82. The Grand Tournament of the Sealing Arts

In a secluded courtyard in the wilderness, a white slime barely one meter tall faced off against a mysterious figure in black, whose height approached two meters. Suddenly, the man in black swiftly formed hand seals.

Water Whip?

The slime, known as Hozuki Mangetsu, instantly recognized the seals as a jutsu commonly used by the Anbu of the Hidden Mist. But to his surprise, once the seals were completed, what appeared in the black-clad man's hand was not a water whip, but a golden... lightning whip.

Although the seals were for a Water Style jutsu, what emerged was a Lightning Style technique. This was because the man in black—Kisame Hoshigaki—had activated the powers of the Thunder Nerve Network within his body as he formed the seals, converting all his water-nature chakra into lightning-nature chakra.

Crackling sounds filled the air as Kisame snapped the whip, creating explosive bursts with every strike. Not only was the force overwhelming, but the dazzling golden light emitted from the whip also created blinding flashes that could disrupt an opponent’s vision.

Holding the whip, Kisame strode boldly toward Hozuki Mangetsu.

Mangetsu was not afraid in the slightest. In the past, he might have been wary of Lightning Style users, but times had changed. His Hydrification Technique no longer conducted electricity; he had no weaknesses left.

He, too, quickly formed hand seals, summoning a milky-white water whip to meet Kisame’s attack head-on.

Whip strikes echoed in the courtyard as the golden lightning whip and the white water whip collided, twisted, and entwined like two serpents locked in fierce combat.

The ferocity of their battle quickly shattered the courtyard tiles and broke several trees, which crashed to the ground.

The entire area was left in ruins.

Both ninja were wielding techniques evolved from the Water Whip.

Kisame’s lightning whip inherited the destructive power of Lightning Style—especially rare golden lightning—making his attacks even more terrifying.

Mangetsu’s water whip, on the other hand, embodied the ultimate resilience; flexible and strong, it could regenerate instantly even when broken, endlessly reborn.

For a time, the two were evenly matched.

But when Kisame raised his other hand and summoned a second lightning whip, the balance tipped.

Relying on his immense chakra, wielding a whip in each hand, Kisame launched attacks from both sides, quickly overwhelming Mangetsu, who struggled to defend and was forced back step by step.

In the end, Mangetsu’s water whip was shattered, and he himself was bound by Kisame’s lightning whips.

In a matter of seconds, Mangetsu liquefied, melting into a puddle and escaping once again.

Kisame did not pursue, but watched calmly as the puddle reformed, restoring Mangetsu to his slime form not far away.

Mangetsu’s heart grew heavy.

He had initially suspected the mysterious man was Kisame, but now he was unsure. To his knowledge, Kisame could not use Lightning Style jutsu, let alone the powerful golden lightning.

Nevertheless, regardless of who the opponent was, Mangetsu realized that if he wanted to win, he would have to use his true strength.

With a roar, Mangetsu’s body, less than a meter tall, swiftly expanded, growing in seconds into a giant of water four or five meters high.

Thundering steps shook the earth as the water giant charged at Kisame like a maddened elephant, heedless of anything in its path.

Kisame’s two lightning whips lashed the giant’s body, splashing water everywhere, but they could not halt its advance.

The water giant endured the fierce whipping and barreled straight into Kisame, sending him flying.

With a crash, Kisame smashed through the wall behind him and was buried beneath the rubble.

He pushed aside the broken debris, stood up, and saw the water giant rushing at him once more.

It was time to end this tiresome battle.

Kisame’s eyes narrowed. He formed seals with both hands, pressed them to the ground, and unleashed a surge of golden lightning that swept toward the water giant like rolling waves.

Sizzling arcs of lightning disrupted the water giant’s movements and vision, causing it to falter.

At that moment, Kisame appeared instantly, leaping into the air to meet the giant’s gaze.

He raised his right hand, and in his palm appeared a black character, “Seat.” With a sweeping motion, he struck the water giant with a powerful slap.

Koan’s Entering the Marketplace with Hands Down.

Kisame didn’t care how Hashirama Senju used this jutsu; he used it to deliver a resounding slap.

The sound was crisp and loud.

The water giant was stunned on the spot.

In that instant, besides the force from Kisame’s palm, Mangetsu felt a strange power invade his body, suppressing his chakra.

The next moment, the water giant lost its balance, stumbling backward and crashing headlong into the main house, collapsing it in a heap.

Amid the wreckage, Mangetsu reverted to his original form, feeling an inexplicable exhaustion. His head drooped, and he fell to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

Kisame walked over.

Koan’s Entering the Marketplace with Hands Down could suppress even the chakra of tailed beasts; using it against Mangetsu was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Still, taking down the self-proclaimed invincible Mangetsu with one move made Kisame realize:

In the world of shinobi, only sealing techniques reign supreme.

No matter how powerful the ninja, how formidable the ninja tools, or how unassailable the jutsu, in the end, all must bow to the omnipotent sealing arts.

Perhaps this was why the Uzumaki clan was beset by the powers of the shinobi world, leading to their downfall and extinction.

Their sealing jutsu inspired terror in all.

Of course, there is no flawless technique in this world; Koan’s Entering the Marketplace with Hands Down is no exception.

It has two drawbacks: it consumes a vast amount of chakra and must be used at close range.

One must carefully choose when to use it.

Having tested the combat power of golden lightning and Wood Style sealing jutsu, and incidentally knocking out Mangetsu, Kisame remembered his true purpose.

He grabbed Mangetsu, held him upside down, and gave him a vigorous shake.

“Ugh—”

The unconscious Mangetsu rippled like water, then spat out a scroll.

Kisame caught the scroll with his other hand and easily unlocked it.

With a loud bang, the Twin Swords: Flatfish were summoned from the storage scroll and appeared in Kisame’s hands.

As the name suggests, this sword was made up of two perfectly symmetrical blades that could fit together seamlessly, resembling a flatfish.

That was the origin of its name, Flatfish.

Kisame gripped the hilt, closed his eyes to sense it, and his internal cheat device responded more strongly than ever before.

This was the real deal, not a fake.

Satisfied, Kisame stowed the sword away, left the sleeping Mangetsu behind, and returned to the village alone.

Half an hour later, by the riverside cottage.

Kisame returned home, impatiently taking out the Twin Swords: Flatfish and examining them closely.

This blade was hailed as the foremost among the Seven Swords of the Hidden Mist.

Yet, in the original story, its performance paled compared to the Great Sword: Samehada, and its presence was not particularly strong.

This was because, no matter how formidable a blade, it depends on who wields it.