Kisame Hoshigaki Slaughters the Seven Ninja Swordsmen! Samehada Swordsmith Acknowledges Its Master On the Spot!

Squelch!

Kisame did not hesitate for a second. He gripped his blade in a reverse hold and, carrying the warmth of his own blood, drove it deep into Fuguki Suikazan's heart.

"You..."

Fuguki Suikazan's massive, corpulent body shuddered violently. He looked down in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest, then raised his head to stare at the shark-like face inches from his own.

This face had once belonged to his most capable subordinate, his most loyal tool.

Kisame said nothing. He simply yanked the blade out, warm blood splattering across his face and adding a layer of ferocity to his already savage features.

He did not stop. Dragging his own bleeding abdomen, he walked toward the next member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen bound by vines.

"Madman! You absolute madman!"

"Kisame! You've betrayed Kirigakure! You'll die a miserable death!"

"If you kill us, the Kirigakure Assassination Squad won't let you get away with this!"

"You traitor! You won't have a good end!"

The legendary ninja, bound and helpless, finally snapped out of their extreme shock and began to curse and roar in a frenzy.

They were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the pride of Kirigakure, beings who made their enemies tremble in fear.

Yet now, they hung in mid-air like livestock waiting for the slaughter, forced to watch as a former subordinate approached them, blade in hand, step by step.

Yahiko could no longer bear to watch. He shouted at Kisame's back, "Stop! Kisame! Have you lost your mind? They have no strength left to fight back!"

However, Kisame's footsteps did not falter in the slightest.

Nagato reached out a hand, blocking Yahiko from stepping forward.

"Yahiko, leave it be." Nagato's voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable coldness. "This is his choice. It is his way of embracing the pain."

"Embracing the pain?" Yahiko whipped his head around to look at Nagato's emotionless Rinnegan, a chill rising from the depths of his heart. "Nagato, how... how can you say something like that!"

Kakuzu watched the drama unfold. He glanced at Fuguki Suikazan in the pool of blood and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, what a waste. A heart and a bounty, both gone just like that."

Sasori, meanwhile, had little interest in the massacre; he was more concerned with the materials. "Hurry up. Don't ruin the bodies too much, or they won't look good once turned into puppets."

Squelch!

Another dull thud of a blade entering flesh.

The second member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Jinin Akebino, wielder of the Blastsword Shibuki, was silenced with a single slash to the throat amidst his desperate curses.

Kisame was like a tireless butcher, mechanically repeating the motions of swinging and withdrawing his blade.

Blood stained his dark blue hair, sliding down his cheeks to mix with the gore flowing from his own abdominal wound, forming a small pool of blood at his feet.

With every person he killed, the hatred and malice within him dissipated a fraction, but the light in his small eyes dimmed just as much.

This was not the pleasure of revenge.

It was a form of... liberation.

It was the most thorough farewell to the past that had forced him to turn his blade against his own comrades.

It was the beginning of his rebirth.

Finally, he reached the last man.

Kushimaru Kuriarare, wielder of the Blunt Sword Kabutowari.

"Kisame... please, spare me..." Kushimaru had completely broken down, weeping and begging with snot and tears streaming down his face. "I was forced into it too! The order to kill our comrades came from the Mizukage and Captain Fuguki! It has nothing to do with me!"

Kisame raised his blade. Looking at the face twisted in terror, he saw the faces of countless comrades he had killed with his own hands flashing through his mind.

Their expressions seemed identical to the man before him.

"It's all the same."

Kisame spat out the words in a hoarse voice.

Squelch!

The blade fell, and the seventh head rolled to the ground.

The entire plaza fell into absolute silence.

Only the sound of Kisame's heavy breathing remained, along with the drip-drip of blood hitting the ground.

Lin Feng watched the scene quietly. From beginning to end, he had shown no reaction.

The result was even better than he had anticipated.

A subordinate who was merely cowed by power might betray you at any moment.

But a man who had severed his own past and sacrificed himself to you completely—his loyalty would be unbreakable.

Kisame leaned on his blade, half-kneeling in the pool of blood. The blood loss and searing pain made his vision go black.

Just then, an anomaly occurred!

The Greatsword Samehada, wrapped in bandages and lying beside Fuguki Suikazan's corpse, suddenly began to twitch violently!

A low, beast-like growl emanated from the hilt beneath the bandages.

"Hmm?"

Kakuzu and Sasori both sensed that something was wrong.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone present, that legendary greatsword slowly broke free from the long-cold hands of Fuguki Suikazan, as if it were a living creature.

It wiped the bloodstains from the corpse with an air of disdain, then turned its tip to face Kisame, who was half-kneeling in a pool of blood.

The next second, the entire body of the Greatsword Samehada slid across the ground like a loyal dog eager to find its master, charging straight toward Kisame!

Kisame also sensed that massive surge of chakra; he forced himself to lift his head, coming face-to-face with the strange, charging blade.

Samehada reached him and came to a stop.

The scale-like barbs on the hilt opened and closed, seemingly expressing a sense of excitement.

It was craving.

It craved Kisame's massive, ferocious, and superhuman chakra.

Kisame was stunned.

He certainly recognized this sword.

This was Fuguki Suikazan's signature weapon, the most unique of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a "living sword" capable of devouring chakra and merging with its wielder.

Was it... choosing him?

Kisame instinctively reached out and gripped the hilt of Samehada.

Hum—!

A life force far more vast than his own surged instantly from the hilt into his body.

The wound on his abdomen began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, and a hint of color returned to his pale face.

Samehada let out a satisfied hum, its blade rubbing affectionately against Kisame's arm.

This scene left all the surviving Kirigakure Village ninjas completely dumbfounded.

The Greatsword Samehada had changed masters on the spot!

Lin Feng stepped forward slowly, walked up to Kisame, and looked down at him.

"It seems it has a better eye for talent than its previous master."

Kisame leaned on Samehada, struggling to stand and offer a salute, but Lin Feng stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"From today on, you are no longer a cleaner for Kirigakure."

Lin Feng's voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

"You are a member of the Akatsuki."

"Your codename is South Star."

"And also the Fourth Mizukage."

He reached out a hand and pressed it against the still-ghastly wound on Kisame's abdomen.

"You did well. Consider this power your reward."

A gentle yet infinitely vibrant energy surged from Lin Feng's palm.

Under Kisame's horrified gaze, a slender green sprout emerged from between Lin Feng's fingers, rooting itself into the flesh of his wound.

The sprout grew at an impossible speed, weaving into a small web of vines that perfectly stitched and healed his torn flesh.

In just a few seconds, nothing remained of the fatal puncture wound but a faint scar.

Feeling the surging life force within him, Kisame was too shocked for words.

What... kind of power was this?

Was it medical ninjutsu? No! No medical ninjutsu could achieve such a miraculous resurrection!

This was nothing short of... creation!

"Thank you... Lord Madara..." Kisame knelt on one knee; this time, it was a complete surrender from the bottom of his heart.

Lin Feng looked at the Kirigakure Village ninjas still kneeling on the ground and spoke to Kisame.

"The changes in Kirigakure Village have only just begun."

"Nagato, Kakuzu, Konan, you will accompany Kisame to invite the representatives of all the Kekkei Genkai ninjas in Kirigakure Village to the Mizukage Building for a meeting."

"Yes, Lord Madara," they replied in unison.