Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 148 The Seven's Defeat

With a deafening roar, the lightning struck the water wall directly, spreading out with a crackling sound before vanishing without a trace. At the same time, the water wall trembled twice before completely dissipating.

Yuan Shi, who only realized what was happening at this moment, gasped and opened his mouth as if to say something, but the furious Yagura charged directly at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist without saying a word.

"Tsk... The battle has begun. Ordinary ninjas, step back!"

Mei Terumi shouted, and the Mist Ninja surrounding the area immediately retreated into a huge circle. Bubbles pulled a straw from his pocket, put it to his lips, and gently blew:

Colorful bubbles flew out of the straw and enveloped the two ninja swordsmen. These seemingly beautiful bubbles were actually filled with terrifying acidity and explosiveness, causing the two ninja swordsmen to frown.

At that moment, Mei Terumi also made her move without hesitation, and even reminded Yagura before she did so:

"Be careful, my ninjutsu is a bit scary!"

As she finished speaking, Mei Terumi took a deep breath and exhaled a cloud of acidic mist. The massive acidic mist, like a living dragon, meandered and surged toward the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"Hidden Mist Technique? Isn't this woman famous for her offensive Water Release and Fire Release techniques?"

Yagura paused for a moment, but just as the mist was about to engulf him, his battle-hardened intuition gave him a sense of immense terror. With a slight grit of his teeth, Yagura followed his instincts and dodged past.

However, Yagura soon felt a surge of relief at his shameless behavior.

Seeing the white mist spreading out as well, Pipa Juzo sneered and rushed over without hesitation:

"Trying to play the Hidden Mist Technique with me?! Don't you know I'm the strongest silent assassination ninja in Kirigakure?!"

Then Yagura heard a piercing scream, and Biwa Juzo, wielding a guillotine, stumbled out.

His skin had completely melted away, revealing the blood-red muscles and pale fascia beneath. Most horrifyingly, his eyes had turned into swollen, pus-filled lumps, and even his eyelids had completely melted away.

"Heh heh... ho ho ho ho ho hiss hiss hiss..."

After wildly swinging his guillotine, which was already showing signs of rust, the member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist fell to the ground, enveloped in a white mist behind him. After a faint struggle, all that remained on the ground was a pool of blood and the nearly rusted guillotine.

"Hiss... So this isn't a concealment technique, but a terrifying sulfuric acid!"

Yagura felt a chill run down his spine. This terrifying thing, if it were deployed on the battlefield, would be an absolute weapon of mass destruction! It would be far more powerful than those so-called poisonous fogs! At least there is absolutely no antidote for this acid fog.

"Moreover, it's too insidious. Its outward appearance is exactly the same as the Hidden Mist Technique. If other ninjas mistake this white mist for the Hidden Mist Technique, then..."

Looking at Juzo Biwa, who lay dead with his eyes wide open, now reduced to pus and blood, unable to see his purpose, Yagura swallowed hard.

Fortunately, Juzo Biwa rushed in so quickly that he immediately informed all the ninjas of the power of Boiling Release. The other Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were terrified when they saw the white mist spreading out and quickly dodged it.

"Mei Terumi, don't be too harsh! These people are just under a genjutsu; they might still be saved!"

Genji glanced at Mei Terumi and quickly shouted, but Mei Terumi shrugged and said calmly:

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you...maybe!"

"Terrible woman, let me test your ninjutsu!"

With a soft shout, Kushimaru Kurihara, wielding a long sword and sewing needle, waved his hand, and a thin, tough wire enveloped Mei Terumi. Mei Terumi cried out and opened her mouth again, spitting out a cloud of turbid yellow liquid.

With a squeaking sound, the wire sewing the long sword was instantly corroded by the yellow liquid. Kushimaru's expression changed, and before he could react, Mei Terumi stepped on the ground and transformed into a blue phantom, rushing over and punching him in the abdomen.

"Whoa!"

Blood gushed out from the bottom edge of the mask instantly. Kushimaru Kurihara never expected that Mei Terumi, who looked so delicate, would have such a high level of taijutsu skills. Her speed and strength were in no way inferior to those of elite Jonin who specialized in taijutsu.

Before he could recover from the pain in his abdomen, he heard a sharp shout and Mei Terumi kicked him in the head again, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall with a thud, his mask shattering into several pieces. At the same time, Kushimaru Kurihara, his forehead covered in blood, had already passed out.

