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"You guys are a bunch of f****** idiots" - 2nd Mizukage trolling the 4th Company of the Shinobi Alliance
Preface: Gengetsu Hōzuki was one of Kishimoto's better characters in my opinion, even though he was only showcased for a relatively short time. His blend of unique, yet powerful abilities combined with his flamboyant personality really breathed life into what was becoming an increasingly boring manga at the time of his introduction. In this thread, I will go a little bit more in depth with his abilities, including his Mirage Genjutsu. Lets start with the abilities that his clan, the Hōzuki, is famous for.
Benefits of the Hydrification Technique:
Here's an overview of this technique
Oily/Watery Substance
- From these scans, we can see that Gengetsu's liquefaction has unique properties due to the oil and water inside his body. This mixture was able to seep inside Gaara's sand and partially destroy it due to the oil inside said mixture. Not sure how that works, but since Kishi is the Kami-sama of Naruto, he decides what does and doesn't make sense. Gengetsu's so smooth, he can make oil and water mix =O
Merging with a water source + Water Release: Demon Fish
- By liquefying his whole body, Gengetsu can completely merge himself with a water source, and can make any part of his body appear if he wants to, such as his head, or his torso. Not only can he manipulate the water from his body, he can also manipulate the water he merges with, and form it into a giant wave-looking creature like Suigetsu did in the last scan. Note that Gengetsu can also make it look like anything he wants, since hydrification allows him to control the water at will. The form Suigetsu used was strong enough to push back the Hachibi, but the Mizukage can probably make it bigger due to his superior skill and chakra reserves.
Drowning Blob + Defensive benefits
- Hydrification can be used as a defensive measure in CQC or from mid to long ranged techniques. By liquefying his body, Gengetsu can tank physical damage, while manipulating a portion of the water created around the opponent's head in order to drown them if the latter is close enough to the former's body. However, hydrification has a weakness to raiton, and parts of the user's body can be seperated by strong enough attacks (fuuton, C2, Shuradō's missles, etc.), or strong punches fromTsunade or Sakura to prevent the user's body from forming again. The assimilation of enough poison (so that it doesn't dilute) into the user's body in this state can also prove deadly.
Water Gun Technique
- By compressing water from his body into a droplet in his index finger , Gengetsu can create "bullet", and shoot it with an extreme amount of force and speed. The second scan shows that it can be used with two hands. This technique can be used to "snipe" other shinobi from at least mid range, considering the velocity with which the bullet travels.
It can easily pierce through human flesh, but an exterior source of armor like Spiral Zetsu's can tank this technique, and advanced healing prowess can regenerate any damage created (though a bullet or two through the brain might suffice ^_^).
Water Arm Technique
- By compressing moisure inside the body, and concentrating it into either of his arms, Gengetsu can temporarily buff the size and strength of said arms. In this scan, Suigetsu was able effortlessly punch through a locked door made of metal, so the strength boost is considerable and could prove to be a viable weapon in CQC.
This technique is very underrated, and very versatile, as I'll be outlining below.This technique makes it impossible to receive damage from physical attacks. From a single hair, to the skin and muscles, everything can be liquefied and solidified at will. Be it to evade an enemy's attack during a short range battle, to infiltrate a structure, or to launch a surprise attack in a liquefied state, this technique boasts a high strategic value. Applying this technique, the user can also modify their body parts for suitable situations.
Oily/Watery Substance
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- From these scans, we can see that Gengetsu's liquefaction has unique properties due to the oil and water inside his body. This mixture was able to seep inside Gaara's sand and partially destroy it due to the oil inside said mixture. Not sure how that works, but since Kishi is the Kami-sama of Naruto, he decides what does and doesn't make sense. Gengetsu's so smooth, he can make oil and water mix =O
Merging with a water source + Water Release: Demon Fish
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- By liquefying his whole body, Gengetsu can completely merge himself with a water source, and can make any part of his body appear if he wants to, such as his head, or his torso. Not only can he manipulate the water from his body, he can also manipulate the water he merges with, and form it into a giant wave-looking creature like Suigetsu did in the last scan. Note that Gengetsu can also make it look like anything he wants, since hydrification allows him to control the water at will. The form Suigetsu used was strong enough to push back the Hachibi, but the Mizukage can probably make it bigger due to his superior skill and chakra reserves.
