Chapter 67 - The Battle of Kohaku Village
Kazane's provocation had struck its mark, but Yagura Karatachi did not let his emotions dictate his actions.
He was a Mizukage, after all. The fallen shinobi surrounding him were valuable assets, but they had no role in what was about to unfold.
Kazane had already forced the battlefield into a duel among elites—one where mere foot soldiers were nothing but collateral.
With a single sharp gesture, Yagura gave his orders.
"Get the unconscious off the battlefield," he commanded coldly.
The conscious Jonin hesitated for only a moment before obeying, retreating to the sidelines to drag their fallen comrades away from the inevitable storm of destruction.
Afterwards, qccompanied by Taketori Souchou and Mizunoyuki Izumi, Yagura stepped forward.
Their movements were calm yet purposeful, each step drawing them closer to Kazane.
Yagura wasn't going to give Kazane a favorable battleground.
No—he would dictate the terms.
The duel would take place in the thousand-meter gap between the two armies, ensuring that no more Mist forces would be caught in the crossfire.
And then—
He attacked.
Yagura leaped into the air, his black iron staff raised high.
His voice rang out like a death sentence:
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave!"
A colossal wave of water exploded from Yagura's mouth, expanding outward in an unstoppable torrent, reshaping of the battlefield itself.
The ground drowned instantly as an artificial lake took form, stretching across the entire battlefield.
Kazane, who had been standing at the lowest point, was immediately engulfed by the rushing current.
Taketori Souchou and Mizunoyuki Izumi stayed alert, watching for the perfect opening to strike.
But—
Kazane didn't panic. Because if Mist shinobi thought water was their advantage—
But they were dead wrong. Kazane's body sparked with violent arcs of electricity, crackling like a living storm.
A single thought ran through his mind:
"Water is the perfect conductor."
BOOM!
The entire lake erupted with electricity, transforming into a massive death trap.
Lightning raced through the water, sending waves of violent currents straight through every molecule of the battlefield.
The moment Souchou's foot touched the electrified surface—
His body seized violently.
Muscles locked.
Nerves burned.
Every fiber of his being screamed in agony.
His limbs spasmed uncontrollably, his jaws clenched so tightly he nearly bit through his own tongue. However,
SPLASH!
A powerful water bullet shot forward, striking Souchou in the chest and knocking him clear of the electrified waters.
It was Yagura's doing.
His quick thinking saved Souchou from certain incapacitation.
But his expression was grim.
This battlefield had just become dangerous for his own side.
Yagura glanced at Mizunoyuki Izumi, and with just one silent exchange, an unspoken plan formed. They had fought together for years.
They didn't need words to understand each other.
Mizunoyuki Izumi extended both hands forward, his chakra surging.
His voice was calm, but the technique he unleashed was anything but:
"Ice Release Secret Art: Moment of Freeze!"
A wave of freezing chakra burst forth, rapidly spreading across the battlefield.
The electrified waters shuddered—
Then solidified instantly into a thick sheet of ice.
The once-fluid battlefield was now frozen solid, rendering Kazane's lightning useless, and trapped.
A brilliant counter.
Yagura smirked.
But from afar—
A Konoha shinobi's voice rang out in panic.
"Kazane-sama!"
It was Sasaki Jonin, watching from the sidelines.
His voice was desperate.
Because if Kazane fell here—
They would all die.
"Heh… Hahaha!"
A crazed laugh echoed across the battlefield.
Having regained his footing, Souchou grinned wildly. His dot-like eyebrows furrowed into a lamb-like expression of bloodlust.
He was done playing defense.
Now—
It was his turn.
His bones cracked, his flesh twisted, and his body began to shift.
And then—
He whispered in a voice filled with savage excitement:
"Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
A pulse of chakra erupted from his very bones, and in an instant— Countless massive, jagged bone spikes erupted from the ground, piercing through the frozen lake like monstrous fangs.
The ice shattered, and the land itself was skewered, transforming into a forest of white bone lances, each one sharp enough to impale a giant.
A shredded fragment of Kazane's black kimono hung limply from one of the spears.
A faint trail of dark-red blood stained the frozen surface.
Souchou's grin widened.
He panted heavily, but his eyes gleamed with manic triumph.
"Hmph! So this is the famed Demon Swordsman of Konoha? Pathetically weak."
His chest swelled with pride.
Because if he had killed Kazane—
Then his name would be known across the entire shinobi world and their victory are certain.
But, before he could even finish celebrating—
A sound cut through the battlefield.
A deep, resonant slash.
Then—
The entire bone forest split apart.
A clear path stretched from the lakebed all the way to the shore.
Souchou's eyes widened in pure disbelief.
Then, a sound.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps.
Steady. Unrushed.
Kazane's figure emerged from the dust and ice debris, his expression unreadable.