With a single move, Mei Terumi killed one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and knocked out another, stunning everyone present and leaving the Kirigakure ninja who were unaware of her strength completely dumbfounded.

Even a master like Yuan Shi was somewhat surprised by Mei's performance:

"Mei Terumi's strength has improved rather quickly... The power of her Boil Release is several times stronger than before, and when did she master such advanced taijutsu?"

Master Yuan knew this little girl, who could be considered his disciple, very well. Her talent in ninjutsu was unparalleled in the entire Mist Ninja. At such a young age, she had already awakened a bloodline limit and was still synthesizing a second one. Her talent was so high that she was first-rate in the entire ninja world.

However, his talent in taijutsu is not entirely nonexistent, but it's better than nothing. He's slightly better than a typical Chunin, but if a Jonin gets close to him, he's in danger of being defeated.

However, given Mei Terumi's terrifying ninjutsu, even ordinary Jonin wouldn't have a chance to get close to her. Besides, she's still young, and it's perfectly normal that her taijutsu isn't fully developed yet; she should be able to make up for it in a few years. So, this is just a weakness, not a fatal flaw.

Mei Terumi's consecutive defeat of two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist made Yagura feel a bit of urgency. Uta, the Jinchūriki, had a carefree personality and little desire for power, so he didn't care about these things and was just making a show of support. Yagura, on the other hand, considered himself the successor to the Mizukage and didn't want Mei Terumi to surpass him.

Thinking of this, Yagura immediately rushed towards the strongest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Suigetsu Hozuki. Facing the charging Yagura, Suigetsu Hozuki sneered, raised his Samehada sword, and smashed it directly at Yagura.

Yagura swung his round staff, which transformed into a bright water mirror. From the mirror emerged another Suigetsu Hozuki, with the same appearance and the same moves. With a single blow, they were both sent flying.

Taking this opportunity, Yagura rushed over without hesitation and slapped Suigetsu Hozuki in the chest. Suigetsu Hozuki's expression changed, and he suddenly flicked his long hair, which burst out like fine needles, like a rain of pear blossom needles.

Despite being startled by the barrage of hair, Yagura remained calm. Suddenly, coral-like substances sprouted from his body, which, with a tinkling sound, blocked the stray hair needles.

At the same time, Yagura's palm was pressed against Suigetsu Hozuki's chest. With a slight cracking sound, a large amount of coral grew from Suigetsu Hozuki's chest where he was hit, covering his entire body and rendering him completely immobile.

"Coral Palm... So this move can be used without the Three-Tails..."

Looking at Yagura's two most distinctive moves from a distance, Uchiha Touya stroked his chin in surprise. Both the Water Mirror Technique and the Coral Palm had transcended the limitations of ordinary water-style techniques and entered the realm of secret arts.

Yagura's ability to manipulate ordinary water jutsu in such a sophisticated way is quite remarkable, considering that, like Mei Terumi, he didn't inherit any family skills. He learned all of these techniques through his own gradual exploration of simple water jutsu techniques.

His figure trembled slightly, and the thin layer of coral on Yagura's body immediately fell to the ground with a crackling sound. The defensive power of this coral was very worrying, and it would also hinder the movement of the body, but it was still easy to block small hidden weapons such as senbon.

The coral on Yagura's body was something he had done to himself, so it was easy to remove. But the coral on Suigetsu Hozuki's body was much harder to remove. In just a few seconds, Suigetsu Hozuki turned into a giant coral reef. Even the greatsword Samehada was pushed away by the coral that had grown out of him.

But just then, Yagura heard the sound of wind breaking behind him. With a snap, a large sword with a scroll cut directly into Yagura's head, causing a huge explosion that sprayed water everywhere.

"Tch, just a water clone?" Jinpachi Murashi snorted, wielding the Exploding Blade. With a flick of his wrist, a terrifying explosion rang out again, but this time, Jinpachi Murashi attacked Suigetsu Fuguki.

With a loud explosion, Suigetsu Hozuki was sent flying backward, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood. He barely managed to stand up, covered in wounds, but he had broken free from Coral's restraints.

"Damn explosive bastard, are you trying to kill me?"

