Facing Chōmei's teasing, Kazuyama Gekkō burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha, that's exactly how it should be. What else do you expect?"
"Am I really supposed to charge in and fight them head-on?"
"I know you're itching to take on the Three-Tails, but this isn't the right time."
Karatachi Yagura had already become the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki—and as the Fourth Mizukage, attacking him now could lead to unpredictable consequences.
"What's the problem? He's just a Jinchūriki. It's not like you haven't taken one down before."
"Lure him onto the sea and kill him there?"
Kazuyama was about to retort, but something suddenly crossed his mind. He fell silent, lost in thought.
Seeing his uncharacteristic silence, Chōmei grew confused. Normally, Kazuyama would have mocked him already, but this time, he said nothing.
"Hey, Kazuyama, you're not seriously thinking about killing him, are you?"
"I was just joking."
Chōmei understood Kazuyama's temperament well enough. Hiding in the shadows? Fine. Scheming for profit or stirring up chaos? No problem. But taking the initiative in a direct fight? That wasn't like him at all.
"Killing him might not be realistic."
"But don't forget—there's another battlefield out there on the sea."
At that, Kazuyama smiled, his grin turning darker and more mischievous.
He had just come up with a brand-new plan—one that would make things far more interesting.
"Chōmei, I'm taking the initiative!"
No sooner said than done, Kazuyama dashed forward, stepping onto the sea surface and racing swiftly through the mist toward the front lines.
The battle on the sea had already reached its peak. The Shadow Clones' assault was ferocious, and even with the Mizukage himself leading the Mist ninja, they found themselves struggling to respond.
"Damn it! Did these Kumo ninja train specifically in Water Release?"
"Are they trying to use the Land of Water's own territory against us?"
The Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, glared at the crashing waves ahead, his mind spinning in disbelief.
Each of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had its own elemental specialty. Iwagakure favored Earth Release. Sunagakure, Wind Release. Kirigakure excelled in Water Release. Kumo, naturally, specialized in Lightning Release. Konoha was the odd one out.
Yet none of the Kumo ninja before him had used a single Lightning technique. Every one of them fought with Water Release—and their water techniques were even stronger than those of his own Mist troops.
For a moment, Yagura wondered if his entire understanding of the world had been wrong.
"Damn it! How long have these Kumo savages been preparing for this?"
"Using the Land of Water's own terrain against us? Bastards!"
"Water Release: Iron Cannonball! Five-shot barrage!"
Furious, Yagura swung his weapon. Chakra surged from him in torrents, compressing water into five massive projectiles that blasted toward the enemy.
"Everyone, full-scale assault!"
The island was still being plundered—they couldn't afford to waste time here.
Unfortunately, Kazuyama's goal had never been to keep them all trapped here, only to delay them. And judging by the situation, his plan was working perfectly.
The Shadow Clones' attacks used the terrain to their advantage, raising towering waves that forced the Mist ninja to focus entirely on defense.
But as Yagura's roar echoed, accompanied by his five water cannon blasts, the Mist forces went all in.
Water Release techniques erupted one after another—nearly ten Water Dragon Bullets surged forward in unison.
Fighting on the sea gave the Mist ninja the advantage. It was a clash of water against water, ninja against clone.
Just as the opposing waves collided, an anomaly struck.
"Wind Release: Thousand-Faced Wind!"
A violent gale suddenly tore through the mist, scattering it completely. Countless blades of wind sliced through the air, sharp enough to cut through even the sea itself.
The sea, already boiling from the battle, was struck by this terrifying storm of wind blades.
"Hmph!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
Seeing the storm approaching, Yagura swiftly summoned a defensive technique.
Columns of roaring water shot upward, colliding with the wind blades in midair. The impact sent a downpour cascading across the sea.
"It's not over yet!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Dance!"
Before the Mist troops could recover, the sea beneath them began to churn.
One after another, water dragons burst from the depths, scattering their formation completely.
"Damn it!"
"Those Kumo bastards!"
Yagura's fury spiked once again as the attacks continued relentlessly.
And the one responsible for all of it was watching calmly from a short distance away.
"If he's a perfect Jinchūriki, making him lose control won't be easy."
"I need to draw his attention—get him to chase me."
Kazuyama thought it over, then decided his next attacks would all target Yagura directly.
Once he detonated, everything else would fall neatly into place.
"Hmph, the Mist sure showed up fast."
"Too bad. For the sake of our grand plan, I can't let you through."
Kazuyama had already used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a pirate. He stepped forward, striding boldly to the front as his other clones parted in unison to make way for him.
To the enemy, it looked exactly like subordinates yielding to their superior.
"You bastards from Kumo think you can stop me? You're not even close."
"But I'll admit, I didn't expect Kumogakure to train so many ninja proficient in Water Release. Hmph, such malicious intent."
At this point, Yagura was completely misled—or perhaps not entirely. After all, it was true that this war had been instigated by Kumo. Kazuyama was merely playing along, using the situation to his advantage.
"Heh heh heh, we're not Kumo—we're pirates."
"We just couldn't stand seeing the Land of Water living so comfortably, so we came to plunder a bit. What's wrong? Is Kirigakure that petty?"
"You eat the meat and won't even leave us a sip of the broth?"
Kazuyama's mockery was on a level beyond Kage-tier. It didn't matter that his opponent was the Mizukage—even if it were his own Hokage, he'd say it all the same.
Annoy him, and he'd drown you with words alone.
Sure enough, upon hearing Kazuyama's words, Yagura laughed again. He was furious, seething—and then burst out laughing.
"Enough talk. Kill them all!"
"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique—Torrent!"
Yagura swung his long-handled weapon, striking the sea surface. Instantly, a massive mirror rose before him—his signature technique, the Water Mirror.
Only this time, the reflection burst forth as a raging torrent, roaring with immense force and power.
"He's making his move?"
"Good! So he wants to play with water? Let's see who wins this!"