Sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead. "Our luck is far too terrible. The one making a personal appearance is actually the famed Mizukage."
His right eye remained fixed on the short but immensely imposing figure at the bow of the ship.
At the same time, he felt that this whole matter was far too strange.
Had all the shinobi of Kirigakure died? Why did Yagura have to personally handle everything?
As his thoughts drifted, several howling Kirigakure shinobi had already charged over.
The Kirigakure shinobi were like mad dogs, wildly rushing forward with their weapons raised, heedless of everything else.
Faced with this sudden encirclement, there was not the slightest ripple in Eiji's scarlet eyes.
His slender fingers gently closed around the hilt.
He drew his sword, swung it horizontally, and sheathed it.
Splurt.
Along with several dull sounds of sharp blades slicing through flesh, the shinobi who had been charging so ferociously crashed heavily to the ground.
Their eyes held a trace of bewilderment and doubt as they departed this world.
Why was this White-Haired Kid's draw so fast and steady?
How many people had he killed to become this skilled?
Their deaths did nothing to delay Kirigakure's attack. More and more shinobi leaped onto the ship and charged toward them one after another.
Kakashi took a deep breath. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the salty tang of seawater.
He no longer hesitated and pulled up the forehead protector covering his left eye.
"There are too many of them." He glanced at Tenzo and Eiji beside him. "You two retreat. I'll hold them off."
Tenzo gripped his short blade tightly and shook his head hard.
"Senior Kakashi, I absolutely won't leave you behind."
Kakashi's right hand had already quietly condensed a mass of violent lightning that emitted a low, buzzing hum.
He spoke extremely quickly. "Listen. In a moment, I'll attack Yagura with everything I have. Once the Mizukage is attacked, they'll definitely fall back to protect him. That'll be your only chance to retreat."
His gaze finally settled on Eiji, and his tone grew somewhat heavy.
"Eiji, take good care of Naruto... You're all the future of the village."
Before he had even finished speaking, an unimaginable surge of Chakra exploded with a thunderous roar.
The violent airflow blew so hard that the two of them narrowed their eyes.
[As Hokage, I must protect every companion in the village.]
[Don't underestimate the bond between us, you damn Kirigakure shinobi!]
[New Mission: Repel the Kirigakure shinobi and ensure Kakashi and Tenzo's safety.]
Eiji's voice slowly rang out. "Could you not make this so serious? We're just having a little fight."
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Kakashi froze, then watched as dozens of Eijis wreathed in golden light charged out.
Even in Kakashi's Sharingan, only vague afterimages remained.
Like golden lightning, they brutally smashed into the Kirigakure formation.
Wherever the blade light reached, whether it was a ninja sword, a Kunai, or a Water Style barrier hastily cast by the shinobi, everything was effortlessly sliced apart like fragile paper.
In the space of a few breaths, a gap was forcibly torn through the originally tight Kirigakure line.
One clone charged straight up to Yagura and thrust its long blade directly at his face.
A tiny ripple finally crossed Yagura's usually indifferent, unruffled face. His coral staff instinctively rose to block.
The blade and staff collided with a piercing clang, sending sparks flying in every direction.
Yagura was knocked back by the tremendous recoil and only managed to steady himself after retreating several steps.
"Kirigakure shinobi, the three of us have surrounded you! Put down your weapons and stop making this pointless resistance!"
Tenzo sucked in a breath. This was far too arrogant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The instant Eiji finished speaking, a large number of Explosive Tags detonated one after another. "Art is an Explosion! Drink!"
The deafening explosions merged into one continuous roar. Scorching fireballs shot into the sky one after another, sending debris and charred limbs flying in all directions.
Yagura raised the coral staff in his hand once again. "Water Style: Water Wave."
His heart remained utterly calm.
No matter how powerful Konoha's shinobi were, could they possibly understand this sea better than he did?
The sea beneath Yagura's feet seemed to be stirred violently by an invisible giant hand. A waterfall carrying destructive force surged into the sky from the deep sea.
Eiji suddenly laughed. Do you even know who the man contracted with the sea is?
He clapped his hands together. "Water Style: Water Wall!"
The sea's surface seemed to have been struck by a depth charge. An incomparably massive wall of water arched out of the sea, then began rotating, winding, and merging at high speed.
In an instant, it formed a Super Water Dragon Tornado on the surface of the sea.
The Water Dragon Tornado sliced through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.
The two forces collided, and a violent shock wave spread in all directions, instantly overturning the small boats scattered across the sea.
Massive waves surged into the sky before crashing down with tremendous force.
Kakashi and Tenzo hid behind a wall created with Wood Style, yet they still failed to escape the shock wave's aftereffects.
They were pushed dozens of meters away and finally leaned against a piece of shipwreckage, gasping for breath.
"Senior, Eiji's kind of strong..."
The massive Water Dragon Tornado blocked Yagura's full-powered attack. "Hold on a little longer, Senior. I'll be done soon."
Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged glances. Oh no. Have the two of us become freeloaders who win without doing anything?
You've got to be kidding me. I'm the captain of this operation!
The mass of lightning in Kakashi's hand buzzed loudly. "Lightning Cutter!"
He let out an angry roar and charged toward a Kirigakure Anbu who had just climbed onto the deck and was trying to ambush Tenzo.
Splurt!
The violent roar of Lightning Cutter and the dull sound of flesh being pierced rang out almost simultaneously.
That elite Kirigakure Anbu did not even have a chance to react before his chest was completely pierced by the raging lightning.
"Don't underestimate me, Eiji!"
Eiji stood atop a small mountain of corpses, the sea wind whipping fiercely through his white hair.
"Senior Kakashi, what did you say just now? The wind was too loud, so I couldn't hear you."
"Never mind..."
The eyes of the Kirigakure shinobi were filled with shock.
"W-what kind of monster is this? I've never seen a Water Wall in this state before."
"Sharingan! Kill him first. Ignore those two useless idiots!"
More and more Kirigakure shinobi emerged from the depths of the sea. They stood in a line, their hands forming seals at a dizzying speed.
"Ox—Monkey—Rabbit—Rat—Boar—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Rooster—Rat—Tiger—Dog—Tiger—Snake—Ox—Goat—Snake—Boar—Goat—Rat—Ram—Monkey—Rooster—Dragon—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Goat—Tiger—Snake—Rat—Monkey—Rabbit—Boar—Dragon—Goat—Rat—Ox—Monkey—Rooster—Ram—Rat—Boar—Rooster."
After a full forty-four hand seals, a gigantic Water Dragon roared out.
Eiji clapped his hands together. "Sage Art: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The instant his palms came together, with him at the center—
The surrounding seawater seemed to come alive in an instant, as if it had gained a will of its own.
Immediately afterward, a water column several times larger than the Water Dragon summoned by the Kirigakure forces slowly rose from the abyss of the deep sea, like a primordial giant god awakening from slumber.
The water column rapidly condensed and took shape, transforming into a genuine, lifelike giant dragon.
It looked down indifferently at the little deep-blue loach below.
The pressure of pure Natural Energy was like an invisible tsunami, instantly overwhelming the Water Dragon's imposing presence.
The Kirigakure shinobi looked at the giant dragon, their faces pale as paper.
"Your mother... How are we supposed to fight this?"
Before you continue