Naruto: Becoming Mizukage

When Yuta saw the formation of the four ice mirrors, an overwhelming sense of danger spread through his body, his instincts screaming that this could be the end.

Any thoughts of pride or pretense vanished from his mind. Survival became his only focus. Between risking his life to maintain a façade and defending himself, Yuta chose the latter without hesitation.

"Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Camellia!"

Yuta unleashed his strongest defensive jutsu, the pinnacle of what he could muster. His bones erupted from beneath his skin, expanding and hardening, forming a nearly impenetrable barrier around him.

In just seconds, his body was completely encased in a dense sphere of bone, making him look like a grotesque, stone-like ball.

This was the power of the Kaguya clan's Dead Bone Pulse. Anyone witnessing this technique for the first time would be left horrified, as the sight of bones tearing through skin was unsettling, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Ryosuke stood within the four mirrors, his cold eyes reflecting in each one, staring emotionlessly at the ball of bones Yuta had formed. Without hesitation, Ryosuke initiated his next attack.

"Ice Release: Extremely Cold Thrust (Simplified Version)!"

From each of the four ice mirrors, Ryosuke released long, deadly ice spikes. The spears, infused with biting cold, shot toward Yuta's bone sphere at terrifying speed.

The sharp, frozen tips dug into the bone shield, the sound of their contact screeching across the battlefield. The spikes penetrated the bone shell with agonizing slowness, inch by inch.

The ice spears pushed deeper, five centimeters, then ten centimeters, until they were on the verge of piercing through Yuta's body. But just as they were about to reach him, the ice spikes shattered into a thousand shards, scattering across the field like sparkling snowflakes. The impact also caused the bone sphere to crumble into dust under the extreme cold.

Kaguya Yuta, now exposed, was left standing frozen in place. His body was covered in a thick layer of frost, barely able to move. He looked like an ice sculpture, his posture rigid, his breath shallow. There was no doubt—Kaguya Yuta had lost.

However, before the audience could fully comprehend Yuta's defeat, another unexpected event unfolded.

"Thud!"

Mizuki Ryosuke suddenly collapsed, falling flat on his back. His body lay motionless on the ground as if all his chakra had been drained in an instant.

The spectators were left speechless. What had just transpired? In an incredible turn of events, the battle seemed to have ended in a draw. Both combatants were incapacitated, leaving the outcome uncertain.

As the ice spear pierced Kaguya Yuta's defenses, Ryosuke was flooded with disbelief.

'How...?' Ryosuke thought.

'Why was he so weak?'

Ryosuke had expected much more from Yuta, believing that the young Kaguya clan head would be a formidable opponent. But after seeing how easily his ice spears broke through Yuta's defence, Ryosuke started to doubt his assumptions. The realization dawned on him:

Yuta wasn't as strong as he had anticipated.

In fact, Ryosuke realized that he had overestimated the strength of Jōnin in general. Growing up on tales of legendary battles, Ryosuke had assumed that all Jōnin-level ninjas were almost godlike in power.

Yet here he was, facing a supposedly elite warrior of the Kaguya clan, and it had barely been a challenge.

As Ryosuke's ice spears neared Yuta, the young Mizuki clan shinobi realized that his attack was about to go too far. If the spears pierced Yuta's body, it would almost certainly kill him.

Panicking, Ryosuke deliberately caused the ice spears to explode into harmless crystals before they could deal a fatal blow. He had no desire to kill Yuta, especially in what was supposed to be a simple sparring match.

But the damage was done. Kaguya Yuta had been pushed to his limits, while Ryosuke's own chakra reserves were running dangerously low. The exertion of maintaining such advanced techniques had taken its toll, and Ryosuke found himself on the verge of collapse.

He realized that if he continued to fight, he might win decisively—but that wasn't what he wanted. The last thing he needed was to stand victorious over a foe he had planned to lose against. At least that was what it seemed like.

'No! This can't happen! I was supposed to 'lose' this fight!' Ryosuke thought in frustration.

'I can't let this turn into an overwhelming victory—it'll ruin everything!'

In a desperate attempt to save face, Ryosuke did the only thing he could think of: he collapsed, pretending to faint from chakra exhaustion. This way, the fight would end inconclusively, and both sides could avoid embarrassment.

The battlefield fell silent as everyone tried to process what had just happened. It wasn't long before the spectators, including Mizukage Mizuki Taki, realized that something was off.

Both Kaguya Yuta and Mizuki Ryosuke were incapacitated, but the fight had ended in a stalemate rather than a clear victory.

The first to break the silence was Maeda Yuanshi, the referee for the match. Quickly, he ordered the medical Jōnin to tend to both combatants. The conclusion from the healers was clear: Kaguya Yuta had suffered severe frostbite, while Mizuki Ryosuke had simply depleted his chakra and passed out.

The scene left everyone in the crowd with mixed emotions. For one, the spectators couldn't help but feel disappointed in Kaguya Yuta. He had boasted about his ability to withstand at least three moves, but he had barely managed two before being forced into a defensive shell. It seemed that his confidence had been nothing more than hollow bravado.

Even more confusing was Mizuki Ryosuke's sudden collapse. Just moments ago, he had been dominating the fight, but now he lay unconscious on the ground. The onlookers were left to wonder: who had truly won?

Maeda Yuanshi, acting as the referee, was equally unsure of how to proceed. His eyes turned to Mizukage Taki for guidance.

"Mizukage-sama, what do you think should be done?" Yuanshi asked, shifting the decision to his superior.

Mizuki Taki, ever calm and composed, gave a slight smile. "We follow the rules. Both are unconscious, so it's a draw."

The audience was taken aback. Most had expected Mizuki Ryosuke to be declared the winner, given that he had clearly outperformed Yuta. But Taki's decision to call it a draw was final, and the matter seemed settled.

However, not everyone was satisfied with the result. Yagura spoke up with a sharp gleam in his eyes.

"Mizukage-sama," Yagura said, "the rules for Jōnin promotion are clear. No giving in or holding back during the exam. Mizuki Ryosuke deliberately held back and should be disqualified. By the regulations, he should be considered the loser."

The tension in the air thickened as Yagura's words hung in the air. Would Mizuki Ryosuke, despite his clear superiority, be penalized for not delivering the final blow?

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