81. Fleeing Overnight

On the way home, Kisame realized that although he had disguised Lord Fuji's death as a suicide and deliberately framed Tsunade to force her to clean up his mess, the truth would inevitably come to light sooner or later. Therefore, after returning to the seaside villa, he immediately explained the situation to Yuki-onna, instructing her to quickly pack up and take the child, preparing to go on the run.

That night, the two left the coastal town in haste.

The following day, Kisame and Yuki-onna, both in disguise, arrived at another small town and rented a secluded courtyard as their temporary residence. Kisame purchased a large quantity of daily necessities at once in town, stockpiling them at their temporary shelter. Then, using Explosion Release and String Release, he set up numerous traps around the courtyard.

After finishing these preparations, he instructed Yuki-onna, “Wait here for me for a few days. I need to return to Kirigakure.”

“All right, Haku and I won’t go anywhere. We’ll stay here and wait for you to come back.” Yuki-onna nodded earnestly, holding his large hand in both of hers, her eyes filled with worry. “Kisame, please be careful.”

“Don’t worry.” Kisame gave her a reassuring smile and turned to leave the courtyard.

…

Two days later.

Kisame returned to the Hidden Mist Village. The first thing he did upon his return was not to report to the Mizukage Tower, but to summon Mangetsu Hozuki and have him come to meet him.

At the riverside cabin, Kisame’s home—

“Boss, you’re finally back!” Mangetsu Hozuki burst into the house, threw off his cloak and bamboo hat, revealing his white slime form, and immediately clung to Kisame’s leg, putting on a dramatic display of tears.

“I have no interest in your sob stories. Quickly, tell me everything that’s happened in the village over the past three months, in detail.” Kisame said coolly.

“Er, all right.” At Kisame’s words, Mangetsu instantly dropped the act and returned to normal, then relayed all the intelligence Kisame required.

Kisame had long anticipated that the struggle for the position of Fourth Mizukage would be bloody, but the reality surpassed even his grim expectations.

Every shinobi clan in the Hidden Mist, large and small, was swept into the sudden whirlpool of power struggles. Many lives had already been lost.

His so-called “big brother”—Tokusa, who had lost the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari, was the first jonin to die. Tokusa’s greed had led him to repeatedly play all three major candidates against each other for personal gain, but he overplayed his hand and brought disaster upon himself, ultimately provoking universal rage and losing his life.

In the subsequent brutal conflicts, the first candidate to be eliminated was an elite jonin from the Hozuki clan, Mangetsu’s own kin. He was ambushed by unknown shinobi in the village and killed on the spot; the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei he had wielded also disappeared without a trace.

Not long after—

One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Juzo Biwa, finally discovered his Executioner’s Blade had been swapped. Enraged, he sought out Mangetsu Hozuki, and the two clashed fiercely.

Juzo was defeated.

After the news spread, Juzo’s reputation was ruined, and he fled Kirigakure that very night, becoming a missing-nin.

At this point, the once-legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been reduced to a solitary figure—Kuwashima Hoshigaki, the Pufferfish Demon.

In his contest with Yagura Karatachi, the Pufferfish Demon gradually realized he had lost all advantage. He was forced to concede and withdrew from the struggle for the Mizukage’s seat.

And so, Yagura Karatachi had the last laugh. Just a few days prior, he was officially installed as the Fourth Mizukage and announced it to the entire shinobi world.

Additionally, Mangetsu specifically reported to Kisame that his two former teammates from his genin days—Mei Terumi and Ameyuri Ringo—had remained unscathed throughout the village-wide turmoil. Their clans had protected them well.

After digesting all this information, Kisame pondered for a moment and then instructed Mangetsu, “You can go. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

“Yes, boss! I promise to be at your service at any time!” Mangetsu raised his little hand in salute, putting on a show of unwavering loyalty, and respectfully withdrew from the room.

Kisame watched Mangetsu leave, his gaze thoughtful.

What he wanted most to know now was whether the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei were in that man’s possession.

Tonight, he would find out.

…

The night was dark and the wind was high.

From the Hozuki clan compound, an amorphous liquid shape slipped out, slithered down a manhole cover on the street, and vanished into the sewers. Thus, unnoticed, it left the village.

Kisame appeared at a nearby street corner.

“The moment I got back, this guy couldn’t help but get moving, sneaking around. Looks like Hiramekarei really is with him,” Kisame mused.

He could sense the Monster Cells from dozens of kilometers away. Since his return, Mangetsu’s every move had been under Kisame’s surveillance. Any attempt at subterfuge was pure fantasy.

In fact, even if Mangetsu obediently stayed put and did nothing, Kisame would still take the initiative, interrogating him with at least nine different methods to force the truth out.

After all, he didn’t have much time during this return.

Half an hour later.

Mangetsu arrived at a deserted, remote courtyard outside the village. Entering a nondescript side room, he expertly activated a hidden switch and disappeared into a secret chamber.

This was Mangetsu’s secret base, filled with an assortment of weapons and scrolls.

He hurried to the bookshelf, picked up a scroll, and slowly unrolled it.

Seven bold characters were inscribed upon the scroll. From left to right, they read: Blunt, Large, Long, Dull, Blast, Lightning, Twin.

This was the scroll used to store the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. The first six characters were dim and lifeless; only the final “Twin” character glowed faintly with chakra.

Clearly, the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, leader among the seven blades, were sealed within.

With a sigh of relief, Mangetsu felt a bit more at ease after checking the scroll. He didn’t believe that Kisame, that terrifying man, would give up on Hiramekarei so easily.

So, lying in bed at night, he had mulled things over and ultimately decided to relocate the swords again to somewhere even more distant and secure.

Just as Mangetsu put away the scroll and prepared for his next move—

Sparks crackled. A dazzling golden bolt of lightning suddenly streaked into the chamber from outside, illuminating the entire secret room and striking Mangetsu directly, eliciting a pained scream.

A stream of white fluid oozed across the floor, curling around the scroll and slipping out into the courtyard. There, the liquid mass reformed into its slime-like body and promptly swallowed the scroll containing Hiramekarei whole.

“Who are you?!” Mangetsu shouted, shocked and angry, glaring at a black-clad figure standing before him. It was this person who had just attacked with lightning ninjutsu.

The intruder wore a cloak and hood, concealing their face, but judging from the tall, imposing build… Mangetsu immediately thought of Kisame Hoshigaki.

Could it be him?

Kisame chose not to reveal his identity, instead altering his voice and replying coldly, “I am the one who will take your life.”

On a whim, Kisame decided to use Mangetsu as a practice dummy, to test out the latest abilities he had developed but hadn’t yet had a chance to use in real combat.

After all, the man before him possessed an “invincible body.” No matter what he did, it was almost impossible to kill him—making him the perfect target to gauge the power of his techniques.

After thoroughly tormenting Mangetsu, he would mercilessly claim the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, shattering Mangetsu’s body and spirit completely.

This, Kisame believed, was for Mangetsu’s own good. He wanted his subordinate to experience a crushing defeat; only through such adversity could Mangetsu achieve true growth.

Great things awaited him in the future.