"Stop playing around!"
A shout came from within the mist. "We can't let that woman escape! She's far too talented. If we let her keep growing, we won't be able to beat her!"
"By order of the Mizukage, hurry over there and join Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki. We'll take that woman down together!"
At those words,
the remaining Kirigakure Ninja grew grave.
Kirigakure Village.
The mission came first!
"Got it. Then let's take out these guys in front of us right away!"
The mist thickened!
In that moment, the air turned frigid!
"Damn it! Are Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen further ahead?"
"They're both elite jonin!"
Cold sweat ran down Hatake Kakashi's forehead. "And the ones in front of us are... three jonin. Without the Hidden Mist Technique, I could take out two of them, but with it, my vision is severely limited!"
He hadn't expected this mission to pit them against such troublesome opponents.
Such powerful enemies!
"Night Crow, Azure Dragon, hold on!"
Hatake Kakashi was frantic. His body was tense, and his blood raced!
"Once I take one of them down, I'll come support you right away!"
Within the Hidden Mist Technique,
both his abilities and his strength were restricted!
Even the Sharingan couldn't see through the Hidden Mist Technique completely!
Uchiha Itachi's eyes turned crimson, each bearing two tomoe!
"No good. Even the Sharingan can't see through this Hidden Mist Technique!"
His expression shifted.
Without any vision, their situation was almost no different from waiting to die!
"Just a parlor trick."
Hyuga Kagami looked calm, his gaze cold and a disdainful smile curling his lips. "You dare to toy with the weather in front of me?"
"Disperse!"
He spoke softly!
The mist blanketing the sky vanished in an instant, like obedient subjects heeding their king's command!
Not even chakra could make it budge!
Everyone was dumbfounded!
The three Kirigakure Ninja, poised to attack, froze in place. The mist dispersed, leaving them exposed to Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi's view. The scene was... unbearably awkward!
"How is this possible?!"
"Even the Sharingan can't see through our Hidden Mist Technique. How could it be dispelled so easily?!"
"He didn't use a Wind Release Ninjutsu. He just said one sentence... and the mist dispersed!"
The three Kirigakure Ninja stared in shock and disbelief!
This was freaking absurd!
If he'd dispelled the Hidden Mist Technique with a Wind Release Ninjutsu, they could've accepted it. But he'd gotten rid of the mist with a casual remark, making them look like idiots!
"What of it?"
Hyuga Kagami scoffed, his expression disdainful. "Your Water Release Ninjutsu won't work on me either."
As if.
What did the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Model, mean?
It meant he was the Azure Dragon!
He could command Flame Clouds, Thunderbolts, and rain!
If the sea was the home turf of Water Release ninjas, then Hyuga Kagami was its absolute master!
"Impossible! Die!"
One of the Kirigakure Ninja shouted angrily. As a Water Release ninja, how could he stand for such an insult?
Especially here on the coast, where they had the home-field advantage!
He formed Hand Seals rapidly and roared, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Boom!
The water dragon, which had originally reached only four meters, now stretched more than ten meters. It roared like a dragon, its whiskers and mane wild, and shot toward Hyuga Kagami!
The water dragon looked ferocious, as though it would devour Hyuga Kagami whole!
"Get out of the way!"
Hatake Kakashi shouted, frantic. "In a place like this, by the sea, there's plenty of water, so it's the home turf of Water Release ninjas. Their jutsu are several times more powerful!"
"Even I'm no match for them!"
In this situation,
using a Water Release Ninjutsu was the only way to fight back!
Hyuga Kagami didn't dodge or evade!
The wind surged and howled, whipping his clothes and revealing his solid chest!
His lips curled upward, his expression wild and ferocious!
"Using Water Release against the Azure Dragon is the most foolish thing you could do."
Hyuga Kagami slowly extended a hand and spoke, enunciating every word. "Submit to me. Turn back!"
In the Kirigakure Ninja's eyes, he looked like a fool.
"Hahaha! What an idiot! Ninjas release jutsu with their own chakra. Do you think this is some make-believe game? You think you can control my Water Release?"
The Water Release ninja who'd cast the jutsu was nearly laughing himself to tears.
His face was full of scorn and contempt.
"You fool! Being a ninja isn't some make-believe game. Die!"
But the instant he finished speaking,
boom!
The water dragon suddenly changed course. To the three men's horror, it shot toward them!
More and more water gathered into the dragon!
The water dragon grew even more terrifying, blotting out the sky!
"What are you doing?! This isn't the time for jokes!"
"N-no, I'm not joking! That water dragon... it's not under my control anymore!"
The three men's expressions changed, and they were instantly terrified.
They scrambled to retreat!
But it was too late.
The water dragon roared and swallowed them, like a natural disaster. The three were immediately drenched in blood and badly injured!
"H-how is this possible? How can you control my water dragon?"
Hyuga Kagami smiled, showing his pearly white teeth. "Isn't it only natural for the Azure Dragon to control water?"
Natural my ass!
There was nothing natural about this!
This was freaking absurd!
They'd never imagined in their wildest dreams that they could lose so absurdly.
"So... we've already won?"
Hatake Kakashi swallowed hard.
They'd been plunged into despair just moments ago, on the verge of being wiped out, and now, in the blink of an eye, they'd won!
In all his years of fighting,
he'd never experienced such a heart-stopping reversal!
Uchiha Itachi nodded. "Yes, we won... Kagami-kun just took control of the enemy's water dragon..."
It wasn't just their enemies who couldn't believe it.
Even Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi, his fellow villagers, couldn't believe it!
"Die!"
Hyuga Kagami couldn't be bothered to say more. Villains died from talking too much!
When it came to enemies, he had to strike without mercy!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out!
Hyuga Kagami threw three Kunai without hesitation!
"No! Please, don't! We can tell you about Kirigakure's intelligence!"
"That's right! We can give you information. Don't kill us!"
But it was too late.
The Kunai pierced their throats!
Their lives ended then and there.
Hatake Kakashi's expression hardened as he stared at Hyuga Kagami, his gaze full of admiration. "Not only is he powerful, but he's decisive and absolutely merciless!"
If the records were accurate,
this was Hyuga Kagami's first time killing someone, yet he was impossibly calm!
"You should've said that sooner. If you had, you might've lived a little longer."
Hyuga Kagami shrugged.
There was no reason to show an enemy mercy!
What surprised him, though, was how well he'd adapted to this life. He didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
He looked down at his hands. Perhaps... the Azure Dragon Form had strengthened more than just his body and his abilities. It had also given him a stronger heart!
Before you continue