Naruto: This Genius is Somewhat Ordinary-Chapter 343

Fujimoto Tōma had no intention of going easy on the Second Mizukage.

It was true that Water Release wasn’t his strongest element, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use it properly.

High above the battlefield, Tōma watched as the Steam Imp began to reform under the cooling hail, its swollen body taking shape once again. At the same time, his gaze swept toward the massive clam and the Second Mizukage standing atop it.

He knew better than anyone that what he was seeing wasn’t real.

Both the clam and the Mizukage were nothing more than mirages.

Finding their true location through Water Release alone would be troublesome, but far from impossible.

If he used natural chakra sensing, the moment the Mizukage circulated chakra, illusions would become meaningless. Wind, lightning, or earth could also expose the enemy’s position. A creature as massive as the clam couldn’t completely hide its presence. Even subtle disturbances in airflow would give it away.

Lightning Release techniques like Ground Flow could spread across the battlefield and reveal hidden targets. Earth Release made it even simpler. As long as the enemy stood on the ground, they could be found.

While Tōma weighed his options, the Steam Imp finished reforming and surged toward him, its body expanding as it moved.

Faster than I expected, he noted calmly. Still manageable.

Just before the Steam Imp reached him, Tōma leapt into the air and formed seals.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

In an instant, it was as if a river had been torn from the sky. A massive torrent of water crashed down, flooding the battlefield in an unavoidable deluge.

The Second Mizukage’s mouth twitched.

"You call this ’not good at Water Release’?" he muttered.

There was no water source anywhere nearby. Pulling off a technique like this through pure chakra control was already abnormal.

Still, he nodded inwardly. The move was well chosen. The sudden cooling disrupted the Steam Imp’s temperature while simultaneously sweeping over the entire battlefield. Even his true body couldn’t dodge it completely.

But exhaustion didn’t mean helplessness.

The Second Mizukage raised his hand, forming it into a gun shape as chakra gathered at his fingertip.

"Water Release: Water Gun Technique. Barrage!"

Compressed streams of water fired like bullets, tearing through the flood and shooting straight toward Tōma.

Tōma smiled faintly.

Found you.

Even without that attack, the spreading water would have exposed the Mizukage’s position sooner or later. This just saved time.

"Water Release: Water Wall!"

With minimal hand signs, the water beneath Tōma surged upward, forming a barrier that blocked every Water Gun shot.

At the same moment, the Steam Imp rushed in, its bloated form trembling as if it were about to detonate.

Tōma ran straight up the water wall, leaping skyward as his seals completed.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

From above, a razor-thin jet of high-pressure water swept across the battlefield, slicing the Steam Imp cleanly in half.

The explosion followed immediately.

The blast shook the ground, but Tōma had already climbed high enough to escape the worst of it. His water wall, however, shattered under the impact.

With no support beneath him, he began to fall.

Tōma didn’t panic.

As he descended, he pressed one hand into the rising steam below.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

A massive sphere of water formed instantly, trapping the superheated vapor inside and severing most of the Mizukage’s control. It wasn’t a perfect seal, but reforming the Steam Imp would no longer be easy.

Tōma continued falling.

More Water Gun shots streaked toward him.

Then, like a fountain, a column of water burst upward from the ground. Tōma landed lightly atop it, completely unharmed.

The Second Mizukage finally snapped.

"And you still say you’re not good at Water Release?!"

Tōma glanced at the trapped steam and then back at his opponent.

"If I compare it to wind or lightning," he replied calmly, "then yes. Water is weaker for me."

It was the truth.

Every Water Release technique he’d used still required hand seals. With Wind Release, he could unleash vacuum blades with a simple gesture.

The difference was obvious.

The Mizukage fell silent.

Remembering the lightning techniques he’d just witnessed, he reluctantly accepted that Tōma might actually be telling the truth.

He pointed toward the water prison.

"A Water Prison like that only works if you maintain it. One touch and it breaks."

"I know," Tōma replied. "But it’s already done its job."

He formed seals again.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

A roaring dragon of water coiled around Tōma and lunged toward the Mizukage.

The Second Mizukage laughed loudly.

"Useless! The clam’s shell isn’t just for show!"

Even the earlier Water Severing Wave hadn’t broken through it. Water Dragon Bullet wouldn’t fare any better.

But Tōma never intended it to.

"What—?"

The Mizukage’s eyes widened as Tōma burst from the water dragon itself, using it as cover to close the distance.

The water dragon slammed into the clam and dispersed harmlessly.

The clam remained unharmed.

Tōma, however, was already above it.

A rotating lance of water spiraled around his arm, compressing tighter and tighter.

"Sage Art: Water Release. Hard Whirlpool Water Blade."

He drove the spinning water lance straight into the clam’s shell.

A normal thrust wouldn’t have worked.

But this wasn’t just a thrust.

The spiraling force drilled through the shell, tearing it open before erupting inside. A violent vortex formed within the clam’s body.

With a puff of white smoke, the summoning vanished.

The clam was dispelled.

Below, the Second Mizukage staggered, panting. The repeated use of Steam Imp had taken its toll.

"So that’s it," he said with a crooked smile. "Go on. Finish it."

Tōma nodded.

A pale-blue chakra sphere formed in his palm.

"Water Release: Rasengan."

He pressed it forward.

The Mizukage’s body shattered instantly, breaking apart as the sealing cloth wrapped around the remains.

Moments later, Tōma tossed the sealed form toward Shikamaru’s position.

Turning his head, Tōma surveyed the battlefield.

Gaara’s fight had already ended. Rasa was sealed within a massive sand pyramid, marked with layered sealing formulas and a single bold character at its center.

Only one battlefield remained.

Ōnoki and the Second Tsuchikage.

Tōma vanished.

"Unbelievable..." Shikamaru muttered, staring at the two sealed Kage beside him.

Tōma had defeated both opponents using techniques that weren’t even his specialties.

Every village would need to update their intelligence reports after this.

"Need a hand, Tsuchikage?" Tōma asked as he appeared beside Ōnoki.

Ōnoki’s eyes widened.

"You’re already done?"

He knew the Third Raikage’s reputation. He knew the Second Mizukage’s strength.

And yet—

"Of course," Tōma replied simply.

Ōnoki laughed bitterly.

"The younger generation is terrifying," he said, then nodded. "Then help me finish this."

The Second Tsuchikage had already sensed what happened. Two powerful chakra signatures had vanished.

His expression darkened.

Without hesitation, he formed a white cube between his palms, a brilliant sphere glowing inside.

"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Technique!"

Tōma raised his hand.

Invisible distortions rippled outward, warping the space around his fingers.

Ōnoki felt his vision twist, as if the world itself were being pulled apart.

With a single swing, Tōma sliced forward.

The Dust Release technique split cleanly in half.

So did the Second Tsuchikage.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu: Dimensional Blade."

Tōma nodded faintly.

No matter how destructive the technique, space itself could not be defended against.

Even Dust Release fell before it.