Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 245: Ambush at the Barrier

The residual shockwaves from the earlier jutsu hadn't yet faded. The energy surge had heated the surrounding air, triggering a strong updraft. As this collided with the heavy storm clouds, lightning began to concentrate more frequently over the area.

"The lightning's picking up. It's getting dangerous here—we should fall back," Kakashi said, stepping onto the churning waves with Mizuki close behind.

"This might actually be good news," Mizuki replied. "The faster the energy is released, the sooner the thunderstorm ends."

Trailing behind Kakashi, he asked, "How's your chakra holding up?"

"Still manageable. I've got another big fight in me."

"So half your reserves are gone? That's actually not too bad."

"Yeah. As long as I avoid high-level ninjutsu, I can keep going. What about you? Got another one of those fire jutsu left?"

"Wouldn't count on it," Mizuki replied flatly.

The A-rank Fire Release jutsu took a huge toll on chakra. Compared to Kakashi's Chidori, it wasn't just large in scale—it was far more draining. And when you factored in Sage Mode's amplification, the cost multiplied. It wasn't a jutsu you could just keep throwing around.

"That's not surprising," Kakashi nodded. "Techniques with power like that always come with a catch."

"I can still handle slightly weaker jutsu. Those are within safe limits."

Sage Mode's advantage lay not only in power but in stamina regeneration. With natural energy continuously flowing, a seasoned Sage would actually grow more energized during battle rather than exhausted. As long as one didn't overextend, especially with big techniques like Great Fire Annihilation, Sage Mode effectively turned Mizuki into a walking artillery platform.

"Overall, we're still in decent shape," Mizuki concluded.

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction. "This gamble paid off. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we'll be fine."

"What's the next move?"

They had cleared out most of the cannon fodder. Delaying now would only let the enemy regroup. The only smart play was to keep pressing the advantage before the enemy adjusted.

Kakashi looked toward the nearby warship still swaying in the waves. The barrier looked intact—no visible disturbances.

"How many of your summoning beasts are left? Can they help scout for hidden enemies?"

The rain had become so intense that even the Sharingan had difficulty piercing through the downpour. Wide-area reconnaissance was not Kakashi's specialty.

Mizuki closed his eyes briefly to sense his summons. "Not fit for fighting anymore, but they're still scattered around the area. Barely usable… wait—heads up, more incoming."

In his sensory range, another squad burst through the rain curtain, advancing straight for them.

Kakashi turned his gaze toward the direction Mizuki indicated. "Doesn't look like many—ten, maybe a bit more. Smaller than before. A strike squad?"

"That's what worries me," Mizuki muttered. "They know we're not vulnerable to small elite teams. If they wanted to wear us down, another mass wave would be more effective…"

Before he could finish, the new enemy unit slowed suddenly and pulled out what looked like pre-prepared weapons.

"Damn! So that's their plan!"

Both Kakashi and Mizuki leapt back instinctively.

A moment later, a dozen compact rocket-like projectiles—trailing pale blue fire—launched from the enemy line and streaked toward where the two had just stood.

The sky was torn apart by a series of deafening explosions. The shockwaves churned the sea and sent up massive plumes of water. Kakashi barely avoided the blast radius, soaking wet but otherwise unharmed. Mizuki, protected by his Sage Mode barrier, remained untouched.

"Good thing we cleared out the trash earlier," Mizuki muttered. "If we'd been tangled up, we'd be charred meat by now."

These enemies clearly weren't playing nice. If they had to blow up their own comrades to land a hit, they wouldn't hesitate.

Kakashi and Mizuki began moving again, dodging the next wave of explosive projectiles as they reassessed the situation.

"Can your ninjutsu still deal with this?" Kakashi asked. "These guys are clearly specialized—fast, deadly, long-ranged. Once they reach a certain density, their firepower becomes suffocating."

"I can still fight, but not at the level of that last fire jutsu. Not yet." Mizuki flexed his still-throbbing right hand. Though mostly healed, it still ached and made forming seals a bit awkward. His control wasn't quite back to full strength.

"Then try something less demanding first. If it fails, I'll charge in."

"Understood." Mizuki didn't argue. He began weaving hand seals.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Chakra surged through Mizuki's body, condensing into a torrent of flame from his mouth. The fire twisted into several brilliant dragons that surged toward the enemy.

The enemy didn't falter. Another barrage of explosive projectiles met the flames head-on.

The resulting collisions lit up the stormy sky with a chain of explosions, but the Sage-enhanced Dragon Flame Jutsu proved too powerful to be entirely stopped. The flames tore through the chaos, leaving burning trails on the water's surface before crashing into the enemy formation.

A series of muffled booms followed. The sea itself seemed to ripple under the impact. Flames and mist mixed into a thick smokescreen, momentarily halting the onslaught.

"Did you get them?" Kakashi asked.

Mizuki shook his head. "Some, maybe. But not the core group. These guys aren't weak."

The destructive power of Fire Release was undeniable. But because it was so widespread and easy to counter, most skilled shinobi had multiple ways to defend against it. And fire techniques lacked speed—making them harder to land against fast opponents. Power meant nothing if it didn't connect.

"Fire's too scattered, and too chakra-intensive," Kakashi observed, eyeing the steaming surface. Pockets of flame still flickered as enemy silhouettes reappeared through the haze.

"I'll take point this time," Kakashi said. "With my Sharingan, I can likely break through their formation. Once I'm close—it's over."

To be continued…

---

Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb

{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}

*Thank you*.