A Bunch of Lunatics, Just as Expected

Amid the dense mist, Mei Terumi was locked in a fierce battle with Yugito. On the other side, Kisame Hoshigaki and Samui were engaged in an equally evenly matched blade fight.

Seeing her opponent change, Samui twisted her wrist. Lightning once again lit up her short blade as she lowered her body and charged forward.

The short blade swept upward at an angle—a swift move from Cloud Style Swordsmanship.

The blade crashed against the back of Kisame Hoshigaki's Ninja Blade with a harsh metallic clang, sparks flying in every direction. Borrowing the force of the collision, Samui tapped the ground with her toes and sprang backward, only to close in again in the blink of an eye.

Her wrist turned. The instant the short blade swept upward from below, she twisted at the waist and spun around into a horizontal slash.

"Cloud Style: Reverse Beheading!"

The blade's glint traced a razor-sharp arc straight toward Kisame's vulnerable neck.

Kisame held his Ninja Blade vertically at his side and firmly blocked the returning slash. Instead, the force left Samui's palm numb.

"You're really strong," Samui said in a low voice.

Kisame grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "You're not bad yourself. You're an opponent worth cutting down."

With that, he took advantage of the moment when her previous strength had been spent and her next had yet to build. His wrist suddenly exerted force, and he shoved his Ninja Blade forward, forcing Samui back again and again. Her feet dragged two shallow furrows through the ground.

Even while being driven back, Samui did not pause. Relying on her advantage in speed, she erupted with Chakra beneath her feet and closed in once more, launching another attack.

Her short blade stabbed, thrust upward, chopped down, and slashed, every move aimed directly at