Chapter 28: Clone
Heat rose as the high temperature of the magma evaporated the accumulated snow into steam.
A cold wind blew, scattering the steam. Within the forest, three people were currently in a standoff.
Su Xiao glanced sideways at Terumi Mei. Terumi Mei was a traditional ninja; while her taijutsu was not weak, she fought using ninjutsu, making her a mid-range attacker.
As for the white-haired man in front of Terumi Mei, this person was once Su Xiao's cellmate, named Hozuki Zangetsu.
When Su Xiao first arrived in the Naruto World, his location was the prison of Kirigakure Village, charged with attempting to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
Back then, Hozuki Zangetsu was imprisoned in the cell next to Su Xiao's. He was a war hawk of Kirigakure Village, a former subordinate of the Fourth Mizukage. Terumi Mei was the representative of the peace faction. Consequently, Hozuki Zangetsu attempted to assassinate Terumi Mei. Due to the desperate protection of Chojuro, the assassination failed, and he was subsequently imprisoned in the jail.
Originally, Su Xiao believed Hozuki Zangetsu had been executed by Terumi Mei. It seemed that was not the case. Hozuki Zangetsu's loyalty was not to the Fourth Mizukage, but to Kirigakure Village. Terumi Mei understood this as well, so she publicly announced Hozuki Zangetsu's death, but in reality, she spared his life.
Hozuki Zangetsu didn't care whether Terumi Mei spared his life or not, nor would he become loyal to her because of it. However, after Terumi Mei came to power, the situation in Kirigakure Village did begin to improve. At the very least, the internal strife had stopped, although the means to stop it were somewhat bloody, eliminating over 60% of the war hawks.
Sensing the change in Kirigakure Village, and with Terumi Mei's timely recruitment, Hozuki Zangetsu became a sharp blade for her in the shadows. He could handle matters that were inconvenient for Kirigakure ninjas to do themselves.
Thus, through multiple collaborations and negotiations, trust gradually developed between them. Coupled with the death of Terumi Mei's trusted subordinate Ao, Hozuki Zangetsu logically assumed the position of Mizukage's guard, accompanying Mizukage Terumi Mei to the Five Kage Summit.
Hozuki Zangetsu's strength was unknown for now, but he was definitely not weak. Back when they chatted idly in prison, Hozuki Zangetsu once said: 'That woman is a waste from the peace faction. I almost killed her. If that guy Chojuro hadn't suddenly popped up, I would have won in a one-on-one fight.'
If Hozuki Zangetsu wasn't boasting, it meant he might be stronger than Terumi Mei. In other words, although he wasn't a Kage, he possessed Kage-level strength.
Facing two Kage-level opponents simultaneously, Su Xiao knew this was bad. But retreating now was clearly impossible. He would have to rely on tactics.
Amu was already engaged with Chojuro in the distance. Bubu Wang was over there supporting Amu. If the two of them could take down Chojuro quickly, Amu could help Su Xiao hold off either Terumi Mei or Hozuki Zangetsu.
However, Su Xiao had another idea: to exploit Hozuki Zangetsu's Bloodline Limit and kill him in a short time.
Although Hozuki Zangetsu knew Su Xiao, he wasn't very familiar with Su Xiao's fighting style. Conversely, Su Xiao understood the Hozuki Clan.
The Hozuki Clan possessed a water-ification ability. If Hozuki Zangetsu dared to use his water-ification to withstand Su Xiao's slashes, Su Xiao could kill him instantly. Cyan Steel Shadow Energy was the bane of water-ification.
"Clear the area for me. It's best if the temperature reaches between 20 and 30 degrees."
Hozuki Zangetsu suddenly spoke. His tone clearly indicated he wanted Terumi Mei to assist him in battle. Remember, Terumi Mei was the Mizukage, while Hozuki Zangetsu was merely her guard.
"No problem."
Terumi Mei formed hand seals rapidly, showing no reluctance to assist Hozuki Zangetsu in combat.
"Lava Release: Rock Waterfall."
