Fuguki Suikazan gripped the hilt of Samehada tightly with both hands. The living greatsword covered in backward facing spikes let out a harsh grinding sound, as though it were responding to its master's fighting spirit.
"You brat, you'll pay for your arrogance!"
He suddenly swung Samehada down.
"Samehada: Severing Smash!"
The hammer like structures on both sides of Samehada tore through the air with a white streak, accompanied by an explosive shriek as it smashed toward Kiyohara.
The essence of this technique did not lie in sharpness, but in its terrifying force and massive range, enough to flatten steel into scrap metal.
Kiyohara drew the shinobi blade from his waist and, at the exact moment Samehada's crushing strike descended, directly blocked it head on.
Clang!
The crisp collision rang out almost simultaneously.
Kiyohara's arm remained as steady as a mountain. Sparks exploded where the shinobi blade and Samehada collided.
Fuguki Suikazan's pupils contracted sharply.
Something was wrong.
That overwhelming force had actually rebounded through Samehada itself and into his palms.
This brat's strength was absurd.
If Samehada had not acted as a buffer, then caught off guard, he might have been blasted away by that strike alone!
"If this is all you have to make me pay a price, then you're disappointing."
At the same time, black curse marks spread across Kiyohara's body, rapidly crawling over his cheeks, arms, and chest.
Curse Seal Transformation: State One!
The muscles in the arm holding his blade swelled slightly before he violently lifted upward.
Boom!
Fuguki Suikazan only felt a monstrous force far beyond his expectations surge from Samehada. Pain shot through his palms, and the massive sword nearly flew from his hands.
He staggered backward three steps in embarrassment, each footstep leaving deep prints in the wet ground.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Realizing he could not compete in raw strength, Fuguki Suikazan immediately formed hand seals and spat out tsunami like torrents of water.
Not only did he convert chakra into actual seawater, he even drew in the surrounding ocean near the coastline, causing endless waves to converge upon the island as though attempting to drown it entirely beneath a vast sea.
Towering waves continuously crashed toward Kiyohara, yet Kiyohara remained standing in place without moving even half a step.
The torrents struck before him and split apart to both sides.
Fuguki Suikazan's true objective had never been a direct attack. His hands formed seals again.
"Now this is my battlefield!"
The water surface began rotating around him, forming an enormous whirlpool.
Standing at the center of the vortex, the muscles on his back twisted violently. From his tailbone extended a shark tail covered in scales. His face distorted, his teeth sharpened, and his skin developed the rough texture of shark hide.
Even gills emerged along his cheeks, allowing him to breathe freely underwater.
Samehada Fusion Form!
Just like Kisame, Fuguki Suikazan could fuse the greatsword Samehada into his own body, transforming himself into a half human, half shark monster.
In this state, he could swim freely through water while gaining chakra sensing and chakra devouring abilities.
Seeing him appear in such a form caused Kakashi's pupils to shrink.
His Sharingan could clearly see the chakra flow inside Fuguki Suikazan's body.
It had strengthened.
"This is the true power of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"
His voice carried a bubbling distortion from the surrounding water.
Kiyohara quietly observed the scene, and a trace of interest flashed through his eyes.
"A living weapon capable of fusion… interesting."
He was becoming more and more fascinated with Samehada.
This kind of biological weapon that could coexist and evolve alongside its host… besides this form, could it transform into something else as well?
After all, even though Samehada was technically a fish, it suffered no limitations on land.
Then what would happen if it were fed Fire natured chakra instead?
The thought caused the curiosity in Kiyohara's eyes to deepen further.
Fuguki Suikazan clearly misunderstood that expression, assuming it was fear of his power.
Laughing wildly, he slammed one hand against the water.
"Rain Four Sharks!"
Four sharks made entirely of water burst vertically from the whirlpool. After rising into the air, they suddenly dived toward Kiyohara's position.
Kiyohara raised a hand to defend, but when the four water sharks reached several meters before him, they abruptly split apart.
One thousand!
Countless miniature shark shaped water bullets poured down like torrential rain, covering the entire water surface area!
"Kiyohara!"
Rin cried out in alarm from the distance.
She and Kurenai stood back to back atop the water, maintaining their footing through chakra control beneath their feet.
Kakashi and Might Guy were each trapped in fierce battles against Mist shinobi, unable to break away.
Yet Kiyohara did not even bother lifting his head.
He merely snapped his fingers lightly.
The next moment, enormous quantities of gold sand surged out from the gourd beside him.
