Team up with me, Silent Mode.

Kisame walked up to Guy.

At this moment, Guy’s hair stood upright in a fixed style; his reddish skin combined with the tight green jumpsuit was, by all accounts, a deadly combination. From the outside, the changes in Guy after swallowing three Monster Cells in succession didn’t seem dramatic—at least he still resembled a human. But from the previous battle, Kisame was certain: Guy’s potential had been completely unleashed, the shackles binding his genes shattered, the beast within him set free.

Might Guy was, so far, Kisame’s most satisfying “creation.”

Kisame looked forward to the day when Might Guy would once again unleash that legendary kick, blowing Six Paths Madara to bits on the spot. That would be very entertaining.

But for now, in his current state, Guy was in no condition to continue the exams. Which meant the Might family’s eternal Genin title would remain, at least for the time being.

Kisame deftly swiped the Earth Scrolls from the three Cloud ninja off Guy, pairing them with his own Heaven Scroll to complete the set.

Then he moved to the woods some distance away and used a chakra thread to remotely open Guy’s Heaven Scroll.

With a “poof!” and a burst of white smoke, a Chunin proctor was summoned from the scroll by the technique within.

“Curiosity kills the cat. Opening the scroll carelessly means instant disqualification from the exam.” The proctor crossed his arms, announcing this coolly. But he quickly realized, awkwardly, that no one was listening to his lecture.

Only Might Guy lay unconscious on the ground.

“Hey, are you alright?” The Chunin proctor hurried over, crouched down, and began checking Guy’s condition.

Seeing all this, Kisame turned and vanished into the depths of the woods.

A day later.

Kisame stood on a hillside, gazing into the distance at the Central Tower, ten kilometers away.

For most examinees, this final stretch before the goal was the most dangerous. Some clever teams had adopted a strategy of conserving their strength, avoiding conflict, and arriving near the finish line early to lay elaborate traps, awaiting their prey.

But as always, no one dared trouble Kisame—unless they had a death wish.

So, after confirming his bearings, Kisame descended the slope and made his way straight toward the Central Tower.

A few minutes later, as he moved through the forest, Kisame suddenly sensed a faint chakra presence nearby.

An ambush?

He approached soundlessly and discovered a lone survivor from a broken team, hiding in the underbrush and watching the surroundings intently.

To Kisame’s surprise, the silhouette looked familiar.

It was Shizune.

She had actually managed to defeat three opponents on her own in the previous fight?

It seemed she had learned quite a bit from Tsunade.

Kisame’s interest was piqued. An idea struck him and he crouched down, pressing his left hand to the ground. As the character for “explode” lit up in his palm, a stream of chakra burrowed underground, speeding toward Shizune.

Hmm?

Just as Shizune was focused on observing the area ahead, a sudden sense of danger washed over her. Without thinking, she leapt nimbly to the side, catlike.

Boom.

The instant she evaded, the spot she had just occupied exploded, dirt flying and white smoke billowing up.

Shizune’s heart pounded with fear. Before she could regain her balance, a tall figure burst from the trees, ninja blade raised overhead, slashing down at her.

Clang!

Shizune hastily drew a kunai, managing to block, but the opponent’s strength was overwhelming—she was quickly forced to her knees.

“It’s you?!”

Only then did she see the attacker’s face clearly—it was Kisame Hoshigaki.

Kisame smiled faintly and pressed down with more force. Shizune could no longer withstand it and collapsed with a thud.

Seeing defeat was imminent, Shizune, in a desperate moment, suddenly opened her mouth. With a flick of her tongue, a poisoned needle shot out with a sharp “whoosh,” aimed straight for Kisame’s right eye.

A hidden weapon—the Tongue Needle.

Kisame tilted his head aside, dodging the attack and denying Shizune her surprise advantage.

But her counterattack wasn’t over. While Kisame’s attention was drawn to the tongue needle, she raised her other hand, revealing a device strapped to her arm and fired several poison-laced senbon needles.

Hidden weapon—Senbon Burst.

The senbon flew at incredible speed, and at such close range, they pierced Kisame’s arm in an instant.

Staggering, his large frame swayed as he retreated several steps.

Now!

Shizune swiftly formed a series of hand seals, then spewed out a thick purple mist that surged forward, enveloping Kisame.

Ninja Art: Poison Mist.

This was Shizune’s signature technique—transforming her chakra into a special chemical and exhaling it. Upon contact with air, it instantly became a deadly purple toxic cloud; even a breath was lethal.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

From within the poison mist came Kisame’s coughing, growing weaker and weaker until it fell silent.

Had she succeeded?

Shizune remained on high alert, eyes fixed on the dissipating mist.

Moments later, as the poison faded, Kisame reappeared—smiling at her. Then, with a “poof,” he vanished in a swirl of white smoke.

A shadow clone.

As expected, this man was on an entirely different level than the other Genin.

Shizune’s heart sank. She knew Kisame was not someone she could handle. As she turned to flee, she suddenly felt her whole body constricted.

Whoosh.

A chakra thread shot up from the ground, spiraling around her legs and binding her tightly in an instant.

The next second, while she was immobilized, Kisame’s real body finally appeared—silent as a specter behind her. He bared two long, sharp fangs from his mouth.

Thunk—thunk.

Kisame lowered his head and drove his blood-draining fangs into Shizune’s shoulder, drinking deeply.

“Nngh…”

Shizune groaned as a wave of agony surged from her shoulder. Blood loss quickly made her dizzy, her footing unsteady, her vision blurring.

“I… surrender,” she managed to say before fainting, handing over her Earth Scroll.

Kisame didn’t bother taking the scroll. Retracting his fangs, he watched as Shizune crumpled to the ground.

He crouched and regarded the girl for a while before speaking:

“It’s clear you’re determined to pass the Chunin Exams. Even alone, you made it this far. Are you doing all this for Tsunade’s approval? If so, why not team up with me?”

Team up?

Shizune’s eyes widened at his words. After the initial shock, she regained her composure and asked calmly, “What’s the condition?”

“It’s so much easier talking to smart people,” Kisame praised her intelligence and got straight to the point. “All your hidden weapon devices, as well as every poison recipe and finished product you possess—I want a copy of each.”

He knew Shizune was a medical ninja.

Medical ninja not only needed to know how to detoxify, but usually also mastered the art of concocting poisons.

From what Kisame had heard, Shizune’s teacher Tsunade could even create colorless, odorless poisons potent enough to paralyze someone of Jiraiya’s caliber, leaving him too weak to use even ninjutsu.

Poison—now, that was a truly valuable thing.