2. The Turncoat and the Cheat Device

Whoosh!

Riding the shockwave from the exploding fireball, Kisame’s body traced a graceful arc through the air before plunging with a splash into the broad river below.

The gills on his face weren’t just for show.

Once in the water, Kisame could dive to the riverbed and escape without a trace.

A few seconds later—

Swoosh.

Ye Cang descended from the sky, landing steadily atop the water’s surface. Her sharp gaze swept the area, and soon her brow furrowed.

So that fellow got away.

No matter—just a small fry, insignificant.

She turned and strode back to the dam, addressing her subordinates with crisp authority:

“Prepare the explosives. Destroy the dam completely. Then, continue the hunt for Kurosu Raiga!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The group answered in unison.

Ten minutes later—

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the towering dam shattered into pieces. The unleashed floodwaters thundered forward, surging like a stampede of wild horses, sweeping through the forests along both banks downstream.

…

Night draped the land like water, with the bright moon hanging high overhead.

Downstream, a waterfall plunged from a hundred-meter-high cliff into the abyss below, a breathtaking sight to behold.

In the woods atop the cliff, Kurosu Raiga sat slumped against a tree, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.

Both his legs, scorched by the Scorch Release, bled profusely, leaving him unable to move.

Fleeing in panic from Ye Cang’s pursuit, he had come here only to discover it was a dead end.

That woman was a monster.

Her Scorch Release bloodline technique could evaporate all moisture with ease—naturally countering the Mist ninja, who specialized in Water Release.

Even he, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist, had been utterly defeated.

Now, Kurosu Raiga could only pray silently that the rescue party from the village would arrive before the Sunagakure shinobi found him.

Suddenly—

Glug glug.

A stream of bubbles rose to the surface of the water nearby. To Kurosu Raiga’s alarm, a figure emerged from beneath the surface and crawled onto the shore.

“Who’s there?!”

Raiga barked, gripping his Thunder Blades tightly. As he infused them with chakra, silver lightning danced along their length, the tips leveled at the mysterious figure.

“Sir, it’s me.”

Kisame Hoshigaki raised his hands and stepped from the shadows into the moonlight.

“Oh? You’re still alive?”

Recognizing Kisame, Kurosu Raiga was surprised, but quickly let down his guard and beckoned him over.

He remembered this subordinate well.

Though the Hidden Mist was rife with oddballs and strange faces, Kisame’s unmistakable shark-like visage always stood out from the crowd.

Raiga noticed the gills on Kisame’s cheeks and shoulders—clearly, he’d relied on them to dive underwater and evade the Sunagakure pursuit.

This brat has a stubborn streak of luck.

Kisame approached Raiga, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head respectfully.

“Sir, after destroying the dam, the Sunagakure forces seem to have withdrawn.”

“Hmph, they sure ran quickly,” Raiga scoffed, masking his frustration. “Were it not for their shameless ambush, I wouldn’t have been wounded or put at a disadvantage. I’d have killed them all—especially that Ye Cang woman.”

Kisame knew well that this was just an excuse to save face, and remained silent.

In Kisame’s recollection, Kurosu Raiga was the weakest among the original Seven Swordsmen. Most of his power came from the Thunder Blades themselves, yet he could never draw out their true potential. In the original story, Raiga was beaten to a pulp by a few Leaf genin, didn’t even rate a cameo as an Edo Tensei, and was considered the shame of the Seven Swordsmen.

With this in mind, Kisame glanced unobtrusively at Raiga’s injured legs, thoughts churning.

Raiga, oblivious to Kisame’s subtle change, barked an order:

“Help me up, quickly.”

He was seething with rage.

This mission had nearly wiped out his entire unit, and he himself had been bested by a woman. He could already imagine the ridicule he’d face back at the village.

Just thinking about it made him grit his teeth, burning with the desire to recover and exact revenge on Ye Cang, to reclaim his lost honor.

“Yes, sir.”