Drowning Blob + Defensive benefits
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- Hydrification can be used as a defensive measure in CQC or from mid to long ranged techniques. By liquefying his body, Gengetsu can tank physical damage, while manipulating a portion of the water created around the opponent's head in order to drown them if the latter is close enough to the former's body. However, hydrification has a weakness to raiton, and parts of the user's body can be seperated by strong enough attacks (fuuton, C2, Shuradō's missles, etc.), or strong punches fromTsunade or Sakura to prevent the user's body from forming again. The assimilation of enough poison (so that it doesn't dilute) into the user's body in this state can also prove deadly.
Water Gun Technique
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- By compressing water from his body into a droplet in his index finger , Gengetsu can create "bullet", and shoot it with an extreme amount of force and speed. The second scan shows that it can be used with two hands. This technique can be used to "snipe" other shinobi from at least mid range, considering the velocity with which the bullet travels.
It can easily pierce through human flesh, but an exterior source of armor like Spiral Zetsu's can tank this technique, and advanced healing prowess can regenerate any damage created (though a bullet or two through the brain might suffice ^_^).
Water Arm Technique
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- By compressing moisure inside the body, and concentrating it into either of his arms, Gengetsu can temporarily buff the size and strength of said arms. In this scan, Suigetsu was able effortlessly punch through a locked door made of metal, so the strength boost is considerable and could prove to be a viable weapon in CQC.
Now for everyone's favorite, Jōki Bōi!
Steaming Danger Tyranny
Here's an outline of this technique
- This technique vaguely resembles the water cycle, and is known as an infinite explosion ninjutsu like Tobirama Senju's Gōjo Kibaku Fuda, so needless to say, this clone will keep on attacking and exploding until it is put down.
Feats:
- As the scans show here, Jōki bōi is actually very fast, and was able to feasibly maneuver itself around Gaara's chakra infused sand, which is noted for being fast as well. Its speed doesn't decrease at all when it expands as well.
- Since it is constantly moving at a high speed, Jōki Bōi will always be exerting itself out on the battlefield, meaning that explosions will be numerous and relatively constant unless it is quickly put down.
- In the last scan, most of the shinobi covered by Gaara's mother shield would have either died or been incapacitated if Gaara hadn't blocked the explosion in time, and the latter even took some damage from the explosion despite being shielded by some of his sand.
- It can form an an axe on one of its hands, which can conceivably pierce human flesh due to the speed with which Jōki Bōi travels, and the resulting force of its hits. However, due to a lack of feats, the axe isn't certain to be strong enough to cut through something more durable, like Manda's skin for example.
- The drawback of this technique is that it leaves Gengetsu heavily weakened. This weakness can somewhat be aleviated in an environment with a water source, where he can merge himself with the water and hide in it.
- Note that the steam imp is essentially a modified clone of the Mizukage, so this confirms that he can use Mizu Bunshins.Firstly, he creates a clone — which resembles a chibi version of himself — made from the oil and water in his body. The water in the clone is surrounded by a thin layer of oil and due to this structure, the clone's temperature can easily be altered from cold to hot and vice-versa. When it exerts itself, the outer layer of oil heats up and evaporates the water inside. As the internal pressure builds, the clone expands until it violently explodes and the water vapour is released. This vapour then cools down as it rises and as a result, turns into hail that cools the clone, causing it to shrink to its original size and start the entire process again.
- This technique vaguely resembles the water cycle, and is known as an infinite explosion ninjutsu like Tobirama Senju's Gōjo Kibaku Fuda, so needless to say, this clone will keep on attacking and exploding until it is put down.
Feats:
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- As the scans show here, Jōki bōi is actually very fast, and was able to feasibly maneuver itself around Gaara's chakra infused sand, which is noted for being fast as well. Its speed doesn't decrease at all when it expands as well.
- Since it is constantly moving at a high speed, Jōki Bōi will always be exerting itself out on the battlefield, meaning that explosions will be numerous and relatively constant unless it is quickly put down.
- In the last scan, most of the shinobi covered by Gaara's mother shield would have either died or been incapacitated if Gaara hadn't blocked the explosion in time, and the latter even took some damage from the explosion despite being shielded by some of his sand.
- It can form an an axe on one of its hands, which can conceivably pierce human flesh due to the speed with which Jōki Bōi travels, and the resulting force of its hits. However, due to a lack of feats, the axe isn't certain to be strong enough to cut through something more durable, like Manda's skin for example.
- The drawback of this technique is that it leaves Gengetsu heavily weakened. This weakness can somewhat be aleviated in an environment with a water source, where he can merge himself with the water and hide in it.
