mist Ninja bewildered and thrown into chaos. In particular, the Kaguya clan's Jonin were mixed up with the Mist Ninja, making it impossible for the Mist Ninja Jonin who wanted to stabilize the situation to do so. They could only watch helplessly as the situation deteriorated little by little.
The Seven Man Group were advancing suddenly stopped, and even the most excited Ringo Ameyuri but turn around and look back.
"This is your... your trick? You expect those two good-for-nothings Yuki and Kaguya, to pull it off?" Suikazan Fuguki's hand, gripping Samehada, was bulging with veins, his expression ferocious, like a demon just crawled out of hell.
"Trash? You fat pig, you really dare to say that!"
A cold female voice blew in with the cold wind, and an icy passage tore through the chaotic Mist Ninja camp. Yuki Hatsuzuki stepped on the ice and slid at high speed towards them.
"Ice Release: Great Ice Pillar"
A series of thick icicles rose from the ground. Suikazan Fuguki swung his Samehada to shatter the growing ice, but the water vapor immediately evaporated and condensed back into ice. He had no choice but to jump to the left to escape the growth range of the icicles.