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"Tch."
Hōzuki Gengetsu, with two gourds hanging from his waist, reached up to stroke the two pencil-thin mustaches adorning his upper lip. He looked across at Mū with clear displeasure.
"Give me a break. I never imagined I'd be stuck dealing with you, this bandage-wrapped freak, even here in hell."
"Likewise, mustache-man."
Mū, his entire body swathed in bandages with only his eyes visible, gazed coldly back at Gengetsu.
"Don't call me mustache-man! I'll kill you!!"
Gengetsu's face darkened, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
In response, Mū merely let out a derisive snort.
At that moment, standing at the edge of the raised platform, Izuna raised his right hand.
"Both sides, prepare."
The two men on the platform each took several steps back, ceasing their verbal sparring.
Then, Izuna's body gracefully levitated from the platform, coming to stand mid-air upon a cloud of black smoke.
Simultaneously, a square barrier flared to life, enveloping the entire platform.
In an instant, the flat surface within the barrier transformed into undulating, natural terrain. In the eyes of the spectators, the bodies of Hōzuki Gengetsu and Mū rapidly shrank in size.
"This is… to instantly simulate a realistic environment like this… For those two, the battlefield has effectively expanded many times over in an instant."
Minato watched the changes within the displayed scene with astonishment.
"The previous matches didn't employ such a barrier. Everyone was still somewhat holding back. The matches from now on are definitely going to get more and more spectacular!"
"No, it's not that those two are shrinking."
Kaito interjected.
"Rather, a separate dimensional space has been created within the barrier. To those of us outside, it merely appears as if they are shrinking."
"Begin!"
As Izuna's voice rang out, the two figures within the barrier immediately launched into combat.
Both were shinobi who had stood at the very apex of the ninja world in life, possessing immeasurable power. The fact that they had originally perished together also indicated that the strength between them was nearly equal, resulting in this, the first major battle of the tournament, being exceptionally fierce from the outset.
However, now residing in hell, having transitioned from physical bodies to spiritual forms, their combat styles had undergone significant changes accordingly.
The Summoning Technique had lost its effectiveness, costing Gengetsu a major asset.
Furthermore, because spiritual bodies could freely levitate and pass through obstacles, effects that Mū had originally achieved through ninjutsu could now be mimicked by Gengetsu using sheer instinct.
In short, even in their posthumous duel within hell, the two Second Kage remained evenly matched.
By now, Gengetsu had already employed his signature technique: Steaming Danger Tyranny.
Having no physical body, he couldn't produce the necessary oil and water from within himself to execute this move, forcing him to rely on tools.
This explained the two gourds hanging from his waist.
One contained oil, the other water.
Nevertheless, Steaming Danger Tyranny lived up to its reputation as the famed technique of the Second Mizukage. The clone formed from the mixture of oil and water moved with astonishing agility, its size swelling and shrinking unpredictably. It not only deftly evaded Mū's deadly Dust Release ninjutsu but also periodically unleashed immensely powerful explosions.
Subsequently, Mū altered his tactics, suddenly concealing his presence completely and launching a surprise Dust Release attack on Gengetsu's main body.
Although Gengetsu found himself in repeated peril, he narrowly escaped each time. Then, coordinating with his oil-water clone, he once again forced Mū into retreat.
Outside the projected scene, all the watching shinobi were utterly absorbed in the battle, only letting out exclamations during moments of extreme tension.
Even the shinobi from Kirigakure and Iwagakure were too engrossed to spare breath for cheering on their respective former Kage.
"These two are far too familiar with each other's abilities," Kaito remarked with a chuckle. "It seems this battle is destined to become a complete war of attrition."
"It certainly appears difficult to determine a victor anytime soon."
Minato agreed.
"Unless, of course, the two elders undergo some new transformation!"
"Oh? A new transformation, you say? Perhaps that might indeed happen."
Kaito's tone was enigmatic.
No sooner had his words fallen than the two combatants within the scene simultaneously disengaged and faced off against each other.
"How utterly boring. You're still exactly the same, haven't improved one bit even after all these years of being dead, bandage-man." Gengetsu taunted.
"Likewise, you're still stuck with your old tricks, mustache-man!" Mū retorted without backing down.
"I told you not to call me that, you bastard!"
Gengetsu's hand, which had been stroking his mustache, froze. Then, his expression shifted as if flipping a switch, breaking into a smug grin.
"Not counting the time spent slumbering in the Pure Land, since hell reopened, I haven't been idle. Now, let me show you!"
"Oh? You, unable to rest even as a corpse? Fine then, let's see what new parlor tricks you've concocted." Mū's voice held no trace of fear.
"Hehehe."
Gengetsu extended his right hand, index finger pointed, assuming a posture reminiscent of the Water Gun.
"Then watch closely!"
"Isn't this just the same old thing?"
Despite his words, Mū internally heightened his vigilance.
"Too shallow, bandage-man!"
A ball of blue light ignited at Gengetsu's fingertip.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, even Kaito couldn't help but voice his surprise.
"This guy… he's actually managed to harness spiritual power (Reiryoku)!"
Within the scene, the blue orb of light at Gengetsu's fingertip suddenly expanded, burst, and then transformed into numerous streaks of blue light that shot through the air, converging towards Mū's location.
"Spirit Art: Multiple Spirit Bullets!"
Mū's eyes widened slightly. His body vanished once more without a trace.
"Ahahahaha… It's useless!"
Gengetsu laughed maniacally.
"You can't escape! My spirit art has imprinted onto your soul's wavelength. No matter where you run, it will pursue you relentlessly!!"
True to his words, the streaks of blue light began zigzagging through the air, constantly changing direction, yet always unerringly tracking the concealed form of Mū.
"How is this possible?"
Minato watched the scene in astonishment, then turned a puzzled gaze towards Kaito.
"I remember you saying, Kaito, that spiritual power (Reiryoku) and chakra are two mutually conflicting energies. How has the Second Mizukage mastered a spirit art?"
"I did say that." Kaito himself seemed rather impressed.
"And so, I too cannot help but admire the innate talent and ingenuity of this Second Mizukage."
Addressing Minato's confusion, he explained: "To accomplish this, one must first clearly understand that the chakra possessed by the living and the chakra possessed by the deceased are not the same thing."
"I am quite clear on that point." Minato nodded. "Chakra is a combination of mental energy and physical energy. The deceased have lost their physical bodies, so theoretically, they have lost the condition necessary to produce chakra."
"However, even as spirits, souls indeed possess the power of chakra." Kaito continued.
"That is the reason why shinobi in the past were unable to reincarnate, correct?" Minato inferred. "The power of chakra would taint a shinobi's soul, and the Pure Land of old lacked the function to strip chakra from a shinobi's spirit."
"Ah, we've digressed." Kaito smiled. "Then, back to the main topic…"