For the final event, the Mizukage's Clam Genjutsu
Demonic Illusion: Steaming Multistoried Building:
This genjutsu is much more potent than people notice right off the bat. Here is an outline of how it works
1. Gengetsu pours his chakra into the clam in order to make the mist. Essentially, the clam is acting as a vehicle here.
2. The mist is exuded from the clam's siphons located on its side.
3. Once the mist is out, Gengetsu can manifest realistic, yet deceptive images of himself, the clam, and the environment within the mist.
(Side note: This technique and Jōki bōi cannot be used at the same time due the latter taking up most of Gengetsu's chakra while in use.)
- In these scans, we see that a small layer of mist enshrouding the real clam is actually what's hiding it and the real Mizukage, while the mist is being occulted by a mirage. The mist serves to create deceptively realistic images, so, Gengetsu can choose to manifest mirages of whatever he wants to conceal.
- The reason why chakra sensor types cannot locate Gengetsu while this genjutsu is active is because his chakra is technically all around the air within the mist's range, and around the mirages he makes. These individuals won't be able to discern the fake thing from the real thing.
- As Gengetsu noted, the range of this genjutsu is huge, and fake images within the mist's range can be made at will.
- Gengetsu himself can use hydrification and its branch techniques while the mirages are in effect, so this genjutsu could be even more effective in an environment where there's a water source.
Here's how Gengetsu activates this genjutsu after summoning the clam:A wide-range genjutsu (広範囲幻術, kōhan'i genjutsu; Literally meaning "wide-range illusion technique"), whereby Gengetsu, in conjunction with his summon, is able to manifest realistic mirages using the mist exuded by the clam. As it is impossible for observers to distinguish from the real thing through normal methods, this property makes the technique ideal for concealing the actual location of either individual, resulting in confusion amongst the opposition as their attacks are rendered ineffective and they attempt to ascertain the pair's true positions. However, in order to maintain the illusions, the clam must continually exude the mist from its siphons,[2] throughout the duration of the technique.
According to Gengetsu, the only method to end the technique is to defeat the real clam but as the creature itself remains camouflaged within the mirage, this is no easy task, even if the summoner is providing beneficial advice. While the technique is in effect, both Gengetsu and the clam cannot be sensed through traditional means, with the exception of contact type (接触タイプ, sesshoku taipu) methods.
1. Gengetsu pours his chakra into the clam in order to make the mist. Essentially, the clam is acting as a vehicle here.
2. The mist is exuded from the clam's siphons located on its side.
3. Once the mist is out, Gengetsu can manifest realistic, yet deceptive images of himself, the clam, and the environment within the mist.
(Side note: This technique and Jōki bōi cannot be used at the same time due the latter taking up most of Gengetsu's chakra while in use.)
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- In these scans, we see that a small layer of mist enshrouding the real clam is actually what's hiding it and the real Mizukage, while the mist is being occulted by a mirage. The mist serves to create deceptively realistic images, so, Gengetsu can choose to manifest mirages of whatever he wants to conceal.
- The reason why chakra sensor types cannot locate Gengetsu while this genjutsu is active is because his chakra is technically all around the air within the mist's range, and around the mirages he makes. These individuals won't be able to discern the fake thing from the real thing.
- As Gengetsu noted, the range of this genjutsu is huge, and fake images within the mist's range can be made at will.
- Gengetsu himself can use hydrification and its branch techniques while the mirages are in effect, so this genjutsu could be even more effective in an environment where there's a water source.
Now, time for my assesment regarding on the sharingan/byakugan/rinnegan's ability to discern the Mizukage's clam genjutsu.
- As ridiculously OP as it would have made him, I (for now) don't think that the genjutsu can hide the Mizukage and the clam from dōjutsu. The techniques that we've seen in the manga that can cloud the sharingan and the rinnegan's line of sight are Shima's Wind Release Dust Cloud, and Mei/Zabuza's Hiding in Mist technique. What those two techniques have in common is that the smoke/fog/mist is thick enough to inhibit the sharingan and the rinnegan's vision. The mist exuded from the clam that creates mirages is either as thick as, or less thick than Mei Terumi's Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique, which isn't thick enough to cloud the sharingan's view of the opponent's body. As I believe right now, all 3 dōjutsu would see through mirages for what they are, and identify Gengetsu and his clam being occulted by a thin layer of mist.
However, the 2nd Mizukage still is, in my opinion, a high kage level shinobi and worthy of being put in the same tier as shinobi like Mū and Minato Namikaze. The strongest opponents he can beat (in my opinion) are Minato, Tobirama, and Kisame. Some shinobi that present a bad matchup for him and beat him are Itachi, Deidara, and the Third Raikage.
Thanks for the read. All feedback and constructive criticism is welcome. Ty and Trollkage solos.