I will avenge Senior Leiya!

Whoosh.

Kurisei Tsumomaru tugged the steel wire, retrieved his long blade, and licked the scalding blood from it with his tongue. Then he flashed a smile at Yakura before vanishing once more into the darkness.

This was the terrifying strength of the Merciless Duo.

Unari Jinpachi was responsible for frontal assaults, drawing the enemy’s attention, while Kurisei Tsumomaru lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a lethal strike at any foe who let down their guard.

With such seamless cooperation, the two of them could face enemy Jonin several times their number without fear.

Bang.

As the body of the Suna Anbu operative collapsed, the battlefield was instantly reduced to a two-against-one scenario—an unfavorable situation for Yakura.

“Prepare to die.”

Unari Jinpachi showed no mercy. Before his words fully faded, he hefted the Blast Blade, spraying foam, and swung at Yakura’s midsection.

At the same time, Kurisei Tsumomaru let out a series of eerie laughs, weaving through the shadows of the forest, ready to strike at any moment, further intensifying the pressure on Yakura.

“Damn it.”

Yakura gritted her silver teeth. With no better options, she could only throw all her strength into defense, pulling several Scorch Release fireballs back to form a wall of flame around her.

By now, she was already contemplating retreat, but two consecutive escape attempts had ended in failure.

The experienced Merciless Duo would never let her get away.

They, too, were wary of her Scorch Release fireballs, cautious of a desperate counterattack at the cost of their own lives. Thus, they maintained a careful distance, wearing down her chakra little by little.

At this rate, Yakura would eventually be ground down and defeated.

Everything unfolding in the woods was taken in by Kisame.

He knew that he could no longer stand by. If the Merciless Duo captured Yakura without a fight, his own plans to seize the Long Blade and Blast Blade would go up in smoke.

He could not let this opportunity slip away.

So—

Huff.

Kisame drew a deep breath, then strode boldly out of the forest, calling out from afar, “Lord Kurisei Tsumomaru!”

“Oh, it’s you?” Kurisei Tsumomaru turned at the sound, glancing back and recognizing Kisame. He asked casually, “Where’s Zabuza?”

Momochi Zabuza was a subordinate he held in some regard and intended to cultivate with care.

A glint flickered in Kisame’s eyes, but he did not answer Tsumomaru’s question. Instead, he called out in a loud voice:

“My lord, this woman once killed my comrades, including the predecessor I respected most, Black Hoe Raiga. Please allow me to join the battle and avenge them!”

Before the words had finished echoing, Kisame didn’t wait for a response. He immediately formed a rapid string of hand seals, gathering the surging chakra within him into his throat before unleashing it in a powerful blast.

Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave.

Crash.

In that instant, a torrent of water erupted from Kisame’s mouth, forming a tsunami three stories high that swept forward.

“This brat can actually perform a B-rank jutsu?” Kurisei Tsumomaru was startled, but what shocked him even more was that the tidal wave was not only aimed at Yakura—it swept him and Unari Jinpachi into its range as well.

The three combatants immediately broke off their fight, all scrambling to avoid the flood.

In the end, Kisame’s Exploding Water Colliding Wave drastically altered the terrain, creating a lake dozens of meters wide within the forest.

“Kisame, what do you think you’re doing?” Kurisei Tsumomaru stood atop the water, his voice cold and stern. But when he looked around, Kisame was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, a massive vortex suddenly opened beneath his feet.

Five chakra sharks, circling rapidly beneath the surface, created a whirlpool that trapped Tsumomaru in its swirling currents.

Water Style: Five Feeding Sharks.

Another B-rank jutsu.

The five fierce sharks encircled Tsumomaru, launching a savage assault as they tried to tear him to pieces.

This unexpected ambush instantly put Tsumomaru in grave danger.

“Hey, what’s wrong with your subordinate?” Unari Jinpachi shouted at his companion when he saw what was happening.

Yakura, too, looked on in astonishment and doubt.

This shark-faced man who had appeared out of nowhere seemed familiar to her, but she was certain that this Kisame was not a Suna spy planted within the Mist Village.

No matter—while their infighting continued, it was the perfect opportunity to retreat.

With this thought, Yakura channeled chakra into her feet, performed the Body Flicker Technique, and sped off into the distance.

“Trying to run?”

Unari Jinpachi’s eyebrows shot up. He hefted the Blast Blade and gave chase, quickly blocking Yakura’s escape.

The two resumed their fierce struggle.

Meanwhile—

Kurisei Tsumomaru, agile and deft, dodged the sharks’ attacks while skillfully weaving his Long Blade: Stitching Needle through the water, impaling the Five Feeding Sharks one by one and dispelling the jutsu.

“More sharks won’t do you any good,” he sneered, his eyes searching the water’s surface. “You traitor. Black Hoe Raiga was killed by you and those Suna ninjas, wasn’t he? Show yourself!”

Even as he spoke, his Long Blade: Stitching Needle shot out once more, streaking into the water.

Clearly, Tsumomaru intended to repeat his earlier tactic, fishing Kisame out from the depths just as he had before.

But this time, he would miscalculate.

Concealed beneath the water, Kisame’s eyes gleamed as he saw the blade streaking toward him, like a starving man spotting a plate of fragrant braised pork.

His heart surged with delight.

This time, he would not hold back. The veins in his arms bulged as he struck with brutal force.

He twisted his head, narrowly dodging the blade, then snatched its hilt with lightning speed and yanked hard.

What?

Up on the surface, Tsumomaru suddenly felt a tremendous force transmitted up the steel wire from below. Instead of reeling Kisame in, he found himself being dragged into the water by this “fish.”

Splash!

Tsumomaru plunged headfirst into the water. Though he was a Mist ninja long accustomed to aquatic battles, his giant’s body and overly long limbs meant that in water, he was prone to losing his balance.

And compared to him, Kisame reigned supreme beneath the waves.

Here, their strengths shifted dramatically.

Gripping one end of the Long Blade: Stitching Needle, Kisame pulled Tsumomaru deeper into the lake, aiming to drown him by cutting off his air.

Twenty meters—fifteen—ten.

The distance between them shrank rapidly.

Just as Kisame was about to prevail, Tsumomaru suddenly struck back with a fierce counterattack.

He clutched the steel wire tightly in one hand, refusing to let go of his blade, and with the other performed a complicated one-handed seal underwater.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

As he finished the hand signs, steel wires shot from his palm, aiming for all of Kisame’s vital points.

Tsumomaru had waited until now to make his move, confident that at such close range, even the most agile human ninja could not possibly evade these attacks.

Unless, of course, his opponent truly became a fish.

But in the next instant, his pupils shrank in disbelief.

Beneath the water, Kisame’s speed abruptly increased. With astonishing agility, he slipped past every steel wire and surged toward Tsumomaru.

Behind him, the vague outline of a gray-brown sword-like tail flickered in and out of view...