Don't come any closer!

Night had fallen, and by the riverside, the wooden cabin stood in silence.

Kisame Hoshigaki and Mangetsu Hozuki faced each other, locked in a tense standoff.

“Before I defected from the Hidden Mist, including this Executioner’s Blade, I managed to get my hands on four ninja swords in all. Quite the harvest, wouldn’t you say?” Kisame eyed the massive blade in Mangetsu’s grasp with blatant greed, dropping all pretense and laying his cards on the table.

“So it really was you behind all this!” Mangetsu’s expression darkened, his voice icy. “You’re courting death!”

As soon as the words left his lips, he lunged forward with a swift motion, raising the Executioner’s Blade high and bringing it down in a powerful arc.

Clang!

Kisame didn’t even attempt to dodge. He simply lifted his left arm, blocking the blow with nothing but flesh and bone. When the Executioner’s Blade struck him, the clash rang out with a metallic screech, sparks flying in all directions.

What?!

Mangetsu was stunned.

“The Explosive Blade: Splash has become my left arm now. See for yourself.” Kisame grinned, spreading his palm to reveal the character for “explosion” inscribed in his flesh.

Boom.

A violent explosion erupted at point-blank range.

Caught completely off guard, Mangetsu and his blade were flung aside by the blast. He barely had time to regain his balance—

Whoosh.

Kisame snapped his fingers. The tip of the Sewing Needle Blade shot out from his index finger like a bolt of lightning, piercing straight through Mangetsu’s brow, aiming to destroy his brain on the spot.

Fortunately, the Hydrification Technique activated in time.

Mangetsu’s head dissolved into water, narrowly evading certain death.

That was close.

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as the danger passed.

But he forgot one thing: the Executioner’s Blade could not hydrate.

Kisame’s real target from the beginning wasn’t Mangetsu, but the blade in his hand.

Swish, swish, swish.

The Sewing Needle Blade danced around the Executioner’s Blade, its chakra threads winding about the great sword dozens of times. With a sharp tug, Kisame ripped the blade right out of Mangetsu’s grip.

“That’s the Longsword: Sewing Needle, isn’t it?” Mangetsu stared at Kisame’s right index finger, his voice low and face growing grimmer by the second.

Kisame didn’t bother replying. He simply hefted the newly acquired Executioner’s Blade, took a single step, and was instantly upon Mangetsu, swinging the weapon in a horizontal arc.

Crash.

Unarmed, Mangetsu was sliced cleanly in two at the waist, his body bursting into a spray of water that scattered everywhere.

Hmm?

Kisame frowned.

That wasn’t the Hydrification Technique—it was a Water Clone.

“Kisame Hoshigaki, you’re finished.” With a cold laugh, Mangetsu’s real body appeared silently behind Kisame. Raising his hand in the shape of a gun, he pressed it to Kisame’s temple.

He was about to unleash the Water Gun Technique—a secret art passed down through the Hozuki clan, firing a bullet of liquid from the fingertip that could pierce almost anything. Most crucially, it required no hand signs.

At this range, facing such a swift jutsu, no one could possibly dodge.

But Kisame had foreseen this.

From the moment he first saw Mangetsu, he’d prepared for a life-or-death struggle, running through the possible scenarios dozens of times in his mind.

He had calculated every variable.

“Is that so?” Kisame didn’t even turn his head. The Shark Tail Lightning Whip shot out from behind him like a dragon leaping from the sea, crackling with brilliant silver arcs as it lashed between Mangetsu’s legs with unstoppable force.

Damn!

Mangetsu never expected Kisame to be faster than him. A chill shot through his lower half, and he instantly activated full-body Hydrification.

But this time, luck was not on his side.

The Hydrification Technique had one fatal weakness: Lightning Release. Its paralytic effects prevented complete liquefaction.

Crackle.

The Shark Tail Lightning Whip struck dead center. Mangetsu was wracked with agony, his entire body enveloped in electricity, transformed into a glowing skeleton.

He was flung high into the air like a volleyball, finally landing on the pebbled path beside the river—half his body melted, the other half charred.

He would not rise again.

The battle had been brief but perilous, both sides unleashing every trick at their disposal. In the end, it was Kisame who had the last laugh.

He glanced toward the village. All was still and quiet; apparently, no one had noticed the commotion here.

That was the benefit of living in such a remote place.

This meant that before he made his escape, he’d have more time to interrogate Mangetsu—perhaps even extract some valuable information.

Kisame approached the fallen Mangetsu. Under the latter’s terrified gaze, he raised the Executioner’s Blade.

But he didn’t use it to strike. Instead, he scrutinized the sword, thinking to himself:

“The Executioner’s Blade really is awkward. To show off its blood-absorbing regenerative powers, it’s been broken over and over again since its introduction, which makes it seem like it’s poorly made.”

In the original story, this blade had broken in the hands of three successive wielders: Juzo Biwa, Zabuza Momochi, and Suigetsu Hozuki.

Compared to other ninja swords, it did seem unreliable.

But in reality, in the traditional, gritty world of shinobi, weapons like swords, kunai, and shuriken were all easily damaged. Once a ninja lost their weapon, their combat ability dropped sharply.

Yet the Executioner’s Blade could cut at will—even if its edge dulled or the blade snapped, it could regenerate by absorbing blood. Even against an army of ten thousand, its wielder could keep hacking from start to finish.

By that virtue alone, it deserved its place among the Seven Ninja Swords.

Having finished admiring the weapon, Kisame said, “Thank you for the birthday gift. I’ll accept it without ceremony.”

He glanced at Mangetsu, then his expression sharpened as he activated the cheat skill.

Before Mangetsu’s stunned eyes—

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The Executioner’s Blade trembled violently, then transformed into a streak of light, which Kisame swallowed whole.

It coursed through his body, searching for a suitable place to settle, but finding none, eventually returned to his mouth.

Suddenly, Kisame opened wide.

Snap, snap.

Two razor-sharp fangs sprang from his jaws, each over ten centimeters long and gleaming coldly.

Looking down at Mangetsu, Kisame flashed a devilish grin.

“Stay away from me!” Mangetsu was petrified with terror, but resistance was futile. Kisame seized him by the collar, lifting him effortlessly like a chick.

Thunk, thunk!

The two fangs plunged into Mangetsu’s body, greedily drawing blood.

As the process went on, the fangs turned crimson, and Kisame’s complexion grew rosier, all traces of fatigue from the battle vanishing.

Thanks to the transformed Executioner’s Blade, Kisame now possessed vampire-like abilities: as long as he drank fresh blood, he could heal wounds and restore chakra.

With this, his stamina as a true man would only grow more formidable.

With a flick, Kisame retracted the fangs, licking his lips with lingering satisfaction.

He had to admit, Mangetsu’s blood was unexpectedly delicious.

He turned his gaze to the unlucky man.

After enduring Kisame’s relentless assault, Mangetsu was utterly spent, his spirit broken.

In this state, it was unlikely he could provide any useful information.

Kisame studied Mangetsu for a moment before finally speaking. “I thought that as the Third Mizukage’s disciple, you’d have been under genjutsu control like your master. But now, it seems that’s not the case.”

“What did you say?! Sensei is being controlled… by genjutsu?” Mangetsu’s eyes widened in shock, his voice rising as he shouted at Kisame. “You noticed something was wrong with the Third Mizukage too?”