Chapter Nineteen: The Elder's Wisdom

Taking on two opponents at once was by no means a rash impulse for Mizuki. In truth, any of the three Konoha shinobi possessed strength superior to their opponents; even Mizuki, the weakest among them, was in no way inferior to Hozuki Suigetsu. Suigetsu might be formidable in the future, but at barely fifteen years of age, his physical limitations made it hard to say how much of his potential he could actually unleash, regardless of how brilliant his swordsmanship might be.

Mizuki was confident that if he pushed his body with potions and engaged in a war of attrition, he could defeat his opponent even in a different environment, provided he was willing to pay a price. That the boy had managed to defeat Hayate Gekko was simply a failure of intelligence; the Hydrification Technique was too difficult to imagine or defend against. The timing and terrain were not in his favor, so it was hardly a failure of his own combat prowess. What was even more infuriating was Aoba Yamashiro, who had actually managed to capsize in a gutter and get himself killed. It seemed that after getting used to being a bodyguard for the Hokage, he had grown unaccustomed to cleaning up the aftermath of a battlefield.

It was hard to say how much strength Hozuki Suigetsu had left after his fierce battle with Hayate Gekko, and the other red-haired man was mediocre and already injured, unable to fight at full capacity. As long as he could hold his ground, the situation would only grow more favorable for Mizuki as time passed.

"The rest depends on the effects and side effects of this green potion. It needs to be strong enough to sustain me through this fight, but not so potent that it causes my body to mutate, and I can't let the battle drag on too long or the drug will overdraw my vitality. This is delicate work. To think I'm playing with such high stakes in my first human experiment—plans truly never keep up with changes."

Mizuki made his preparations, immediately creating a Shadow Clone to protect Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro, while he himself took the initiative, lunging straight at Hozuki Suigetsu. He didn't bother with flashy moves; Mizuki knew well that showing off in front of a master swordsman was like playing with an axe before Lu Ban—a recipe for disaster. He played it rough, mindless, and direct, aiming for total suppression.

Hozuki Suigetsu's swordsmanship was purely utilitarian, focused entirely on how to maim his opponent and achieve his goal; it lacked any of the flair one might expect from a master. Mizuki was even more straightforward: he swung his shuriken with as much force as possible. Simple and direct, as long as he could force his opponent to block with everything they had, he considered it a success. Often, they would trade two or three slashes before their blades finally clashed.

"Big brother, you seem even worse than that sickly sword-wielder," Hozuki Suigetsu taunted. "Just be a good boy and let me kill you so it hurts less."

"Don't you have any family to teach you manners, you brat? Don't underestimate the strength of an adult. Let big brother teach you how to respect your elders."

Mizuki bit his finger, pressed his hand to the ground, and roared, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Black runes spread rapidly across the surroundings.

"Captain, watch out for the water!" the red-haired man, having suffered greatly at Mizuki's hands before, shouted a warning.

Unfortunately, before Hozuki Suigetsu could react, several transparent tentacles pierced through the green tide, slithering up his legs. Wherever they touched, waves of excruciating pain made Suigetsu shudder. Mizuki seized the opening, lunging forward and driving his shuriken into Suigetsu's heart.

"Your strength doesn't match your big mouth, you arrogant brat," Mizuki said triumphantly.

No sooner had he spoken than Hozuki Suigetsu, showing no reaction, drove his steel blade directly into Mizuki's chest.

Before he could dodge, a figure emerged from behind—it was the red-haired man, who had been waiting for his chance, sealing off any path of retreat.

"What's going on in that head of yours, senior? Knowing it was useless, why seek your own death?"

In the moment of crisis, Mizuki could only shift slightly to avoid a fatal blow. His left scapula was pierced through, and his right shoulder was struck by a shuriken, leaving him severely wounded.

Behind him, the red-haired man rejoiced, "Finally, victory." But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he realized that instead of retreating, Mizuki was leaning directly into him.

"What? The target is me?" Before he could react to the shock, the kunai in Mizuki's hand pierced his throat.

"Extras should have the self-awareness of an extra. Once your mission is done, hurry off the stage."

The red-haired man, his throat gurgling as he failed to utter a single word, collapsed in disbelief, sank, and was swallowed by the sea.

While killing the red-haired man, Mizuki used every ounce of his remaining strength. His right hand lashed out, sweeping the shuriken in a wide arc that nearly cut Hozuki Suigetsu in two. The hand holding the sword was severed instantly. Mizuki then snatched the steel blade with his left hand and hacked wildly, chopping the stunned Suigetsu into several pieces before leaping backward. He was still a step too slow, however, as a water bullet pierced his right chest.

Hozuki Suigetsu immediately reformed his body from the Hydrification Technique, flickered, and before Mizuki could react, he felt a heavy impact on his chest and was kicked flying.

"Damn it, I thought skipping stones was fun as a kid, but being the stone myself is truly unfortunate," Mizuki thought with a sense of sorrow. "A few ribs broken, internal organs damaged too."

Before Mizuki could catch his breath, Hozuki Suigetsu reappeared, wielding another blade he had scavenged from somewhere.

"Honestly, senior," Suigetsu said, not bothering to finish him off yet—it seemed the trope of villains dying from talking too much was true after all—"even if you take one out, what can you do? Struggling will only bring you more pain; it won't change the fact that you're going to die today."

"Fate? A ninja actually using that word? It's hilarious," Mizuki said, gasping for air. "It's not decided who's going to die yet."

