Chapter 77: Chapter 77 – Clash with the Mizukage
Oink ooink!
Kakashi waved his right hand, launching dozens of Flying Thunder God kunai in all directions.
At the same time, he vanished—reappearing behind Yagura using Flying Thunder God.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
Under Yagura's startled gaze, a circular water mirror formed in front of Kakashi, reflecting Yagura's own image.
The next moment, the mirror rippled, and another Yagura stepped out—only this one was charging at the real one!
"What the—?"
Yagura stared at the incoming swing of his own weapon like it had just insulted his cooking.
That technique was his—an exclusive secret jutsu he had developed himself. It wasn't some run-of-the-mill academy clone.
His Water Mirror Technique created copies of enemies capable of using the same jutsu with identical power.
No one else had ever learned it—not even other Mist Shinobi.
So why was this silver-haired brat casually throwing it back at him like it was a party trick?
Was the jutsu leaked? No, he never taught anyone. Not even his son.
Could Kakashi have copied it with one glance?
No way. That's not how chakra works. Or physics. Or anything, really.
Still, as the original caster, Yagura understood one thing very clearly—his mirror clone wasn't here for small talk.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was having his own existential crisis.
For the first time, he truly understood how annoying he must be to fight.
Chidori vs Chidori?CRACK! They canceled each other out.Rasengan vs Rasengan?BOOM! Yep, still the same.
Even worse, his opponent had copied his strongest mode. It was like fighting a mirror version of himself, but without the charm.
But after exchanging more than a dozen blows, Kakashi noticed something odd.
The mirror clone never used Flying Thunder God.
That was suspicious. If it had copied Sage Mode, Chakra-enhanced strength, and Lightning Style Armor, why not that?
Unless…
Kakashi's eye narrowed.
The Flying Thunder God Technique required either a mark left on a target—or one of his specially marked kunai to teleport.
When the mirror clone was formed, it didn't copy his kunai.
Just like when he copied Yagura, he ended up holding a stick instead of a fancy coral club.
So, no tools = no jutsu.
Which also explained why the mirror couldn't replicate bloodline abilities or sealing marks.
And the biggest kicker? The clone could only mimic. No tactics, no strategy, no flair. Just monkey-see, monkey-do.
Realizing this, Kakashi grinned.
He flung another Flying Thunder God kunai while faking a Chidori rush toward the mirror.
As expected, the clone ignored the kunai and charged.
"Rasengan!"
BOOM!
Teleporting behind it at the precise moment, Kakashi smashed a Rasengan into its back, sending it crashing into the ground.
"Magnet Style – Gold Dust!"
Without missing a beat, he slammed his hands together in a seal.
Chakra surged beneath the earth as golden particles welled up from below, flooding the area like liquid sand.
"Magnet Style – Great Gold Dust Burial!"
Waves of gold surged forward, burying the downed clone beneath a shimmering tide.
The mass compressed into a dense pyramid, sealing the mirror Kakashi in a shining tomb of chakra-infused gold.
Then Kakashi turned to see how Yagura was faring—
And promptly laughed.
Yagura was still tangled in a chakra-heavy slap fight with his mirror clone, trading jutsu like it was a budget fireworks show.
Sure, Yagura held the upper hand in raw power, but it was still a hilarious case of "technique biting its master."
Talk about poetic justice.
Still, Kakashi didn't linger.
He knew the power gap between them was too wide, and the mirror wouldn't hold much longer.
His own sealing jutsu had cost him a chunk of chakra, and he didn't exactly have an unlimited pool.
If not for the dragon vein's energy letting him charge his Strength of a Hundred Seal, he'd already be dry.
He gave a mental sigh.
So much chakra-saving discipline—never casting flashy jutsu just to look cool, skipping dessert, skipping fireworks—and still running on fumes.
Note to self: more chakra. Always more chakra.
His gaze shifted to Yagura.
A top-tier opponent, alone, and within range.
Time to splurge.
Swish!
Kakashi vanished with Flying Thunder God, reappearing behind the mirror clone just as it finished clashing Water Dragon Bullet with Yagura.
Steam from the clash clouded the area—perfect cover.
Whoosh!
He threw another kunai, aiming to recreate the previous takedown.
But Yagura wasn't just any target.
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
With expert speed, Yagura formed hand signs and unleashed a torrent of water from his mouth, spiraling around him like a living vortex.
A dome-shaped shield, rotating in all directions—no weak spots, no gaps.
The Flying Thunder God kunai hit the water shield and slowed to a halt.
Kakashi clicked his tongue.
That kind of chakra manipulation? Definitely Mizukage-level.
In fact, it reminded him of how he was training Rin—evolving Water Barrier from a basic upward wall into a full rotating defense.
Except Yagura had clearly already reached that elite control.
Note to self: stop underestimating Kage.
Still, if he couldn't get in close—
"Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation!"
FWOOOOOSH!
A colossal sea of flames surged forward, evaporating puddles and thinning the surrounding mist as it blazed toward the water shield.
Ssssss!
BOOM!
Steam exploded in every direction as fire met water at full force.
Kakashi grabbed the stunned mirror clone and pulled it backward, just beyond the blast radius.
When the smoke cleared, the battlefield had changed.
The water shield was gone…
But Yagura stood unharmed—encased within a massive Water Prison, suspended in a floating orb of liquid.
He'd dodged the blast using a defense that doubled as a temporary stronghold.
Kakashi exhaled sharply.
"Right," he muttered, adjusting his grip on his kunai, "of course he's fine. Kage privilege."
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To be continued...