Chapter 25: Oil and Water

"AHHH!"

"Gamautsu!"

"I'm fine!" Gamautsu cried as he stood back up.

"Like hell you are! You're missing an arm!" Gamabushi cried, "Retreat already!"

"That's hilarious, coming from you!" Gamautsu scowled, "I'm sticking around!"

"Finally knocked one of them off their little perch on your shoulder." Zato sighed, "This is getting tiresome."

"I haven't shown you anything yet." Konohamaru smiled nervously.

"Oh, I think I've seen enough." Zato scowled, "You've held your own, sure, but you're not in anyway as powerful as the Hyogun. How many days has that woman alone held me at bay? But her techniques were artful. You are boring."

"I don't need your approval to beat you." Konohamaru said.

"Please. You must realize by now." Zato said as he held up his hand, "You haven't even forced me to stop using my kote yet."

"Gamautsu!"

The young frog leaped back up on Konohamaru's shoulder as Zato's kote clicked.

"Water Release: Water Bullet"

A blast of water the size of a boulder blasted forth from Zato's hand.

"Gamautsu!"

"Toad Oil Bullet!" Gamautsu spat forth oil in the shape of a bullet that matched Zato's technique. The two liquids crashed into each other, mixing into each other.

"Konohamaru!"

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!" Konohamaru threw forth a cloud of gunpowder that mixed into the water and oil. Gamabushi leaped forward, dipping a sword into the concoction.

"Now!"

Konohamaru clicked his teeth and set the gunpowder on fire.

"Frog Kata." Gamabushi gritted her teeth as the water, powder and oil were all set ablaze, "Lashing Volley!"

With a swing of her sword, she cut the concoction into pieces and sent them flying at Zato.

"It's been an entertaining trick." Zato sighed as he leaped over the attack, "Contaminating my water to the point where I cannot change it's state. But your trick only works on my water. I still have Ice."

Zato held out his kote again and summoned a dozen icicle spears, throwing them at Konohamaru.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Konohamaru spewed forth a wall of fire that melted the ice immediately.

"And Wind."

The melted ice became wind that spun torrentially around Konohamaru, like small tornadoes.

"Toad Oil Creek!" Gamautsu spat a veil of oil over the ground below the wind.

"Fire Release: Wind Burning!" Konohamaru directing his fire at the oil on the ground, dispelling the wind with the heat of his flames.

"And Lightning."

The heated wind began to spark and crackle until lightning was intertwined with the flames. Gamabushi landed on Konohamaru's head, holding up her sword. The lightning struck, directed towards Gamabushi's sword.

"Frog Kata: Lightning Dispelling!" Gamabushi swung her sword at Zato, sending the electricity flying back at him. But before it could hit him, it became water again, bending around him before flowing to his feet, becoming ice and forming a platform for him to stand on, staying afloat with a cycle of wind beneath it.

"I don't like having to use more than what's necessary." Zato sighed, "Just surrender."

"I think we've proven that we can handle your little tricks." Konohamaru smiled, "It's only a matter of time before we find a way to beat you."

"You may have a plan to counter my state shifting." Zato replied, "But I have yet to release a single technique that utilizes multiple natures, you know. What do you think will happen if I do?"

"Just try it!" Gamabushi yelled at him, "We're prepared for anything you've got in store."

"Speak for yourself." Gamautsu winced as he held his stump of an arm.

"Are all Konoha ninjas this crass?" Zato sighed, "Perhaps I have been spoiled by the Hyogun. I suppose I should treat you to a real technique."

Konohamaru and his frogs tensed as Zato began to weave hand signs.

"State Release: Voltic Fall."

Holding out both of this hands, a waterfall burst forth from his hands and crashed onto the ground, jumping up in waves towards Konohamaru. Weaved throughout the water was electricity.

"Oil's not going to work here." Gamautsu bit his lip.

"I can't cut such ferocious waves." Gamabushi added.

"This might take some finagling." Konohamaru said, tapping Gamautsu on the head.

"Oh boy, here we go." Gamautsu scowled as he took a deep breath, "Toad Oil Bullet!"

Gamautsu pointed his technique downward, splattering it over Konohamaru's feet.

"Don't slip." Gamabushi nodded.

Konohamaru leaped into the air, chakra coating over his feet and landed on the electrified water, standing above it as the electricity flowed past him.

