A Sense of Déjà Vu

"M-Mizukage-sama..."

Yuki Ling knelt on the ground, his legs trembling; his once arrogant demeanor had transformed into one of absolute terror.

He kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy, attempting to convince the most powerful person in Kirigakure to spare his life.

However, the Mizukage's gaze did not land on him, but instead kept sizing up the figure of Ao.

"You are a stranger! I don't believe I have ever seen a ninja from the Yuki Clan like you in Kirigakure..."

"Where is your forehead protector?"

Karatachi Yagura leaned against his Hook Staff, asking with a calm expression.

"I will hold him off. Kyō, take the others and go first! If I am unfortunate enough to fall, then please take good care of Yuki."

Ao shielded the group behind him.

These were his important experimental research materials, and he had been observing two of the special seedlings among them for a long time.

They were of great significance to his further research into the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.

He could not let them die here.

It seemed he would have to sacrifice this temporary body.

Upon hearing this, Yuki Yuki's body trembled, and she asked in a tone of shock and suspicion: "Who exactly are you!? Why are you helping me like this..."

She did not know that there was anyone in the clan who actually cared about her.

Did the clansmen not all view her as a monster and an outcast?

"I am a friend of your father. I failed to protect him back then, so now I can only do my best to protect you."

"After you escape, leave the Land of Water as quickly as possible!"

"Go find a man named Orochimaru; he can provide you with sanctuary for a time."

Ao said this deliberately.

The Yuki clansman whose body he was currently inhabiting was actually just an ordinary Chunin, a mere background character within the clan.

He had no connection to Yuki Yuki whatsoever.

These words were something he had designed long ago.

It was all to pave the way for abducting the Ice Release genetic seeds.

Yuki clearly believed him, but Yuki Kyō looked at him with suspicion; clearly, the name Orochimaru had raised a sliver of doubt in his heart.

"Senior, what is your name!?"

Yuki Kyō asked aloud, his palms clenched into fists, his eyes revealing a sense of scrutiny.

"There is no need for a dying man to speak! You all should leave quickly..."

Ao replied.

With a wave of his hand, he shoved the two of them directly toward the rear.

He turned to face Karatachi Yagura head-on.

"What a touching scene! It is a pity, however, that your Yuki Clan is destined to perish tonight."

"Stay here, all of you!"

"Only when the Yuki Clan has completely fallen can the eternal survival of Kirigakure be guaranteed."

Seeing the deep affection and loyalty among their group, Karatachi Yagura could not help but interrupt.

Behind him, two figures faintly emerged.

"Is this the special Yuki clansman?"

Obito cracked his knuckles, resting his chin on one hand as he sized him up.

"That is correct."

"His strength is likely not inferior to yours."

Black Zetsu reminded him.

"He just revealed three types of ninjutsu and wiped out the five Chunin Anbu who had surrounded them."

"Oh? That is interesting."

The expression beneath Obito's mask remained indifferent.

His Sharingan slowly rotated.

He used his mental power to manipulate Karatachi Yagura into launching an attack directly.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Karatachi Yagura held two fingers of his right hand upright, took a deep breath, gathered the Tailed Beast Chakra within his body into his mouth, and his cheeks puffed out slightly.

Whoosh!

A surging, torrential pillar of water erupted from his mouth.

In an instant, it swept across the entire battlefield.

It attempted to submerge everyone within a waterfall-like surge of water.

The movement speed of several Yuki clan members was clearly not as fast as the flowing water.

Even if they tried to flee desperately under the torrent!

They would be overtaken within a few breaths.

Because of his cowardice, Yuki Ling had wasted the most critical moment to escape.

He was the first to be touched by the water's impact, his body instantly swept up, the sound of his skeleton shattering echoing throughout his body, his screams reverberating within the rushing water.

In the end, he was struck dead on the spot by the force of the water.

But the moment the water appeared behind Yuki Yuki and the others, a cold glint emerged out of thin air.

"Ice Release: Instant Freeze!"

Ao formed hand seals, whispered softly, and pointed his finger forward.

As the words fell.

The Great Waterfall water sphere that had been in pursuit instantly turned into a mass of ice crystals, losing its momentum and crashing to the ground.

He then changed his stance and formed seals once more.

The hand seal techniques he had practiced so diligently were finally up to par.

"Ice Release: Thousand Mile Ice Seal!"

In an instant.

The heavens and earth changed color.

Under Ao's full-power release!

Centered on his location, an extreme cold storm spread outward along the ground, forming an airtight blizzard.

The deconstruction of Ice Release Chakra transformation is the most unique way to utilize it.

Ao was very fortunate that he had mastered the Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave first, which allowed him to perceive the characteristics of various Kekkei Genkai while in the state of a substitute body.

The nature transformations of wind and water Chakra fuse to become Ice Release, and by deconstructing it at the moment of casting, it forms an extreme low temperature like a blizzard combined with storm erosion, capable of creating an absolute geographical advantage in a short period of time.

To put it simply, it was crowd control!

Ao knew that his close-quarters combat ability was weak, and his combat experience was not as good as these veteran ninjas.

Therefore, he had put a great deal of effort into secret techniques.

He had pushed the troublesome restraining capabilities of Ice Release to the extreme.

Amidst the howling wind and snow.

Karatachi Yagura shivered a few times, and a crimson Chakra cloak suddenly erupted from his body, sweeping around him to keep the wind and snow at bay.

