127. Kaguya's Rebellion, Suppressed by One Person

Kisame arrived at a desolate, uninhabited area. He pried out the Sharingan and Byakugan, replaced them with his own dead-fish eyes, then deactivated his transformation and stowed away the Gunbai fan. He donned his suit and strapped the Great Shark Skin sword, Samehada, to his back. It was time to return to the Hidden Mist Village.

One day later, in the distance, Kisame saw the familiar village, shrouded in a perennial, thin mist. The Hidden Mist was in total chaos. Had the Leaf ninjas already launched their assault? Kisame frowned, but upon returning to the village, he realized the enemy had yet to arrive; the Mist was tearing itself apart from within.

"The Leaf's army of five thousand is coming! If we don't flee now, we’ll never get the chance!"

Panic-stricken voices echoed through the streets. Many Mist ninjas and villagers were dragging their families and luggage, fleeing the village in every direction. Everyone was terrified, scrambling to escape, with trampling incidents occurring amidst the frantic crush. The entire village was in shambles. Before the Leaf army had even arrived, the Hidden Mist was already disintegrating, practically ceasing to exist.

Seeing this, Kisame was slightly surprised but not shocked. The Hidden Mist had fallen into this state for two reasons: First, the Mizukage and the ANBU had been wiped out, leaving the village's leadership paralyzed. With a massive enemy force approaching, staying behind was simply waiting for death. Second, the "Bloody Mist" policy, which had persisted since the Third Mizukage’s era, had long bred resentment among the people, stripping the village of its cohesion. Now that disaster was at hand, the ninjas and villagers were naturally scattering like birds and beasts.

Just then—BOOM!

A violent explosion erupted from the direction of the Mizukage’s building, accompanied by deafening shouts and the sounds of combat. A Mist ninja came fleeing in a disheveled state from that direction.

"What is going on?" Kisame flashed forward, blocking the man’s path like a mountain. He grabbed the ninja by the collar and demanded an answer.

From the man, he learned that Elder Gen was currently presiding over village affairs, but the Kaguya clan—a prominent family in the Hidden Mist—was dissatisfied and had conspired to rebel. They had just stormed the Mizukage’s building, intending to kill Elder Gen and install their own clan head as the Mizukage.

The Kaguya clan? Kisame tossed the ninja aside, lost in thought. The Kaguya possessed the Kekkei Genkai known as the "Shikotsumyaku" (Dead Bone Pulse). They were long-time allies of the Leaf's Hyuga clan and were rumored to be descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura, the brother of the Sage of Six Paths. In the world of Naruto, there was a clan like this: descendants of the Sage, almost all of whom were war-crazed lunatics. They were wiped out due to their rebellion, with only one survivor who became a rogue ninja and followed Orochimaru. This clan was not necessarily the Uchiha of the Leaf; they could just as easily be the Kaguya of the Mist. It could be said that the Kaguya were the Uchiha of the Hidden Mist.

Kisame realized that this clan was indeed full of madmen with twisted minds. With a massive enemy at the gates, they were still thinking of staging a coup to rule the village. Once the Leaf army arrived, what would be the point of all this? Wouldn't it be a wasted effort? Did those fools in the Kaguya clan actually think they could defeat an army of five thousand from the Leaf? Arrogant, ignorant, and utterly foolish. That was the Kaguya clan. For such a clan, extinction was only a matter of time.

*Whoosh.*

With a few agile leaps, Kisame reached the center of the village. Hundreds of Kaguya ninjas were currently shouting and frantically besieging the Mizukage building. Their attire was bizarre; they looked like psychopaths, with dark circles under their eyes and manic expressions, appearing both perverted and bloodthirsty. Their method of combat involved extracting their own bones to use as weapons; these bones possessed density and hardness far exceeding standard ninja tools, granting them formidable strength.

Defending against the Kaguya were the remnants of the village's remaining clans, led by the Hozuki clan. The two sides were locked in a fierce, life-or-death struggle at the Mizukage building.

