To be honest, Yoru had never wanted to fight Gensui.
Even if the man had always treated him more like a tool than a student, the fact remained: Gensui had raised him. When Yoru needed help most, he was there. That alone couldn't be denied.
That was why Yoru chose to see him first upon returning to the village.
But power—power wasn't something a man like Gensui could just walk away from.
Especially not someone who had spent his whole life chasing it.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
The Mizukage's Black Ops lived up to their reputation. The instant Yoru drew Hyōrinmaru and made his intent clear, their response was flawless—coordinated, merciless.
The crackling lightning ball merged with the water dragon, forming a roaring fusion of water and electricity that tore toward Yoru with vicious speed.
It wasn't quite on the level of the Water-Lightning Dragon Bullet unleashed by the Fourth Raikage and Fifth Mizukage against Edo Tensei Madara, but it still combined dual elemental nature transformations and carried immense force.
To anyone else, it would've been devastating.
But to Yoru, it was barely an inconvenience.
"You've never seen me fight. You weren't on the front lines. All you know are second-hand stats and field reports—like blind men describing an elephant."
As the lightning-charged dragon bore down on him, Yoru's expression didn't so much as flinch. "But you, Yagura… you knew exactly what I could do. And you still chose to act against me. I guess power's already devoured your mind."
With a sweep of Hyōrinmaru, cold swept out across the battlefield. The incoming dragon froze mid-lunge—instantly encased in glimmering ice.
A second dragon, born of pure frost, crashed down and shattered the frozen construct into sparkling fragments.
"Ice Release…"
Even the elite ANBU were taken aback. Their combined jutsu had been neutralized—effortlessly.
Gensui's eyes narrowed. "Use Wind and Lightning Style. Now!"
He turned sharply. "Third—what are you waiting for? Are you going to let this traitor take your head before you lift a finger?!"
The Third Mizukage stirred at the sound of his name, lifting his dazed gaze to Yoru.
"Yuki… Yoru… enemy… fight…"
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu…"
"…His chakra flow is scrambled from the genjutsu backlash," Yoru muttered, narrowing his eyes. "No—there's residual dōjutsu chakra. That damn Uchiha's influence runs deep."."
This wasn't ideal. Now he had to fight the Third Mizukage, Gensui's personal ANBU, and Yagura all at once.
So be it.
The outcome wouldn't change.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave Barrage!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Vortex!"
"Lightning Style: Multiple Lighting Ball!"
Ninjutsu surged from the mist—arcs of lightning and blasts of wind screeching through the fog toward Yoru.
He narrowed his eyes.
The Hidden Mist might be known for its smokescreens, but people forgot—he was one of them. Silent Killing was his domain too.
The mist barely hindered his senses.
Hyōrinmaru swept out again. A new ice dragon roared to life, smashing through the fog and bowling aside a squad of attackers before crashing into their combined jutsu.
Even without his Bankai, Yoru's Ice Release dwarfed standard techniques. Wind blades shaved away some of the frost, and lightning sparks flared—but none of it was enough to stop the advance.
Then Yagura moved.
He appeared in a flash before the incoming dragon, staff raised. With a sharp sweep, a shimmering water mirror appeared—Water Mirror Technique.
From it burst a watery clone of Yoru, wielding its own copy of Hyōrinmaru, sending a mirrored ice dragon crashing into the original.
The collision shattered both.
"You can even copy the ice dragon? Pity… form without substance," Yoru said, voice cold.
"That level of chakra won't stop me, Yagura."
"Tsk." Yagura clicked his tongue and gave orders over his shoulder.
"Drop the Lightning and Wind styles. They're useless. Focus on Water Release—with elemental manipulation. High-pressure mist, steam bursts, condensed flow—anything that puts pressure on his ice."
He turned back to Yoru. "Your Ice Release may be powerful, but it's still limited by chakra composition. Manipulated water techniques can break it."
Yoru laughed.
"Seems you've done your homework. Funny—I don't remember you being this clever when we were crushing Konoha's frontlines."
"Water Style: Ripping Torrent!"
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
Twin attacks surged forth—one a spiraling water funnel, the other a blade-like pressure stream.
