"Your sealing speed is terrifying, but Water Formation Wall can't stop Lightning Blade!" Kakashi thought, his mind sharp with confidence. Lightning Blade was an S-rank jutsu, a piercing force that shredded all defenses. If that wall holds, I'll wash my hair upside down.
But the next moment, his eye widened in disbelief. Shlck! His arm pierced the water barrier, but it stopped dead, inches from Ye Liangnai's chest, barely grazing his skin. The water wasn't just dense—it was like thrusting through reinforced steel, the resistance so immense that even Kakashi's strength faltered. This isn't normal water—it's practically solid.
Ye Liangnai didn't hesitate. Seizing Kakashi's momentary shock, he leaped back, putting distance between them. The Konoha ANBU gaped, their jaws dropping. Kakashi failed to take down a kid? Impossible!
"Nice work!" Sky Armor's voice boomed, his grin wide with approval. He turned to the Konoha ninja, his tone mocking. "Thanks for setting the stage, Leaf shinobi. Water Style: Explosive Water Shockwave!"
With a roar, Sky Armor unleashed a torrent, a deluge that could birth a river in seconds. The water surged, flooding the earth walls' enclosure to a depth of two meters. It paled compared to Kisame's feats, but it was a fearsome display, the battlefield now a churning lake.
But this was merely the prelude. "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" Sky Armor's hands blurred, summoning several clones. As the Konoha ninja floundered in the flood, disoriented, the clones slapped the water's surface in unison. "Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Spheres of water encased every Konoha operative, trapping them in liquid cages. Sky Armor gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his brow. Controlling so many targets strained even his formidable chakra reserves. "Move, now!" he barked. "Get out while they're trapped!"
Ye Liangnai, Yuya, and Natsuka surged through the water, scaling the towering earth walls with agile leaps. But danger struck again. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Kakashi's voice rang out as he emerged from the wall itself, using Earth Style: Underground Projection Fish to ambush them. A massive fireball, seven meters wide, roared toward the Mist team.
The attack was sudden, merciless. Several Mist ninja, caught off-guard, were engulfed, their screams echoing as they plummeted into the water, charred and writhing. The rest scattered, many slipping back to the flooded ground, their escape thwarted.
Ye Liangnai dodged, his senses on high alert, but his pupils shrank as he realized Kakashi had vanished again. Where is he? His eyes darted, ears straining, every nerve primed for an ambush. A sneak attack now could end him—seven out of ten times, he'd be dead.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" Kakashi's voice came from below. A hand shot from the earth, seizing Ye Liangnai's ankle, yanking him downward. If I'm pulled under, I'm done.
"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" Ye Liangnai reacted instantly, his real body slipping free as a clone took his place, sinking into the earth. He reappeared, only to find a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan looming before him, Uchiha Itachi's gaze piercing through the chaos. He broke the Water Prison?
Ye Liangnai's heart raced, but resolve hardened his voice. "If I'm going down, you're not walking away unscathed!" He snarled, "Genjutsu: Shackle Stakes!" Simultaneously, Itachi intoned, "Genjutsu: Binding Illusion!"
Their techniques clashed, both freezing mid-motion, their bodies locked by mutual illusions as they plummeted toward the water. Itachi's mind flickered with amusement. Using genjutsu against my Sharingan? He's desperate, grasping at straws. The Sharingan nullified most illusions, and Itachi's mastery made him untouchable in this domain. He prepared to reflect the genjutsu back, but froze. It's not budging.
His composure cracked. Forcing chakra through his system, he shattered the illusion, landing on the water's surface. Across from him, Ye Liangnai emerged, blood streaming from his mouth, gasping for air. Breaking Itachi's genjutsu had drained his already dwindling chakra, pushing him to the brink.
"Not bad, Itachi," Ye Liangnai rasped, his voice thick with admiration. "Escaping the Water Prison? You're in a league of your own."
Itachi's expression was calm, though his breathing betrayed exertion. "You're no slouch yourself. Surviving two of Kakashi's killing blows and resisting my genjutsu? Impressive." He glanced at the trapped Konoha ANBU, still struggling in their prisons, while Kakashi and he alone stood free.
Nearby, Kakashi was a whirlwind, single-handedly holding off a Mist Jonin, three Special Jonin, and six Chunin. His blade danced, his movements fluid, keeping Yuya, Natsuka, and others pinned, unable to retreat.
Itachi turned, sprinting toward Sky Armor. If I disrupt his Water Prison, the tide turns. But Ye Liangnai was faster. "Not happening!" He charged, his katana forcing Itachi back. "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!" Two condensed water bullets shot forward, aimed to pierce Itachi's chest.
Itachi's seals were a blur, his body dissolving into a flock of crows—Crow Clone Jutsu. The bullets passed harmlessly through. Ye Liangnai retreated to Sky Armor's side, his voice urgent. "Captain, we need to pull out! Kakashi's going to kill Eagle and the others!"
Sky Armor nodded, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "You're right. Ibiki and the others are nearly out of air—they won't be a threat for a while. But Kakashi… he's a beast to trap." He released the Water Prison, summoning more water clones to charge Kakashi, buying time.
Ye Liangnai sensed movement and spun, his katana slashing forward. Itachi materialized, kunai raised, blocking the strike. "You're not interrupting Sky Armor, Itachi," Ye Liangnai said, grinning fiercely.
Their clash was ferocious, steel sparking, movements a blur of speed and skill. "Chill, withdraw!" Sky Armor's command rang out, resolute.
Ye Liangnai shoved Itachi back, breaking away. Three shuriken shot from Itachi's sleeve, striking true—but Ye Liangnai dissolved into water, another clone. Itachi clicked his tongue, frustrated. His sealing speed's unreal. I can't hit his real body.
Kakashi's voice cut through. "Don't pursue—save our team!" Itachi's gaze snapped to the water, where vibrant, venomous snakes slithered toward the trapped ANBU, their scales glinting with lethal intent. A final parting gift from the Mist.
"Chill, was it?" Itachi murmured, committing the name to memory. He dove into the water, racing to save his comrades.