"You're still alive, aren't you? If it weren't for me, you fat pig would have been captured long ago! Hurry up and thank me for saving your life!"

"Stop arguing! Wait until I beat you both to a pulp, then you can argue all you want!"

Yagura snorted and drew another circle with the iron rod in his hand. However, this time, the area reflected in the water mirror he drew seemed to be a bit large, and he actually copied three more members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in one go.

Suigetsu Hozuki, Kurosuki Raiga, Murashi Jinpachi, and Mizusaka Yeji—four cloned figures—rushed towards the original Suigetsu Hozuki and Murashi Jinpachi simultaneously, causing their expressions to change drastically:

"Just how many ninjas can this guy clone?"

"Damn it, doesn't this kind of ninjutsu have any limitations?!"

Under the onslaught of the clones, Suigetsu Hozuki and Murashi Jinpachi quickly fell into a disadvantageous position, and had no way to break through Yagura's Water Mirror Technique.

On the contrary, Uchiha Tou, who was standing at a higher position, sensed through his own perception that Yagura's chakra had dropped significantly in an instant, and nodded slightly:

"I see. Although the replication ability is very powerful, it also consumes a lot of chakra. Moreover, when the mirror image uses ninjutsu, it still consumes Yagura's chakra."

This mirror image looks abnormal, but if it encounters someone like Kisame Hoshigaki with an explosive amount of chakra, and he unleashes an extreme burst of water blast, it could probably drain Yagura dry!

Of course, Yagura was able to become a Jinchuriki in the original timeline because he had an inexhaustible amount of chakra. Apart from a few exceptional individuals, most ninjas' chakra was no match for Yagura's.

Even if Naruto's chakra is stronger than Yagura's, it still depends on how much ninjutsu he knows consumes. Naruto's chakra reserves are definitely higher than Yagura's, but even if he uses the Rasengan to his fullest potential, he can't drain Yagura's chakra.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are ninjas who primarily use taijutsu and swordsmanship. This means that even if they have a high amount of chakra, they will not use techniques that consume a lot of chakra, but will focus on close-combat swordsmanship.

At least Suigetsu Fuguki doesn't have the style of Kisame Hoshigaki. His water jutsu skills are just average, unlike Kisame who can conjure up an ocean with a single breath. Yagura is naturally not afraid that imitating Fuguki will drain his chakra.

"Speaking of which, Kisame Hoshigaki wasn't exactly a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He was originally a subordinate of Hoshigaki Fubuki, but later he killed Hoshigaki Fubuki and stole Samehada."

"But in the end, it was Kisame Hoshigaki, this unorthodox guy, who truly brought out the full power of Samehada. He and the sword complemented each other perfectly. I don't know if it's because Suigetsu Hozuki was just too weak."

Yagura had gained a decisive advantage, and Mei Terumi was even more formidable, using Boil Release and Lava Release in quick succession, instantly putting the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in dire straits.

Raiga Kurosugi, who wields a lightning blade, and the ninja who wields a double-bladed flounder, are alright, but Kusabi no Yaijin, who uses a blunt blade to cut through the air, has virtually no ability to resist the overwhelming acid mist and solution.

After a few moves, the blunt sword Kabuto in Kusayama's hand was corroded by the Lava Release. The blunt sword Kabuto was fine, but his hands were burned by the Lava Release solution, melting the skin and flesh. His hands were so badly injured that the bones were almost visible.

With a clang, the blunt sword Kabuto fell to the ground. Kusanagi no Yaito's hand, now almost entirely skeletal, could no longer grip the weapon. As soon as the sword left his hand, Terumi Mei immediately kicked out, knocking out another member of the ninja swordsmen.

The owner of the twin-bladed flounder was now surrounded by various bubbles blown by the foam. As for the various sword attacks he unleashed, the foam simply covered his body with a tailed beast armor, which grew two tails, and shattered them all.

Mei Terumi glanced around. Yagura had surrounded two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and was gaining the upper hand. Usagi didn't need any help either, and only Raiga Kurosuki remained of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"Looks like you're the only one left... Are you going to surrender, Raiga Kurosuki!"

"What a joke! How could I possibly surrender!"

"Just kidding, I forgot you were under an illusion!"

Mei Terumi chuckled softly, and when she opened her mouth, another terrifying spray of acid mist erupted out.

(End of this chapter)