Chapter 196: Ch.196 Surrounded!
On the battlefield.
Haku gritted his teeth, still fighting with all his might.
As the battle went on, he grew increasingly shocked. The demon before him was even stronger and faster than the "Upper Moon Six" demon he had previously faced.
He had pushed "Rapid Speed" to its limits, yet he was barely keeping up with his opponent's pace.
At the same time, he noticed that the opponent seemed to be intentionally exhaling mist during the fight, which reminded him of Shinji.
"During sparring, Shinji had a similar habit..."
In his memory, whenever Shinji's breathing rhythm sped up, his speed and strength would noticeably increase.
But compared to this swordsman, who had a wave-like pattern on his face, Shinji's speed and strength were insignificant.
This swordsman had an unbelievable level of breathing rhythm, speed, and power.
Haku could feel the opponent's chakra being rapidly consumed, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be able to outlast him.
Boom!
After another clash, the ice dragon and the water dragon both dissipated on the sea.
Amidst the flying ice shards, Haku stood on the heaving sea, panting heavily. "Why is my Ice Release so ineffective against him?"
In his battle on the long street, after defeating the former "Upper Moon Five" Doma, Haku had acquired the "Ice Crystal Creation Technique" from the ice-controlling demon, greatly enhancing his Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.
Not only had his control over Ice Release improved, but its power had also increased significantly.
This was why he had been able to form the ice dragon with a single hand sign.
Before acquiring the "Ice Crystal Creation Technique," although he could use Ice Release, it had never been as smooth and effortless as it was now.
Yet, despite this, against the swordsman before him, his Ice Release was still proving to be ineffective.
"Is he... really a demon?"
Haku began to have doubts.
He had heard from the leader that the most powerful demons were recruited by the Demon King into the Twelve Kizuki. Among them, six were Upper Moon demons, and six were Lower Moon demons.
During the battle on the long street, he had faced both "Upper Moon Five" and "Upper Moon Six," understanding the strength of the Upper Moon demons.
But this cold-faced swordsman, whose power was clearly on par with those two Upper Moon demons, had no "Upper Moon" inscription in his eyes.
Moreover, there wasn't the slightest scent of blood on him; he didn't seem like a demon at all.
On the fishing boat.
Shwip, shwip, shwip.
With the sound of slicing wind, the Hidden Mist jōnin who had left the boat to scout the island returned one after another.
Mei Terumi asked, "How is it? Are there others on the island?"
The Hidden Mist jōnin shook their heads. "We've scouted the area; it seems that the only one on the island is that swordsman. No one else is there."
Mei Terumi shook her head. "Something's not right."
Kisame said, "Indeed, something feels off. For a test arranged by the Akatsuki, they should have left behind an examiner. Could the examiner not be on the island but hiding in the sea instead?"
Mei Terumi thought for a moment, then said, "Impossible. Even if it's the Akatsuki, they'd need a foothold in the sea."
For the sea, even the Hidden Mist shinobi held a sense of reverence.
So Mei Terumi was certain that in such harsh weather, no one could stay in the sea for long without assistance.
Even the Fourth Mizukage, who was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, would need to find a place to rest under such conditions.
Thus, she couldn't believe that the Akatsuki's examiner would be hiding in the sea to monitor the fight.
At this moment, one of the Hidden Mist jōnin asked, "Captain, what should we do now?"
Mei Terumi hesitated.
Their mission was to assist Haku in passing the Akatsuki's test, allowing him to infiltrate the organization and gather classified information.
But now, they couldn't even locate the Akatsuki examiner. They didn't dare to show themselves or interfere in the battle.
If they exposed themselves in front of the examiner, even if Haku passed the test, the Akatsuki would never let him join.
Seeing Mei Terumi's indecision, Kisame spoke bluntly, "The Yuki clan kid isn't a match for that swordsman. If this continues, the kid will definitely die."
Mei Terumi nodded slightly.
Her judgment matched Kisame's. Although the battle between Haku and Giyu Tomioka appeared evenly matched, it was obvious to anyone watching that Haku had almost exhausted his abilities, while the opponent still had plenty left in reserve. If the battle continued, Haku would inevitably lose.
Kisame was straightforward, smiling as he said, "If we don't intervene, the Yuki clan kid will die, and the mission will fail. But if we do intervene, there's no guarantee the mission will succeed, but at least the kid won't die!"
Mei Terumi sighed and then ordered, "Everyone else stays on the boat and increases vigilance. Kisame, come with me!"
With that, she leaped into the sea, heading towards the distant battlefield.
Kisame smiled and followed right after.
Seeing Mei Terumi and Kisame charging in, Haku let out a sigh of relief.
Giyu Tomioka remained silent, only swinging his sword faster and more ferociously!
While rushing in, Mei Terumi quickly formed hand signs, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
In an instant, a water dragon surged up, rushing towards Giyu Tomioka.
Just as Giyu Tomioka was about to counter the water dragon with his sword, he felt his lower half freeze. Looking down, he saw that his entire lower body had been encased in frost.
Caught by surprise, the water dragon struck Giyu Tomioka, sending him flying.
Using "Water Breathing," he barely managed to adjust himself in mid-air and landed steadily on the sea. But before he could regain his footing, Kisame appeared before him in a flash, pushing both hands forward: "Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Giyu Tomioka immediately swung his sword.
With the swing, a surge of chakra flowed, enveloping the blade and meeting Kisame's jutsu head-on.
However, when the two attacks collided, Giyu Tomioka realized that not only had his sword technique failed to break through the jutsu, but his chakra had also been absorbed by the technique, amplified, and returned to him.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed across the sea, and a massive wave surged upward.
Watching the enormous wave, Kisame smiled.
Mei Terumi cautiously scanned the surroundings, still finding no trace of an Akatsuki examiner, and sighed in relief.
It was clear.
In their eyes, despite the strength of the swordsman, after being repeatedly hit by their jutsu, no matter how strong, he couldn't have survived. They assumed the battle had ended.
Only Haku, who knew the truth about demons, understood that such attacks couldn't kill a demon, so he remained vigilant, his eyes fixed on where the waves were churning...
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