Yagura's torrent struck first, slowing the ice dragon's advance. Then, with a breath, he launched the Severing Wave. The ultra-compressed water sliced clean through the frozen beast's neck—beheading it before it could freeze solid.
Simultaneously, the Third Mizukage's jutsu arrived.
"Water Style: Water Pillar Explosion!"
A massive water sphere dropped like a meteor, obliterating half the Mizukage Tower and engulfing Yoru in a surge of destruction.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
More followed—streams that coalesced into a towering serpentine dragon, easily dozens of meters tall. It struck with terrifying force, swallowing Yoru whole.
It was overwhelming.
But it was still Water Release.
CRACK.
Ice spread—instantly. As the water struck, it froze on contact. In the next breath, the entire surge crystallized and exploded outward in a storm of glittering shards.
Yoru stood untouched, cloak rippling.
"You forgot, didn't you, Yagura?" he said calmly. "My power scales with ambient water."
"In a dry zone, I had to push my limits just to freeze a mountaintop. But here… in Kirigakure… a place where mist hangs eternal?"
"The water helps me."
Snow began to fall.
Soft, silent, and cold.
Within seconds, the Hidden Mist was blanketed in white. Frost crept along rooftops. Streets turned to ice.
The entire village was transformed.
"Snow?" someone whispered. "But it's not even winter yet…"
"Look—look at the sky!"
"Those clouds… this isn't normal…"
Outside Yoru's home, Yuki Kira had just finished organizing the initial phase of the Yuki Clan's Population Recovery Initiative. But the sudden shift in the weather stopped her cold.
Snowflakes were falling.
She looked up, blinking.
It took her only a moment to understand.
"…Snow?"
"This chakra… it's him," she said, voice tight. "Grandmother—it's Yoru. He's fighting!"
"I can feel it," murmured Yuki Setsu.
She opened her hand. A snowflake landed on her palm and turned to ice.
Looking toward the Mizukage Tower, her eyes gleamed.
"…So it's begun. The passing of power."
"Let's go," she said, straightening her back despite the weight of years. "Time to witness the coronation of the Yuki Clan's next era."
Elsewhere…
"Snow…?"
Terumi Mei looked skyward, stunned.
"It's coming from the Mizukage Tower…"
"…Yoru."
Her heart skipped.
"Gather the jōnin. All of them. With me—now!"
"But, Lady Mei—what's going on?!"
"No time to explain—move!"
All across the village, the same scene played out.
The Hōzuki Clan. The Momochi. Surviving ANBU. Elite jōnin…
One by one, the high-ranking forces of Kirigakure began moving—drawn by the phenomenon.
The mist itself turned white.
High above the battlefield, Gensui and Yagura could feel the tide turning.
Their ambush had failed.
Yoru hadn't just withstood their combined assault—he had dominated it.
Worse, more and more witnesses were arriving. With every second, control slipped further from their grasp.
It was clear now: if Yoru displayed overwhelming strength, the title of "traitor" would vanish. Instead, the village would rally behind him.
He was a war hero, after all. The strongest shinobi in the village. The one who had won battles no one else could.
He embodied everything the people wanted in a Mizukage.
"This is a joke, right?" Gensui growled. "This is the threat level you described?!"
He glared at Yagura. "He's calling the weather, you idiot!"
"…If I'd known he was this strong, I wouldn't have started this," Gensui muttered bitterly. "He's one of my disciples. I could've stepped back, let him rule, and kept some influence…"
"Now, if we lose…"
Yagura bit his lip. "Maybe he really is a bloodline prodigy… like Hashirama…"
"No!" Gensui snapped. "Normal strength won't stop him now. We need to use that."
Yagura's eyes widened. "No. We're in the heart of the village. If it goes out of control—"
"Then we're all dead anyway!" Gensui shouted. "The Third is compromised. We pin it on him. But if we don't act now, we lose everything!"
"Gensui—!"
"You're too soft. That's why you lost to him."
Gensui shoved Yagura aside.
From his robes, he produced a summoning scroll. Ancient characters lined its surface, with a massive 六—the kanji for six—in the center.
He bit his finger.
Blood dripped onto the parchment.
With a surge of chakra, he slammed his palm down.
"Come forth…"
"Saiken!"