That's right. The First Form and Second Form of Breath of Water, created by Tian Yu, are not offensive techniques—they are the only forms designed for defense, capable of neutralizing even compound ninjutsu with immense destructive power.
This is the current pinnacle of Tian Yu's swordsmanship—his mastery of Breath of Water has reached a height previously unseen in the ninja world.
> "The highest good is like water.
Water benefits all things and does not contend."
Soft, yet powerful. Gentle, yet invincible.
The water moistens all things silently, dispersing killing intent and concealing devastation.
…
At that moment, Kakuzu suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The compound ninjutsu he had unleashed—Fire Release mixed with Wind Release—should have formed a sea of flame capable of burning across the battlefield for three days and nights. A technique comparable to an S-rank cataclysm!
But now, only minutes had passed, and the once-raging firestorm was gradually shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
What's going on?!
Kakuzu's heart seized with a deepening sense of crisis.
Suddenly, the first ray of sunlight pierced the heavy cloud cover above.
No one noticed when, but the night had quietly withdrawn. From the peak of the eastern mountain, brilliant hues painted the sky in crimson, gold, and lavender.
The dazzling light fell upon the scorched and cracked battlefield, illuminating everything in silence.
Not even the chirp of birds.
Only a clear, youthful voice sounded—
> "I'm not dead yet. Sorry to disappoint you."
The hellish inferno from just moments ago—the storm of fire and thunder—had completely vanished.
The scene looked like an illusion shattered.
Tian Yu stood intact before Kakuzu, clad in his Anbu uniform, the mask on his face unblemished.
"Impossible!" Kakuzu staggered back, staring in disbelief.
But the boy merely smiled gently—a kind, noble smile devoid of arrogance—and spoke with calm assurance:
> "There is no such thing as an invincible jutsu.
All powerful ninjutsu will eventually be overcome.
Your strength is indeed formidable…
But there will always be someone stronger."
Kakuzu stared at him in near-mad disbelief.
This boy—this twelve-year-old genin—had endured the full brunt of his compound firestorm, a jutsu on par with an S-rank kill move!
Then, Kakuzu's gaze fell upon the long sword in Tian Yu's hand.
"Kenjutsu...?"
Tian Yu nodded.
> "Who said swordsmanship is only for offense?"
Tian Yu had long understood the importance of defense in a world filled with deadly techniques. During his training with Might Guy, he worked tirelessly to craft a defensive form of his own, culminating in a revolutionary new jutsu.
In the world of Naruto, every famous defensive ninjutsu had a name:
Gaara's Sand Armor and Absolute Defense,
The Hyuga Clan's Rotation (Hakkeshō Kaiten),
The Uchiha Clan's Susanoo—both offensive and defensive,
And the First Hokage's Fivefold Rashomon...
Each was considered a form of absolute defense.
And now, Tian Yu had created his own:
> "Unstoppable" – The Absolute Defense of the Blade.
---
> "So, that was your strongest move?" Tian Yu asked quietly.
Kakuzu said nothing. Sweat poured from his brow. His chakra reserves were depleted, yet he tried to form hand signs to call forth a final Lightning Release jutsu.
But time itself seemed to freeze.
Tian Yu was no longer giving him another chance.
> "Gate of Pain, Open!"
"Gate of Joy, Open!"
Tian Yu's body surged with power.
Suddenly, all Kakuzu saw was a flash of black—faster than the naked eye could follow.
Tian Yu appeared before him, fists crackling with blackened chakra.
His punches ripped through the air with such speed and force that they ignited the atmosphere.
Black chakra, scattered from Tian Yu's fists, filled the sky like raven feathers, descending upon Kakuzu like a hailstorm of death.
> "Night Phoenix!" Tian Yu roared.
This was a taijutsu technique born from Might Guy's teachings—similar to Morning Peacock, but twisted by Tian Yu's nature. Upon opening the Sixth Gate, his chakra took on a strange, ominous black hue instead of red.
Now, Tian Yu descended like death itself.
Kakuzu's instincts screamed. The air itself trembled.
His enhanced perception—granted by the numerous souls fused within him—sensed something dire.
He tried to leap away.
Too late.
Every escape route had already been sealed by Tian Yu's overwhelming speed.
He couldn't believe it.
Even with his three masks, which guarded against all directions, he was completely cornered.
Then—impact.
Kakuzu felt the full force of a dozen fists. Each one thundered with enough power to crack stone and shatter organs.
His body was pummeled into the earth, his limbs crushed under relentless strikes.
Finally, Tian Yu vanished in a blur—and reappeared above him, foot wreathed in black chakra.
He stomped down.
Boom!
The kick landed on Kakuzu's face, where dark blood vessels squirmed. His head was blasted away, and his body flew like a ragdoll through a dozen trees, leaving a long trench in the dirt.
> "Damn it…" Kakuzu groaned.
He struggled to rise.
The Earth-style heart that gave him his primary defense had been obliterated. Without it, his body was like cracked pottery, breaking apart under the weight of each taijutsu blow.
He tried to get up—
But time slowed again.
No… Tian Yu had simply moved even faster.
In a flash of black, Tian Yu closed the gap—like a black meteor cutting space.
Before Kakuzu could react, Tian Yu drove a fist into the Lightning mask on his back, shattering it with a sickening stab!
> "Crack!"
Another heart, destroyed by raw power.
> "Ahhhhhh!"
Tendril-like blood vessels writhed and snapped as Tian Yu punched through them.
Even the battle-hardened Kakuzu, with a will forged over ninety years, could no longer hold in the scream.
The fire of survival flared within his eyes, but so too did desperation.
Only one heart remained.
And for the first time in decades, Kakuzu no longer wanted to fight.
He wanted to run.
His sole thought now was escape.
He had to survive.
Because the one he faced was no longer human.
Tian Yu was a monster far more terrifying than he had ever been.
A smile curled on Tian Yu's lips.
The smile of a hunter, toying with his prey before the kill.
> "It's over."
> "You boast that you fought the First Hokage… yet now, you're running like a coward. What use is your long life if it only ends in disgrace?"
Tian Yu's eyes tracked Kakuzu as he fled.
Then, without hesitation, he summoned the Grass Pheasant Sword from his inventory.
He gripped the hilt.
And threw it—not like a sword, but like a deadly projectile.
(To be continued…)
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