The day after returning to the village, Kita ran into Kisame and Itachi, who had just come back from a mission. It had been a long time since she'd seen them, and at first, she assumed Itachi wanted to challenge her to a game of chess. To her surprise, it was Kisame who actually issued the challenge. Of course, the game was set. Itachi, idle and absorbed in shogi, would often study game records when he had nothing else to do. Unfortunately, within Akatsuki, only Kakuzu and Kita knew how to play—and played well. Everyone else had no interest whatsoever in the old man's pastime, leaving him to watch elderly villagers play at entertainment halls when chess partners were scarce.
Kita agreed to the challenge without hesitation. Itachi sighed helplessly as Kisame took the lead, eventually pulling him along to act as translator. Since his last defeat at Kita's hands, Kisame had been learning sign language. Still, without the Sharingan and with slower learning skills, he could only understand basic words and still needed to consult a dictionary from time to time.
"Before we start, there's something you need to know. Whether you're a non-human or not doesn't concern me. I can tolerate your presence for the mission. But this battle won't end as simply as last time."
His stance was clear: Kisame was still bitter about losing to Kita previously.
Kita shrugged, making a simple statement.
——You have no chance against me.
This wasn't a taunt—it was fact. Kisame's massive shark body rested on the sand. After Itachi translated her words exactly, the humanoid shark grinned maliciously.
"Then we'll see who wins."
With that, he leapt several feet back, increasing the distance. Kita sighed and rested her right hand on the twin blades at her waist. At Itachi's signal, a surge of water engulfed the beach. Calmly standing atop the waves, Kita chose water release over lightning. Water release would let her defeat Kisame without much mess; lightning could finish the battle in seconds, like last time—three seconds flat.
Water dragon bullets collided violently, forcing Itachi to retreat slightly to give them space. Both Kisame and Kita were taking this seriously; failing to stay back could get one hit by the waves. As Itachi predicted, the surrounding trees were blasted away. Kita noticed the terrain damage in her peripheral vision, frowned slightly, and stopped channeling chakra. She let Kisame's summoned water dragons destroy her own water dragons, then ran toward the deeper part of the sea.
I need to lead him away first.
Men's battles were far too uncivilized. This was why she disliked using ninjutsu—its massive area of effect often destroyed the battlefield, leaving nothing behind.
"Don't think you can escape!" Kisame roared. The water shark he summoned enveloped him entirely, swimming toward Kita with incredible speed.
Kita turned to face him. With hands forming signs, she expelled water from her mouth. A water barrier rose instantly, and the surrounding sea water, affected by the barrier, surged toward it. What was once a thin layer became massive.
Using water release on the water's surface provided a tremendous advantage.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu."
Like a high-pressure water gun, the stream shot from Kisame's mouth. When it struck Kita's water barrier, it became a massive column.
Chakra didn't just enhance Kita—it amplified her ninjutsu beyond Kisame's understanding. She only had a mid-level chakra pool, but her application of techniques far surpassed Kisame's. Still, she acknowledged his water release was top-tier. The Great Shark Bullet did manage to hurt her slightly, but not enough to defeat her. A subsequent water blade strike, a physical ninjutsu, sent Kisame back to shore.
Kita glanced at her weapons, sighed. Despite careful use, they were chipped. Maintaining them was a hassle.
She sheathed her blades and walked slowly to the shore. Water blade, a physical ninjutsu, involves channeling chakra into a weapon, transforming a small amount of water into high-pressure streams, then striking. This attack could be adapted for any element. For example, earth chakra would create soil spikes. This was one of Kita's signature physical ninjutsu attacks. Usually, she finished battles with lightning, both for her affinity and unmatched speed. Water blade was mid-tier in elemental physical attacks: first lightning, second wind, third water, followed by fire and earth. For Kisame, unfamiliar with it, it was enough. The strike hit him squarely, opening a large wound from left chest to right abdomen—bloodied but non-lethal. Still, seeing him coughing blood…
——Better bandage that up.
"Why didn't you use lightning?" Kisame asked.
Kita had five elemental affinities, as Madara had taught her. He had expected lightning, not water.
She scratched her head, noticing a small tear in her sleeve—again, despite previous repairs.
——Haven't practiced water release in a while. Consider it stretching. Quick treatment; it's not deep but could still bleed out if untreated.
She spoke quickly and at length. Kisame didn't understand sign language, so Itachi translated faithfully, then helped Kisame up and retrieved the great shark's body.
"Next time… I'll beat your water release."