Kisame immediately spotted a six-meter-tall water giant rampaging through the crowd, sending Kaguya ninjas flying. It was Hozuki Mangetsu. He was now the head of the Hozuki clan. With Yagura and Fuguki Suikazan dead, Mangetsu was the strongest figure openly remaining in the Hidden Mist. Under his leadership, the loyalists fought tooth and nail, holding the Kaguya back from the gates of the Mizukage building. In the crowd, Kisame also saw Terumi Mei and Ringo Ameyuri. Their families were elite clans of the Mist, tied to the village's fate; they would never leave, regardless of the situation. They would live and die with the village.

This farce had to end. Kisame shook his head, hoisted Samehada, and charged into the fray. *Swish, swish, swish.* Wherever he passed, he was like a tiger among sheep, swinging Samehada and sending Kaguya clansmen flying in all directions.

Soon, Kisame pushed through the crowd and arrived at the steps of the Mizukage building. His appearance drew the attention of both sides, causing them to pause.

"That sword... it’s Fuguki-sama’s Samehada. Why is it in his hands? Who is he?"

"That strange shark-like face—it’s the Mad Dog, Kisame! Wasn't he exiled to the Blood Prison? How could a prisoner serving a life sentence appear here?"

The Mist ninjas were bewildered, whispering among themselves. In the crowd, Terumi Mei and Ringo Ameyuri exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. They never expected to see Kisame again in their lifetime.

Then, something happened that left everyone dumbfounded.

"Boss Kisame, you’re finally back!"

The six-meter-tall water giant let out a muffled roar, rapidly shrinking down to reveal the white slime form of Hozuki Mangetsu. Mangetsu rushed to Kisame’s side in a blur. "Waaah! Boss, the village is about to fall, only you can save it..." Mangetsu sobbed, clinging tightly to Kisame’s leg, crying incessantly. Previously, following Kisame’s instructions, he had brought back the bodies of Yagura, Fuguki, and the ANBU, but he had heard nothing from Kisame since. Mangetsu had once believed Kisame had run off and would never return.

What was going on? Seeing this, both Terumi Mei’s group and the Kaguya rebels were incredulous. Hozuki Mangetsu, the Hidden Mist’s greatest genius and the head of the Hozuki clan, calling a convict "Boss"? This shattered everyone’s perception of reality.

Just then—*shing, shing, shing.*

With the sound of whistling air, finger bones flew like bullets, fast as lightning, striking toward Kisame. *Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets.*

*Clang, clang.* Kisame raised Samehada, blocking the bones. He looked into the crowd and saw that the attacker was a tall, imposing Kaguya clansman. The man’s eyes were cruel and his expression cold; seeing Kisame effortlessly block his attack, a hint of surprise crossed his face.

"Is this the head of the Kaguya clan?" Kisame asked Mangetsu.

"Yes, his Shikotsumyaku is powerful. I fought him for three hundred rounds; although he couldn't do anything to me, I couldn't hurt him either. Damn it..." Mangetsu quickly reported the intel to Kisame.

Kisame nodded, picked up Mangetsu, and tossed him aside. Then, walking down the steps, he offered a smile to the Kaguya leader and said, "Defeat me, and the position of Mizukage is yours."

Mangetsu immediately shouted to the Mist ninjas, "Everyone, back away! Watch Boss Kisame perform!"

"Interesting." The Kaguya leader sneered and ordered his clansmen, "Don't interfere. Let me duel him."

As the words fell, he pulled a bone from his left arm and charged at Kisame. The area in front of the Mizukage building cleared instantly. What had been a chaotic group brawl now transformed into a one-on-one duel.

*Clang!* Kisame swung Samehada down, but the Kaguya leader parried it with his bone sword.

"Daring to compare Taijutsu with the Kaguya clan? I don't think you know how to write the word 'death'." The Kaguya leader sneered again, flashing to Kisame’s side. His bone sword danced in a dazzling display, launching a barrage of continuous attacks. *Dance of the Camellia.*

This was a specialized Shikotsumyaku Taijutsu, several times faster than ordinary physical attacks, making it hard to dodge even for agile ninjas. But to the Kaguya leader's surprise, Kisame, relying on his "Intuitive Mind-Reading," dodged every strike as if by a hair's breadth.

*How is this possible?* The Kaguya leader’s expression shifted. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction—*Samehada: Energy-Eating Slash.*

Kisame countered with a strike. The spikes on Samehada tore through the bandages, pressing hard against the Kaguya leader’s body, ripping and tearing.