His blade dripped with fresh blood, but his stance was as firm as ever.
His voice rang clear and cold across the battlefield:
"Is this all you've got?"
Clear, deliberate footsteps echoed through the battlefield, cutting through the eerie silence like a death knell.
From within the dust and ice-laden debris, a figure emerged—his stance unwavering, his aura suffocating.
Kazane.
His black kimono billowed lightly in the frigid air, though a single torn sleeve revealed a faint but visible wound on his left arm.
His body was coated entirely in pitch-black Armament Haki, shimmering ominously against the frozen wasteland.
Despite his appearance, there was no doubt—
He was unharmed.
Kazane's sharp gaze flickered toward his wounded arm. A thin crimson trail glistened beneath the icy moonlight. He flexed his fingers.
The wound was already healing rapidly—his Lightning Release Chakra Mode had long been confirmed to stimulate cell regeneration, a discovery he and Orochimaru had tested in secret.
A minor cut like this was utterly meaningless.
Still—
"Souchou's attack… It actually managed to cut me."
It was a rare occurrence.
This meant that Taketori Souchou's bone techniques weren't just for show, they had the destructive potential to actually threaten him.
A slow smirk crept onto Kazane's face.
"Not bad," he murmured, almost amused.
Then—
His eyes darkened.
And his voice dropped to an icy whisper.
"But it won't happen again."
BOOM!
A violent surge of raw chakra exploded outward. Kazane's entire body ignited in a breathtaking blue aura. His muscles pulsed beneath the overwhelming pressure.
He roared.
"Eight Gates—Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, OPEN!"
His power skyrocketed, the air around him distorting from sheer force.
The violent chakra surged—yet remained trapped beneath the jet-black armor of his Haki, tightly compressed into an overwhelming force of destruction.
Souchou's laughter died instantly.
His round, dot-like eyebrows furrowed deeply, sweat trickling down his now-pale face.
His instincts screamed at him—
Run.
But his pride refused to listen.
"Impossible…" he muttered, voice wavering.
"My bones… My Kaguya bloodline… They rival the hardness of steel! They can pierce through armor, through flesh—through anything!"
And yet… His strongest attack had only left a scratch. The realization shattered his confidence.
Kazane tilted his head slightly, almost casually. His smirk broadened—but there was no mirth behind it.
"You've already given me your gifts," he said, voice dripping with mockery, as he slowly reached for his swords.
"So I guess… It's my turn now."
Souchou's fear twisted into rage.
"No! I refuse to believe it!"
With a desperate snarl, he thrust his hands forward.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine!"
A grotesque mass of spiraling bone spears erupted from his forearms, shooting toward Kazane like a barrage of death.
At the same time—
"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Ice Needles!"
Mizunoyuki struck next, his hands weaving blindingly fast hand seals.
A storm of razor-sharp ice needles materialized in the air, streaking toward Kazane like a deadly blizzard.
And then—
"Water Release: Water bullets Jutsu!"
Yagura raised his hand, and from his fingertips, a torrent of high-speed water bullets burst forth—each capable of tearing through solid rock.
The attacks came from all directions, a perfect synchronized assault.
A storm of ice.
A rain of bone spears.
A barrage of deadly water bullets.
An inescapable death trap, or so they thought.
FWOOOM!
Before the attacks could connect, Kazane's grip reversed—
And he spun.
"Three-Sword Style… Black Rope Great Tornado!"
The air roared, twisting into a ferocious vortex of pure destruction.
A maelstrom of wind and steel engulfed him, creating an unstoppable hurricane of razor-sharp slashes.
The incoming attacks were instantly nullified.
The ice needles shattered into mist.
The bone spears were shredded to dust.
The water bullets evaporated upon impact.
Then—
The tornado expanded outward.
A shockwave of cutting winds ripped across the battlefield, sending deadly sword slashes flying toward his enemies.
Mizunoyuki and Yagura immediately retreated, dodging with swift precision.
But Souchou—
He stood his ground.
A thick wall of bone erupted in front of him, an impenetrable barrier forged from his own flesh and chakra.
A sneer curled across his lips.
"Tch. Let's see him break through this."
His confidence swelled.
He stood tall—
As if provocatively challenging Kazane.
"Come on! Strike me if you dare!"
Kazane stopped spinning.
His gaze locked onto Souchou, expression stone-cold.
Then—
His muscles bulged explosively, veins pulsing with raw power.
His left arm swelled, every fiber of muscle tightening, compacting sheer destructive force into his right hand.
And with thunderous weight, his voice boomed across the battlefield:
"Ichi Gorilla!"
His stance shifted.
"Ni Gorilla!"
The sheer force of his movements cracked the ice beneath his feet.
And finally—
With a single devastating motion, he charged forward.
"Ni-Gorilla Slash!"