The Wind-Controlling Swordsmanship from Under One Person

Chapter 233 Cut off the beard
"Defecting from the organization is nothing, but stealing the tailed beast is undoubtedly putting yourself on a dead end."

Itachi Uchiha's calm words caused a glint of excitement to flash in Kisame Hoshigaki's eyes.

He tilted his head slightly, his shark-like fangs gleaming coldly in the rain of rocks.

"Oh? You're confident you can kill him?"

Uchiha Itachi's steps remained steady as he gently shook his head: "Based on his recent combat performance, I'm not confident."

Just as Kisame was about to speak, Itachi suddenly changed the subject: "However, there is someone in our organization who can do it."

"You mean Pain?" Kisame nodded thoughtfully, his rough fingers unconsciously stroking the bandages on Samehada, the image of that self-proclaimed god flashing through his mind.

The rain on the rocks intensified, and tiny pebbles pattered against their robes, making a soft, rustling sound. Kisame recalled the information about the night.
Killing the Raikage, capturing the Mizukage alive, moving freely between countries, and taking tailed beasts as easily as taking candy from a baby—such strength is top-tier even within the organization.

But Kisame was well aware of Pain's power; it was a power that transcended the boundaries of mortals, a true realm belonging to 'gods,' and the Rinnegan was originally the power of a sage.

If Payne is truly determined to kill Night, the latter has no other way out but to hide.

"It's not just Payne."

Itachi Uchiha's voice remained calm, yet it caused Kisame to pause slightly.

Not just Pain? Kisame Hoshigaki repeated the question to himself, his mind filtering through the members of the organization.

Kakuzu is unlikely to succeed. If that old man had that ability, he wouldn't have been able to stay alive for long; he would have been killed long ago, let alone steal the Tailed Beast.

When Hidan thought of this crazy, eccentric cultist, Kisame almost burst out laughing.

I heard that this guy was hacked to pieces when he was recruited. If he weren't immortal, he would have been buried somewhere long ago.

It is definitely not a combat-type, nor is it.

Deidara's ninjutsu is interesting, but he's no match for the Raikage, let alone Yoru, who killed the Raikage.

Could it be that woman, Xiao Nan?
Or perhaps it's that clown, Ah Fei?
Kisame Hoshigaki shook his head, his thoughts somewhat confused. He couldn't think of anyone in the organization besides Pain and their team who could kill that night.

He glanced at his partner beside him; Itachi's profile appeared particularly cold and stern in the shadow of his straw hat, clearly indicating he had no intention of continuing to explain.

Seeing this, he didn't ask any more questions. In short, he would compete if he encountered them, and if he didn't, so be it.

Their target for this trip is the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

Footsteps left shallow marks on the rocky ground, which were quickly covered by new rock rain. The two stepped into the Land of Earth and steadily moved towards the village of Iwagakure.

In the stillness of the night, Iwagakure was shrouded in thick darkness. The moonless and starless sky was like a pitch-black curtain, enveloping the entire village completely.

A ghostly figure swept through the darkness, and a lone Iwagakure ninja suddenly felt a tightness around his neck. Before he could even raise an alarm, he was dragged into a dark corner.

"Where is the Four-Tails Jinchuriki?" Kisame grinned, his stark white shark teeth gleaming coldly in the darkness. His voice was hoarse like sandpaper being rubbed, carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

"You...are Akatsuki!?" Upon seeing the newcomers' attire, the Iwa ninja's face turned deathly pale. He struggled in vain, feeling utterly powerless. The other party had somehow stolen all of his chakra.

"I...I won't tell you..." His voice trembled violently, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and even swallowing saliva became extremely difficult.

Although he spoke toughly, his terrified eyes betrayed him; he was clearly a spineless coward who couldn't withstand interrogation.

I reckon they could easily use some tricks and throw everything away.

Kisame had no intention of going through all that trouble. He grabbed the Iwa ninja by the neck and handed him over to Itachi Uchiha like a chicken.

The straw hat was slowly raised, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes that stood out starkly in the darkness.

The three magatama slowly rotated, emitting a breathtaking light.

Iwa ninja's gaze froze instantly, his pupils dilated, and drool uncontrollably dripped from the corner of his mouth. His consciousness was sinking deeper and deeper into those eyes, into an abyss.

"Lord Old Purple left the village because of a disagreement with Lord Tsuchikage." His voice was mechanical and dull, each word seeming to be forced out of his throat: "Now... he lives in Red Ridge Valley to the southeast."

Click!

