ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱᴛ | ᴛᴇɴᴛᴇɴ ꜰꜰ|

Chapter 94

The dense fog closed in like a suffocating embrace, the air thick with tension. Ugetsu's breath was steady, but his heart was anything but. Suigetsu's presence before him was like a ghost from a past he had fought so hard to escape.

"You're stronger than I remember," Suigetsu sneered, his hands moving swiftly through hand seals. "But that won't be enough to stop me."

Ugetsu barely had time to react before Suigetsu launched forward, water from the surrounding mist twisting into jagged blades aimed straight for him. Ugetsu's instincts kicked in, and with a swift motion, he summoned a wave of water that collided with Suigetsu's attacks, shattering them into harmless droplets.

"I've learned a few tricks since we last met," Ugetsu muttered, his blue eyes narrowing with focus. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears, the memories of their past flashing through his mind. Suigetsu had always been reckless, but he had never been this vicious.

Without hesitation, Ugetsu swept his hand forward, a burst of water rushing from his fingertips, surrounding Suigetsu like a storm. But Suigetsu was quick—he leaped out of the way, spinning his body to create a whirlpool of water around him, trying to trap Ugetsu within it. The mist seemed to swirl in response to their battle, feeding off the chakra in the air.

Ugetsu's eyes gleamed as he summoned a new power—lava.

The ground beneath him cracked and bubbled, streams of molten rock bursting from the earth. He released a powerful stream of Lava Release, directing it at Suigetsu's water vortex. The steam hissed as the hot lava collided with the mist, creating a massive explosion of steam that enveloped the area. The thick mist evaporated briefly before rolling back in, more oppressive than before.

Suigetsu's eyes widened in shock. "Lava?" he spat. "You're using Lava Release now? Since when did you—"

"Since I left the Hidden Mist," Ugetsu interrupted, his voice cold, cutting through the fog. "I don't need to be a weapon anymore. I don't need to be part of the Mist's bloodstained legacy."

Suigetsu gritted his teeth. "You always were the coward, Ugetsu. You always ran. You left me behind. Left *us* behind."

Ugetsu's hand tightened around a kunai, the metal creaking under the pressure. "I didn't want to be like them. I didn't want to be a tool for the Mist anymore. I had to leave. You should have known that. I'm sorry, Suigetsu. I didn't want to leave you. But I couldn't stay."

"You think I didn't have to fight for my survival?" Suigetsu shouted, his voice laced with fury. He summoned more water, manipulating it into sharp spikes. "When you ran off, it was me and Hikari left behind. She loved you, you know? She thought we were going to escape the Mist together. And you abandoned us. You left us to die. For what? To live a fancy life in Konoha, as the Third Hokage's son? I never needed your pity, Ugetsu. You should've stuck with us. But you didn't."

Ugetsu's chest tightened at the mention of Hikari. He could still remember her face—the girl who had once clung to the hope of a better future, the one who had believed in their escape.

He could feel the old guilt stir within him, but he swallowed it down, pushing forward. "I didn't want to be the ripper of the Hidden Mist anymore. I didn't want to be a weapon for our clan." His eyes flickered darkly. "The Mist doesn't deserve to have that kind of power. It doesn't deserve me."

Suigetsu snarled, charging at him with all his might, water swirling violently around him. He was fast—faster than he'd been when they were kids. But Ugetsu had changed, had grown stronger. The lava coursing through his veins was a reminder of just how far he had come.

In a blur of motion, Ugetsu ducked under Suigetsu's water blades, spinning gracefully to his feet. He raised his hand, summoning the water serpent—his summon, Aqara—into the mist. The great serpent coiled around Suigetsu's movements, distracting him long enough for Ugetsu to strike.

A pulse of chakra surged through Ugetsu's body, his eyes glowing as he unleashed a torrent of water that slammed into Suigetsu, knocking him back. Suigetsu struggled to regain his balance, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but Ugetsu wasn't finished.

With a final, decisive motion, Ugetsu slammed his hand to the ground. Lava exploded upward, a massive wave of molten rock that engulfed Suigetsu, sending him sprawling to the ground in a cloud of steam and smoke.

Ugetsu stood over him, breathing heavily, his body sore but victorious. The mist, once thick and oppressive, now hung in the air like a shroud, the battle between them finally at an end.

Suigetsu groaned, his body scorched from the lava, his earlier smirk replaced by a grimace of defeat. "I thought we were brothers," he muttered, his voice heavy with regret and anger.

Ugetsu's gaze softened for just a moment, but he quickly masked it with indifference. "We were," he replied, his voice steady but distant. "But I'm not the person I was when we were kids, Suigetsu. I had to leave all of that behind."

Suigetsu's eyes burned with fury. "One day, you'll have to face everything you've abandoned. And when that day comes... I won't be there to protect you."

Ugetsu stared down at him, the words hanging in the air like an ominous prophecy. The mist seemed to grow thicker once more, a veil between them that felt insurmountable.

But Ugetsu didn't flinch. He had no intention of going back.