ANBU Base.
BANG!!!!
Fuguki Suikazan let his massive palm slam onto the desk beside him, the force so great that the entire table shattered!
"Damn it! Damn it!!!"
Even though he had already returned to Kirigakure from Konoha, that battle had become a nightmare that haunted him.
Every time he closed his eyes in bed, that blood-red steam appeared before him again.
Who would have thought—
—That ridiculous, outdated-looking green guy would possess such terrifying forbidden Taijutsu?!
He hadn't had a good night's sleep since.
Fuguki Suikazan rolled over and sat up, rubbing his face.
Stepping out of his room, he pointed at an ANBU member who happened to be passing by, his voice irritable.
"Hey, you. You're Kisame, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Hoshigaki Kisame stopped in his tracks and bowed respectfully.
"Do you have an order for me? I heard a commotion from your room just now..."
"Enough nonsense. Go inside and clean up."
"Understood. Lord Fuguki, how are your injuries? I heard you were seriously wounded..."
Fuguki Suikazan shot him a menacing glare, and Kisame immediately shut his mouth. He bowed again and stepped aside to let the hulking man pass.
Closing his eyes briefly, Fuguki Suikazan couldn't shake the images from that battle with Might Duy.
Against that forbidden technique, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been utterly powerless. They hadn't even lasted a single round before being gravely injured or outright killed.
The others had all perished.
Only Jinin Akebino had managed to escape, driven by his cowardice.
As for him, he had barely survived thanks to his sword, Samehada, which healed his mortal wounds.
Back then, they had thought nothing of being assigned to a mission together. It hadn't occurred to them that it could have been a trap set by Yagura.
And now, looking at the current situation...
It probably was.
He could no longer stay in Kirigakure.
Weighing his options for escaping safely, Fuguki Suikazan stepped into a narrow, dimly lit hallway.
SWISH SWISH SWISH—
The sudden sound of chains rapidly extending rang out behind him!
"Nani?!"
In the confined space, his massive body had just enough room to move—but not enough to react in time.
Without warning, eight chains tipped with sharp spikes shot forward, piercing through his limbs and torso!
SHLICK!
Hoshigaki Kisame drew his blade, lunging forward in an instant and driving his sword straight through Fuguki Suikazan's chest.
With a powerful twist, the blade ripped through flesh, bursting out from the front!
Pain. Rage!
Fuguki Suikazan's beady fish-like eyes bulged as he turned his head with great difficulty, his bloodshot gaze locking onto Kisame's shadowed face, unreadable in the dim light.
"Kisame... You bastard!! You dare betray me?! Ahhh!!!"
Kisame twisted the blade again, widening the fatal wound.
Then, he yanked it free and kicked Fuguki Suikazan to the ground.
With a final shudder, the former leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen fell silent.
Dead.
Kisame flicked his sword, sending droplets of blood scattering across the corridor.
Memories of Fuguki Suikazan secretly selling Kirigakure's classified information to other nations flashed through his mind.
Over six months ago, the Third Mizukage had summoned him, an obscure ANBU member at the time, for a private meeting.
The Mizukage had given him a mission: "After my death, at the right moment—kill Fuguki Suikazan."
From the moment he accepted that command, he had already steeled himself to eliminate his superior.
Now, all that remained was executing the final step of his plan.
Raising his blade high—
He brought it down, severing the head of his former leader.
Blood splattered in all directions.
...
Kisame entered Fuguki Suikazan's room and picked up the massive sword, Samehada, from where it hung on the wall.
Slipping it onto his back, he studied the weapon.
Despite being called a sword, Samehada was more akin to a living creature—a shark-like entity covered in spiky scales that could devour chakra.
As if sensing that its wielder was no longer its original master, the blade squirmed and thrashed in agitation, like a fish flopping desperately in water.
Kisame raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Samehada was... absorbing his chakra?
He had heard rumors of its abilities, that it was a sentient being capable of draining a ninja's energy. But to witness it firsthand was something else entirely.
His chakra reserves were massive. Though he had not yet reached his future status as the "Tailless Tailed Beast," his chakra far exceeded that of most ANBU and elite Jonin.
Samehada's feast on his energy was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Choosing not to interfere, he allowed the blade to feed for a while.
This human's chakra...
Tastier than the last one.
Samehada recognized the difference. Once it had sated itself for the moment, it settled down.
Kisame smirked. "You really do have quite the appetite, little thing."
Samehada wriggled slightly, as if responding.
Stepping over Fuguki Suikazan's lifeless body, Kisame left the ANBU base.
With the massive sword strapped to his back, the scent of blood still clinging to him, he walked purposefully toward the Mizukage's office.
...
Yagura was visibly stunned when Kisame arrived with news of Fuguki Suikazan's death.
Was this also part of his plan?
Ao, Genshi, and even Jinin Akebino turned to look at Yagura, as if expecting confirmation. But judging by his reaction, it seemed this wasn't something he had arranged.
"Hey, hey, what kind of person do you take me for?" Yagura sighed.
He had gone to sleep and woken up feeling much better—only to be greeted with the sight of everyone staring at him like he was some kind of monster.
This wasn't his doing. Not this time.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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