Jūzō Biwa looked at Fuguki Suikazan, who seemed to be shimmering with the radiance of humanity, and for a moment, he felt ashamed of his own inferiority.
He had just chosen to abandon his comrades and flee for his life. Was he really about to do something so disgraceful again?
Jūzō fell into a painful dilemma. His legs told him to run, but his mind told him that if he left now, he would be a coward for the rest of his life.
No, I won't do it! I, Jūzō Biwa, will not be a coward anymore!
As that thought burned in his chest, he suddenly felt his body lighten. Startled, he looked up—only to see Fuguki still frozen in the motion of throwing him forward.
But there was no compassion, no human kindness left on Fuguki's face—only a hideous, twisted sneer.
That bastard! He never intended to cover the retreat from the start! That fat pig was just exploiting my last shred of conscience!
With the flames of Kuugetsu's sword energy closing in from behind, Jūzō cursed furiously as he swung his Executioner's Blade with all his might, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Fuguki Suikazan, you motherfucker!!!"
Fuguki ignored him completely. He was still focused only on escaping with his life.
Meanwhile, pushed to the brink of death, Jūzō seemed to unleash every ounce of strength he had. Against Kuugetsu's twelve flaming sword energy, he roared and swung his massive blade—and somehow, unbelievably, he managed to shatter all twelve of them.
Looking at the shattered sword energy and the rapidly closing Kuugetsu, Jūzō inexplicably entered a state of impossibly high adrenaline. He looked at the charging Kuugetsu, heavily spun his Executioner's Blade, and yelled:
"I am Biwa Jūzō, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! The shame of the Seven will be washed away by my hand!"
Watching the Executioner's Blade swing toward her, Kuugetsu coldly swung her Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō.
The Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō collided with the Executioner's Blade, but instead of the expected clang of metal, Kuugetsu's blade easily sliced through Jūzō's sword, which had been weakened by the flames, much to his shock.
The Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō, having severed the Executioner's Blade, made no pause, slicing through Jūzō's neck.
In the last second before he lost consciousness, Jūzō heard Kuugetsu's mocking voice as she brushed past him:
"Pathetic. You didn't even notice the state of your own sword. Someone like you dares to wield a blade?"
Everyone knew the Executioner's Blade was the most imposing of the Seven Swords—but also the most fragile. Though it could absorb blood and regenerate, its durability had limits. After clashing against twelve flaming sword energy, its condition was already poor. Against a weapon like Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō, being shattered was inevitable.
Kuugetsu's gaze swept past Jūzō's corpse to the fleeing Fuguki in the distance. Her vision was beginning to blur, but she had not given up the hunt.
That huge body of his—she didn't even need to use Higan to catch up.
With that thought, Kuugetsu exploded forward with all her speed. The distance between them shrank rapidly. Fuguki clearly realized it too, his small eyes bloodshot with panic.
At this point, there was only one thought left in his mind: I have to live.
For survival, he would do anything.
Pouring chakra wildly into his scalp, he roared:
"Ninja Art: Needle Senbon!!"
Much like Jiraiya's Needle Jizō technique, a storm of hardened hair-needles erupted toward Kuugetsu.
But in the sight of her Mangekyō Sharingan, the needles seemed to move slower than a crawl.
Swinging Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō, she cut down the few needles she couldn't evade and tore through the storm without difficulty.
The gap between them shrank again—thirty meters.
Fuguki Suikazan stopped using his Needle Senbon technique. Suddenly, he whipped his head around. Kuugetsu thought he might be preparing some hidden trump card—yet to her surprise, Fuguki abruptly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
His enormous body even left a crater in the ground.
"I'm begging you, please spare me! As long as you let me keep my miserable life, I'll give you anything you want..."
At that, Fuguki's face showed hesitation. But then he clenched his teeth and kowtowed before Kuugetsu.
"I can even tell you everything I know about Kirigakure's secrets. I have elderly parents, I have a small child. I can't die here—my kid is only five years old. If I die, he'll grow up without a father…"
For a moment, Kuugetsu hesitated at his words. But the instant she heard the word father, an image of Hokushin's death flashed before her eyes. A surge of unspeakable rage erupted from the pit of her heart.
"When you slaughtered those innocents, did you think of their children growing up without fathers?"
As she spoke, Kuugetsu rapidly charged at Fuguki Suikazan, the Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō aimed straight for his head.
But just then, Fuguki—who had been kneeling on the ground moments ago—suddenly broke into a grin.
"I knew it… you took the bait! Samehada: Flying Chain Slash!"
With that, Fuguki Suikazan, still kneeling, violently swung Samehada. The sword's hilt shot forward ten meters, and Samehada's massive maw lunged to bite Kuugetsu's throat.
Startled, Kuugetsu hastily raised Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō to block. Seeing this, Fuguki's grin widened into a grotesque laugh.
"You fell for it again! I never planned to kill you with that strike. Your chakra is mine!"
Samehada's massive maw clamped down onto Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō's blade. In an instant, the flames along its edge vanished, swallowed whole along with Kuugetsu's chakra.
Kuugetsu staggered, collapsing weakly to the ground, staring in disbelief at the triumphant face of Fuguki Suikazan.
Fuguki threw his head back, cackling madly:
"Hahaha! How does it feel to have all your chakra sucked dry, bitch? Did I forget to mention—that useless old man of yours died the exact same way? Your expressions are identical, father and daughter!
Back then, I gave your father's head to that idiot Jinin Akebino. But this time, no one's here to steal the prize from me. I'll let Samehada gnaw you into bones—piece by piece!
And without chakra, all you can do is watch as you're eaten alive!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
The icy, emotionless voice of a woman rang out—from directly behind him. Fuguki froze in shock. The Kuugetsu he thought he had trapped was gone.
A heartbeat later, pain exploded in his back.
He looked down to see the tip of a blade jutting out from his chest. That same cold voice whispered in his ear:
"Who said I need chakra to kill you?"
Author's Note:
With this, Kuugetsu's revenge arc officially concludes. Readers, don't worry—there won't be any issue of her Mangekyō going blind. The author has plans for that, don't worry!