The appearance of Manda was an unmistakable sign that Takuya had arrived.
And with Manda wreaking havoc, the Mist shinobi showed no signs of retreating.
This puzzled Takuya, making him wonder if his fearsome reputation had somehow been hidden.
It wasn't until he came face-to-face with Hōzuki Jirō that he realized it wasn't about his reputation; their leader was simply that stubborn.
Judging by Hōzuki Jirō's demeanor, even if Orochimaru himself appeared, there would be no thought of withdrawal.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"There are only those who die in battle in the Hōzuki clan, not cowards who flee!"
Hōzuki Jirō shouted angrily at Takuya's suggestion.
He felt insulted, as if his very character had been questioned. Did Takuya really think he could be scared so easily?
Alright, alright, the Hōzuki clan is the most headstrong of all. Even more than the Uchiha, fine.
Takuya was speechless.
It was just a joke, no need to be so serious.
"Die!!"
Seeing Takuya nod nonchalantly with an indifferent expression pushed Hōzuki Jirō over the edge.
He drew the weapon strapped to his back and charged, his sharp blade aimed directly at Takuya's throat.
Going head-on like this?
Takuya was a bit surprised and swung Samehada down heavily.
Thud!
With a loud crash, Hōzuki Jirō's sword shattered under the impact.
Samehada let out a dissatisfied grumble, as if rebuking Takuya for using it so recklessly.
Impossible!
Hōzuki Jirō's arms, rendered jelly-like from the force, couldn't believe the raw power Takuya had unleashed.
One direct hit had not only broken his weapon but also sent shockwaves that left his arms useless.
It was only thanks to his clan's Hydration Technique that he hadn't completely lost use of his arms.
Anyone else would have had their arms utterly destroyed.
No wonder this brat could storm in unimpeded, leaving a trail of defeated shinobi in his wake.
Hōzuki Jirō dropped the broken blade and tried to retreat, but Samehada was already descending once more.
Splat!
Samehada struck what seemed to be water as Jirō's body split apart but took no lasting damage due to his unique ability.
"Foolish!"
"Don't you know that such attacks are useless against me?"
"Hahaha!"
Jirō mocked, even patting the weapon that had just struck him, as if promising Samehada, "Wait for me; I'll bring you back soon."
Is this guy insane?
Takuya was baffled.
It was the first time he'd encountered an opponent so talkative and nonsensical.
"Ha!"
Seeing Takuya fall silent, Jirō turned himself into liquid and launched backward, raising his hand in a mock gun shape with only his thumb and index finger extended, aiming at Takuya.
Confirmed, this guy is crazy.
"Forget it, this isn't fun anymore."
Initially curious to see more of the Hōzuki clan's Hydration Technique, Takuya lost interest. He raised his hand and flung the Thunder God Blade.
An idiot like you really thinks I can't deal with you?
Your hydration can negate physical attacks. Let's see you cancel out the power of the Thunder God Blade.
Whoosh!
The Thunder God Blade shot forward like lightning, and Jirō sneered.
"Pointless. Such attacks are—"
As the blade pierced through Jirō's liquid form, it unleashed a surge of electricity that made his entire body convulse.
He collapsed bonelessly, unable to move as the electric charge coursed through him, turning his speech into a series of stuttering mumbles.
If Tobirama Senju could see how Takuya was treating his treasured weapon, he'd probably rise from the grave in fury.
Clang!
The Thunder God Blade, made of chakra-conducting metal, was fragile but safe on the thick, muddy ground, so Takuya didn't worry about it breaking.
If it did, he wouldn't know how to explain it to Tsunade.
"So what about this attack? You don't seem to have an answer for it."
Placing his hand on the blade, Takuya poured in more lightning chakra, making the once-ordinary sword glow brilliantly.
Electric sparks crawled along the blade, and Jirō's eyes widened as he was pinned to the ground, finding speech almost impossible.
"This… Thunder God… impossible…"
"Lord Jirō!"
Hōzuki Jirō, the leader and strongest among them, had barely finished trash-talking before being subdued. Not even his Hydration Technique could save him.
The surrounding Mist shinobi panicked, rushing forward to rescue him.
Smirking, Takuya kept his left hand on the Thunder God Blade and wielded Samehada with his right, effortlessly fending off the advancing shinobi.
Samehada, covered in barbs, tore chunks of flesh from those it hit.
"Takuya!"
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto appeared with reinforcements.
The battle was nearing its end. Despite the Mist Village's superior numbers, the combined strength of Manda's rampage, Takuya's relentless assault, and the natural prowess of the Uchiha warriors had tipped the scales.
"Finish off the remaining enemies. Oh, right."
Glancing at the twitching Jirō on the ground, Takuya chuckled.
"Grab a few weapons and have those with lightning chakra carry him. Make sure he gets a nice, continuous jolt so he doesn't escape using the Hydration Technique."
Deidara, who'd someday preach that "art is an explosion," was rendered useless when faced with lightning chakra.
And members of the Hōzuki clan turned to lifeless puddles when exposed to it.
With such a valuable captive, Takuya wasn't going to let Jirō slip away.
Idiots who delivered themselves to the enemy were rare treasures, and losing one would ruin Takuya's mood for days.
"Follow me!"
Uchiha Fugaku led the group to pursue the retreating enemies.
Mikoto and two other Uchiha grabbed weapons and stabbed them into Jirō's body.
"Enjoy yourself."
Takuya pulled the Thunder God Blade from the ground and watched as Jirō was "treated" by Uchiha ninjas, then turned to Mikoto.
"How's the Uchiha holding up?"
With Manda clearing a path and Takuya leading the charge, if the Uchiha still suffered significant losses, there was nothing more he could do.
"Three dead, most others injured but recoverable with rest. Overall, it's a victory."
Facing hundreds with only a few dozen, even with Manda's assistance and Takuya cutting through the enemy, zero casualties would have been unrealistic.
Three deaths, with the rest just wounded, was a good outcome.
It was an acceptable cost for such a victory.