13. The Power of Threads

Was that... a tail?
What kind of monster was this creature?
Kurisen Maru’s eyes widened, his hands trembling, as he finally realized that the situation had taken a dire turn.
Clenching his teeth, he released his grip on the Needle Blade, willing to abandon the ninja sword he regarded as his very life, all to escape toward the surface of the water.
But it was too late.
Kisame, swinging his shark tail, had already rushed right up to Kurisen Maru.
On the lake’s surface—
Ripples surged, water splashing like a fountain, heralding an intense battle raging below. Suddenly, a dazzling silver lightning flashed from beneath the water, illuminating the lake for a good ten seconds.
When the lightning faded, the surface calmed, not a ripple remained, as if nothing had happened at all.
Such an unnatural phenomenon left both Hazakura and Munari Jinpachi wary, suspending their own fight yet again.
What had happened beneath the surface?
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Munari Jinpachi, ignoring Hazakura, hurried to the shore and shouted Kurisen Maru’s name, his brows knitted together.
A sense of foreboding crept over him.
Sure enough, as soon as his words fell, a tall corpse slowly floated up from the depths. The skin bore marks of electrical burns and obvious scorch wounds, with some parts so badly burned that bone was visible.
It was Kurisen Maru.
His ANBU mask was shattered, revealing a face twisted in terror, as if in his last moments he’d witnessed something unspeakably horrifying.
“How could this happen…”
Munari Jinpachi, seeing his comrade’s tragic death, involuntarily stepped back, panic rising within him.
A perfect opportunity!
Hazakura, witnessing this, immediately shifted from defense to offense, sending a blazing fireball hurtling toward Munari Jinpachi.
Though she still could not ascertain Kisame’s allegiance or identity, it was he who burst forth and broke the siege when she was about to succumb to the relentless assault of the merciless duo.
Thus, she decided to reciprocate, helping Kisame eliminate Munari Jinpachi.
It was also revenge for her fallen comrades from the Sand Hidden Village, slain by the merciless pair.
In an instant, the tide of battle reversed.
Now, Hazakura fought with abandon, growing ever fiercer, while Munari Jinpachi, distracted and hesitant, found himself forced to contend not only with Hazakura but also to guard against Kisame lurking beneath the water.
At the bottom of the lake—
Kisame floated upright, suspended in the water, his shark tail gently swaying behind him to maintain balance.

He gazed at the Needle Blade in his hand, his eyes shining, and without hesitation, activated the cheat device in his mind.
A metallic ring sounded.
The Needle Blade began to tremble violently, its slender steel wire whipping wildly through the water, even slicing Kisame’s skin in its desperate attempt to escape.
“Good child, just give in, like your brother, the Thunder Blade Fang. After it became my tail, it was so happy.”
Kisame held the blade with one hand and grabbed the steel wire with the other, transmitting his thoughts to the Needle Blade.
Behind him, the shark tail swayed joyously, shimmering with a burst of lightning, as if echoing Kisame’s intent.
He was adept at this.
Having previously devoured the Thunder Blade Fang, Kisame’s current absorption of the Needle Blade was markedly faster.
With a flash,
The Needle Blade transformed into a stream of light, merging into Kisame’s body, touring his limbs and bones before finally settling in his right index finger.
Under Kisame’s expectant gaze, his index finger slowly morphed into a needle, resembling a miniature sword, its tip gleaming coldly—so sharp it could pierce metal and stone.
But that was not all.
With a thought, a nearly invisible thread shot from his fingertip, stretching forward through the water, quickly extending dozens of meters.
This thread, a fusion of the Needle Blade’s steel wire and Kisame’s chakra, had become a tangible chakra thread under his control.
Its strength and length depended on the quality and quantity of Kisame’s chakra.
Several names sprang to mind at once:
Doflamingo, Jolyne Cujoh, Spider-Man.
These comic characters all wielded thread-based abilities, and Kisame could draw inspiration from them.
He could use the thread for detection, transmitting sound, weaving traps, binding targets, stitching wounds, even remotely controlling others like marionettes.
Many abilities awaited Kisame’s development.
But for now, he set the matter aside.
After all, besides the Needle Blade, the Explosive Blade Splash was also his target—and his body was not yet satiated.
With this in mind, Kisame swished his shark tail again, swimming up toward the surface near the shore.
On the shore—
Boom!
A searing fireball crashed into the Explosive Blade, causing Munari Jinpachi’s hands to go numb and forcing him to retreat.
“I’ll play with you next time,”
he shouted at Hazakura, swinging the scroll-faced Explosive Blade, unleashing a barrage of explosive tags that detonated between them, filling the air with fire and thick smoke.
Taking advantage of the blast’s shock and Hazakura’s disrupted sight and balance, Munari Jinpachi prepared to flee.
If he wanted to escape, Hazakura alone could not stop him.

So Kisame intervened.
A translucent thread shot out from beneath the water, skimming along the grass at the edge of the shore, and before Munari Jinpachi realized it, it had already entangled his legs.
Startled, Munari Jinpachi swung the blade side of the Explosive Blade, trying to sever the thread.
To his surprise, the thread, though appearing thin and supple, was incredibly tough; the blade clashed against it with a metallic screech, harsh and grating.
The next moment, a powerful force tugged from the other end of the thread.
Bang!
Munari Jinpachi lost his balance and crashed hard to the ground.
Splash.
Kisame emerged, dripping, from the water and climbed ashore—the very thread that had tripped Munari Jinpachi extended from his fingertip.
“Damn creature,”
Munari Jinpachi cursed, channeling chakra into the Explosive Blade, intending to hurl hundreds of explosive tags at Kisame and obliterate him.
Kisame merely flicked his finger.
With a sharp whistle,
His right index finger shot forward like a meteor, piercing Munari Jinpachi’s sword-wielding arm with pinpoint accuracy.
“Ahh!”
Munari Jinpachi gasped, dropping the Explosive Blade with a clatter, unable to hold it any longer.
“Kisame Hoshigaki, you traitor!”
He roared, but before the words could leave his lips, a wave of heat struck from the side.
Munari Jinpachi turned just in time to see Hazakura’s fierce gaze—and a fireball flying straight toward him. In the depths of despair, accompanied by a sizzling sound, he was visibly evaporated into a desiccated corpse.
Thus, the infamous “Merciless Duo” of the shinobi world met their end.
Whoosh.
Kisame directed the chakra thread to wrap around the fallen Explosive Blade, giving it a gentle tug to retrieve the ninja sword.
Then, he turned, fixing his gaze on Hazakura, who stood not far away, wary and alert.
“Scorch Style Hazakura, we meet again.”
Kisame suddenly spread his arms wide and smiled at her, revealing two rows of gleaming, razor-sharp teeth.