83. Liberation, Transformation, Fierce Assault

Flatfish is a sword with a fate marked by misfortune. Its first wielder was that elite jonin from the Hozuki clan—a nameless extra who, in the original story, was eliminated by Might Duy after all Eight Gates were opened.

The second wielder, Mangetsu Hozuki, was a true genius. Unfortunately, he was short-lived; before his talents could be known throughout the shinobi world, he died young.

By the time the third wielder, Chojuro, appeared on the stage, the shinobi world had entered an era of godlike battles, with cheats and hacks everywhere. Though Chojuro was hailed as the Prodigy of the Hidden Mist, by then the Mist had long since declined, and he was simply the tallest among dwarfs. Among so many overpowered figures, he was nothing more than a pure liability, rarely able to shine.

Considering all this, the dual-bladed Flatfish’s abilities have never been truly developed. Unlike Samehada, which, in the original, passed through the hands of Kisame Hoshigaki, Fuguki Suikazan, and Killer Bee—all Kage-level powerhouses—Flatfish’s potential lay untapped.

With this in mind, Kisame let out a sigh, gently caressing the blade as he thought to himself: Developing the full potential of the Flatfish, this honorable yet arduous task, shall fall to me, Kisame Hoshigaki.

He didn’t mind a little hardship—after all, he had always been a passionate and noble soul.

Thus, Kisame immediately activated his cheat.

In a flash, the blade of the dual Flatfish transformed into a beam of white light, merging into Kisame’s body. A sound of utter comfort escaped his lips.

Quickly, Kisame understood why Flatfish was called the strongest. Once it fused with his body, it actually split into three parts, each residing in a different place within him.

Most of the Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist have only a single ability, but Flatfish is clearly an exception.

The first beam took root in Kisame’s throat. In the original, Chojuro would inject his chakra into Flatfish, which would then unleash a ball of energy from its blade—a move capable of massive destruction. This technique, called Flatfish: Liberation, once drove back Sasuke’s Susanoo and even cut Black Zetsu in half.

Kisame stepped out the door and faced the riverbank, opening his mouth.

A humming sound rose as a vast amount of chakra compressed into a high-density blue sphere in his mouth, radiating an intimidating energy.

Whoosh! Once the sphere formed, Kisame expelled it at high speed into the water, where it exploded with a thunderous roar. A pillar of water, over a dozen meters high, shot into the sky.

Such an attack easily brings to mind the Tailed Beast Bomb fired from the mouths of tailed beasts or their hosts. But the Tailed Beast Bomb is an S-rank jutsu, formed from the mixture of yin and yang chakra. The ability Kisame just gained was more akin to another A-rank technique: the Rasengan.

Inspired by the Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato Namikaze developed the Rasengan over three years. Yet now, after absorbing Flatfish, Kisame had instantly mastered the art of forming a Rasengan in his mouth, without any training.

Moreover, his version could be fired at a distance—just one step away from the S-rank Rasenshuriken, lacking only the transformation of chakra nature.

In time, he could further refine and empower this technique.

Kisame was quite satisfied with his new power. In his past life, at his peak, he was called the Tailed Beast Without a Tail. Since he bore such a title, it was only fitting that he possessed some of a tailed beast’s abilities. Once his chakra reached the level of a tailed beast, destroying a mountain or a village with this technique would be effortless. He could even go head-to-head with a tailed beast’s Tailed Beast Bomb as a human.

Next, the second beam of light formed a mark on Kisame’s right shoulder—a single character meaning “change.”

One of Flatfish’s features was its ability to alter its form when infused with chakra—transforming from a flatfish into a hammer, a whip, a scythe… ever-changing, like water itself.

Kisame inherited this power as well—the secret lay in the “change” mark on his shoulder.

With a thought, he quickly formed hand seals. The mark glowed blue, enveloping him in light.

Moments later, the light faded. Kisame’s height, build, and features had all undergone a radical transformation—he now appeared as an ordinary, unremarkable man of about 1.7 meters, slim and plain.

There was no flaw to be seen.

Ordinary Transformation Jutsu is only E-rank in difficulty, easy to learn and just as easy for an experienced shinobi to see through. But the transformation Kisame had gained, on par with the Rasengan in difficulty—an A-rank technique—was several levels more convincing. Unless he met someone with an exceptionally sharp eye, such as a Hyuga clan elite, he would never be seen through.

The corner of Kisame’s mouth curled up in satisfaction. This advanced Transformation Jutsu was truly a timely boon for him. From now on, his less-than-honorable activities would be so much easier.

Thus, Kisame had already obtained two abilities from Flatfish.

But that was not all.

Flatfish could not be called the strongest with just Liberation and form-changing. It had one more unique ability: the more enemies defeated with this blade, the larger and harder the sword would become, greatly enhancing its power. It was a weapon that grew stronger the more battles it fought.

The third beam of light entered Kisame’s body and came to rest above his kidneys, at a structure shaped like a cap—the adrenal glands.

When humans are excited, scared, or tense, their adrenal glands secrete adrenaline, making them breathe faster, their heartbeat and blood flow accelerate, providing more energy and faster reactions.

Flatfish’s third power was called “Overdrive.” It chose his adrenal glands as its home.

As long as Kisame kept defeating enemies in battle, it would continuously secrete an “Overdrive Hormone” far stronger than adrenaline, keeping his body at peak excitement—making him fiercer and tireless, until the last enemy fell.

This was a power made for brawls—one against many.

With “Overdrive” on his side, taking on ten was nothing; he could fight a hundred, a thousand, or even, like the Third Raikage, challenge ten thousand ninjas alone.

A pity there weren’t ten thousand foes here for Kisame to test this power on the spot.

He took some time to digest the bountiful harvest of the night.

Liberation, Transformation, Overdrive—possessing all three abilities, Flatfish was indeed worthy of being called the leader among the Seven Swords, a single blade as mighty as three.

No wonder Mangetsu Hozuki guarded Flatfish so fiercely, even at the cost of his life.

Now, Kisame’s former goal—the Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist—lacked only the final Samehada.

The Great Blade Samehada might not surpass Flatfish, but it was certainly stronger than the other five swords—a prize not to be missed.

Kisame decided that tomorrow, he would report to the Mizukage’s tower and remain in the village to observe, waiting for a good opportunity.

“Lord Fuguki Suikazan, how I, Kisame Hoshigaki, hope to become your loyal subordinate—never leaving your side, learning diligently, and making progress every day.”

Kisame silently prayed, making his wish to the night sky.