"How are you-"

"This is a little bit of a new technique." Gamabushi said, "If you're familiar with how to use chakra to adhere to both solid and liquids, it's a culmination of both techniques to both adhere the oil to your feet and stand above it."

"Oil is collected under Konohamaru's feet." Gamautsu smirked, "And as any kid can tell you, oil floats over water. Plus oil insulates electricity."

"Interesting." Zato mused, "But still inelegant."

"Like I said, I don't need your approval." Konohamaru said as he ran on top of Zato's technique, towards him.

"But it's not difficult to counter." Zato said as he held out his hand, "State Change: Snap Freeze."

At once, the rushing water, electricity included, froze. Konohamaru stumbled as his feet was suddenly frozen.

"Oil's freezing point is higher than water." Zato said as his kote prepared another technique, "But it's merely a difference of five degrees. Wind Release."

Zato's technique was suddenly interrupted as his body suddenly contorted as if he had been hit by a cannonball. Unprepared, the rasengan burst and sent Zato flying back and into the ice wall.

"Nice aim." Yukikaze smiled.

"Invisibility was the more important factor." Boruto said, "I still don't really know how I do that."

"Boruto!" Konohamaru cried in relieved shock, "You finally arrived!"

"Save the celebration for later." Boruto smiled, "Let's get you out of there first. Yukikaze, can you change the ice back to water?"

"Sorry, I can't reverse the freezing process yet."

"Old fashioned way then." Boruto nodded as he leaped onto the frozen water and smashed a rasengan into ice around Konohamaru's feet, freeing him.

"Thanks kiddo." Gamabushi said, cradling her sword, "Thought we were goners for a minute there."

"We could have thawed our way out of there." Gamautsu muttered.

"Like we had enough time!" Gamabushi snapped, prodding Gamautsu with her sword, "Be quiet and thank them already!"

"Watch the stump you dumb broad!"

"And these are..." Boruto pointed to the frogs blankly.

"They're friends of mine." Konohamaru laughed.

"We're a tribe of frogs from Mount Myōboku!" Gamabushi explained proudly, "...I'm surprised you haven't heard of us from your father already."

Konohamaru coughed, "Ahem. Gamabushi, you might wanna-"

"What?" Gamabushi frowned, confused, "This kiddo's the one that Naruto-"

"Don't you know when to shut up you dumb broad." Gamautsu sighed.

"What'd you say you stupid toad?! Why should I not mention the Hokage in front of-Oooohhhh."

"Cripes woman, you're slow."

"No, my dad never really mentioned you." Boruto explained, unfazed, "He was never really around that often to begin with."

"I-Is that so?" Gamabushi smiled embarrassed, "W-Well it's fine really. Can't be helped. Maybe one day your dad'll-"

"Bushi."

"I mean-uh..."

"Something I'm missing?" Yukikaze blinked.

"Nothing that important, Yukikaze."

"Oh okay."

"Wait, Yukikaze?" Konohamaru frowned, "Isn't his name-"

"Tazuko!"

The three of them jumped up as Zato landed on the frozen ice, smashing the entire construct into pieces. He glared at them as the ice landed back on the bridge.

"I knew you were a double crossing traitor but I didn't know which side you were playing. How much longer are you going to antagonize us?"

"Until the land is free from your threat." Yukikaze stepped forward.

"Confident little traitor aren't you?" Zato smirked, "But who do you think gave you that kote?"

"I think it's rather poetic." Yukikaze said, pointing his kote at Zato, "That your own kote will be the end of you."

"You fool, you think I would trust you with a kote?" Zato sneered as he reached into his coat pocket, "All my men's kote have a secret little compartment that I had custom added. What do you think I put in there?"

"What?"

Zato withdrew a detonator and pointed it as Yukikaze, "A bomb."

"What?!" The others cried as Yukikaze pulled back his sleeve to look at his kote.

"Hey kid, chuck that thing away before it takes your arm off!" Gamautsu cried.

"That's right!" Gamabushi added, "Quickly, before he hits that detonator!"

Yukikaze grabbed his kote but hesitated before he pulled it off.

"What's wrong?!" Konohamaru asked.

"..."

"He's a smart little feller." Zato sneered, "He knows that without a kote, he doesn't stand a chance against me. After all, he's so vastly outclassed without a kote, what hope could he possibly have when I also wield a kote?!"

Yukikaze bit his lip as he continued to stare at his kote, his arms shivering.

