Walking across the water's surface, each step sent ripples spreading outward.
And with every step, it pounded like a drumbeat against Kisame's heart.
Samehada loyally tried to defend its master. As Saitama drew closer, it opened its jaws wider, revealing sharp teeth in an attempt to threaten the approaching warrior.
But it was all for nothing.
How could someone like Saitama ever be frightened by such a harmless display?
Click!
Saitama stopped two meters from Kisame. His gaze was cold, eyes tilted downward at a forty-five-degree angle, locked onto Kisame's face.
Kisame showed no panic. He lifted his head slightly, thin streaks of blood trickling from the corners of his mouth into the water below, staining it red.
"Your power really is terrifying!"
Kisame grinned fiercely, clearly not taking the danger seriously—or perhaps already accepting his fate.
"You're pretty strong too. Had you not crossed paths with me, even a Kage-level ninja would struggle to defeat you."
Saitama didn't hold back his praise. He acknowledged Kisame's strength.
Without running into someone like himself—an absolute monster—Kisame had risen to a level few could ever hope to reach.
Upon hearing Saitama's words, Kisame's eyes dimmed. Helpless hands sank beneath the water.
He realized now the danger was real. Yet for every mission, he had always accepted the possibility of death. He did not fear it.
The profession of a ninja meant living in constant peril.
Kisame understood this truth deeply and personally.
"Survival of the fittest—that is the world's oldest truth. The role of the strong is to remind the weak of their frailty, and the weak exist only to serve the strong."
Saitama raised his right hand. White arcs of electricity flickered and converged, releasing a sharp crackling noise.
The sparks lit up one side of his face, casting the other in shadow and giving him an eerie, glowing appearance.
Zzzt!
Wild currents erupted from his palm like a snarling beast, surging into the air around him. The charge filled the space with a sharp, pungent smell—like burnt piss.
Soon, a dazzling technique glowed intensely in Saitama's hand, its core radiating brilliant white light.
In his eyes, strange and complex patterns swirled. A mysterious, cold energy slowly radiated from his body.
[Lightning Release – Chidori!]
His voice came out as a growl, raw with ironclad determination.
At this moment, Kisame was completely unable to fight back. Killing him seemed effortless.
Granting him an honorable death—this was how Saitama acknowledged him.
Leaning forward, Saitama thrust his right hand toward Kisame, who knelt helpless atop the water. One move would end this man known as possibly the strongest among the Seven Legendary Shinobi.
Yet Samehada stood before Kisame, forming his final line of defense.
Suddenly, Samehada leapt from the water, snapping its gaping maw viciously at Saitama in a desperate attempt to save its owner.
But,
without its master's guidance, Samehada was nothing more than a strange weapon—a weak obstacle easily cleared by the truly powerful.
Saitama's eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, his right hand shot forward, even though Samehada was blocking the path.
Piercing through!
His technique directly pierced through the fine scales of Samehada and sent it crashing into the water surface, sending tiny droplets spraying upward.
With Samehada momentarily out of the way, Saitama could now officially target Kisame.
He turned his gaze toward Kisame.
To his slight surprise, Kisame had somehow managed to stand up at some point. Although his arms hung weakly at his sides, an expression of fearless calmness covered his face.
Without hesitation, Saitama stepped forward, instantly closing the distance between them.
"Do it!"
Kisame didn't dodge. He stood straight, many wounds still bleeding heavily across his body.
His lips trembled slightly, but he made no attempt to evade, knowing that dodging in his current state wouldn't make much difference anyway.
Saitama's hand, glowing with white lightning energy, approached Kisame's chest. And in Kisame's eyes, Saitama saw a firm determination—the look of someone ready to die.
"Hold it!"
Just then, a cold shout rang out from Saitama's left, attempting to stop his attack.
But words—language itself—was simply too powerless! It couldn't halt Saitama's action at all; instead, it only accelerated what was already set in motion.
Rippling crash!
Saitama appeared on Kisame's right side, slightly lowering his stance as he leaned against Kisame's body. His right arm intertwined with Kisame's and plunged into his chest.
Nearby, Terumi Mei wore a heavy expression. Standing at the edge of the lake, she had raised her voice, but the enemy ignored her completely.
Then, before her very eyes, she witnessed Kisame Hoshigaki—her companion—being pierced straight through the chest by this enemy.
"You damned... bastard!"
Mei clenched her fists tightly. From the aura alone, this person fighting Kisame was the very same killer responsible for Ao's death!
Plunk!
Saitama pulled his arm free. Kisame fell to his knees once more. But this time, he failed to float atop the water—he sank downward without delay.
Kisame Hoshigaki—one of the Seven Legendary Shinobi, wielder of Samehada, and known as "The Tailed Beast Without a Tail"—had just been slain by Saitama.
[A low hissing sound.]
Under the water, Saitama noticed Samehada moving toward Kisame's sinking body from below, releasing strange hissing sounds.
[Heavy with sorrow and pain!]
"Kage's Aide, there's another enemy over there!"
Ameyuri Ringo stood at Terumi Mei's right side, fixing her sharp gaze upon Sasori—who had been passively observing the fight—as if a hunting leopardess locking onto prey.
"It seems this mission has become your replacement for Yagura!"
Without any hint of surprise, Saitama turned around, facing the three individuals standing together not far away.
He instantly recognized them—he was already familiar with their intel.
Terumi Mei, the dual Bloodline User; Ameyuri Ringo, one of the Seven Swordsmen; and Raiga Kurosuki!
Combined with the two already slain earlier, Mist Village had truly dispatched an unusually extravagant force this time!
Unfortunately for them, their opponent was none other than him!
"You're Saitama Uchiha, huh?"
Terumi Mei suppressed her anger, her eyes fixed on Saitama with unmistakable killing intent.
From the moment she saw Saitama, she recognized who he was—that was why she hadn't attacked yet.
But.
There was no way in hell she would let someone like him walk away from here today!
"That's right! It's me!"
Saitama nodded without hesitation.
"Did you kill Ao too?"
Mei clenched her fists; the air coming out of her nose seemed almost scalding hot, slowly evaporating into a thin white vapor.
"Do you mean that ninja with the Byakugan over there? If that's who you're talking about, then yeah, I guess I was the one who killed him."
Saitama was trying to get under Mei's skin on purpose. Not because he feared her—just that if a few words could throw his opponent off balance, why not give it a shot?
"Hehe! Perfect!"
Mei's fury indeed flared up at Saitama's tone, but she still didn't attack immediately, only staring at him with wide, burning eyes.
"You guys go deal with the other enemies. This one is mine!"
Mei was confident in her own strength. Especially now—this Saitama clearly had just come out of a major battle and wasn't at 100% anymore!
Glancing sideways, she saw Samehada carrying Kisame's corpse rising above the water surface.
Kisame's body was riddled with wounds. Even in death, blood continued to ooze slowly from them.
Just moments ago, Saitama's Chidori had pierced straight through Kisame's heart. The rampant electric shock had instantly destroyed his internal organs beyond recognition, leaving the inside of his body charred—undoubtedly dead.
Gurgle!
Not far away, another corpse surfaced—that of Mangenju Hozuki.
At first, she had felt some relief at not seeing any trace of Mangenju. But now, even her last hope had vanished.
Her gaze turned pitch-black dark. Both Kisame and Mangenju were invaluable assets for Mist, irreplaceable cornerstones of their village. Without exaggeration, they were pillars supporting the entire Hidden Village. Even before Yagura, they had always carried themselves with pride and dignity.
And now, both of them had been struck down by the enemy in battle!
"This... this is utterly unforgivable!"
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