The grains intertwined in midair, weaving into an airtight defensive barrier that blocked every single shark water bullet.
Clang clang clang clang!
Under the cover of this chaos, Fuguki Suikazan suddenly pulled a metal chain from his shinobi pouch.
After fusing with Samehada, he could only use other weapons.
However, this form greatly enhanced all of his physical attributes.
The metal chain lashed out like a whip toward Kiyohara and Hyuga Ginka beside him.
Kiyohara's figure vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already carrying Ginka away from danger.
Almost at the same moment, another battlefield underwent a sudden change.
"Dead Bone Pulse: Ten Finger Piercing Bullets!"
A white haired Mist shinobi with two red marks between his brows charged in from the flank.
A Kaguya clan jonin, Kaguya Dairo.
Ten finger bones shot from his fingertips like bullets, targeting Might Guy, who was currently fighting against three Mist shinobi at once.
Guy roared furiously as green steam erupted around him once more.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
He kicked away the enemy before him, then forcibly twisted his body midair, barely dodging most of the bone bullets. Even so, two still grazed his arm and side, tearing open bloody wounds.
"Guy!"
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately drove his kunai through the throat of the Mist shinobi in front of him before turning and charging straight toward Kaguya Dairo.
Lightning chakra condensed in his palm, releasing the ear piercing cry of a thousand birds.
"Chidori!"
Blue white lightning ripped through the air, thrusting directly toward Kaguya Dairo's heart!
Kaguya Dairo sneered coldly. The ribs in his chest suddenly pierced through his skin, forming a shield of bone.
Clang!
The Chidori collided against the bone shield, yet only managed to carve shallow dents into it without fully piercing through.
Kakashi frowned deeply. The hardness and thickness of these bones were even more troublesome than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, the pressure on Rin and Kurenai increased sharply as well.
Rin rapidly formed hand seals, using Water Release ninjutsu to fend off three Mist shinobi attempting to surround them. Kurenai used Wind Release techniques to disrupt the enemy formation, but the opposing numbers were simply too overwhelming, and the encirclement gradually tightened.
At this moment, nobody noticed that from a cave on the opposite side of the island, a figure quietly emerged.
As seawater continuously flooded the island, she had no choice but to leave the cave now filled with water.
She was a girl around her mid teens, with reddish brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her appearance was beautiful, but her emerald green eyes were currently filled with fury.
Terumi Mei!
When the alarm sounded earlier, she had been organizing intelligence deep within the cave. But the instant she rushed outside, the first thing she saw caused her pupils to contract violently.
Along the coastline, the corpses of Mist shinobi floated across the sea in every direction.
But what ignited her rage the most was that Konoha shinobi in the distance embracing the Hyuga woman.
That man called Kiyohara.
How many of her comrades had this man slaughtered on the previous Mist battlefield?
And now, he actually dared to hold another woman in his arms and act intimately right on her territory?
"Kiyohara!"
Mei gritted her teeth viciously as her hands instantly completed a string of seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Drawing in an enormous amount of seawater from the shore, she formed a roaring water dragon that charged toward Kiyohara carrying her towering fury.
Kiyohara had only just brought Hyuga Ginka away from danger when he sensed another incoming attack. Turning his head, he saw Terumi Mei in the middle of forming hand seals.
After taking a single glance at it, Kiyohara faced the attack coming from the side while still holding Ginka in his arms and formed hand seals.
What he used was the exact same technique.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
However, the water dragon released by Kiyohara was actually twice the size of Mei's.
The two water dragons collided in midair, and Mei's dragon was almost instantly torn apart.
The remaining torrent smashed toward her position, forcing her to leap backward in embarrassment. After barely regaining her footing, her face alternated between pale and flushed.
She stared fixedly at Kiyohara, only to discover that his scarlet Sharingan was looking directly at her, the three tomoe within his pupils slowly rotating.
He was… copying my Water Release?
Mei instantly realized it, and shame mixed with shock surged through her.
As a genius of Kirigakure, her mastery of Water Release stood at the peak among those of her generation, yet now it had been imitated and even surpassed so casually by someone else.
And Kiyohara truly was learning.
After completing his Water nature chakra, what he lacked most was practical combat experience and advanced Water Release techniques.
The appearance of Mei and all these Kirigakure shinobi was practically like someone delivering storage drives directly to his doorstep.
At this moment, he was practically like someone who had purchased a premium membership and was now downloading all these files at high speed.
"Next time, don't stand there stupidly without moving."
Kiyohara spoke indifferently.
