Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 75 Hesitation

The Third Mizukage used high-intensity ninjutsu multiple times in succession, resulting in a significant depletion of his chakra.

However, judging from the fact that the opponent summoned such a powerful close-combat summon and constantly used ninjutsu to avoid close combat, taijutsu might be the weakest link of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, while taijutsu and swordsmanship are his strongest points. That's why he dared to expend so much chakra to directly defeat the opponent's summon, so as to prevent the opponent and the summon from fighting against his close combat together.

If he were to fight alongside such a powerful close-combat summoning beast, he might not be able to suppress it in close combat. However, it seems that although the summoning beast was not immediately defeated, his continuous ninjutsu was not so easy to withstand. It appears to have lost some of its fighting power. Therefore, he must finish the battle quickly and not give the opponent a chance to regroup.

With that in mind, the Third Mizukage launched another attack using the water on the ground.

"Water Release: Instant Water Technique!"

The Third Mizukage glided across the water as if ice skating, moving much faster than before, clearly intending to close the distance and engage in close combat.

Upon seeing the opponent launch an attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not hesitate and quickly formed hand seals to attack directly at the opponent.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!"

He continuously spewed out streams of fireballs, attacking the Third Mizukage like rifle bursts, trying to halt his rapid advance.

The Third Mizukage did not back down, continuously swinging his ninja sword to directly block the incoming fireballs, continuing his charge without slowing down in the slightest, unwilling to let go of this rare opportunity.

To be honest, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't expect his opponent to launch a direct frontal attack.

The opponent's movement, especially the way they glided across the water, was incredibly fast, reminding him of his teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, whose attacks were also incredibly fast.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was still somewhat pleased, as his opponent had clearly fallen into the trap he had set.

Previously, he had not demonstrated strong physical skills, and his physique was relatively weak. He also summoned powerful melee-type spirit beasts, leading the other party to believe that melee combat was his weakness.

The reason I kept using high-level ninjutsu to attack the Monkey King was to weaken my ability to fight him in close combat.

But his opponent would never have imagined that the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was actually most skilled in close combat. Although he was also very powerful in ninjutsu, it was of little use in practicing combat with his teacher, Tobirama Senju.

In terms of speed, no one in the entire ninja world could compare to his teacher, Tobirama Senju. His ninjutsu rarely had a chance to hit his opponent, so in the past, close combat was the only way to fight against his teacher.

Having spent his childhood practicing combat with his teacher, he knew that close combat was the fastest and strongest way to improve his speed. Although he had a great talent for learning ninjutsu, he still couldn't compare to his teacher.

The Third Mizukage lunged forward, about to strike Hiruzen Sarutobi, when the still somewhat dazed Enma swung his fist at him. The Third Mizukage reacted quickly, changing his ninja sword from a slash to a block.

"Bang!" The Enma's fist collided directly with the ninja sword, and the Enma's immense strength blasted the Third Mizukage backward.

As soon as I landed back on the water, a deep voice reached my ears.

"Water Release-Water Fang Blade!"

It's Hiruzen Sarutobi!

When the Third Mizukage was knocked away by Enma's fist, he predicted the Third Mizukage's landing point and used Water Release ninjutsu to attack behind him.

Several water blades, condensed from the water, swiftly pierced towards the Third Mizukage, aiming to pierce his body before he could regain his footing and inflict severe damage.

Damn it!

The Third Mizukage's face was cold and angry as he shouted, lightly touching the water's surface with his toes and quickly gliding away to avoid the opponent's sudden attack.

Chakra gathered in his legs again, increasing his speed even further, and he charged towards Hiruzen Sarutobi once more. Judging from his previous encounter with that summoning beast, the opponent had not fully recovered, and his strength had decreased by at least 50% compared to the beginning. Therefore, he still had the advantage. He just hadn't expected that the summoning beast to recover so quickly that it could launch an attack directly, which was why he was hastily knocked away.

The Third Mizukage used the same tactic again, but this time he was even faster as he attacked his opponent. This time, he wouldn't be careless or unprepared for the summoning beast.

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that the opportunity to launch a surprise attack had been lost, and he could only rely on his strength. He immediately shouted to Enma, "Enma, transform!"

After saying that, he immediately assumed a close-combat stance, clearly intending to engage the Third Mizukage in hand-to-hand combat.

The Third Mizukage gave a cold laugh.

He gripped his ninja sword tightly in his right hand and continued to charge towards his opponent. He was very confident in his close combat skills. Even if his chakra consumption was greater than his opponent's, as long as he could defeat his opponent in close combat, he could establish an absolute advantage for the Mist Ninja in this war.