"Oh? Is that so? Then what can you do now? I'm really looking forward to it."

"Just you wait and see."

As Mizuki spoke with bravado, he was secretly calculating. The potion was powerful; in this short time, it had already begun to knit his fatal wounds. He had lost too much blood and his body was severely depleted, but looking at his opponent, he seemed to be reaching his limit as well.

"Then let me broaden my horizons, senior." Before he finished speaking, he charged.

"So fast," Mizuki seemed too heavily injured to react, watching the blade descend. Suddenly, Hozuki Suigetsu's body stiffened.

"I can't move, what's going on?" Suigetsu gasped in shock. "Binding Formation? When did you cast the seal? Damn it, what is this green stuff? It's blocking the water surface, I can't see anything underneath."

"Stunned, are you, idiot? Now, let me show you the wisdom of an adult." Without waiting for a reply, Mizuki pulled out a scroll and spread it open, preparing to cast his technique.

"What are you trying to do?" Hozuki Suigetsu felt a surge of unease.

A lightning-fast figure burst out of the thick mist.

"Who!" Suigetsu cried out in alarm. "How is there another helper?" When he saw the face of the newcomer, he realized, "Shadow Clone Jutsu? When exactly?"

The one who arrived was none other than Mizuki's Shadow Clone. "Fool, since that red-haired guy is dead, I naturally don't need to protect my two companions anymore." Before he finished speaking, he had cleanly and efficiently slashed Hozuki Suigetsu into pieces.

Hozuki Suigetsu's body dissolved into a spray of water once more.

At that moment, Mizuki's main body channeled his chakra and roared, "Seal!" The blood-stained scroll released chains made of runes, which immediately gathered the spray of water and sealed it away with lightning speed.

"Sealed." Mizuki put away the scroll and dodged a flying water bullet.

"You think that trick will work again? How could a surprise attack work on someone who is already prepared?"

Hozuki Suigetsu reappeared from the water, his face deathly pale.

"What did you do to me?"

"That's for you to ask yourself. How would I know?"

What kind of damage would be caused by having a portion of one's hydrated body sealed away? Only heaven knew.

"You've angered me. I will kill you today."

"If you can do it, then try." Mizuki provoked him with disdain. The opponent's chances are already slim, yet he's still entangled in this. It seems he's just an impulsive, half-grown brat with some talent. But the longer this drags on, the better. It's the perfect time to teach him how to behave.

What followed was another round of cruel, mutual slaughter. The Shadow Clone had long since vanished, and Mizuki endured the agony of blade wounds and the numbing itch of his flesh rapidly knitting back together, while Hozuki Suigetsu recovered from his hydrated state time and time again.

In a sense, both were in a state of temporary immunity to physical attacks; Hozuki Suigetsu was likely burning through a massive amount of chakra, while Mizuki was relying on his life force to compensate. However, it appeared that the outcome was near; it was simply a matter of who could hold out longer.

Just as this numb, unwatchable exchange of blows continued, an illusory figure suddenly drifted past, slicing Hozuki Suigetsu into four pieces.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon—is that Hayate Gekko?"

As Hozuki Suigetsu was just recovering by liquefying, a shuriken flew past and shattered his head once more.

Mizuki took the opportunity to land a few strikes before retreating to a defensive stance.

"You two are too slow. This young man and I were getting bored. This white-haired brat is truly ill-mannered; he's ruined my elegant hairstyle."

"My apologies, Mizuki," Aoba Yamashiro said as he appeared. "I'll treat you to breakfast for a month when we get back. You really are in a sorry state, though."

Mizuki was covered in blood; although most of his wounds had already healed, the dried blood crusted over his body, making him look savage and terrifying.

"Even if he is a rude brat, he's still quite enthusiastic."

Hayate Gekko also glared at Hozuki Suigetsu with a grim expression. "An enthusiastic youth, indeed. We should show him proper hospitality." It seemed he was still quite bitter about his own carelessness.

Seeing that the three of them had surrounded their opponent, Mizuki stopped stalling. This skirmish had dragged on for too long; it was truly miserable.

"Then let us show you the enthusiasm of adults."

"Binding Formation, activate." He channeled the last of his Turritopsis dohrnii. This move is actually quite good. Since my own offensive power is lacking, playing a control role for my teammates is much safer. I won't be this reckless again; it's going to take a long time to replenish all this lost blood.

With Mizuki's assistance, Aoba Yamashiro and Hayate Gekko attacked without restraint, leaving Hozuki Suigetsu unable to even recover his physical form as he was scattered time and time again.

"You're looking quite pale. Why don't you come back to Konoha with us so we can take good care of you?" Seeing that victory was in his grasp, Mizuki couldn't help but taunt him.

Hozuki Suigetsu didn't even have the chance to respond. Seeing that the situation was lost, he stopped struggling, dissolved into a puddle of water, and began to sink downward.

"Trying to run?" Aoba Yamashiro wouldn't let it go. "Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

A scream echoed out, but it still failed to stop the opponent from escaping.

"Fire Style can't hold him in this environment," Hayate Gekko said, unwilling to let it go.

"Heh, leaving without saying goodbye? Let me see you off." With that, Mizuki pulled out a vial of Fission Potion and tossed it into the water.

"Detonate."

The potion burst and scattered.

A brief silence followed, and then, a heart-wrenching howl suddenly erupted: "Ah, what is this? What did you do to me? Ah~!"