"That's Sōmi of Sunagakure..."
"Wasn't he reported missing?"
"Why has he suddenly appeared now?"
"And the Chakra emanating from him... it's overwhelming..."
"That eye... could it be the legendary..."
The surviving Kumogakure shinobi, who had narrowly escaped Kisame's rampage, murmured in shock and fear.
Ignoring the astonished whispers of these "small fry," Kisame focused all his attention on Sōmi.
This man was undoubtedly the strongest opponent Kisame had ever encountered in his life!
"Heh heh heh~"
"Who would've thought that after being missing for so long, your return would shake the entire ninja world!"
Blood vessels in Kisame's eyes became more pronounced as his excitement surged.
Sōmi's immense power both shocked and exhilarated Kisame, pushing him into an unprecedented state of fervor.
To face such a formidable foe—even if it meant dying—would make his life worthwhile...
In this chaotic ninja world, only battle gave Kisame a true sense of purpose.
Kisame swiftly formed a series of hand seals, then spat out a massive water sphere from his bulging mouth.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
This was one of Kisame's most reliable techniques. Once an enemy was trapped within this water prison, they became nothing more than a fish on the chopping block.
Thanks to Kisame's unique physiology, with gills on both shoulders, he could breathe freely underwater. And as the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation made him even more agile and powerful in water.
Most enemies, facing Kisame for the first time, were caught off guard by the sheer scale of his Water Release jutsu. This was one of the reasons he had been able to overpower the Raikage.
The hardened, mud-like shell of his partially transformed state was incredibly durable and further amplified by the crushing pressure of the water.
However, Sōmi's next move left Kisame wide-eyed in disbelief.
Sōmi raised his right hand lightly and murmured, "Shinra Tensei."
Gurgle!
The massive water sphere rushing toward Sōmi suddenly seemed to collide with an unstoppable hurricane. Its expansion halted abruptly, and violent ripples spread throughout the sphere, inside and out.
Then, with a faint sound—
Pop!
The still-forming water sphere burst like a fragile soap bubble under immense pressure. The water inside splashed outward in the opposite direction from Sōmi.
"Hmm?!"
"This power..."
"Is this the power of the Sage's Eye?!"
A sharp glint of fear flashed in Kisame's eyes, his wariness of Sōmi now at its peak.
Sōmi extended his right hand, fingers spread wide, then slowly clenched them toward Kisame.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
A faint, almost imperceptible hum resonated through the air. Kisame suddenly felt the space around him freeze, an invisible gravitational force locking onto his body and hurling him forward.
But Kisame was no ordinary Jinchūriki. Pouring his Chakra into the massive blade in his hands, he roared:
"Samehada: Release!"
With a fierce shout, Kisame swung his giant hammer-like weapon, using the pull of the gravitational force to strike violently at Sōmi.
Boom!
Before the strike could land, a jade-green Shukaku materialized in front of Sōmi, arms outstretched and wearing a conical hat. The hammer blow landed with a deafening thud.
Yet the jade-green Shukaku remained unmoved, showing no sign of damage. It seemed as indestructible as if it were forged from solid gold.
Suddenly, Shukaku's outstretched arms and body "softened" in an instant, transforming into a viscous, gelatinous substance that surged toward Kisame, wrapping around him.
"Hmm?!"
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Kisame formed seals with incredible speed, spitting out a torrent of water from his throat onto the ground.
Whoosh!
The deluge poured out, as if Kisame had expelled the contents of an entire lake from his stomach.
"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"
To Kisame's astonishment, just as the torrent was about to engulf Sōmi, a white halo appeared around Sōmi's body.
The moment the water touched the halo, it was completely absorbed, vanishing without a trace, as if the halo were a black hole capable of devouring everything.
"How is this possible?!"
"It can even absorb my Water Release jutsu?!"
Kisame's expression turned grim. His original plan had been to use the water to close the distance between himself and Sōmi, then unleash the same technique again, leaving Sōmi with no time to react. As long as he could drag Sōmi into the water, Kisame was confident he could secure victory.
But the abilities granted by Sōmi's mysterious eye had completely upended Kisame's expectations.
As Kisame was ensnared by the gelatinous Shukaku, Sōmi's hands rapidly formed dozens of intricate seals. Even for someone of Sōmi's caliber, the complexity of the technique required significant time and effort, a testament to its immense power.
It was worth noting, however, that the innate "Six Paths" abilities of the Rinnegan, which required no seals to activate, were an incredibly convenient feature.
This was why Sōmi could effortlessly dispatch weaker enemies with a simple Shinra Tensei or Banshō Ten'in, ending battles with a single push or pull.
Perhaps this was why Pain had proclaimed himself a god.
Kisame, whose strength ranked among the top Jinchūriki, had proven to be a more challenging opponent, requiring extra effort to subdue.
As for the final series of seals, Sōmi considered it a tribute to this "honest ninja of the Hidden Mist."
After all, in the later stages of the ninja world, when most combatants had reached the point of activating techniques with a mere clap of their hands, Kisame alone remained true to tradition, diligently forming seals for every jutsu.
Whoosh!
Nine silver chains shot out from Sōmi's abdomen, piercing straight into Kisame, who was bound by the gelatinous Shukaku.
"Ugh!"
Kisame groaned in pain, but his expression showed no fear. Instead, he gazed at Sōmi with admiration, as if being defeated by him was a source of pride.
Kisame could feel the silver chains piercing through the sealing array in his abdomen, reaching into the space where the Three-Tails was sealed.
The Three-Tails was being rapidly extracted from his body.
At the same time, an overwhelming sense of weakness surged through Kisame. His eyelids, as heavy as lead, yearned to close.
"No matter who you are, you often don't truly understand yourself until the final moment arrives. Only in the face of death do you realize who you really are... Is this the meaning of death?"━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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