Overwhelming Strength!

Crackle! Crackle!

"If I hadn't used the Water Transformation Technique in time, I'd really have been finished. But that lightning still injured me badly..."

Hōzuki Mangetsu's body turned into a puddle of water, spreading across the ground.

"Then let me send you on your way!"

Hiss!

Powerful Lightning Release Chakra gathered in Riu's right hand, emitting a piercing screech...

It was Kakashi Hatake's signature technique, Lightning Release: Chidori!

He moved to stab Hōzuki Mangetsu.

At that moment, Ringo Ameyuri swooped in, her lightning-wreathed twin blades slashing down. Behind his mask, Riu's eyes gleamed with cunning...

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The twin blades passed through Riu once again. The same trick... but this time, he made it far more convincing!

"What!?" By the time Ringo Ameyuri realized something was wrong, it was too late. Her two lightning blades had stabbed into Hōzuki Mangetsu!

"Ah!!!" The latter let out a pained scream.

And before Riu was Ringo Ameyuri's completely defenseless back.

He discovered an undeniable fact: if Kamui was used well, it really could toy someone to death...

Crack!!

Riu's lightning-covered right hand emerged from Ringo Ameyuri's chest...

"Blech!!" Ringo Ameyuri sprayed out a mouthful of blood, her eyes wide open. She was already... beyond saving!

Riu pulled out his arm, and Ringo Ameyuri fell to the ground dead.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Fuguki Suikazan in the distance, whose face was stricken with panic.

So, next...

Whoosh! His right-eye Kamui drew him in, and he appeared behind Fuguki Suikazan like a ghost, reaching for his shoulder.

"It's over... hm?"

Suddenly, a sword thrust in from the side. It was Hoshigaki Kisame!!

Riu immediately switched to Phasing Mode...

Kisame's sword passed through him. At the same time, Riu's pupils beneath his mask met Kisame's eyes...

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Kisame's pupils contracted sharply!

Fuguki Suikazan sensed the disturbance behind him, and Greatsword: Samehada swept toward Riu! Riu blocked it with his Gunbai.

With a clang, Riu borrowed the force to retreat.

"Kisame, well done. If not for you, I really would have been in danger just now." Fuguki Suikazan still felt lingering fear.

Crack!!

Without warning, Hoshigaki Kisame's sword had slashed across Fuguki Suikazan's throat!

"Kisame, you...!"

Thud! Fuguki Suikazan dropped to his knees, clutching his bleeding throat. His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Kisame.

But Kisame's eyes were unfocused...

"So... it was Sharingan genjutsu. Damn it... again and again... Konoha..." Amid boundless unwillingness, Fuguki Suikazan breathed his last.

Fate was quite amusing. In the original story, Fuguki Suikazan had died at the hands of his capable subordinate, Hoshigaki Kisame. Here, Riu gave him the same treatment!

Ringo Ameyuri and Fuguki Suikazan died one after another. The sole survivor, Hōzuki Mangetsu, was pinned to the ground by the lightning blades. The continuous lightning released from them completely paralyzed his half-hydrified body, leaving him unable to move...

"Kisame, finish off Hōzuki Mangetsu..." Riu issued Kisame an order through the genjutsu.

Kisame walked stiffly to Hōzuki Mangetsu, raised his sword high... and stabbed it downward.

Crack!!

Blood... sprayed!

Riu narrowed his eyes.

Hoshigaki Kisame had actually stabbed his sword into his own thigh. Cold sweat soaked his entire body as he panted violently.

He had actually used the intense pain to break free from Riu's genjutsu!

Even Riu had to sincerely praise him at that moment. "Hoshigaki Kisame, just as expected of you..."

Hoshigaki Kisame sighed weakly. "Even I wouldn't willingly let myself be manipulated by genjutsu twice. But the fact that I killed my own superior cannot be disputed. At this point, I have no face left to meet Lord Fourth Mizukage!"

As he spoke, he pulled out the lightning blade that had restrained Hōzuki Mangetsu.

Mangetsu got to his feet and said gravely, "I'm afraid we won't get to see the Fourth Mizukage either. This man is even more terrifying than Lord Yagura!"

Riu neither confirmed nor denied it. He stepped forward, kicked Samehada off the ground into his hand, absorbed it with his right-eye Kamui, then kicked Fuguki Suikazan's corpse aside.