"Bang!" The somewhat dazed Enma heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice and did not hesitate. He immediately activated his transformation ability, turning into a long staff that landed directly in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand.

The Third Mizukage's pupils contracted slightly for a moment, but he still swung his ninja sword without hesitation and continued his attack.

"clang!"

The ninja sword and the long staff transformed by the Monkey King collided directly. The sharp water blade formed by the water-style chakra on the Third Mizukage's ninja sword did not cut the long staff as it had cut kunai. Instead, it was forced back a step by the force of the long staff.

But the Third Mizukage was not to be outdone. After readjusting his movements and strength, he continued to swing his ninja sword and attack.

Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer held back and directly unleashed the staff technique that he and his teacher Tobirama Senju had practiced for a long time, instantly increasing the speed and frequency of his staff attacks.

The two sides began a fierce close-quarters battle, with ninja swords and long staffs clashing repeatedly, sparks flying, and the ground marked with slash marks and craters from the blows of the long staffs.

The Third Mizukage moved with incredible speed, constantly seeking different angles to strike at Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi wielded his staff with unparalleled agility, continuously parrying and counterattacking.

Both sides were extremely fast and attacked at a very high frequency, using their close-combat strengths to launch continuous attacks. The two figures constantly crossed and separated, with the ninja sword and the long staff clashing repeatedly.

The intense confrontation between the two lasted for nearly 10 minutes. After another violent collision, the two figures were separated by 10 meters, facing each other from a distance.

At this moment, both sides were panting heavily. The intense close combat had greatly depleted their physical strength and chakra, and their mental energy was even more exhausted.

In this kind of close-quarters combat, one must maintain a high level of concentration at all times. If one shows even the slightest lapse in concentration, an opening will appear, and the opponent will seize this opening to launch a fierce attack, gaining the upper hand or even defeating the opponent outright.

Therefore, in a battle of this level, neither side dares to be careless in the slightest, and both are attacking and defending with all their might, not giving the other any chance to hurt them.

However, the Third Mizukage's breathing was noticeably more rapid, and his hand holding the ninja sword trembled slightly. Clearly, the Third Mizukage had consumed more chakra than Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the opponent had the advantage of transforming his summoned beast into a weapon, so he didn't need to spend chakra to enhance the weapon's attack power.

If the battle continues, the Third Mizukage will definitely be the first to lose, and he is already at a disadvantage.

The Third Mizukage's face grew even more somber. He knew that the Mist Ninja had already lost this war. He himself was unable to defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Mist Ninja forces had also failed to defeat the Konoha forces, even being subtly suppressed by them.

Without my support, defeat was only a matter of time. And I couldn't possibly defeat them; I might even be defeated myself, which would hasten the collapse of the Mist Ninja.

The Third Mizukage looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with some resentment, while also feeling a deep envy for the state of Konoha. Not only was the Hokage before him incredibly powerful, but Konoha's ninja were also significantly stronger than those of the Mist Ninja. And this was just one of Konoha's forces; in the Land of Rain, Konoha's most elite troops were still fighting against the Iwa Ninja.

It seems that once we get back, we need to find a way to improve the strength of the Mist Ninja. The previous ninja training policy was too lenient. We spent so many resources, and while the number of ninjas increased a lot, the gap in strength was too big. If the Mist Ninja were stronger and could directly defeat the Konoha flank forces, then as long as we could hold off the enemy Hokage, the Mist Ninja could still win this war.

It's important to understand that this time, it was Konoha's most elite troops who were held back by Iwa ninja, and Kirigakure was at a disadvantage. If the enemy's elite troops were to arrive, Kirigakure would probably suffer an even more complete defeat.

We don't know if we'll have another chance like this. And we can't delay any longer. The forces on Konoha's flank are definitely moving quickly, preparing to encircle our force. If that happens, we'll probably have to pay an even higher price.

Thinking of this, the Third Mizukage sighed deeply and then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying:

"Your Konoha won this war. It seems that the Mist Ninja are not strong enough to defeat your Konoha yet. Next time, we Mist Ninja will definitely defeat Konoha. Just you wait and see!"

After saying that, without waiting for a reply, he quickly headed towards the direction of the Mist Ninja forces.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was also somewhat hesitant. In fact, if he were willing to pay a certain price, he could directly keep the other party here, which would keep the Mist Ninja in a state of power struggle and turmoil for a long time. After all, losing the current Mizukage would leave the Mist Ninja without time to recover for several years.

But this would mean a fight to the death with the Mist Ninja, and the Mist Ninja would definitely fight Konoha to the bitter end. In that case, Konoha would probably have to suffer more casualties to achieve victory.

Immediate and future benefits were laid out before Hiruzen Sarutobi.