A crisp sound of bones breaking rang out, and Kisame casually tossed aside the lifeless corpse, as if discarding a broken toy.

With the intelligence in hand, the prisoners were naturally of no use.

Then, the two turned and walked out of Iwagakure, their black robes with red cloud patterns appearing and disappearing in the night.

However, they were unaware that, deep in the shadows, their every move had been observed by a pair of deep, dark eyes.

"The Sharingan... is really useful."

In the darkness, Qin Ye stroked his chin, watching the departing figures of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki.

Before these two people arrived, he had already 'visited' several Iwagakure ninjas.

But these guys were all incredibly stubborn, so he had no choice but to grant their wish to risk their lives.

However, he didn't believe that everyone in Iwagakure was tough, and just as he was preparing to look for his next target, he spotted two furtive figures.

He was all too familiar with that outfit and appearance.

A dangerous smile curved Qin Ye's lips, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He disappeared into the shadows, stealthily following behind the two men.

In a valley southeast of Iwagakure Village, all that could be seen was desolation. The surrounding peaks were barren and devoid of any vegetation. Layers of jagged, gray-brown rocks were piled up, their surfaces crisscrossed with ravines, like the spine of a giant beast gnawed by time.

A strong wind howled past, whipping up pebbles that flew through the air with a rustling sound.

"who are you?"

In the valley, an old man with red hair and a red beard, dressed in purple, stared warily at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.

Old Zi had lived deep in the mountains for a long time, indifferent to the outside world. His life of isolation for many years left him with no concept of the auspicious cloud robe in front of him, let alone what kind of disaster these two uninvited guests would bring him.

"Shall we do it, you or me?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked, tilting his head.

"The intelligence indicates that this person is a fire-attribute user. You're more suitable to handle this," Itachi Uchiha replied calmly, maintaining his usual rationality.

Kisame Hoshigaki shrugged with a half-smile, then stepped forward, carrying his greatsword Samehada.

Judging from their appearance and listening to their conversation, Lao Zi understood what was going on; these people were up to no good.

"Hmph, you've come looking for death here?"

Old Purple wasn't going to let it slide. He immediately clasped his hands together, and several magma balls shot out of his mouth, hurtling towards Kisame.

Lava Release: Scorching River Rock Technique!
The molten lava ball streaked through the air in orange-red trails, distorting and deforming the air wherever it passed.

Faced with this ninjutsu far superior to ordinary fire-style techniques, Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. Instead of dodging, he took the initiative to meet it head-on. With a casual wave of his hand, he used his greatsword Samehada to block all the magma balls.

The moment the blade touched the magma ball, the scorching lava melted away as quickly as snow meeting fire. The barbs on Samehada's surface writhed greedily, devouring all the chakra contained within the lava, leaving only a few wisps of blue smoke drifting in the air.

Kisame let out a hoarse laugh, raising his greatsword horizontally and pointing it at Rōshi: "Is that all you've got?"

Old Zi remained silent with a sullen face, and suddenly wisps of green smoke rose from his body.

In an instant, scalding lava erupted from his body, enveloping his entire form and burning fiercely like armor, while the surrounding rocks gradually crystallized due to the high temperature.

This appearance is somewhat similar to Qin Yeyan's soul form, but it's much more exaggerated and lacks that profound sense of oppression.

This is the Lava Release chakra mode created by Rōshi using the Four-Tails, which can enhance his defense and lethality. Ordinary attacks are unlikely to break through his defense in this state.

Facing the menacing fiery figure charging towards him, Kisame calmly began forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!"

In an instant, the entire valley seemed to be dragged into the deep sea, with giant waves tens of meters high appearing out of nowhere, one wave higher than the next, and the roaring sound of the water was deafening.

Old Zi's proud fiery body was as insignificant as a drop in the ocean in the face of this towering wave.

It's important to know that using Water Release techniques in a dry place would be far less effective, let alone generate such a massive wave. This demonstrates the sheer power of Kisame's chakra.

This isn't water escape at all; it should be called sea escape.

The battle between the two sides started quickly and ended just as quickly.

Even with the power of the Four-Tails, Old Purple was ultimately no match for the principle of elemental counteraction. Faced with Kisame's overwhelming sea-style chakra release, his prized lava release was like a candle flickering in the wind, not to mention the giant sword Samehada that cut through his chakra.

In the end, the red-haired old man floated helplessly in the receding water, like a stranded fish.

Kisame came to him, lifted him up with Samehada, and carried the sword on his shoulder.

"Four-tailed, capture complete."

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
In the silent valley, a few dry claps rang out.

Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha tensed up and looked in the direction of the voice.

From the shadows of the rock wall, a tall, slender figure emerged slowly. He had black hair and black eyes, and held a long sword that gleamed with an eerie light in his hand. His footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, yet they froze the atmosphere of the entire valley.

"Excellent, excellent. These days, it's rare to see a proper ninjutsu battle. Alright, leave the Jinchuriki here, you can leave now."

"It's you!" Kisame stared with his shark-like eyes, recognizing the person who had appeared.

Unexpectedly, they actually ran into it. Clearly, the other party was also after the Four-Tails.

But to expect him to hand over his spoils based on just a few words seems a bit too arrogant.

Kisame Hoshigaki tossed the Four-Tails Jinchuriki to Itachi Uchiha's feet and stepped forward.

"People outside say you're amazing, but I don't believe you're that good. Let's have a contest."

Although he said that, Kisame's entire body was on high alert. The playfulness in his wide-open shark eyes was gone, replaced by a solemn look as if he were facing a formidable enemy, a stark contrast to his nonchalant attitude towards Rōshi.

The air here seemed to solidify, and even the moonlight became icy and chilling in this desolate atmosphere.

A gentle breeze swept by, stirring up fine pebbles that echoed through the empty valley.

The next second, Qin Ye, who had been standing still, vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Kisame in the blink of an eye, slashing out with his long sword, aiming straight for Kisame's head.

Kisame didn't hesitate either, raising his greatsword Samehada to meet the attack.

puff~
A muffled thud, unlike the sound of weapons clashing, rang out. The blade of the thousand blades sank deep into the bandages of Samehada, as if it were being held tightly by some living creature, unable to be pulled out.

Between the bandages, dark blue barbs could be vaguely seen wriggling.

As Qin Ye lightly twisted his wrist, a cold, eerie light suddenly burst forth, and the bandages covering Samehada shattered, revealing its true form.

It was a strange knife covered in dark blue barbs and with a mouth-like appendage at the tip.

This doesn't look like a weapon; it looks more like a deep-sea monster.

Kisame's lips curled into a smile, and he raised his Samehada sword, slashing straight down at the person in front of him. It wasn't so much a slash as a cut; it was more like a 'slice,' because the sword had no edge at all.

Qin Ye dodged to the side, then stomped heavily on Samehada with one foot, simultaneously leaping up and swiftly striking Kisame's head with the other.

Kisame wanted to use his sword to flip Qin Ye over, but he was surprised to find that the sword was as heavy as a mountain, so heavy that he couldn't lift it at all.

Startled, he had no choice but to raise his arm and brace himself in front of him.

Bang!
With a loud bang, Kisame was spun around like a windmill and flew backwards, crashing to the ground with a thud.

Just as Qin Ye was about to give chase, he suddenly felt a void in his body, as if someone had taken a handful of his vital energy, leaving him missing a large chunk.

Samehada?

He was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this weapon could not only devour chakra, but also his vital energy; it really had good teeth.

Looking up, one could see that Kisame had already stood up. The muscles of the shark in his hand were visibly much more bloated than before, and the blade was trembling slightly. In the mouth full of sharp teeth at the front, a sticky tongue was licking with lingering satisfaction.

Although it has no face or eyes, you can still feel the exhilaration of this knife.

"Pretty capable, huh?" Kisame looked at the enlarged Samehada and a sinister smile appeared on his face. "This is the first time Samehada has eaten so much. It seems your chakra suits its taste very well."

Despite being kicked hard, Kisame seemed completely unaffected, and his previously numb arm returned to normal.

This is what makes Samehada so special; it can not only devour the enemy's chakra, but also use it to nourish its master.

With this ebb and flow, the holder is almost invincible.

"Mr. Itachi."

As soon as Kisame's deep voice fell, Itachi Uchiha, who had been his partner for a long time, immediately understood what he wanted to do and immediately lifted up the Four-Tails Jinchuriki to quickly move away.

In fact, Itachi Uchiha could have joined forces with Kisame to attack Qin Ye, but he did not do so.

Before a battle, he habitually gathers intelligence about the enemy, which allows him to achieve maximum effect with minimal effort.

Seeing Itachi move away, Kisame formed hand seals, and a large amount of chakra circulated within his body. His cheeks bulged high, and then endless streams of water gushed from his mouth.

"Water escape, big water blast!"

This time, the water flow did not appear as a giant wave, but instead expanded rapidly, forming a huge ellipsoidal water prison that enveloped the entire valley.

(End of this chapter)