Terumi Mei spewed a large amount of magma from her mouth, covering a wide area.
A large swath of magma surged outward. Su Xiao was naturally caught in the blast radius, but he neither dodged nor avoided, charging straight towards Terumi Mei and Hozuki Zangetsu.
An energy shield appeared in front of Su Xiao. He pushed his hand flat against the shield, which forcefully pressed against the magma. Magma splattered as the shield pierced through the lava layer.
"Water Release: Water Gun Technique."
Hozuki Zangetsu raised his right hand, forming his palm into the shape of a pistol. A water droplet gathered at his index fingertip.
Bang!
The water droplet shot out like a bullet, its speed not inferior to the Spider Empress's bullets. It tore through layers of air resistance, hurtling towards Su Xiao.
Su Xiao, who was charging forward, immediately stopped and instinctively sidestepped. The water droplet whizzed past him.
The droplet didn't lose momentum. After piercing through countless trees, it disappeared from Su Xiao's sight. Every tree trunk it struck had a bowl-sized hole, the inner surface of the holes cleanly cut.
If hit by this thing, even with Su Xiao's physical defense, it would definitely punch a hole through him.
A large area of magma landed. The accumulated snow melted quickly, and several trees burst into flames. The temperature in the vicinity gradually rose.
"That's enough, Mizukage-sama. To avoid friendly fire, please keep your distance from me."
Hozuki Zangetsu clasped his hands together. His body surface gradually became oily. This was the oil within his body.
"Alright."
Terumi Mei retreated without hesitation. This wasn't her first time fighting alongside Hozuki Zangetsu, and she had great confidence in his strength.
The oil on Hozuki Zangetsu's body surface gradually separated from him. He changed his hand seal.
Bang!
White smoke rose, and a 'clone' appeared. The clone's attire was exactly the same as Hozuki Zangetsu's, but their ages were vastly different.
Hozuki Zangetsu was around thirty years old. The weathering of a ninja's life made him look like a middle-aged man, and the small goatee on his chin made him appear even older.
The clone beside him was a child about ten years old. Judging by appearance, it was Hozuki Zangetsu as a child, about 1.2 meters tall.
"Water Clone? No."
Su Xiao carefully observed Hozuki Zangetsu's clone. He didn't recklessly charge forward; his Instinct was giving him a warning.
The child clone suddenly floated up and revealed a smile. At that moment, Hozuki Zangetsu formed another hand seal.
Clang!
A blade aura flew over. Hozuki Zangetsu's hand seal was interrupted, but the ground beneath his feet had already turned black and damp.
Bubbles began to rise. Under the sunlight, these bubbles appeared iridescent, floating silently around Hozuki Zangetsu.
Hozuki Zangetsu waved his hand, and the child clone flew towards Su Xiao. Meanwhile, Hozuki Zangetsu himself formed his hands into a pistol shape, ready to use 'Water Gun Aerial Practice Bullet' to attack Su Xiao from a distance.
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then charged towards Hozuki Zangetsu again. The distance between them was already very close. He instantly reached the opponent's front.
Gurgle, gurgle.
The bubbles around Hozuki Zangetsu expanded.
Boom!
An explosion sounded. These bubbles were like extremely powerful bombs, detonating right beside Hozuki Zangetsu.
Su Xiao was pushed back by the explosive shockwave. Dozens of Counter Shields floated around him. He flicked his wrist, throwing something unknown.
Just as Su Xiao was in mid-air, the child clone rushed towards him. This thing could float and fly through the air, and its speed was extremely fast.
Su Xiao swung his blade to slash at the child clone. But just as Dragon-Slaying Flash was about to touch the clone's neck, Su Xiao suddenly stopped his slash.
Bang.
The child clone punched a Counter Shield. Its attack power wasn't particularly strong. Su Xiao continued retreating in mid-air.
"Water Release: Water Gun Aerial Practice Bullet."
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hozuki Zangetsu attacked. Two water droplets shot towards Su Xiao at high speed.