Is Not Opening Actually Opening?

Sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead. "Our luck really couldn't be worse—it's the infamous Mizukage himself making a move."

His right eye locked onto the short yet overwhelmingly oppressive figure at the bow of the ship.

At the same time, he found the whole situation far too strange.

Had all the Kirigakure ninjas died off, that Yagura had to handle everything personally?

As his thoughts drifted, several howling Kirigakure ninjas charged forward.

Like mad dogs, they swung their weapons recklessly and lunged without regard.

Facing this sudden onslaught, Eiji's scarlet eyes held not a trace of ripple.

His slender fingers gently gripped the hilt of his blade.

Draw the sword, slash horizontally, sheathe it.

Thud.

With a few dull sounds of sharp steel cutting through flesh, the ninjas who had just been roaring with aggression crashed heavily to the ground.

A hint of confusion lingered in their eyes as they left this world with unanswered questions.

That white-haired brat—why was his draw so fast, so steady?

How many people would he have to kill to achieve such skill?

Their deaths did not slow Kirigakure's assault. More and more ninjas leaped onto the ship, surging forward wave after wave.

Kakashi took a deep breath, the air thick with the stench of blood and the saltiness of the sea.

He hesitated no longer, pushing up the forehead protector that covered his left eye.

"There are too many of them," he said, glancing at Tenzo and Eiji beside him. "You two retreat. I'll hold them off."

Tenzo gripped his short blade tightly and shook his head with force.

"Senior Kakashi, I will never abandon you."

Kakashi's right hand had already silently gathered a violent mass of crackling lightning, emitting a low hum.

He spoke rapidly. "Listen. In a moment, I'll go all out and attack Yagura. When the Mizukage is ambushed, they'll definitely fall back to protect him—that's your only chance to escape."

His gaze finally settled on Eiji, his tone heavy.

"Eiji, take care of Naruto for me... You're both the future of the village."

Before his words faded, an unimaginably vast surge of Chakra exploded forth.

The violent gust of wind forced the two to squint.

[As a Hokage, it's my duty to protect every comrade in the village]

[Don't underestimate the bonds between us, you damned Kirigakure ninjas!]

[New Mission: Repel the Kirigakure ninjas and protect Kakashi and Tenzo's safety]

Eiji's voice rang out slowly. "Don't make it so serious, will you? It's just a fight."

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kakashi froze, watching as dozens of golden-glowing Eijis charged out.

Even through his Sharingan, only blurred afterimages remained.

Like golden lightning, they slammed into Kirigakure's formation with brutal force.

Wherever the blade's light passed, whether it was ninja swords, Kunai, or hastily erected Water Style barriers, they were all sliced through like fragile paper.

In just a few breaths, the once-tight Kirigakure line was torn open with a gap.

One clone charged straight to Yagura's front, its long blade thrusting directly at his face.

A faint, almost imperceptible ripple finally crossed Yagura's usually indifferent expression. His coral staff instinctively rose to block.

The blade and staff clashed with a sharp, piercing clang, sparks flying.

Yagura was knocked back by the immense recoil, stumbling several steps before steadying himself.

"Kirigakure ninjas! You're surrounded by the three of us! Drop your weapons and stop your futile resistance!"

Tenzo sucked in a sharp breath. This was way too arrogant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

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No sooner had Eiji's words fallen than a barrage of Explosive Tags detonated in succession. "Art is an Explosion! Drink!"

Deafening explosions merged into one, searing fireballs rising one after another, scattering debris and charred limbs in all directions.

Yagura raised his coral staff once more. "Water Style: Water Wave."

His heart remained unruffled.

No matter how strong Konoha's ninjas were, could they possibly understand this sea better than he did?

The sea beneath Yagura's feet churned as if stirred by an invisible giant hand, and a waterfall carrying destructive force shot up from the deep ocean.

Eiji suddenly laughed. "Do you even understand who's the man contracted with the sea here?"

He clapped his hands together. "Water Style: Water Wall!"

The ocean surface looked like a depth charge had been dropped into it. An enormous wall of water arched up from the sea, then spun, coiled, and merged at high speed.

In an instant, it formed a Super Water Dragon Tornado on the surface.

The water tornado sliced through the air, letting out a piercing shriek.

The two forces collided. A violent shockwave spread in all directions, instantly flipping the small boats on the sea.

Massive waves surged skyward, then crashed down with brutal force.

Kakashi and Tenzo hid behind a wall made of Wood Style, but they still couldn't escape the shockwave's aftermath.

They were pushed back dozens of meters, gasping for breath against a piece of shipwreck.

"Senior, Eiji is kind of strong..."

The massive water tornado blocked Yagura's full-force attack. "Two seniors, hold on a little longer. I'm almost done."

Kakashi and Tenzo exchanged glances. Damn, have we become the ones getting carried?

Like hell. I'm the captain of this mission!

The lightning mass in Kakashi's hand buzzed. "Lightning Cutter!"

He let out a roar and charged toward a Kirigakure Anbu who had just climbed onto the deck, trying to ambush Tenzo.

Shunk!

The violent roar of Lightning Cutter and the dull sound of flesh being pierced rang out almost simultaneously.

That elite Kirigakure Anbu didn't 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 fiercely blowing his white hair.

"Senior Kakashi, what did you say? The wind was too loud, I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing..."

The eyes of the Kirigakure ninjas were filled with shock.

"What—what kind of monster is this? We've never seen a Water Wall in this state."

"Sharingan! Kill him first. Don't bother with those two useless ones!"

More and more Kirigakure ninjas emerged from the depths of the sea. They lined up and began forming hand seals at a dizzying speed.

"Boar—Monkey—Rabbit—Rat—Boar—Bird—Boar—Horse—Bird—Rat—Tiger—Dog—Tiger—Snake—Boar—Ram—Snake—Boar—Ram—Rat—Monkey—Monkey—Bird—Dragon—Bird—Boar—Horse—Ram—Tiger—Snake—Rat—Monkey—Rabbit—Boar—Dragon—Ram—Rat—Boar—Rat—Monkey—Bird—Boar—Rat—Boar—Bird."

After a full forty-four seals, a massive water dragon roared forth.

Eiji clapped his hands together. "Sage Art: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The moment his palms joined, the seawater around him seemed to come alive, gaining a will of its own.

Then, a water pillar several times larger than the water dragon summoned by the Kirigakure allied forces rose slowly from the abyss of the deep sea, like an ancient giant god awakening from slumber.

This water pillar rapidly condensed, shaped itself, and became a true, lifelike dragon.

It looked down coldly at the deep-blue little mudfish below.

The pure pressure of Natural Energy, like an invisible tsunami, instantly overwhelmed the aura of the Kirigakure allied forces' water dragon!

The Kirigakure ninjas stared at the giant dragon, their faces pale as paper.

"Fuck fighting this... how the hell are we supposed to play?"