Just now, when he saw Hyuga Ginka foolishly standing still instead of dodging, he had carried her away.
Internally, he shook his head.
The Hyuga Clan really had declined.
Ginka's body stiffened slightly, but she still nodded.
"U-understood…"
She tried her best to ignore the awkward fact that Kiyohara was still holding her around the waist with one arm while she activated her Byakugan and vigilantly scanned the battlefield.
That scene happened to fall directly into Mei's eyes, and instantly a nameless fury surged straight to her head.
This bastard.
He killed my comrades, stole my ninjutsu, and now he actually dares to flirt with another woman right in front of me?!
"I'll kill you!"
Mei formed hand seals once more, but before she could release her attack, another voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"Hey, hey, Suikazan. You look a little pathetic over there."
A figure carrying a gigantic executioner blade walked out from the forest.
It was none other than Biwa Juzo!
A mocking grin hung on his face, though his eyes were icy cold.
"Biwa Juzo?!"
Rin cried out in alarm.
"The intelligence was wrong… there are actually two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen on this island!"
Kurenai's expression also turned grave.
One Fuguki Suikazan was already troublesome enough, and now there was Biwa Juzo as well…
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately disengaged from his fight against Kaguya Dairo without hesitation and used Body Flicker to appear in front of Biwa Juzo.
"Your opponent is me."
"Oh? The lucky little brat with a transplanted Sharingan?"
Biwa Juzo raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
He suddenly swung the Executioner's Blade downward. Kakashi blocked with a kunai, but the weight of the massive sword far exceeded ordinary weapons, causing his arm to go numb as he was forced to retreat repeatedly.
"Kakashi!"
Guy wanted to rush over and help, but Kaguya Dairo's bone spikes forced him back.
Seeing this, Fuguki Suikazan burst into triumphant laughter.
"Hahahaha! Kiyohara, how exactly are you going to fight two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone? This was my real plan all along!"
Kiyohara finally shifted his gaze away from Mei and looked toward Fuguki Suikazan and Biwa Juzo.
Then he released the hand wrapped around Ginka's waist.
Caught off guard, Ginka stumbled unsteadily and nearly fell from the water surface into the sea below. Before she could even react, she saw Kiyohara suddenly produce three specially crafted shuriken in each hand and violently throw them out.
Biwa Juzo had no choice but to abandon his pursuit of Kakashi and raise the Executioner's Blade to block.
Clang clang clang clang!
And at the exact instant he blocked them, Kiyohara curled his finger slightly, causing the wires attached to the tails of the shuriken to suddenly tighten!
The razor sharp wires, sharp enough to slice through steel, closed in from every direction and formed a deadly net.
Biwa Juzo swept the Executioner's Blade horizontally and barely managed to cut several of the wires, but a few still brushed across his arms and thighs, carving out bloody wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Kiyohara's figure instantly appeared directly in front of him before driving a kick into his chest.
Bang!
Biwa Juzo was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing through several waterlogged trees in succession before finally smashing heavily into a rock wall. Broken stones rained down noisily.
Afterward, Kiyohara flicked the wires and calmly retrieved the specially crafted shuriken.
These were all high quality products acquired from Uchiha Tekka.
"Kakashi, leave the others to you."
Kiyohara spoke without even turning around.
"Mei Terumi and these two… I'll handle them myself."
Kakashi inhaled deeply before nodding.
"Understood."
He immediately turned and charged toward Kaguya Dairo, forming a pincer attack together with Guy.
Rin and Kurenai also reorganized their formation, standing back to back while dealing with the surrounding Mist shinobi.
Kiyohara once again looked toward Fuguki Suikazan and Biwa Juzo, who had just climbed out from the shattered rock wall.
"You did pretty well."
Kiyohara placed the shuriken back into his shinobi pouch.
"But…"
Black curse marks spread across his body once more, yet this time the transformation was far more intense.
His skin turned light brown, while a thick armored tail burst through the clothing along his spine.
Curse Seal Transformation: State Two!
"As everyone knows, bosses all have a second phase, right?"
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"I still have a little time left. Entertain me. Don't be too boring."
Those words instantly caused both Fuguki Suikazan and Biwa Juzo to feel a chilling humiliation from being looked down upon.
"Bastard!"
Biwa Juzo exploded first. Raising the Executioner's Blade high overhead, he charged forward like a whirlwind.
The Executioner's Blade possessed the special ability to absorb blood and repair itself. As long as it landed even one strike, it would only become stronger and stronger during battle!
Yet Kiyohara did not even bother drawing his sword.
