Defeated! The Mist Ninja Army Arrives

"Tailed Beast Bomb..."

The Fourth Mizukage was startled to find himself losing the contest of strength.

However, he immediately seized the opportunity to grip Uchiha Ye's fist tightly, while a Tailed Beast Bomb began to condense in his mouth.

At such close range, with such a perfect opportunity, how could he let it slip away?

"Dog-Biting Crimson Lotus!"

But as it happened, Uchiha Ye was thinking the exact same thing.

His body rapidly turned into molten lava, and a lava dog head the size of a millstone surged from his shoulder, wreathed in Armament Haki.

It instantly transformed into something as intimidating as a black hellhound, lunging straight toward the Fourth Mizukage, who was right before him.

High temperature, extreme hardness!

The Fourth Mizukage felt a chill in his heart, but he had no choice but to retreat at top speed.

At the same time, he unleashed the incomplete Tailed Beast Bomb from his mouth.

Bang!

The molten rock collided with the energy cannon, illuminating the entire battlefield.

It left Uchiha Itachi and the others momentarily blinded.

But when their vision cleared, another scene appeared that left them horrified.

Uchiha Ye's fists were scorching hot yet pitch black.

Like a god of war, he charged straight in front of the Fourth Mizukage, launching into a high-speed taijutsu battle.

Boom!

Bang!

Boom!

Across the entire battlefield, one could only see a red and a black phantom constantly clashing, shattering the earth, yet it was impossible to tell who was winning or losing.

Uchiha Itachi immediately activated his Mangekyou Sharingan to see the situation clearly, and he couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "To think he isn't losing ground even while fighting a jinchuriki!"

"Has he grown to such a terrifying level? Even a powerhouse at the level of the Five Kage cannot suppress him."

He asked himself if he could defeat the Fourth Mizukage quickly, and the answer was that he would have to consume a massive amount of ocular power to use Amaterasu.

Otherwise!

In a conventional battle, he could not achieve such a feat.

Suddenly!

The two figures retreated from each other. A terrifying, violent fluctuation erupted from the Fourth Mizukage as black, blue, and red particles gathered rapidly.

Uchiha Ye's body was boiling, his lava roaring, as he likewise emitted a destructive wave of energy.

Seeing this, Sasori of the Red Sand seemed to realize something and shouted, "Scatter!"

At the same time, he shot out two puppet threads to grab Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Juzo, using the damaged Third Kazekage human puppet to carry the three of them into the sky.

The next moment!

"Lava Style: Scorch Flow Explosion!"

"Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Uchiha Ye threw a terrifying punch, and a fan-shaped crimson shockwave tore through the ground.

The Fourth Mizukage stood firm on the earth, spitting out a massive, heavy, and scorching energy aggregate that resembled a meteorite.

It also tore through the ground, even distorting the air.

Boom!

Like a collision of planets, the two forces exploded instantly.

The entire Kirigakure trembled violently, and wild waves surged along the nearby coastline.

The earth groaned as it collapsed rapidly, the destruction spreading outward in a tearing frenzy.

Hurricane-force winds swept in all directions, forcing Sasori of the Red Sand to continue ascending.

Otherwise, there was a risk of being caught in the blast and being torn apart or burned.

The collision of this strike was too powerful!

The coastline was instantly submerged in large part, and the residence where the Fourth Mizukage had been was now nothing more than underwater ruins.

They had artificially created a vast, wide lake near the seaside.

Of course!

The water was scalding hot—the kind that could boil meat.

"Who... won?"

This was what Sasori of the Red Sand and the others in the sky wanted to ask.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several more sounds of collision erupted, sending massive waves splashing into the air.

Then, the surface of the water suddenly exploded, and a figure appeared above the water, carrying another body.

"Cough, cough..."

The man coughed, revealing his face—it was Uchiha Ye.

Half of his clothes had been burned away.

His entire left shoulder was covered in burns, and his chest was sunken, though it began to rapidly regenerate under the watchful eyes of the onlookers.

As for his right arm, hard coral clusters were slowly flaking off, revealing a dense network of lacerations.

Beside him, naturally, was the Fourth Mizukage, who was covered in burns and unconscious.

Without a doubt!

Uchiha Ye had won.

Yet, even with the assistance of Sasori of the Red Sand, it had been such a grueling struggle.

One could only imagine just how formidable the Fourth Mizukage's strength truly was.

He was by no means comparable to the Orochimaru they had encountered before, who had not yet reached his prime, nor to Yugito.

It was only because the Mangekyo Sharingan countered Tailed Beasts that Uchiha Obito had been able to control him so easily.

But before they could celebrate, a series of Kirigakure Anbu suddenly descended, surrounding Uchiha Ye.

Then!

A charming woman with long, reddish-brown hair arrived, leading a group of Mist ninja.

Behind her, a handsome man dressed in revealing attire walked slowly forward, his body radiating the unique, oppressive aura of a Tailed Beast jinchuriki.

Accompanying them was a tall, stout man with green stripes painted on his cheeks, sharp teeth, and a massive ninja sword strapped to his back.

"You've certainly caused quite a commotion!"

The charming woman spoke, looking at Uchiha Ye with a brilliant smile. "It's truly astonishing. I never expected that you, little brother Uchiha Ye, would possess such terrifying strength—to think you've actually defeated Lord Fourth Mizukage!"

"So, could you return the Fourth Mizukage to us?"

"After all, he is a vital combat asset to our village, not to mention our leader! It would sound quite unpleasant if word got out that he had been snatched away by someone!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Ye put on a feigned look of distress. "That is truly a pity; I'm afraid I cannot agree to that, beautiful lady!"

"The Fourth Mizukage is something the organization requires; I cannot hand him over to you on my own authority."

"Sigh, if only he were my own possession, perhaps I really would have given him to you."

His feigned regret, acting as if he wanted to give him up but dared not, was quite theatrical.

"It seems... we have no choice but to use force. You really are an unlovable little brother!"

The charming woman shook her head at these words, also wearing an expression of feigned pity. "It truly is a shame to have to melt you down like this!"

As she spoke, her previous lazy and casual demeanor vanished, replaced by cold-blooded ruthlessness. "Everyone, retrieve the Fourth and kill the intruder!"

With that, she charged toward Uchiha Ye, who was pale and visibly exhausted from the heavy expenditure of energy.

Clearly, she intended to use her strength to reclaim the Fourth Mizukage from Uchiha Ye's hands.

"Genjutsu: Binding Technique!"

Being on the water's surface, and having indeed exhausted much of his energy, Uchiha Ye was naturally unwilling to fight a master of Water Release on the water.

He was not particularly skilled in genjutsu, but when released through his Three Tomoe, the power was nonetheless formidable.

The charming woman's expression changed instantly; she hurriedly averted her gaze, and her forward momentum faltered.

She performed hand seals at high speed. "Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"

By obscuring their vision, she could avoid the danger of making eye contact with Uchiha Ye and falling into his genjutsu.

Within a second or two, the entire lake was shrouded in a layer of thick fog.

Enemies were invisible beyond five meters!

But facing this mist, Uchiha Ye suddenly smiled, his voice, slightly low, echoing through the haze. "Used elsewhere, this might have been a very effective method..."

"But it is a real pity that you are facing me. This move was a wrong decision."

With his Observation Haki activated, the thick fog was useless against him; instead, it became an obstacle for the charming woman.

Even if the charming woman possessed a special sensory technique to use in tandem with the Hidden Mist Technique, could it truly compare to the comprehensive and direct nature of Observation Haki?