It was obvious that Kakashi wasn't the type of ninja with a rough hide and tough flesh, so he didn't dare charge headlong into Terumi Mei's acid mist.
Thus, just as he was about to approach the acid mist, he forcibly stopped his body.
Fortunately, Terumi Mei's Boil Release only showed its maximum power within a sealed space. Out here, in the wide-open environment of the wild, it couldn't spread very far.
Kakashi had plenty of room to dodge.
However, the current situation wasn't what Kakashi wanted to see.
Thanks to Terumi Mei's rich combat experience, she had activated Boil Release in advance to save her life. Kakashi hadn't been able to end the fight in just a few moves as he had imagined.
Certainly, relying on his extremely high intelligence, not inferior to that of the Nara clan, he had already analyzed the situation. Although Terumi Mei had wrapped her entire body in her technique, forming an absolute defense, the release and maintenance of any ninjutsu consumed chakra. And this kind of Kekkei Genkai, formed from combining two elemental releases, definitely required a huge amount of chakra.
He only needed to wait. When Terumi Mei's chakra ran low and she was forced to cancel the technique, that would be his opportunity.
But the current situation was not a one-on-one fair duel. He didn't have the time to simply wait it out here.
Not long ago, he had just escaped from the slave transport. So many people had seen him use Earth Release techniques during his escape. The Hidden Mist Village would soon know that a foreign ninja had infiltrated the Land of Water.
The Hidden Mist would definitely send a large number of elite ninjas to track him down. If his fight with Terumi Mei dragged on too long, once the pursuers found him, things would get troublesome.
Kakashi's eyes hardened. Therefore, he still needed to finish this fight quickly.
Fortunately, as a ninja possessing all elemental chakras, he knew at least a little of every nature transformation. Though not as skilled with Wind Release as with Lightning or Earth, he could still manage a simple casting.
In order to conserve what little chakra he had left, and to maintain his stamina, he closed the Eight Gates mode and exited Chidori state.
He switched to forming hand seals with both hands, took a deep breath, and shouted toward the acid mist not far away, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
At once, a violent gale blew from his mouth, making the trees along its path sway wildly.
Terumi Mei's acid mist was blown away by the strong wind.
This was the weakness of mist-type ninjutsu: fear of wind. Even though Kakashi's Wind Release wasn't very destructive, it still achieved the effect.
After exhaling, Kakashi gasped heavily for breath.
He didn't have much chakra to begin with. Using this ninjutsu he wasn't skilled at, his poor control wasted even more. With just that one attack, over half of his chakra was gone.
But after dispersing Terumi Mei's Mist Technique, he could finally fight at close range. He couldn't afford to wait to recover, and immediately rushed toward Terumi Mei.
However, Terumi Mei was no pushover. After spitting her acid mist to stall Kakashi, she had already used that window of time to form seals.
By the time Kakashi blew away her mist, her Water Release attack was ready.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
In an instant, a fairly large water dragon surged up from the ground in front of her feet, lunging toward Kakashi.
But by now, sparks of lightning had already flared in Kakashi's hand. With the acceleration of Chidori, his speed greatly increased. The moment the water dragon lunged, he leapt into the air, dodging the strike. Then, adjusting his body midair, he continued charging straight toward Terumi Mei…
But Terumi Mei stayed calm.
This classic Water Release technique had long since been mastered by her to perfection, controlled with pinpoint precision. She smiled and said, "Kakashi, you were too careless."
The instant she spoke, the water dragon she controlled suddenly halted, raised its head, then whipped around and slammed straight toward Kakashi, who had just leapt up.
Kakashi was startled. He hadn't expected that the Terumi Mei defeated by Rin possessed such a high mastery of Water Release. A simple Water Dragon Bullet had been played into the effect of a dragon's head turning back to strike.
Suspended in the air, Kakashi had no way to dodge again. He could only watch as the water dragon crashed into him, slamming into his body.
His body was flung through the air like a kite with its string cut, falling toward the ground.
Terumi Mei seemed to have anticipated this. Her body shot at extreme speed toward his landing point, and before Kakashi even touched down, she had already formed hand seals again.
Water Release: Water Prison Technique!
Just as Kakashi landed, before he could react, his whole body was encased in a sphere of water, completely immobilized, suffocating, waiting to die.
Terumi Mei showed a proud expression, "Little man, I've caught you."
Yet in the next instant, the Kakashi trapped in the Water Prison suddenly turned into a burst of lightning, vanishing.
The lightning spread along the water, running to Terumi Mei's body, paralyzing her.
Terumi Mei's eyes widened in shock. This was… a Lightning Clone. The real body… was behind her.
She instinctively tried to turn, but with her body paralyzed, her movement was half a beat too slow. Kakashi, blade in hand, slashed in a clean half-moon strike, cutting Terumi Mei into two.
Blood splattered in midair, scattering everywhere. But soon, that blood turned into splashes of water. The one Kakashi had cut wasn't the real Terumi Mei, but just a water clone.
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately turned his head, only to find Terumi Mei behind him, her hand seals already completed.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
At once, several water walls surged up. One blocked between Kakashi and Terumi Mei, while the others sealed the space around Kakashi.
Terumi Mei said, "The space was too wide before, my ninjutsu couldn't hit you. But now?"
As she spoke, she formed seals again, "Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Technique."
Immediately, she spat out large amounts of pale yellow liquid. It coated the upper edges of the water walls and flowed downward. Some of it met the water and evaporated into scorching steam, while the rest poured straight toward the trapped Kakashi…
Terumi Mei's eyes showed a trace of regret. She wiped the corner of her mouth, then licked her lips.
"Little man, you were too hasty. Otherwise, I wouldn't have found such a good chance. Pity you'll die here… You could've been quite the suitable marriage partner."
The next moment, the liquid hit the ground. She dismissed the water walls, but the heavy steam blocked her sight, keeping her from seeing inside.
Perhaps Kakashi had already been melted into nothing but bones.
Yet at that moment, suddenly, Terumi Mei sensed movement from beneath her feet.
Having just released three ninjutsu in a row, the burden on her was huge, consuming even more chakra than Kakashi's Wind Release had earlier.
Because of that, she was left stiff for a moment, unable to move freely. She could only watch as a small hand reached out of the ground and grabbed her ankle.
"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
In the next instant, Terumi Mei's whole body was dragged into the earth, leaving only her head exposed.
Kakashi slowly rose up from the ground, looking at the Terumi Mei he had captured. It was half like he was muttering to himself, half like he was speaking to someone else.
He said, "Actually, I know one underground ninjutsu too."
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