The coral spikes shattered instantly, fragments scattering across the ground as Shiki's Armament Haki rippled through them.
"So this is it?" Shiki said, rolling his shoulder slightly, his tone almost playful. "These corals of yours aren't nearly as strong as you thought."
"You—!"
Yagura tightened his grip on the staff-like weapon in his hand, staring at Shiki with open vigilance. Countering the Coral Palm so casually was no small thing.
Shiki ignored the wary gaze. His hands rested on the hilts of his swords as he spoke calmly.
"Honestly… you really thought something this simple could defeat me?" He tilted his head slightly. "Are you looking down on me?"
Just one Coral Palm, and I'm supposed to be dead?
The thought left Shiki with an unmistakable sense of being underestimated.
"Simple technique?" Yagura scoffed. "Hmph!"
That Coral Palm was an A-rank ninjutsu—something he had perfected after countless refinements. It was one of his proudest creations.
"Cleave."
There was no hesitation. Shiki's blade flashed as he swung casually toward Yagura, disdain clear in the motion.
"Water Style—Water Mirror Technique!"
Yagura slammed his staff into the ground, pulling a water mirror up before him. As Shiki's sword sent a crescent of blade energy flying forward, the reflection within the mirror moved in perfect sync—launching an identical slash straight back at him.
Boom!
The two blade energies collided. The reflected slash shattered instantly.
"How is that possible?!"
Yagura's eyes widened. He didn't dare hesitate, dodging Shiki's attack by a hair's breadth.
Both Coral Palm and Water Mirror were techniques he took immense pride in. The Water Mirror was supposed to reflect any illuminated attack with equal power. By all logic, the two strikes should have been identical.
"…Are you wondering why the attack you reflected was weaker than mine?" Shiki asked casually.
"You'd actually explain it?" Yagura snapped, disbelief creeping into his voice.
He didn't think his opponent would be so kind.
Shiki shrugged. "Why not?"
"Your Water Mirror isn't invincible. The strength of what it reflects depends on you."
If Yagura's chakra was sufficient, he could reflect an equal or even greater attack. But if it wasn't?
"Well," Shiki continued lightly, "then the result is obvious."
If the technique were truly absolute, then by that logic Yagura should even be able to reflect a Tailed Beast Bomb. Reality clearly disagreed.
"…Are you mocking me?" Yagura growled.
So what now—was he saying the Fourth Mizukage was leagues below him?
"I wouldn't go that far," Shiki replied dryly. "Though… it's not wrong."
"You bastard!"
Yagura surged forward, staff raised, closing the distance in an instant.
"Enough," Shiki said flatly. "This fight's getting boring."
Compared to Ōnoki or the Third Raikage, Yagura simply didn't measure up. There was no thrill left in it.
"Don't underestimate me!" Yagura roared. "I'm the Mizukage!"
The calmer Shiki acted, the more furious Yagura became. There had to be a limit to this humiliation.
"Lion Might."
Shiki didn't elaborate. He simply leveled his blade toward Yagura.
"What—?!"
Yagura halted instinctively, every warning in his body screaming danger.
"Meteor Slash!"
A brilliant arc of blade energy tore through the air toward him. In that instant, it felt as if the world held nothing but that single strike.
"Gah—!"
There was no time to evade.
Blood sprayed as one of Yagura's arms was severed cleanly, crashing to the ground behind him.
"My… hand!"
The pain struck a heartbeat later. He had dodged or thought he had. Yet the slash still reached him.
For a ninjutsu-based shinobi, losing an arm was nothing short of fatal.
"You—!"
Rage twisted Yagura's expression as crimson Tailed Beast chakra began to seep from his body. He wasn't just the Fourth Mizukage—he was the perfect Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails.
But before the chakra could fully envelop him, Shiki's blade was already resting against his neck.
"Back down."
Shiki's eyes sharpened.
Conqueror's Haki erupted.
The invisible pressure slammed straight into the Three-Tails' presence. The surging chakra recoiled instantly, vanishing as if crushed into silence.
"How… how is this possible?!"
His Tailed Beast transformation failed.
Worse—no matter how desperately Yagura called out, the Three-Tails didn't respond at all.
"What did you do?!" he demanded, staring at Shiki in disbelief.
Shiki's Haki had been aimed solely at the Three-Tails—and only for an instant. Yagura himself felt nothing unusual… yet the beast had gone completely quiet.
"It's nothing," Shiki said calmly. "I just told it to behave."
Conqueror's Haki wasn't just for clearing battlefields—it was exceptionally effective at suppressing Tailed Beasts.
"You—"
Yagura tried to speak, but Shiki had no interest in continuing the conversation. He struck Yagura lightly on the neck with the flat of his blade.
"That's enough. This war ends here."
Only then did Yagura realize the wider battlefield had already shifted.
In the past, Kirigakure had hunted Konoha shinobi without restraint. Today, the roles were reversed.
With Might Duy, Hiashi, and the Uchiha clan pressing the attack, the Mist forces were in full retreat.
Shiki glanced toward Duy, finally noticing something unsettling.
The Seventh Gate… when did he open it?
Shiki had no doubt—if Konoha had been pushed any further, Might Duy would have opened the Eighth Gate without hesitation.
The Gate of Death.
"…You're just a kid," Shiki muttered, patting Yagura's head. "No need to brood so much."
"You—!"
If looks could kill, Shiki would've died a dozen times over.
"So?" Shiki sheathed his blade. "Still want to fight?"
Yagura clenched his teeth.
He was furious—desperate to continue but he wasn't foolish. Becoming Mizukage meant knowing when a battle was already lost.
With Shiki here, Kirigakure stood no chance against Konoha.
"…Shiki," Yagura said at last. "I won't forget you."
"Mm," Shiki replied lazily. "Good luck with that."
Threats like that meant nothing to him.
"Hmph."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.