The Third Raikage suddenly realized that the Lightning Armor protecting his right arm—the arm thrusting out with his signature Hell Stab—was weakening at a rate he had never experienced before.
This wasn't something mere tailed beast force could achieve on its own.
With his rich battle experience, the Third Raikage immediately sensed something was wrong. A closer look revealed something unusual clinging to Isobu's shell—
Wind Release chakra.
Among the elemental chakra affinities, Wind beats Lightning.
Isobu's momentum from rolling combined with the Wind Release coating created enough force to pose a real threat to the Third Raikage's ultimate defense—his Lightning Armor!
Realizing the danger and recognizing that he wasn't fully prepared, the Third Raikage swiftly pulled back to disengage.
Even so, a sharp white scratch was left on the back of his finger, scraped by Isobu's jagged shell.
Yagura gasped for breath.
"Isobu, you still have chakra left?"
"Barely holding on."
"Good enough."
Watching the Raikage's retreating movements, Yagura grinned.
"Then it's enough!"
Since the Third Raikage had withdrawn of his own accord this time, Yagura and Isobu used the gap to extend their spin and build up even more kinetic force.
This impact would be far more powerful than the last. Yagura stopped holding back and let his Wind Release chakra surge fully across Isobu's rolling body.
The combination of mass, momentum, and Wind Release was now strong enough to exert pressure on the Third Raikage at his level. A monstrous war chariot surged forth, wrapped in slicing gales!
"Trying to use Wind Release to crack my Lightning Release defense, huh? A smart move!"
But it wasn't just smart tactics—the Jinchūriki was using his chakra in perfect sync with his tailed beast.
The Third Raikage observed closely, watching this so-called "perfect Jinchūriki" perform with flawless precision.
If only Kumogakure had someone like that, they could have crushed Konohagakure long ago.
Still, Isobu's attack was right in front of him now—there was no time to dwell on what-ifs.
His expression turned solemn.
He withdrew his second finger and unleashed the most feared move in his arsenal—
One-Finger!
The strongest Lightning Release chakra in existence surged to a single fingertip—his sharpest and deadliest point!
With a heavy stomp, he cracked the sea's surface and exploded forward to meet the incoming Isobu/Yagura head-on!
This was exactly what Yagura had been waiting for!
His eyes locked onto the lightning-shaped scar on the Raikage's chest.
"Now, Isobu!"
He hadn't come all this way to face off with such a monstrous opponent unprepared.
Every move so far—from Water Release to shell piercing, from his half-baked Wind Release—had all been bait to force out the Third Raikage's ultimate technique: the One-Finger Hell Stab!
The only jutsu powerful enough to break through the Third Raikage's own strongest defense... was his own strongest attack!
ROAR!!!
They collided head-on.
The devastating impact and the deadly thrust of the One-Finger clashed violently.
Despite the Wind Release softening it and the rolling momentum offsetting some of the force, the One-Finger Hell Stab lived up to its fearsome name—it pierced through, wounding Isobu!
But—
Overhead, a mirror of water quietly formed in midair, the swirling currents creating a perfect reflection of the Third Raikage at the exact moment he unleashed the One-Finger Hell Stab.
Isobu endured the pain of being slashed and forced himself to complete the technique.
The final piece of Yagura's trap was in place.
Time to make the Raikage taste his own medicine.
Yagura and Isobu: "Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!"
The Third Raikage noticed the mirror above—but he was already dominating the direct clash with Isobu.
His One-Finger Hell Stab had once severed all eight tails of the Hachibi.
He was confident: in a battle of brute strength, Isobu would fall first.
Until... he saw another him emerge from the mirror.
An exact replica. Same chakra. Same Lightning Armor. Same terrifying speed. Same technique—One-Finger Hell Stab.
The Third Raikage instantly sensed that this mirrored version had the exact same power as his real body!
Only now did he realize—he had walked right into the trap set by the Three-Tails and this Jinchūriki!
Too late.
The mirrored clone descended at full speed. With Isobu pinning him down, the real Raikage had no way to escape.
His strongest spear—the One-Finger Hell Stab—was now aimed at his strongest shield.
The mirrored clone pierced through his Lightning Armor and stabbed into his rock-solid chest!
Direct hit!
The Third Raikage lost the upper hand. Isobu surged forward, smashing into him again. The thundering war chariot crushed both the original and the mirrored Raikage in its path!
BOOM!
The Raikage's body was sent flying, crashing into the sea and vanishing beneath the waves.
As Isobu's form unraveled, Yagura stood silently, eyes on the spot where the Raikage had fallen.
"Yagura, I'm out of chakra."
Isobu's voice was weary. He had maintained full tailed beast form for nearly an hour—an exhausting feat.
And that final battle had drained his remaining strength tenfold.
Being able to hold on just long enough to complete the Water Mirror Technique was already pushing the limit.