With a calm demeanor, Kisame stepped behind Raiga and carefully helped him to his feet.

“Careful, sir—don’t strain your wounds.”

His words were gentle, but his left hand had quietly drawn a kunai. Seizing the moment when Raiga was completely off guard, Kisame aimed for his heart from behind—

And drove the blade in with brutal force!

Splurt.

Raiga’s pupils shrank sharply. Disbelieving, he looked down to see the kunai’s tip protruding from his left chest, blood quickly soaking most of his torso.

As Kisame released his grip, Raiga toppled backward with a thud.

“W-why…”

He managed, with the last of his strength, to utter a single word before his consciousness faded.

Standing coldly in the moonlight, Kisame gazed down at Raiga, a primal, animalistic gleam in his eyes.

He was a completely different person from the loyal subordinate of moments before.

“You sacrificed me to save yourself, so it’s only fitting I kill you.”

Kisame spoke slowly, watching as the light in Raiga’s eyes faded, his gaze losing focus at last.

In his past life, he’d been a blindly loyal villain.

Now, given a second chance, Kisame didn’t mind remaining a villain—but he would never again be blindly loyal.

No matter the place, time, or circumstance, to always obey one’s superiors?

Heh. Superiors exist to be eliminated.

Not just Raiga here, but also his future boss, Suikazan Fuguki, and even Uchiha Obito and the Akatsuki.

One by one, each was a potential target for Kisame’s assassination.

Reflecting on his past life, Kisame realized that in the entire Akatsuki, he alone had truly been dedicated to the organization. The rest were schemers and traitors, each with their own agenda.

How could any grand ambition succeed in such a den of snakes?

Better to walk the lonely path of the ultimate villain alone.

Collecting his thoughts, Kisame turned his gaze to the Thunder Blades lying on the ground.

He picked up the twin swords, examining their elegant curves and razor-sharp edges with appreciation.

The Thunder Blades could not only generate and attract lightning, but also greatly amplify Lightning Release techniques—truly a dream weapon for any Lightning Release shinobi.

Among the Seven Ninja Swords of the Hidden Mist, these blades may not match the likes of Samehada or the Flatfish, but they far surpassed the Executioner’s Blade, which was all flash and little substance.

For Kisame, until he could acquire Samehada, these would make a fine substitute.

Unfortunately, Kisame was not a Lightning Release user; like Raiga, he was destined to never draw out the Thunder Blades’ full power. Worse, he’d have to use them in secret—if anyone from the village discovered he possessed them, it would spell trouble.

At this thought, Kisame frowned, falling silent.

Just then, a crisp ding sounded in his mind.

He froze in place, instantly recognizing the sound from countless single-player games in his previous life.

A cheat device.

In his mind’s eye, Kisame saw the image of the cheat: an adorable panda avatar, mouth agape as if begging to be fed.

A panda, also known as a bamboo bear or iron-eater.

The cheat’s function was simple: by devouring ninja tools possessing special abilities, it could fuse their power into Kisame’s body, aiding his evolution.

Just now, picking up the Thunder Blades had activated the cheat within him.

With a cheat like this, things would be much easier.

After all, in this world where everyone seemed to have a cheat, an ordinary ninja wouldn’t stand a chance.

Wasting no time, Kisame gripped the twin blades, narrowed his eyes, and activated the iron-eater’s power.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The Thunder Blades vibrated violently, emitting dazzling arcs of electricity—as if aware of their impending fate, they struggled desperately to break free.

“Resistance is futile. Better to enjoy the union and become one with me—together, we’ll become the ultimate life form.”

Kisame stroked the blades, baring his sharp, white teeth in a comforting smile.

In mere seconds—

Swish, swish.

The Thunder Blades dissolved into brilliant streams of light, merging into his body.

Kisame shuddered.

He could feel the current coursing through him, roaming from arm to torso to legs, as if searching for a place to settle.

In the end, to Kisame’s surprise, it found its home—

His backside.