Breathless but resolute, Kisame's small eyes gleamed with determination. Kita blinked, unsure how to respond. Many had challenged her, but few were so earnest. She raised a hand in response.
——Fine. Next time, still water release.
She could use medical ninjutsu but was currently "off duty"—best not to disturb her. Even Deidara was out of sight, let alone helping with treatment. Thus, the only one treating Kisame was Konan, who had basic medical skills: stopping bleeding, alleviating pain, and bandaging.
That was enough. Kita hadn't gone lethal; with good care, Kisame would recover in a few days.
…
Though non-humans often weren't treated well by humans, Amegakure was relatively kind. Knowing her identity, people tolerated her for years. There were whispers and glances, but nothing more. Perhaps they were accustomed to a non-human actively serving as a shinobi, especially under direct command of Akatsuki. No one dared provoke her; most simply avoided her. Therefore, she trusted the village craftsmen to maintain her weapons.
"Ah, really… these two are my best."
The craftsman, a man in his fifties named Kyubei, had an apprentice, Shoji, around eighteen or nineteen. Amegakure shinobi would get tools for missions from the village's arsenal: kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, etc., with costs deducted from mission pay. The arsenal only provided basic tools; personalized swords were custom-made for size and preference. Knife-using shinobi often came here to craft or repair. Though small, this shop was well-known in Amegakure.
It had been famous since Kita's childhood, around ten years old, under Hanzo's command. Initially, the reception was unfriendly, often receiving shoddy blades. After missions, damaged weapons would return for repair. Unlike other villages, Amegakure couldn't just refuse service—Kyubei had to eat, and later, under Akatsuki leadership, even if he could refuse, he felt awkward.
Kyubei crafted fine blades carefully. Though intending not to see Kita again, she soon returned with damaged blades. Kyubei, unwilling to accept their rapid deterioration, kept trying. Two years ago, he presented his finest work free of charge: two shinobi swords, "Great King" and "Little King." Kita preferred simpler names like One and Two.
Great King had its edge chipped; Little King had minor cracks. Kyubei was distressed. Not a sword lover generally, but he treated his creations differently.
"You don't use them carefully! You're not valuing my work!"
Kita nodded, crossing her legs on a wooden bench, pretending to listen. She'd heard this complaint so many times her ears could almost grow calluses.
"Two months for repair… for now, use something else," Kyubei said, inspecting the swords.
Two months was long. He channeled chakra into the blades before beginning repairs.
"Wait, you didn't infuse all five elements, did you?"
Kita's fighting style relied on twin blades, requiring special crafting; otherwise, they'd break. She confirmed it—yes, all five elements had been infused. Twin-blade techniques served both swordsmanship and physical ninjutsu. Recently, she rarely used the twin blades.
"No wonder they're damaged. The material can't handle five elements," Kyubei complained. "They lasted this long—consider yourself lucky. Even if repaired, they won't support your ninjutsu fully."
Shoji stoked the fire; the swords were placed in the forge. Kita thought two months was bad, but there was worse. She quickly wrote her questions.
——Can they not be fully repaired?
"They're beyond repair," Shoji replied for his master. Kita's spirits sank. Great King and Little King were her preferred weapons. She regretted using them against the Fourth Mizukage; coral palms corroded the blades.
"Reforge them. Two months isn't enough—three months. Which element do you usually use?" Kyubei asked. Kita responded quickly.
——Lightning, wind, water.
——If only one blade, how long?
"Over a month. Planning to switch to single blade?" Kyubei asked, squatting on the shop's high threshold, smoking his pipe.
——Yes. Lately I rarely use two blades.
Indeed, she mostly used Great King; Little King was auxiliary. Twin blades had been ideal for battlefield chaos, like a humanoid meat grinder. Against higher-level opponents like Kisame, two blades were less effective than one.
"You're good with twin blades. Shame to lose them," Kyubei said. During the war, he had been a low-level supply shinobi and had seen Kita wield twin blades in the fray—a formidable sight. Her survival owed much to twin-blade skill.
——Nothing to boast about.
Shoji translated faithfully. Kyubei inhaled his pipe, glancing at Kita.
"Teach someone else. Shame to waste them."
Kita waved off the suggestion.
——Cannot be taught. Learned through battle instinct.
No fixed form or special moves—just repeated life-or-death reactions shaped her unique twin-blade style. Her proudest moment? Using it to slice Pain's Animal Path when he attacked Hanzo. Truly, a feat worth boasting forever.