Yagura nodded weakly, breath ragged.
"You did great."
Isobu's massive body shrank rapidly, reverting to a small human form. Even the blue cloak of tailed beast chakra dissolved, returning beneath his skin.
...
It took only seconds for Yagura to return to his human body.
But the moment he did, a wave of pain and chakra depletion slammed into him, leaving him barely standing.
And worse—
At that same instant, he felt it.
A torrent of wrath and killing intent surged toward him like a thunderstorm.
"Brat!!!"
A deafening explosion of lightning tore through the sea and reached the skies!
The Third Raikage rose, blood gushing from the wound in his chest. His glare was enough to split stone.
"You've got guts! I'll give you that!"
To be fair, the Raikage did respect Yagura. For someone so young to completely control a tailed beast and carry the title of Mizukage, he had earned a seat at the table.
And during their battle, Yagura had quickly realized his Water Release couldn't break through the Lightning Armor. Instead, he devised a plan to force the Raikage to destroy his own defense.
That kind of strategic thinking deserved recognition.
But...
Yagura had touched a nerve—the Raikage's greatest humiliation.
The lightning-shaped scar on his chest had come from his own technique—during a brutal battle with the Eight-Tails, he collapsed from exhaustion mid-attack, injuring himself.
That self-inflicted wound had haunted him his entire life.
And now this brat used a mirror clone to stab him in that same spot.
"I'll show you what my true One-Finger Hell Stab feels like—when I'm going all out!"
Yagura stepped back instinctively, overwhelmed by the sheer force pouring off the Raikage.
He was shaken—That last attack... wasn't at full power?!
No wonder the mirrored strike hadn't caused permanent damage.
His plan had worked. The spear had pierced the shield.
But the Third Raikage wasn't done yet—his body was still strong, his chakra still deep.
Meanwhile, Isobu was drained.
[Isobu: This tailed beast form lasted longer than the last one. Hold on for five minutes. I'll gather chakra.]
It was up to Yagura now to survive those five minutes.
His chakra flared, lifting his hair in the wind. He rose, water blade in hand, facing the furious Raikage barreling toward him.
Against a foe multiple tiers above him, Yagura didn't dare make the first move.
One slip, and he'd die.
...
But the Raikage didn't strike. He stared from afar and said,
"You've got guts, Mizukage."
Without the tailed beast, he was just a jōnin. A talented one, sure—but not a real match.
And in that moment, the Raikage lost the urge to attack.
Yagura could read it in his eyes—and it annoyed him.
"Thanks for the compliment, old man."
He pointed his blade at the Raikage's bleeding chest. With a taunting smirk, he added,
"But it was that underestimated Mist ninja who cracked your armor."
...
BOOM!!!
Lightning exploded down, blasting a crater into the sea!
Yagura couldn't even follow the Raikage's full-speed lunge. His body reacted before his mind could—leaping clear just in time!
He formed hand seals quickly, reversing the waves kicked up by the Raikage's punch to slam inward!
But a bolt of lightning shot up from below, scattering the water!
Yagura's pupils shrank—he hadn't seen the Raikage move!
The Raikage caught him midair, leaping up from the sea and thrusting a One-Finger Hell Stab!
A wind-assisted spin barely saved Yagura from a fatal blow, dodging the deadly thrust at the last second!
But he had no time to recover.
The Raikage spun in midair and landed a brutal kick to Yagura's back—
WHACK!
Sending him crashing into the sea!
Yagura's attention had been too focused on dodging that fatal spear strike. Otherwise, he'd never have evaded that high-speed attack.
The blow nearly knocked him out cold.
He sank into the ocean, buying himself a moment to regroup.
But he knew—he couldn't win in a direct fight.
He created dozens of Water Clones, burning through his chakra to stall the Raikage and gain time.
But clones at a tenth of his strength barely lasted seconds.
His ninjutsu couldn't break the Raikage's defense or speed.
Only one plan had worked—
Using the Raikage's own spear.
But there was a problem.
Yagura hadn't fully mastered the Water Mirror Technique.
BOOM!
Lightning erupted from the Raikage's body, blasting out in all directions!
In less than ten seconds, all of Yagura's water clones were annihilated.
The Raikage began to dive under again. Time was running out.
Yagura had to find a way in the middle of combat!
The Water Mirror Technique had two parts: first, creating a mirror to copy the enemy, and second, reflecting a clone with identical power.
Both steps were extremely difficult.
And Yagura had only mastered the second.
"Mirror Clone Technique!"
The chakra cost was far higher than basic water clones. He used what little chakra he had left to create four mirror clones.
They leapt out from the sea together.
The Raikage stood firm. One glance told him—these weren't like the ones before.
A quick clash proved it.
"These ones... have the same strength as the original."
Outside of Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique, few clones could do that.
But these were all still clones. None of them were...
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (265 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)