Chapter 242: Fierce Battle

"What's with that expression? You're all so naive."

"Water Release: Multiple Dragon Bullet Technique."

The Third Mizukage smiled at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces. Did they really think they had defeated him? What a joke.

After completing the hand seals, several enormous water dragons formed behind him, rising from the converging seawater. They charged at the group from all directions—top, bottom, left, and right—accompanied by towering waves that seemed to cover the sky.

There was no place to hide from this technique. The sheer amount of Chakra needed to perform such a powerful Water Release was staggering.

Nawaki had only one thought at that moment: This must be the kind of Water Release my second grandfather could perform.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

Minato condensed a half-meter-tall sphere of energy and launched it at the dragon's head.

Nawaki swung Samehada, aiming to absorb the Ninjutsu.

Everyone fought with everything they had in this desperate moment.

The Yuki Clan combined their powers to create a massive wall of ice. Konan transformed into paper, scattering instantly. Yahiko and the others, with Nagato's help, erected a wall of water in defense.

Rumble!!

The Big Ball Rasengan was the first to collide with a water dragon, and the clash of the two immense Chakras caused a violent explosion.

Minato's water dragon shattered, but the force of the explosion sent him flying far out to sea, where he was caught in the current.

Nawaki managed to absorb one water dragon with Samehada, but the resulting massive wave knocked him back as well.

The rest of the group wasn't as fortunate.

The seemingly solid and massive ice wall created by the Yuki Clan cracked and shattered after withstanding just one water dragon. The Yuki Clan members were struck by the dragon and hurled far away.

Konan, who had turned into paper to evade the water dragon's attack, was swept away by the immense wave. Even after reverting to her human form, she was gravely injured.

The water wall constructed by Nagato and the others couldn't hold for long against the water dragon, and they too were hit hard.

"Ah~"

The five of them were swept away by the waves.

The Third Mizukage's ultimate technique completely overwhelmed Minato's team, exposing the vast gap between them and true strength.

When the waves finally calmed, only a few were left standing.

Ichirō Aso and the others, who had fled far away after the ship was destroyed, were unfit to join the battle. Even they were not spared the aftereffects of the Mizukage's attack and now lay on the sea surface, their conditions unknown.

"A mantis trying to stop a chariot," the Third Mizukage remarked, clearly pleased with the results of his move.

Without sparing a glance at Minato or Nawaki, his figure moved steadily toward Nagato, who was still lying on the sea surface and struggling to get up.

"How dare you!" Minato roared and, without a second thought, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, charging straight toward Nagato.

"What an enviable friendship indeed," the Third Mizukage said with a cold smile. "With this friendship, you can go to hell."

He raised his right hand, summoning a rapidly spinning water blade that immediately attached to his fist.

Minato barely managed to raise his long sword to block the attack. Gritting his teeth, images of his family flashed through his mind.

"Kushina, about the future… I may not be able to be with you anymore."

Behind him, Nagato, unaware of the danger, struggled to support himself and stand up. His red hair clung damply to his face, making him appear disheveled.

"Cut the crap. I'm not dead yet, so it's not your turn." A figure suddenly appeared in front of Minato, its back broad and reassuring.

Nawaki, gripping Samehada with both hands, intercepted the Mizukage's punch head-on.

The Chakra on the Mizukage's fist was quickly absorbed by Samehada, forcing him to retreat. A flash of unwillingness crossed his eyes, but he had no choice but to withdraw.

"Nawaki!"

Minato shouted in relief, his voice filled with excitement. The shadow of death had loomed over him moments before, and now it had been driven away.

"How could I let you call me 'brother' for so many years for nothing?" Nawaki said, turning his head to pull a face at Minato. At that moment, he was undeniably cool.

"You two brats are really annoying," the Third Mizukage growled. "Then I'll just get rid of you first."

He stood still, clearly deciding to eliminate the obstacles in his way before dealing with Nagato.

"Nagato, go and heal everyone first," Minato instructed, turning back to Nagato.

"Yes, Senior Brother," Nagato nodded, hurrying to the fallen group. As the only Medical-nin, their recovery depended on him.

"Minato, I'm ready," Nawaki said, his gaze fixed on the Third Mizukage. He was already calculating how to drain the Mizukage's Chakra.

A head-on fight felt increasingly hopeless.

"Good."

Minato stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nawaki.

"You remind me of someone I knew, but you're still far from being their equal," the Third Mizukage remarked, as though seeing a reflection of himself and Hashirama from the past.

"Water Release: Whale Leap."

The Third Mizukage formed hand seals, and a whale made of seawater instantly took shape. It leapt high into the air, charging toward Minato and Nawaki. Its massive size was terrifying just to behold.

Nawaki glanced at the Samehada in his hands. Could it absorb something like this? He quickly abandoned the thought.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

Nawaki formed hand seals and spat out a high-pressure stream of water that shot straight toward the whale's enormous body. The water column was like a sharp scalpel, slicing the whale in half. The severed halves fell from the sky, crashing into the sea and dispersing into a massive volume of seawater.

"Heh~ Tobirama's technique." The Third Mizukage recognized it immediately, and his anger seemed to deepen.

Humming…

Before he could act again, a Fūma Shuriken whistled through the air, flying out of the waves toward him.

"Have you run out of tricks?"

The Third Mizukage sneered, tilting his body slightly to let the shuriken fly past him harmlessly.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

Minato's figure suddenly appeared beside the Fūma Shuriken, and a massive ball of Chakra descended toward the Third Mizukage.

"Flying Thunder God Technique. Tobira is so annoying," the Third Mizukage said with an air of disdain, though his expression betrayed no surprise. He had suspected Minato's sudden appearance when the shuriken was thrown and now had confirmation.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."

The Third Mizukage used the technique once more. For him, this Water Release was effortless, and with the help of his immense Chakra reserves, it provided formidable defensive capabilities.

Bang!

The Water Prison Technique took shape, but the Fūma Shuriken suddenly transformed into Nawaki with a puff of smoke.

With a swift wave of the Samehada in his hand, the Water Prison Technique was directly absorbed, leaving the Third Mizukage exposed to Minato's Big Ball Rasengan.

The maneuver happened so quickly that even the Third Mizukage didn't anticipate it. Nawaki had actually turned into the Fūma Shuriken and been launched as part of the attack.

They had exploited the Mizukage's arrogance, correctly predicting that he wouldn't bother to avoid such a seemingly simple move.

To adapt so quickly, analyzing the enemy's nature and formulating such a precise attack plan, was impressive—even the Third Mizukage silently acknowledged this.

Boom!

The Big Ball Rasengan struck the Third Mizukage directly.

"It worked," Nawaki exclaimed, his face showing surprise. He noted that the Third Mizukage wasn't a Taijutsu expert, so there was no way his defense could match someone as formidable as his brother-in-law.

But Minato's eyes caught something alarming—a crimson Chakra suddenly flared around the Third Mizukage's body as the Rasengan knocked him back.

This wasn't the first time Minato had seen this type of Chakra, and a bad feeling settled in his heart.

Though the attack had landed, Minato began to doubt its effectiveness.