Chapter 243: Injured

"Nice teamwork. I underestimated you."

The Third Mizukage stood up in the distance, casually brushing off non-existent dust from his clothes. His body was now completely wrapped in crimson Chakra.

"Nawaki, he's a Jinchūriki," Minato said, his heart sinking as his earlier suspicion was confirmed.

"Damn, what kind of luck is this?" Nawaki muttered, unable to hold back his frustration. His own family already had a Hokage who was a Jinchūriki, and now even the Third Mizukage turned out to be one.

He understood all too well how terrifying it was for someone of this level to wield the power of a Tailed Beast. If Tsunade were to strike him with such power, he doubted she would even need much effort.

Still, he had some hope—Samehada gave him the ability to fight back against this Jinchūriki.

"Nawaki, find a chance to absorb him," Minato said, his eyes catching the excited wriggling of Samehada in Nawaki's hands, its tongue extending eagerly.

"Hmm, Samehada seems very interested in this Chakra," Nawaki remarked, slinging the sword over his shoulder and glancing back.

Thanks to Nagato's efforts, the wounded were already recovering, and he was working hard to save the others. In this situation, though, only Nawaki and Minato could truly stand against the Mizukage.

Nawaki didn't expect or want the others to step in—they would only become liabilities in a battle of this level.

"Let me see what other tricks you haven't used," the Third Mizukage said, his tone calm.

He was only borrowing the Tailed Beast's chakra and had yet to fully transform into Tailed Beast mode. Perhaps, in his mind, fighting in human form was even more effective.

"Summoning Technique."

The Third Mizukage bit his finger, formed a hand seal, and pressed his hand against the surface of the sea.

Poof!

A puff of smoke appeared, and with it emerged a devilfish with a flattened body and two large head fins. Its massive form loomed over the battlefield, and flashes of electricity crackled from its tail, making it clear that this was no ordinary creature.

"Nawaki, it's up to you," Minato said with a wry smile. If he summoned Lady Katsuyu into the sea, he was certain it wouldn't end well for him.

"Okay."

"Summoning Technique!"

Nawaki didn't hold back this time, and a giant snake with purple stripes and a four-cornered head appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Who dares to summon me?"

The moment Manda appeared, he was as arrogant as ever, flicking his tongue and revealing coldly gleaming fangs. On the sea's surface, his massive body moved effortlessly, unimpeded by the water. Compared to two years ago, his size had increased significantly.

"Lord Manda, it's me. I'm troubling you this time," Nawaki said, keeping his tone respectful. If he had any other option, he wouldn't have summoned Manda—this snake's personality was simply too problematic.

"I thought it was Orochimaru, but it's you, little brat," Manda hissed disdainfully. "Damn it, every time you or your Sensei call me, it's for something troublesome."

Manda's gaze landed on the devilfish, which was slightly larger than him. He quickly pieced together the situation.

"Unlucky again. First Ibuse, and now this thing," Manda muttered, clearly displeased. Even while preparing for battle, he couldn't help bemoaning his fate.

"Lord Manda, please," Nawaki said, bowing low. He knew even his Sensei struggled to handle Manda's temper.

"Cut the crap. Once this is done, tell Orochimaru to prepare more meat for me," Manda snapped. He already knew Nawaki was stingy, and bad news always seemed to travel fast.

"Here we go, Lord Manda."

Nawaki and Minato stood atop Manda's head as the two of them, along with the massive snake, charged forward. Manda's enormous body moved through the sea with astonishing speed, slithering almost as fluidly as a manta ray.

The two behemoths collided first, sending up a massive wave.

"This is no longer a situation we can interfere with," Shishi muttered in disbelief as he watched the scene unfold.

Summoned beasts were not uncommon, but ones of this size were rare. To summon them required not only a strong inheritance but also immense Chakra reserves.

"The biggest help we can give is to protect ourselves," Konan said quietly, understanding her own limits. She silently cheered herself on.

"I trust Senior Brother and Brother Nawaki," Nagato added, looking up briefly before resuming his efforts.

Everyone was fighting for their survival—why wouldn't he trust them?

...

Manda opened his mouth wide, biting down directly between the devilfish's head fins. The surrounding sea quickly turned crimson from the blood.

The devilfish thrashed in excruciating pain, its tail lashing Manda repeatedly with powerful lightning strikes.

"Hm~"

Each strike elicited a muffled grunt from Manda. I knew this guy wasn't an easy opponent. Damn, this hurts like hell.

Even through the electric shocks, Manda bit down harder, determined to kill the devilfish in one bite.

With the massive manta ray-like creature serving as a battlefield, Minato threw all his kunai toward the Third Mizukage, who dodged them skillfully. He still vividly remembered how Izuna had died from a similar attack.

"Take this!"

Nawaki leapt from Manda's back, Samehada in hand, and charged across the devilfish's body straight at the Third Mizukage.

"Water Release: Water Mirror Technique."

The Third Mizukage drew a circle in front of him with one hand, forming a reflective water mirror.

From the mirror emerged an identical copy of Nawaki, who rushed out to meet him.

The two Nawakis clashed—movements perfectly in sync, their ninja tools matching blow for blow.

"How is this possible!?"

Nawaki initially thought it was an illusion, but after their blades met, he realized the copy's strength was on par with his own.

After several intense exchanges, the reflection disappeared, but the impact sent Nawaki flying backward.

Meanwhile, Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to engage the Third Mizukage directly. Although Minato's speed surpassed his opponent's, the Mizukage's vast combat experience allowed him to anticipate and block even Minato's most unpredictable attacks.

"Kid, I can't hold on much longer."

It hadn't been long, but Manda was already backing down. The areas where he had been electrocuted were charred pitch black. Any closer, and he could have smelled the aroma of cooked meat.

Another battle had gone badly for him. Not only had he failed to eat any meat, but if he continued, he risked being electrocuted himself.

Just as Nawaki glanced back, Manda turned into smoke and disappeared.

The sudden weightlessness under Nawaki's feet made him realize the devilfish had vanished along with Manda.

With the devilfish gone, all of Minato's kunai fell into the sea, and he could no longer maintain his advantage in speed against the Third Mizukage.

"Had enough fun? It's my turn now," the Third Mizukage said, landing smoothly on the surface of the sea. His gaze fixed on Minato and Nawaki, who were not far away.

"Water Release: Water Burial Canopy."

A massive amount of Tailed Beast Chakra poured into the sea. Instantly, a gigantic wave, tens of meters high, surged toward the two of them.

The Third Mizukage's real purpose in summoning the devilfish had been to buy time to accumulate Chakra. This wasn't simply transforming Chakra into water; it was the manipulation of the surrounding seawater itself.

Nawaki and Minato were both stunned. This wasn't a technique Samehada could absorb.

"Quickly escape!" Nawaki shouted, grabbing Minato and flying into the sky. Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique lacked a suitable target in such an open area, making escape even more challenging.

He called out to Nagato and the others in the distance. Nawaki had never seen such a Water Release before. Is this the power of the Mizukage?

"You won't escape," the Third Mizukage said coldly, not even bothering to question how Nawaki could fly.

Even though they had gained some distance, Nawaki and Minato were still within the attack range of the Water Burial Canopy.

The massive wave struck with violent force, sending them flying through the air. Blood sprayed as the overwhelming power of nature proved too much for humans to resist.

In the distance, Nagato and the others narrowly avoided disaster, quickly moving the wounded to safety.