Roar! Roar! Roar!!

Azure Chakra flames blazed as Susanoo was unleashed, entering its second form!

Clad in Susanoo, Riu advanced upon Hoshigaki Kisame and Hōzuki Mangetsu with overwhelming force. He declared imposingly, "I can spare your lives, but only if you can break this Susanoo!"

"You're giving us a chance to live. That should be wonderful news, yet I can't smile at all!" Facing the awe-inspiring Susanoo, Kisame sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Hōzuki Mangetsu felt the same way. He spread open a scroll.

Poof! Poof! Poof!

Summoning, Longsword: Nuibari!

Summoning, Bluntsword: Kabutowari!

Summoning, Blunt Sword: Shibuki!

"Kisame, pick whichever of these blades suits you best!" Hōzuki Mangetsu said.

"Then I won't hold back!" Hoshigaki Kisame said, his gaze moving among the three ninja swords.

Longsword: Nuibari was shaped like an enormous sewing needle, with tough steel wire attached to its rear. It possessed the strongest piercing power among the seven swords and could sew pierced enemies together...

Kisame weighed Nuibari in his hand, then ultimately put it down. The blade was too light and had no weight behind its swings.

Bluntsword: Kabutowari had a blade tied to one end of a rope and a hammer tied to the other. Its method of attack was to first slash with the blade, then smash the hammer against its back to add force. It was said to be capable of shattering all defenses.

Kisame weighed it. The weight was just right, but he still set it down. This blacksmith-like fighting style was not to his liking. He preferred to end battles in the most direct way possible!

Therefore, he chose Blunt Sword: Shibuki. Its blade was perfectly integrated with explosions; the instant it struck an enemy, the explosive tags on it would unleash a fierce blast. The more forcefully it was swung, the more terrifying the explosion... It possessed the deadliest destructive power!!

"To destroy that thing, Blunt Sword, Bluntsword, and Hiramekarei—the three most powerful ninja swords—are all indispensable!"

As Hōzuki Mangetsu spoke, he formed hand seals.

Poof! Amid white smoke, a Shadow Clone appeared beside him.

"With your current Chakra, can you handle this?" Kisame asked.

"There's no time to worry about that. This concerns the very survival of our Hidden Mist Village Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" Hōzuki Mangetsu said.

Riu said in a deep voice, "Come. Let me witness the true destructive power of the Hidden Mist Village ninja swords!"

Hōzuki Mangetsu's original body held the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei and circled behind Susanoo. His arms transformed into Mighty Water Arms as he poured Chakra into the blades without holding anything back, causing them to swell to an exaggerated size.

Hōzuki Mangetsu's clone wielded Bluntsword: Kabutowari and charged straight at Susanoo from the front. It too activated Mighty Water Arms, holding the blade in one hand and the hammer in the other. Boom!! The blade came crashing down with full force, striking Susanoo. Boom!! At the same time, the massive hammer slammed fiercely into the blade's handle...

Crack! A fissure appeared in Susanoo's armor.

Hiramekarei: Release!!

Almost at the same time, Hōzuki Mangetsu's fully released Hiramekarei smashed heavily into Susanoo's back...

Crack! Crack! Attacked from both front and rear, the fissure on Susanoo's front expanded further...

Poof!! Hōzuki Mangetsu's Shadow Clone dispersed!

His original body, drenched in sweat, shouted, "Kisame, now!!"

"Haah!!" Hoshigaki Kisame leaped high into the air, bringing Blunt Sword: Shibuki down in a powerful cleave upon the fissure in front of Susanoo.

Rumble rumble rumble!!

The violent explosions unleashed from the blade's explosive tags swallowed the entire Susanoo!

"Ah!!!" Kisame and Hōzuki Mangetsu were both blasted far away.

"!" In the distance, Yūhi Uzuki's pupils contracted sharply, her hands clenching involuntarily.

"As expected of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Hoshigaki Kisame and Hōzuki Mangetsu. I, Uchiha Riu, acknowledge your strength. I shall call you the Hidden Mist Demons. Today, I'll spare you. If you can no longer find a place for yourselves in the Hidden Mist Village, consider joining Akatsuki... no, come report to my ninja village instead!"

Riu emerged unscathed from the flames of the explosion and spoke to the Hidden Mist Demons in the distance, who were covered in wounds, utterly exhausted, and unable to move even a finger.