Needle Man!

“Wait.”
Terumi Mei watched Kisame’s departing figure, momentarily stunned, then hurriedly chased after him. She had realized that after handing the umbrella to her, Kisame was left without one for himself.
And the rain was only growing heavier.
“Let’s share the umbrella.”
She tilted her head, flashed Kisame a wide smile, and opened the umbrella, walking alongside him.
Terumi Mei was a woman of delicate sensibilities. She had already noticed that her longtime classmate had undergone certain subtle changes recently, shifts that few seemed to notice.
Curious, she seized this rainy stroll as a chance to converse with Kisame, hoping to peel back the mysterious veil shrouding him.
Unexpectedly, Kisame halted, pointed to the gills on his face, and said to her,
“You forgot, I’m a fish. No matter how much rain I get, I won’t catch a cold. This umbrella is yours now. I have something to attend to, so I’ll be on my way.”
Under Mei’s astonished gaze, Kisame strode away, disappearing into the whiteness of the rain.
“Ah.”
Mei snapped back to herself, instinctively stretched out a hand to stop him, but Kisame was already gone.
She could only withdraw her hand and grasp the umbrella handle, feeling somewhat disappointed.
“Kisame, despite his fierce appearance, is friendly and his voice is gentle—a truly warm man,” Mei murmured to herself, standing in the rain.
Her first impression of Kisame had been that of a solitary soul; whether at the ninja academy or in the village, he was always alone and friendless.
Later, she witnessed his restraint and ferocity when facing enemies, a dangerous beast-like aura.
But now, she saw another side of him—a kindness.
Kisame Hoshigaki, what kind of man was he really?
Mei pondered, her curiosity only deepening.
Of course, this curiosity lacked any trace of affection; after all, like many girls, she preferred handsome men.
As Mei absent-mindedly stood in the rain, Kisame entered a roadside ninja tool shop.
Inside, he spent most of his savings on a protective vest, shuriken, and a large supply of explosive tags. He had also prepared lime powder and pepper spray—other “tools”—at home in advance.
He knew that this mission would be even more perilous than the last; to survive, he needed to be fully prepared.
Moreover, survival was not his only goal.
He had learned that, to deal with Yekura’s scorching release, two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Kurisu Samemaru and Munari Jinpachi—would be dispatched.
This meant an opportunity had arrived.

After acquiring the necessary ninja tools, on his way home, Kisame kept calculating his plan for tomorrow.
First, he made a quick assessment of his current strength.
After three months of intense training, his chakra had increased significantly, reaching jonin level.
With his mastery of water techniques, unrestricted taijutsu, and the Shark Tail Lightning Whip, his burst of combat power could even rival the elite jonin of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
In other words, as long as Yekura and the merciless duo clashed, no matter who came out on top, Kisame had enough power to change the outcome.
So, he decided to wait for the right moment—the best scenario would be for Yekura and the duo to wound each other badly, allowing him to reap the benefits and maximize his gains.
Unnoticed, the rain ceased, and Kisame arrived at his doorstep.
He was about to push the door open when his eyes narrowed and he stopped.
He had spotted a fine steel wire, faintly wrapped around the door handle, clearly some kind of trap.
The next moment—
The wire snapped toward him with a sharp whistle. Though prepared, Kisame dodged swiftly, but the wire grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, long cut.
Blood seeped out.
But Kisame had no time to tend his wound. Within seconds, a dense fog surged from all sides, quickly enveloping his wooden house.
Visibility dropped to less than two meters.
Hidden Mist Technique.
A signature jutsu of Mist ninja, it uses chakra to stir water and create fog, obscuring enemies’ sight to facilitate assassination or ambush.
The density of the mist was determined by the caster’s chakra.
To conjure such a thick fog so swiftly, the attacker was at least a jonin.
Who could it be?
Expressionless, Kisame guarded against an attack from the mist, trying to deduce the assailant’s identity.
Was it someone from the Mist, or an outsider? Why target him? Had the murder of Black Hoe Raiga been discovered?
Many thoughts flashed through Kisame’s mind as he prepared for the worst.
Just then—
Another sharp whistle sounded; an unknown attack shot from the fog straight at Kisame.
He instinctively leaned back, using a bridge pose to dodge again. This time, he saw clearly—a long, slender needle, its tail attached to an equally fine, razor-sharp steel wire.
That was—
The Long Blade: Needle, one of the Seven Ninja Swords.

Thus, the attacker’s identity was obvious.
“Thunk!”
The long blade flew past Kisame’s head, its tip piercing his wooden door. With a tremendous force transmitted through the wire, the door was torn off entirely.
Bang!
The door slammed into Kisame, sending him flying in an arc that landed him in the river before his house.
A tall, thin figure emerged from the mist.
His hair was wild and yellow like a lion’s mane, his face hidden behind a Mist Anbu mask, exuding a cold, brutal aura. He stood over two meters tall, his limbs oddly slender, making him appear almost grotesque.
He was the “Death Needle” of the Mist, a genius who, at twenty, became one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—the wielder of the Long Blade: Needle, Kurisu Samemaru.
“Huh? Where is he? Did the door knock him out?”
Samemaru stroked his chin, gazing at the calm surface of the river, but saw no sign of Kisame.
He squatted at the bank, about to peer into the water, when five shark-shaped water bullets suddenly leaped out, jaws wide, lunging at him.
Oh?
Samemaru raised an eyebrow, nimbly jumping back five or six meters.
At the same time, he hurled his long blade. With a series of wet thuds, the Needle danced through the air, skewering all five water sharks together like a string of grilled fish.
They struggled for a moment, then burst into chakra and dissipated.
“Kid, get out of the water!”
Samemaru cackled, and the Needle shot into the river like lightning, churning the water violently.
Beneath the surface,
Kisame saw the incoming blade, sparred with it briefly, then realized—Samemaru seemed not to intend to kill him.
This sudden fight felt more like a test.
He quickly weighed his options, chose not to unleash the Shark Tail Lightning Whip, instead feigning resistance for a while before finally letting himself be bound tightly by the wire.
On the bank,
“Hey, fishing success!”
Samemaru exclaimed cheerfully, yanking hard like an angler, hauling Kisame’s soaked form up from the water.