"You idiot, what do you think you're going to do with just one arm?!" Gamabushi cried.

"Hey, that's hitting a little close to home right now!" Gamautsu yelled as he held his stump of an arm, "But the dumb broad's right! There's no reason for you to lose an arm over this!"

"..."

"If he really thought he could beat me without a kote then he wouldn't have joined us in the first place!" Zato gloated, "But if he's so attached to that kote then he can have it! I'll just be taking your arm!"

And with that Zato activated the detonator.

A giant explosion clawed at the sky. An explosion so big that it scraped the height of the ice wall, only the highest tips of it's flames able to be seen above it along with the smoke that it billowed into the air. Zato stared in shock at the explosion that had erupted behind the wall.

"What happened?!" He cried.

"So that's where he put it." Boruto blinked.

"What?!"

Boruto turned as his clone arrived next to him, "Take you long to find it?"

"Hardly." His clone smirked, "One transformation jutsu here, a few words there and they just told me where their supply of kotes were."

"Nice."

"And get this. I even used the remains of old Zenshin Kakumei. 'Sir! My kote got destroyed sir!' 'Well go get a replacement you idiot!'"

"I didn't think I was that good an actor." Boruto smiled.

"I'm not! That Hyogun was really setting them off in a panic. Things got even worse when some guy landed in the middle of their camp."

"You didn't destroy their supply yourself?"

"Naw, too many people around. Plus I know I wanted to see the look on their boss' face. Was it good?"

Boruto dismissed his clone as he turned to look at Zato, "Oh, it was good."

"You..." Zato scowled.

"When did you remove the bomb?!" Yukikaze cried, "How'd you even see the bomb?!"

"I dissected a lot of kotes." Boruto chuckled, "I know what the insides of one looked like. And I know what was off. As for when, when you asked me to take a look at your kote."

"Back then?!" Yukikaze cried, "I didn't see you do that!"

"Were you even paying attention?"

"Well no but you said nothing was wrong with it!"

"Nothing was wrong with it. After I removed the bomb."

"State Release: Leviathan!"

Boruto turned as an amalgam of four different elements in the shape of a dragon charged at him. Yukikaze stepped up and held out his kote.

"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"

A sphere of water expanded around Yukikaze's arm.

"Ice State: Thorn Embrace!"

Ice crept along the surface of his water prison as it wrapped around and throughout the sphere. Swinging the sphere up first, Yukikaze smashed it down on the dragon like a hammer. The two techniques clashed as Yukikaze struggled to push the dragon back.

"This...is tougher than I thought..."

"Gamautsu!"

"Toad Oil Bullet!"

A splattering of oil was thrown into Yukikaze's water prison and with a small fireball from Konohamaru, fire was added to Yukikaze's technique, giving him enough power to smash the dragon back.

"You..." Zato frowned as his attention turned to Yukikaze, "You used a State Change?"

"...Yeah."

"Only one person I know is capable of the same technique as me." Zato held his head in his hand, "And that is the Hyogun herself."

"How fitting. I just so happen to be her son."

"Her son?!" Konohamaru cried.

"Yep. Name's Yukikaze. Tazuko was just an alias I took after checking some files about the creation of the Naruto Bridge."

"You hid yourself well." Zato scowled, "Not a single person in the village gave you away. Or is this another one of your 'united in thought' things?"

"No, this was a hobby of mine." Yukikaze chuckled, "I always liked to go down to the village and chat with the people."

"A prince coming down to talk with the people?" Zato frowned, "You're an odd one."

"A ruler can't rule properly he does not know the true feelings of his people." Yukikaze replied, "Whatever the people feel I convey to my mother."

"And what? You think that'll help her?" Zato scoffed, "A ruler rules. That is all that he needs to do! The peasants have no right, no power to complain."

"A leader is nothing without his people." Yukikaze frowned.

"What foolishness. Here I stand alone and you all still have no chance of winning."

"But you've been thwarted every step of the way haven't you?" Boruto said, "Akuha was defeated, your bomb was used against you. In fact, the Hyogun has kept you down for the longest time hasn't she?"

"...Yeah..." Zato scowled, "But I have yet to lose. In the end I will win. What does such unremarkable feats mean when when this war will come to a close soon?"

"I agree." Boruto said as he shifted his lab coat, "This war will be coming to a close."

"One way or another." Konohamaru said.

"We'll take you down." Yukikaze nodded.