Kisame Hoshigaki suppressed Samehada's restless movements, his gaze turning icy as he glared at Umino Yoru.
Abandoning his usual close-quarters swordplay, he swiftly formed hand seals and unleashed a ninjutsu attack.
"Water Style: Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
A massive chakra shark materialized, encasing Kisame's body as it surged forward like a torpedo, aiming to crush Yoru mid-air.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Yoru inhaled deeply before exhaling a spiraling drill of compressed wind, firing it straight at the chakra shark.
The first wind bullet shattered the shark effortlessly, and the follow-up strikes forced Kisame to desperately block with Samehada.
Even though he managed to defend, the razor-sharp wind blades left him covered in cuts.
"Samehada… you're hurt too?"
Kisame had expected the sword to absorb the chakra from the wind jutsu and heal him, but instead, he realized—Samehada had been damaged by the Vacuum Great Sphere.
This "White Death" is dangerous… It's like he already knows Samehada's weaknesses.
Worse, after absorbing the wind-style chakra, Samehada grew even more restless—almost as if it preferred Yoru's energy over Kisame's.
Realizing the threat, Kisame prepared to unleash a more devastating technique—until he saw Zabuza Momochi fleeing toward him in panic.
"Zabuza! What the hell are you doing?!"
Kisame blocked his path with Samehada, sneering. "You five couldn't handle a single genin?"
"A genin?! That's a Kage-level fighter in disguise!"
Zabuza's eyes were wide with terror. Hearing movement behind him, he shoved past Kisame and kept running.
Kisame frowned, turning to see a blue streak racing toward them—
And immediately went on high alert.
"Water Style: Great Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
An enormous chakra shark erupted from the water, surging toward the incoming blur.
"Morning Peacock!"
Might Dai's body erupted with blue steam as his fists became a storm of fiery punches, each strike igniting the air.
The giant shark exploded on impact.
Kisame swung Samehada, trying to absorb the flames—but it was useless.
The next second, he was sent flying like a leaf in a hurricane, engulfed in the fiery barrage.
When the flames cleared, the sky was painted in hues of red and gold—like the feathers of a peacock's tail. A rainbow arched over the battlefield, an eerie contrast to the devastation.
"Cough—!"
Kisame crashed into a tree a hundred meters away—still alive, thanks to Samehada's last-ditch healing.
But the sword itself was in bad shape—its spikes shattered, oozing blue fluid. After transferring some chakra to Kisame, it lay limp in his grip, weakened.
"Run…!"
Kisame's face twisted in horror as he stared at Might Dai.
White Death was just tricky… but this guy? He's a monster.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled—now understanding why Zabuza had been so desperate to escape.
Yoru considered chasing him, but even with Wind Breathing at full power, he wouldn't catch up. And without Dai's backup, forcing Kisame into a Samehada Fusion would be suicide.
He let him go.
"Dai! Are you okay?!"
Yoru appeared beside Might Dai, reaching out to heal him—only to recoil as the blue steam scorched his palm.
"Tch—!"
He quickly healed his burns with Yang Release before speaking again.
"Dai, release the Eight Gates. We've won."
Dai, kneeling and gasping for air, finally collapsed—his body pushed far beyond its limits.
Yoru quickly fed him a honeyed energy bar and channeled Yang Release to stabilize his condition.
Once Dai's breathing steadied, Yoru had a shadow clone secure him inside the Black Ant Puppet for safety.
But then—his expression darkened.
Memories from his shadow clones flooded in:
Dai had killed Ameyuri Ringo, Jinin Akebino, and Fuguki Suikazan—but Raiga Kurosuki and Zabuza Momochi had escaped.
The clones hidden in the mist had managed to seal Blastsword: Exploding Death and one of the Lightning Swords, but…
Samehada, Kubikiribōchō, and the other Lightning Sword were summoned away before we could secure them.
A shadow clone arrived, handing over the captured swords. Yoru equipped them to two of his armored puppets.
While they weren't as immediately useful as the Executioner's Blade, they were still better than his standard greatswords.
Then—
"Damn it!"
Another clone's memory hit him.
The puppet holding off Hōzuki Hyakusen—even with Hiramekarei's right blade—had been destroyed.
Yoru immediately mobilized his remaining four sword-equipped puppets and rushed to the battlefield.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He stared at the wreckage of his Mirror Puppet—a prized possession looted from Chiyo's forces.
Even if repaired, its combat effectiveness would be halved.
Then—
"White Death! Face me!"
Hōzuki Hyakusen pulled a bone sword from his own spine, pointing it at Yoru with a bloodthirsty grin.
The air around him crackled with killing intent.
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