Kisame Hoshigaki. Zabuza Momochi. Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
For most people, just encountering either of them would be a death sentence.
But...
Kiyosuke remained calm, silently circulating heat energy through his body to increase his strength and speed.
He clapped his hands together.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
It was only a C-rank jutsu, but with enough chakra, it could unleash destructive power rivaling an A-rank technique.
He exhaled a violent gust of wind, kicking up sand and stones. In a flash, he darted past Kisame and Zabuza, quickly retreating.
"Catch him!!"
The wind made it hard to keep their eyes open, but Zabuza still gave chase.
While he took off with his team, Kisame remained rooted to the spot. He glanced in the direction where Kiyosuke had jumped out and said calmly,
"Come out. No need to hide. I know you're there, Ao."
From the shadows, Mei Terumī and Ao stepped forward after a brief silence.
Leaning on the massive Samehada sword, Kisame asked,
"You two showing up here in the middle of the night... are you starting to suspect Yagura-sama?"
"Yes," Ao answered bluntly.
"I sensed your chakra earlier. As I thought—you're suspicious too. Go on, he's in the Mizukage's office."
"Kisame-senpai, aren't you coming with us?" Mei asked.
"Nope. I'll draw people away for you. That brat Zabuza still isn't reliable."
Kisame shook his head and turned to leave.
If they didn't act soon, Kirigakure really might fall apart—and that was the last thing Kisame wanted to see.
He strode off decisively. Mei and Ao watched his figure disappear into the darkness.
"Let's go."
"Mm."
The two entered the Mizukage Building. Ao cautiously activated his Byakugan to scan the interior, identifying where the remaining Kirigakure ANBU were stationed. He knocked them out one by one before proceeding toward the Mizukage's office.
Outside the door, Ao took a deep breath and knocked.
"Mizukage-sama."
"Come in."
Ao and Mei pushed open the door and stepped inside. Yagura Karatachi looked at them and asked,
"What is it?"
"Byakugan!!"
Without another word, Ao activated his Byakugan, scanning Yagura and preparing to dispel any genjutsu.
But then—Yagura suddenly stood up with a blank expression, a twisted smile spreading across his face.
"Run, Ao!" Mei shouted.
"It's too late! Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Yagura instantly launched an A-rank Great Waterfall Technique. Torrents of water surged like a dam bursting, blasting the two of them out of the office.
Mei struggled in the current, hastily forming hand seals. She slammed her palm against the wall.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Boom!
A thick stone wall erupted from the floor, blocking the flood and sparing them from further harm.
"This is bad! Mizukage-sama is under an extremely advanced genjutsu. Dispelling it will take a long time—and we don't have that kind of time right now!"
Crack—crack!
The stone wall groaned as it began to fracture.
"Lava Style: Dissolving Exploding Acid!"
Mei quickly reinforced the wall.
"Are we supposed to just wait for Kiyosuke to arrive now?"
"He probably can't even take care of himself at the moment!"
...
Meanwhile, on Kiyosuke's end, Zabuza and his men had caught up and surrounded him.
"There's no escape," Zabuza said coldly.
"I never planned on running."
Kiyosuke grinned. Seeing Zabuza begin forming familiar hand seals, he couldn't help but feel a little pity.
Someone who hadn't even simplified the Water Dragon Bullet Technique yet... pathetic.
The full version of Water Dragon Bullet required forty-four hand seals. Who the hell invented this mess?
Even a jōnin would need several seconds to complete it. Not everyone had Kakashi's bachelor-speed hands honed by years of loneliness.
And in those few seconds, you could already be dead.
Kiyosuke sneered. When Zabuza was halfway through his hand seals, Kiyosuke began forming his own.
Just five seals later—
They both completed their techniques simultaneously.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"What?!"
Seeing Kiyosuke pull off the exact same jutsu with just five hand seals, Zabuza was shaken to his core. Two water dragons twisted and collided in midair, eventually dispersing into a massive splash—equal in power.
"Who the hell are you?! Someone with power like this can't possibly be a nobody!"
"I'm just a passing Kamen Rider. Remember that!"
(T/N: The Kamen Rider Series is a Japanese superhero tokusatsu media franchise created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori)
Kiyosuke's eyes lit up as he proudly delivered the iconic line.
"What the hell?! You're gonna die here today."
"Is that so? You plan to end my journey? Go ahead—give it your best shot!"
Kiyosuke advanced with arrogant swagger.
His head swayed, but not his body. His body shifted, but not his head.
In short—ridiculously cocky.
Zabuza Momochi—Demon of the Hidden Mist—had never seen someone this shameless before.
Furious, he swung his Executioner's Blade to block.
Kiyosuke dodged, brushing his hand along the blade's surface and slapping on an explosive tag.
Then he leapt back and detonated it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the area. Zabuza's arms went numb from the shock, and repeated blasts forced him to drop the Executioner's Blade.
As the dust settled, Kiyosuke walked over and picked up the now-chipped weapon.
"Not all that impressive... but I'll borrow it for now."
He swung the Executioner's Blade and downed a nearby Kirigakure shinobi.
The blade absorbed the iron from the ninja's blood and began repairing itself.
That was the Executioner's Blade's best trait—even when damaged, it could be mended simply by soaking it in blood. No effort needed for repairs.
Fragile, but easy to fix.
Kiyosuke cut down several more Kirigakure ANBU. Before long, the Executioner's Blade had fully restored itself.
Zabuza pulled a tachi from a fallen ANBU and growled,
"Give me back the Executioner's Blade!"
"You think I'd return it just because you asked? Who do you think you are?"
Kiyosuke snorted, slinging the Executioner's Blade across his back and forming hand seals.
A furious torrent of water surged in all directions.
Zabuza jumped, dodging the wave, and brought his blade crashing down.
Kiyosuke met the attack head-on, both hands gripping the Executioner's Blade as he struck.
Their blades clashed.
Zabuza was sent flying.
He crashed into a tree, hands trembling, his tachi broken in two.
"Such brute strength!"
"Doesn't seem like much to me. As I thought—people who use the Executioner's Blade are just muscleheads. No point wasting time with you. I've got more important things to do."
With that, Kiyosuke rushed toward the Mizukage Building.
He had no idea whether Mei and the others had succeeded.
But an uneasy feeling gnawed at his chest.
I should go check on them—quickly.
Damn, Kirigakure really is trash.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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