"Urgh!" The leader let out a pained cry, and dozens of bones erupted from his body, turning him into a human hedgehog. These bone spikes had high defensive properties, preventing Samehada from cutting through.

*Dance of the Larch!* The Kaguya leader attacked again, spinning his body at high speed, the dozens of bone spikes protruding from his skin rotating and thrusting toward Kisame.

*Samehada: Shredding Slash!* Kisame did not back down, gripping the hilt of Samehada and using its external spikes to clash head-on with the leader, repeatedly hammering him.

*Bang!* The force of the recoil sent both of them stumbling back.

*It seems I have to get serious.* The Kaguya leader’s expression turned solemn. Realizing that conventional attacks were useless against Kisame, he prepared his ultimate move.

"Since you’re so good at dodging, I’ll make sure you can’t." He muttered, reaching behind his back and pulling out his own spine. It was over ten meters long, like a white bone whip.

*Swish.* The leader flicked his wrist, the bone whip cracking like a whip as it lashed toward Kisame. Kisame tried to block with Samehada, but he underestimated the whip; both he and his sword were bound, rendering him immobile.

"Hahaha!" The Kaguya leader roared with laughter, his right arm transforming into a sharp bone spear that glinted with a freezing light. This was his lethal secret technique—*Dance of the Clematis: Flower.*

This technique was used in two stages: "Vine," which bound the enemy with the spine, and "Flower," which used the body's strongest hardened bone to pierce the target.

"Die!" The leader charged at Kisame, intending to cruelly impale him.

Bound by the bone whip, Kisame seemed helpless, but in reality, he was not panicked at all. Because he had a very hard head. Facing the incoming spear, Kisame lowered his head and slammed straight into it. The force of the *Blunt Blade: Helmet Splitter* was activated.

*Crack.* In the disbelieving gaze of everyone, Kisame, who had seemingly committed suicide, was completely unscathed. Instead, the Kaguya leader’s bone spear shattered into two pieces.

"Did you think only your bones were hard?" Kisame said to the stunned leader, flashing a pure, innocent smile.

The next second, a powerful force erupted from his body, instantly snapping the bone whip and freeing him.

*Not good.* The Kaguya leader’s face changed drastically. He tried to retreat, but suddenly realized he couldn't move. Chakra threads had shot up from the ground, binding his legs firmly to the earth. The source of those threads was the "Sewing Needle" index finger of Kisame’s right hand.

"My turn." Before Kisame finished speaking, Samehada swung horizontally. *Swish.* The Kaguya leader’s head went flying.

*Thump, roll.* The severed head tumbled across the ground, coming to a stop at the feet of the other Kaguya ninjas.

"The leader is dead!" Someone screamed in agony. The Kaguya ninjas’ eyes turned bloodshot, and they charged at Kisame like madmen, seeking revenge.

Kisame gave a grim smile. His left hand slammed into the ground, and surging Blast Release chakra spread from his palm across the area.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

The violent explosions sent the charging Kaguya ninjas flying, leaving them dead or severely wounded. Kisame charged into the crowd, his shark-tail whip lashing out, breaking the bones of five or six ninjas and sending them flying. He was like a human tyrannosaur, rampaging through the crowd.

During the battle, *Splat!* Kisame swung Samehada with his left hand, slicing a Kaguya ninja in half, while his right hand fired off a Thread Release, snatching another. Then, two sharp fangs shot from his mouth, sinking into the man’s neck, draining him of his blood until he died.

Facing such a brutal Kisame, the madmen of the Kaguya clan finally felt fear. They were a group of fanatics whose greatest joy was battle, reveling in the thrill of slaughter. Until today. Faced with an enemy like Kisame, there was no joy in the fight—only terror and despair. It was a one-sided massacre.

"Run!" Someone shouted, and the Kaguya clan instantly broke, fleeing in all directions.

"Don't let them go!" Hozuki Mangetsu yelled, leading the Mist ninjas in pursuit, leaving none alive.

Soon, the Kaguya ninjas were slaughtered to the last man, their bodies piled in front of the Mizukage building, forming a small hill of corpses.