He simply raised his right hand, where golden grains of sand rapidly gathered and shaped themselves into a spindle shaped projectile.
Then came electromagnetic acceleration.
Whoosh!
The sharp sound of breaking air could not even keep up with the projectile's speed.
Biwa Juzo only saw a flash of golden light, and in the next instant, an overwhelming impact exploded from the Executioner's Blade in his hands.
Clang!!!
The massive sword was directly blasted away, spinning violently before embedding itself into a distant reef.
Biwa Juzo's palms split open instantly, blood pouring out as the residual force dragged his entire body backward.
"Wh…"
Before he could even finish expressing his shock, Kiyohara had already appeared before him.
This time, Kiyohara's right hand became covered in a pitch black metallic sheen.
Steel Release: Steel Hardening!
Then he layered on the hardening effect of Earth Release: Earth Spear and threw out the simplest possible straight punch.
"Magnet Release: Electromagnetic Fist."
Driven by electromagnetic force, the speed of the punch shattered the sound barrier itself. The compressed air formed a white shockwave.
Biwa Juzo instinctively crossed his arms in defense, but the moment that punch landed, he knew it was over.
Crack!
The sound of shattered arm bones was terrifyingly crisp.
His defense was torn apart like paper. The force of the punch penetrated through both arms before crashing heavily into his chest.
Biwa Juzo spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs as his entire body flew away like a kite with snapped strings.
His face turned grave as he hurriedly borrowed the momentum to retrieve the Executioner's Blade.
The strongest aspect of the Executioner's Blade was its self repairing ability. Its wielder could also absorb blood to restore stamina.
At the same time, it possessed certain effects that accelerated wound healing for its user.
Although it was not as monstrous as Fuguki Suikazan's Samehada, it could still rival ordinary medical ninjutsu.
Fuguki Suikazan naturally understood Biwa Juzo's intentions, so he immediately moved forward to buy him time.
At that moment, an orange red sphere of light had appeared in Kiyohara's left hand at some unknown point. Highly compressed Fire natured chakra burned and rotated within the form of a Rasengan.
"This is my gift."
Kiyohara tossed the "Fire Release: Microwave Great Flame Rasengan" toward Fuguki Suikazan.
Boom!!!
The instant the fireball touched the water's surface, a horrifying temperature exploded outward.
Centered around the point of impact, the surrounding seawater was instantly vaporized, creating a massive depression.
Accompanied by huge quantities of steam, Fuguki Suikazan screamed miserably as he leapt out of the water. The shark tail forming his lower body had already been scalded bright red.
Even Samehada trembled painfully, its spikes curling inward.
Too hot!
The local water temperature had been instantly boiled alive. Had his reaction been even slightly slower, he probably would have been cooked alive on the spot!
"Y-you monster…"
The intense pain twisted Fuguki Suikazan's already hideous face even further. In his gaze toward Kiyohara, fury now mixed together with fear.
The "Samehada Fusion Form" that allowed him to dominate both land and sea had actually suffered such a devastating loss from a casual Fire jutsu.
Who could have imagined that Kiyohara's Fire jutsu would be so hot that it could boil an entire section of the sea into scalding water?
Was this even reasonable?
Fuguki Suikazan desperately wanted to ask that question.
In the distance, Mei's emerald green eyes narrowed slightly while her red lips pressed tightly together.
She had personally witnessed Kiyohara unleash the terrifying "Fire Release: Microwave Great Flame Rasengan."
Such technique could practically be called the natural nemesis of Fuguki Suikazan.
Because in this form, he could only unleash his greatest power while inside water.
Within water, not only would his speed increase tremendously, but the power of his Water Release ninjutsu would also rise dramatically.
Hyuga Ginka stood some distance behind Kiyohara on the water surface, the veins around her Byakugan pulsing faintly.
Only now did she seriously observe the amount of chakra inside Kiyohara's body.
It completely surpassed the level of the younger generation.
Ginka had never seen anyone of the same age possess more chakra than Kiyohara.
That vast chakra continuously emerged from Kiyohara's cells before flowing endlessly through his network of chakra pathways.
Although Kakashi, Guy, Rin, and Kurenai were each entangled in fierce combat, the corners of their eyes remained focused on the main battlefield the entire time.
When they saw Biwa Juzo blasted away by a single punch, his Executioner's Blade knocked from his grasp, and Fuguki Suikazan burned so badly that he fled in misery, all four of them were shaken to the core.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Fuguki's name before editing this was Fuguki Suikazan hahaha.