Chapter 322: Kisame's Rebellion—Samehada Hooks a Shark!
"What the hell is that!?"
At that moment,
Watching Uchiha Ci raise his right hand, Fuguki Suikazan instinctively sensed that something was wrong. His eyelid twitched, and without thinking, he dropped flat to the ground where he stood.
In the next instant—
Uchiha Ci's fingers splayed wide, and the brilliant golden sphere in his palm suddenly condensed into a thick beam of light that shot forward with terrifying speed!
"——Whoosh!!"
The beam pierced through the cabin of the Lightning Boat in an instant, sweeping in a wide arc!
It moved so fast it left one breathless—like his senses had been hurled into the future. The shockwave alone roared so violently that it deafened his ears.
The blinding beam surged out from the boat, churning up colossal pillars of seawater, which rose like walls before falling back like a torrential rain.
The next moment, Fuguki Suikazan raised his head from the deck with a dazed expression, wiping his face—
But as he looked at what he had wiped off, his body involuntarily jolted.
What coated his hand wasn't seawater at all—it was a thick, congealed mix of blood and water.
He raised his head a little more—
And saw that the nine Mist pursuit jonin who had surrounded and attacked Uchiha Ci aboard the Lightning Boat were now reduced to half-torsos, slumped neatly in two rows at his feet.
In a blink, the ten elite jonin had all been annihilated by a single attack—so fast they hadn't even had time to cast Water Clones!
Fuguki Suikazan felt a chill run up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, his scalp crawling.
Even if you lined up ten pigs, it'd take some time to butcher them—
Let alone ten Mist Village jonin!
He drew a sharp breath. He knew there was no way he could pull something like that off. So he kicked off with all his strength, abandoning even Samehada, trying to scurry to the edge of the Lightning Boat and leap off before Uchiha Ci noticed him.
However—just then—
Schlkk!
The second blade Fuguki had hidden earlier appeared!
But instead of swinging toward Uchiha Ci like he had planned—only to be thwarted by that monstrous heart of his—
This blade—
Pierced straight through Fuguki Suikazan's chest from behind, nailing him to the deck.
He turned his head in disbelief—
"You... Kisame...?"
Behind him—
The assailant removed his mask, revealing a shark-like face. Pulling the blade from Fuguki's back, he stared silently at his superior now kneeling weakly, bereft of resistance, his eyes filled with a numb, muted sorrow.
"Sorry, Captain... it was the Mizukage's orders."
Uchiha Ci's heart skipped a beat at this sudden development.
When he saw the attacker's face, he instantly recognized him—
It was Kisame Hoshigaki, the future "Tail-less Tailed Beast" of the Akatsuki, and Uchiha Itachi's partner.
At this point in time, Fuguki Suikazan had not yet defected or sold out his country. He was still one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the head of the Mist's Pursuit Corps.
Kisame, too, had yet to claim Samehada and fully bond with it. He still served under the Mist as a pursuit ninja.
So why had Kisame just killed his own superior?
Why had this squad of pursuers and Fuguki Suikazan attacked him in the first place?
And what did Kisame mean by "the Mizukage's orders"?
Could it be that the Third Mizukage wanted him dead?
Why? He bore the man no grudges.
Was this a calculated ambush meant specifically for him?
Or had he just stumbled into the middle of a violent internal purge within the Mist?
As he pieced together the chaos and intel at hand, Uchiha Ci's heart sank with a dreadful realization—
Could it be…
That his contact with the original Akatsuki trio back in Yunming City had drawn the attention of Uchiha Madara?
Was the old man behind the scenes now moving to eliminate an unplanned variable?
At that moment—
Bodies lay strewn across the Lightning Boat, blood soaking the deck.
The remaining 4/5ths of the Eight-Tails' horn and the massive blade Samehada lay silently on the floor.
Uchiha Ci and Kisame, the last two still standing, both cast their eyes toward the two items at the same time.
Kisame crouched before Fuguki's corpse and, without hesitation, raised his hands into a seal—Tiger!