"A very outstanding talent... but now it is mine!"

Karatachi Yagura evaluated.

"Water Mirror Technique!"

He swung the Hook Staff in his hand, and a mirror surface appeared, from which walked a person who looked exactly like Ao's substitute.

"Ice Release: Instant Freeze!"

The person in the mirror formed hand seals and silently spat out the words.

The storm that had been raging was instantly frozen at this moment.

Simultaneously frozen was Ao's body.

Bang!

A heavy blow from the staff landed on Ao's back.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Ao's mouth.

Without the support of the Sharingan, this body could not keep up with the Mizukage's movements at all.

Although he had modified this body.

The Ice Release Chakra within it had been condensed to the extreme.

But wanting to break through the limits of Kage Level was still somewhat difficult.

After all, the original body was just an ordinary person.

Even though his Sage Soul had granted him Sage Mode, forcibly elevating him to Kage Level, he still fell into a disadvantage when dealing with the Mizukage.

"Damn..."

Ao cursed under his breath, reaching out to wipe the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

Aside from a weak resistance to genjutsu, the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura was near the peak of Kage Level in all other aspects of close-quarters taijutsu and ninjutsu, and he even had the Three-Tails sealed within him; he was a perfect Jinchūriki capable of perfectly controlling the power of a Tailed Beast.

"Sage Art: Ice Release: Ice Dragon Descent!"

Modified from the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, this Ice Release technique formed a massive dragon nearly a hundred meters long.

The Natural Energy radiating from the Sage Soul of Ao imbued it with a will of its own.

The ice dragon leaped into the air, using the ice layer to lift Ao's body high, carrying him far beyond the attack range of Karatachi Yagura.

"A mage shouldn't be fighting in melee! I really need Space-Time Ninjutsu; at the very least, I need to keep a distance of over a hundred meters!"

"Sage Art: Ice Release: Soul Body Freezing!"

Ao formed hand seals once more, condensing Sage Chakra in his palms to manifest a brilliant, snow-white light.

A freezing beam exceeding negative a thousand degrees was released in an instant.

Whoosh!

The light struck the ground instantly, hitting Karatachi Yagura head-on and freezing him solid on the spot.

A clone!?

The frozen Karatachi Yagura dissipated in an instant, turning into a mass of frozen water.

Ao sensed something amiss and scanned his surroundings.

Suddenly, catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure cloaked in a crimson-black Chakra shroud, mouth agape, condensing a sphere of Chakra that radiated a menacing aura.

"Tailed Beast Bomb..."

"That was fast!"

Ao cursed under his breath, then flipped and leaped away just as the Tailed Beast Bomb struck the ice dragon head-on, triggering a terrifying explosion that sent a mushroom cloud dozens of meters into the air.

The shockwave from the blast sent him flying hundreds of meters away.

Hum!

Karatachi Yagura's figure arrived before the sound, appearing behind Ao as he swung down a massive hand of condensed Chakra.

"Coral Palm!"

He attempted to turn Ao's body into coral and tear it into shreds.

But the moment he made contact with Ao, the Chakra on his hand solidified instantly.

"Got you..."

"Sage Art: Ice Release: Absolute Zero!"

Ao curled his lips into a smile as his internal Chakra erupted. A terrifying, brilliant light emerged from his body, and everything within a ten-meter radius of him froze in an instant.

The Chakra shroud formed by the Water-style Chakra of the Three-Tails Isobu was frozen solid by this power.

Only Karatachi Yagura remained, his hand raised, frozen in place; the slight movement of his eyes within their sockets proved he still possessed consciousness.

His gaze was filled with panic and a sense of relieved liberation.

It seemed that, in this moment, the Fourth Mizukage had regained his own consciousness.

"Tsk tsk... Ice Release really is useful!"

"I wonder if, once developed to its peak, it can achieve full elementalization like the Chilly-Chilly Fruit! That way, I wouldn't have to be in such an awkward position as I am now."

Ao's soul drifted out from the ice sculpture, surveying his masterpiece with a sigh.

Taking down the Mizukage in one blow felt pretty good.

But the cost was also high.

He had pushed the Yuki clan's Ice Release to its absolute limit.

This move was a guaranteed kill.

Even his own body hadn't been able to survive it.

In an instant.

Ao felt a gaze upon him. Realizing the identity of the observer, he didn't dare look back; his soul form turned into a streak of light and dissipated into the horizon.

The moment he left.

The Masked Man emerged from the void, watching Ao's retreating back as he muttered, "Such a familiar figure. That soul... did he use the Spirit Transformation Technique?"

"It looks like someone has tampered with this Yuki clan member. Obito! The layout in Kirigakure is likely to be affected; the Mizukage cannot be saved..."

"What about the Three-Tails inside him?"

Black Zetsu examined the state of Karatachi Yagura and manipulated a White Zetsu clone to touch the frozen layer lightly. The cold traveled instantly along the point of contact, freezing the White Zetsu clone solid on the spot.

"Wow, so cold..."

White Zetsu exclaimed, extending a vine from his hand to push the frozen clone over with force.

Snap!

The ice shattered.

The White Zetsu clone broke into dozens of pieces of ice along with it.

"Well, there's no saving him now."

"Forget it, let's head back to the Akatsuki! We need to go there anyway."

Obito said helplessly.

Glancing one last time at the frozen Mizukage, his figure slowly dissipated into the void.