"Oink oink!"
Kakashi waved his right hand, sending dozens of Flying Thunder God kunai shooting out in all directions like a blooming lotus.
At the same moment, his figure vanished in a flash—Flying Thunder God Technique!—and reappeared directly behind Yagura.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
Yagura's expression shifted in alarm as a circular water mirror materialized in front of Kakashi. The reflective surface shimmered, capturing Yagura's image.
To Kakashi's shock, the image of Yagura stepped right out of the mirror!
The mirror clone didn't hesitate—it immediately launched an attack against the original Yagura!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Yagura stared wide-eyed at the approaching clone, utterly confused.
The Water Mirror Technique was a unique jutsu he had developed himself. It allowed him to create a perfect clone of the enemy, capable of mimicking their techniques and matching their power. It wasn't something that could be learned easily, much less by a ninja from another village!
Even most Mist Shinobi couldn't master it.
And now, a boy from Konoha had used it?
Yagura felt physically ill.
How on earth did he learn this technique?!
Did it get leaked? That made no sense—he hadn't even taught it to his own son!
Could it be... the boy copied it just by watching it once?
Impossible!
Yagura couldn't come up with a logical explanation, but there was no time to ponder further. As the creator of the Water Mirror Technique, he understood better than anyone how dangerous it was.
Fortunately, the clone's strength was limited by the strength of the caster. In a head-on battle between him and his mirror clone, he believed he had the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was also at a loss for words.
For the first time, he truly felt how annoying he must be to his enemies.
Chidori vs. Chidori?
Crack!
They annihilated each other. The power was identical.
Rasengan vs. Rasengan?
Boom!
When the dust cleared, neither side had the advantage.
To make things worse, the mirror clone had even copied his most powerful form—Sage Mode.
But after a dozen exchanges, Kakashi noticed something critical: the mirror clone hadn't used Flying Thunder God even once.
If the clone had really copied everything, and was in Sage Mode, it should have had access to Flying Thunder God too.
Unless...
A thought struck Kakashi.
Flying Thunder God doesn't just rely on Chakra—it needs physical markers, like kunai, to teleport.
When he copied Yagura, the man had been holding a staff. But when Yagura copied him, the clone didn't have any of his special kunai.
In other words, the Water Mirror Technique couldn't copy items that weren't mirrored.
Not only that—while the clone could mimic ninjutsu regardless of bloodline, it couldn't copy actual kekkei genkai.
Most importantly, the clone relied entirely on imitation. It lacked true intelligence or tactical flexibility.
Kakashi grinned.
Got it.
As the mirror Kakashi charged at him with a Chidori, Kakashi threw another Flying Thunder God kunai past the clone.
As expected, the kunai passed harmlessly by the mirror image. It didn't react—just kept coming.
"Rasengan!"
Boom!
In a split second, Kakashi teleported behind the clone, using the kunai's marker—and slammed a basketball-sized Rasengan directly into its back, driving it into the ground.
But he wasn't done yet.
"Magnet Style – Gold Dust!"
He pressed his hand to the earth, channeling his Sage Chakra. Magnet-style Chakra surged underground and soon, the earth around the downed clone turned into shimmering gold sand, rippling like waves.
Kakashi knew well—one Rasengan wasn't enough to finish off a Sage Mode clone.
"Magnet Style – Gold Sand Great Funeral Seal!"
With a surge of Chakra, a flood of gold sand rushed in, burying the clone beneath a massive pile. The sand rapidly condensed, forming a small golden pyramid—a sealed tomb for the mirror clone.
Breathing hard, Kakashi turned toward Yagura—and couldn't help but laugh.
The Fourth Mizukage was locked in a battle of attrition against his own clone.
Even he couldn't overcome the technique he had invented without a cost. He was burning through Chakra just to maintain the balance.
Now this is what it means to shoot yourself in the foot!
But Kakashi didn't relax. He knew full well that Yagura still had the upper hand in raw power.
Even the sealing technique had taken a heavy toll on him. Were it not for the Dragon Vein opportunity earlier, he wouldn't have had the chance to charge up his Hundred Healings Mark.
Now, he was nearly running on empty.
This is why it pays to be frugal, Kakashi thought.
He remembered all those times he avoided using powerful techniques like Wind Style: Raining Shuriken, just to conserve Chakra.
Always lacking Chakra… always lacking Chakra…
His eyes turned green with envy as he looked at Yagura.
This is a life-and-death battle, he told himself. Time to stop holding back!
Swish!
In a flash, Kakashi used Flying Thunder God to appear behind the mirror clone again.
The clone had just finished exchanging Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet with Yagura, and thick mist clung to the battlefield, limiting visibility.
Whoosh!
Kakashi threw another Flying Thunder God kunai at point-blank range, aiming to replicate his previous combo.
But for Yagura, the mist only sharpened his perception.
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
He quickly formed hand seals, gathering Chakra in his throat. Then, he expelled a torrential stream of water from his mouth, spinning it into a rotating wall around him.
The water formed a perfect circular defense—no blind spots, no gaps.
Kakashi's kunai was halted by the swirling water before it even got close.
What insane Chakra control! Kakashi thought, stunned.
The standard Water Barrier simply involved pulling water from the ground to create a vertical wall. What he had taught Lin was an upgraded version—creating four rotating barriers from Chakra shape transformation.
But Yagura's version?
A complete spherical rotation, forming a protective dome!
Only someone with immense control could achieve such a feat. Kakashi had assumed only the Second Hokage was capable of it.
Clearly, he had underestimated the Fourth Mizukage.
If I can't get close…
"Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Whoosh!
A roaring sea of flames surged from Kakashi's mouth, the fire fueled by Sage energy, engulfing the battlefield in blistering heat.
The puddles on the ground evaporated instantly. The mist sizzled into nothingness.
Boom!
The wall of fire slammed into the Water Barrier, creating a deafening hiss and a rising wall of steam.
Then—BOOM!
The opposing forces triggered a massive explosion!
Kakashi grabbed his mirror clone and jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the blast radius.
The battlefield was blanketed in smoke and wind.
As the dust finally settled, the Water Barrier was gone.
And yet—Yagura emerged unscathed.
He had used the Water Prison Technique to surround himself in a giant water sphere, isolating himself from the explosion.
He floated in the center of the bubble, calm and untouchable.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
This battle… is far from over.
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