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
In an instant, a massive shark formed from chakra leapt up from the sea beside the Lightning Boat.
Kisame bent his knees and launched himself like a diver, clapping his hands overhead as he entered the chakra shark's body—
Then, at blinding speed, he shot toward the massive blade Samehada near Uchiha Ci's flank!
This move had once appeared during the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Kisame fused with his own Water Shark Bullet Technique to accelerate far beyond even Might Guy's reflexes.
Watching Kisame rocket toward his flank, Uchiha Ci couldn't tell whether he was aiming for Samehada—or for the Eight-Tails' horn.
His eyes narrowed, dismissing all stray thoughts.
No matter what, he couldn't afford to lose the Eight-Tails' horn!
It was a crucial component—second only to the nearly completed [Sage's Heart]—for his upcoming training on Turtle Island and the assassination of the feudal lord.
Samehada was useful, yes, but nowhere near as important.
Still, he couldn't let Kisame get it so easily.
A Kisame with Samehada was a totally different creature—a much tougher opponent.
If this guy decided to fuse with Samehada on the spot, Uchiha Ci knew it'd be a tough battle.
With that—
Uchiha Ci snapped his head up. In his crimson Sharingan, the three black tomoe whirled like mad,
Locking onto the Water Shark Bullet carrying Kisame.
It was moving too fast for Multi-Lotus Chainless Cannon to lock onto—
So—
Uchiha Ci suddenly shut his right eye and clutched his left eye with his hand!
The whites of his eye bulged with blood vessels, writhing like mad snakes.
Then—
Dōjutsu: Ninefold Blood Dragon Seal!
"——ROAR!!"
Nine ferocious blood dragons burst from his Sharingan. One slammed aside Samehada, while the others zeroed in on Kisame with their fanged maws wide open!
This technique had both homing and disorienting effects—so long as a single wound was inflicted, the target would be doomed to a fate worse than death!
"Hm? Is this the illusion technique that intel warned about?" Kisame's pupils shrank midair.
"Am I caught in a genjutsu?"
"No—whatever it is, I cannot let it hit me!"
Panicking, unsure if it was illusion or real, Kisame instinctively brought his palms together and formed the 'Boar' seal!
"Water Release: Super Shark Bomb Jutsu!"
He threw his head back, his cheeks puffing up frog-like as chakra swelled in his throat—
Then he opened his mouth and let loose a titanic shark-shaped water missile!
It slammed straight into the oncoming blood dragon.
And by pure chance—he had just used the perfect counter!
The Ninefold Blood Dragon Seal was a chakra-based dōjutsu.
And the Super Shark Bomb Jutsu, which absorbed chakra to grow stronger, was its natural nemesis!
In an instant, the two collided!
Uchiha Ci seized the moment—he pulled a scroll from his waist pouch, unfurled it, and slapped it down onto the Eight-Tails' horn!
Poof!!
A puff of smoke rose—the horn was sealed within the scroll, which Uchiha Ci stuffed back into his pouch.
Meanwhile—
The massive water shark had completely consumed the blood dragons, transforming into a monstrous blood-red version of itself—and lunged toward Uchiha Ci!
But by now, he'd achieved his objective. And he'd confirmed another thing—
Even without Samehada, Kisame still possessed the troublesome ability to absorb chakra!
Yet—
As the shark bore down on him, Uchiha Ci remained calm, raising his right hand as the black sun sigil in his palm ignited into a blinding Sage Art cannon!
He aimed—not just at the massive water shark—
But at the blade Samehada, knocked into midair,
And at Kisame, whose hand was already reaching for it!
Samehada, sent flying earlier—
Had now become Uchiha Ci's bait for hooking a shark!
Yes, the Super Shark Bomb Jutsu could absorb chakra—
But what about Sage Art?
Uchiha Ci's eyes narrowed, murderous intent blazing from his gaze!
Without hesitation, his fingers spread wide, and the Sage Art cannon in his palm erupted!
The brilliant golden beam obliterated everything before it!
Even the rain distorted into sonic-boom clouds around it!
Fwoooosh!