Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
I think no one expected what would happen in this chapter. I hope you like it, since I see it as possible that he would have accepted the proposal as well as fulfilled it.
If we hit 400 PW I post a extra chapter you been hitting all the goals to get more chapters
Don't forget to leave your power stones along with your comment if you have any ideas or opinions that could help me, as well as a review to continue showing your support.
Enjoy the chapter!
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The coast of the Land of Tea, which only minutes earlier had been the epicenter of a massive battle, was now in an unnatural calm. The sea, indifferent to the death of a Kage, continued to pound the cliffs with a constant rhythm, slowly washing away the crimson stains that mingled with the sand.
The defeat of Ringo Ameyuri, who had been turned into little more than a dehydrated husk of flesh by Pakura's absolute heat, marked the end of the Kirigakure resistance and their failure in the very trap they had laid. The elements of the Mist had been scattered, and the Bijuu, the Nanabi, lay imprisoned within a sealed vessel that vibrated with power.
Daigo stood tall, a solitary figure whose presence eclipsed the vastness of the landscape. His cloak, scorched and covered in dust, hung heavily upon his shoulders. Beside him, his squadron—Sasori, Pakura, and Karinna—formed a security perimeter, but their gazes were not fixed on the horizon, but on the six survivors of Kiri.
These ninjas, once proud Mist shinobi, now found themselves on their knees, hands trembling and eyes lost. The sight of their Mizukage, Mangetsu Hōzuki, turned into an inert statue of crystal, had destroyed their last shred of hope.
"There's no way out," stuttered one of the ninjas, a young man who couldn't have been more than twenty, dropping his weapon and letting it fall with a dull thud onto the stone. "We're defeated. We surrender."
Daigo observed the men with a gaze devoid of pity. He was about to order Sasori to capture them for information, when a movement caught his attention.
It was not a complex concealment jutsu, nor a forbidden technique. It was an instinctive displacement, the movement of a predator that had been hovering on the periphery, watching, calculating, and waiting for the exact moment.
From the shadows of the rocky area, a figure slid forward with unsettling fluidity. He was a tall man, with grayish, pale skin, sharp features, and a jawline that resembled, with terrifying precision, that of a shark. In his hand, he held a standard katana, devoid of any ornamentation, a simple steel blade that had fulfilled its purpose in the dark.
In less than five seconds, the sound of steel slicing through human tissue was repeated six times. The six Kiri ninjas, who had hoped for clemency, fell to the ground with their throats opened, their bodies convulsing as life left their eyes.
The assassin stood there, in the middle of the circle of corpses, cleaning his weapon with the nonchalance of someone wiping a stain off their clothing.
Daigo did not move. Sasori and Pakura just watched, waiting for Daigo's signal, but Daigo raised a hand, stopping them from doing anything.
The man sheathed his katana in a simple scabbard and looked up at Daigo, showing a sharp, distinctive smile with pointed teeth.
"Looks like you were in a hurry to clean up loose ends, aren't you?" said Daigo, his voice resonating with authority on the deserted coast. "You acted fast. I wonder if it was for fear that they would spill the beans about Kiri, or that they would mention you didn't do anything during the fight."
The stranger did not flinch at the insult. His expression remained impassive as he stepped closer.
"I'd say it's the former. Those six wouldn't have taken a second to tell you where their own houses are in Kirigakure," said the ninja, his voice deep and guttural.
Daigo stepped forward, closing the distance.
"Kirigakure has many swordsmen, but only one has that kind of unbridled ambition, that ability to see the rot, and the will to be the executioner of his own comrades for a greater cause. Kisame Hoshigaki."
The man stopped dead in his tracks. For the first time, a spark of genuine surprise crossed his pale face. He had not expected to be identified, and certainly not by the man who had just slaughtered his village's elite. His hand instinctively moved toward the hilt of his sword, but stopped when he saw the calm with which Daigo watched him.
"Wow," said Kisame, letting out a dry, humorless laugh. "The great Kazekage of Suna knows my name. I suppose it's a compliment, though I still don't understand how someone so busy with a more important village knows me."
"That is a secret, but you are curious, Kisame," replied Daigo, walking toward him. "I know you are quite Loyal to your village, but I know you are fed up with the rot of Kirigakure. You are tired of serving a village that is crumbling from within, led by hypocrites who cannot see beyond their own interests. I have a proposal for you."
Kisame felt a chill. Daigo's precision was surgical. He looked for an escape route, his eyes scanning the terrain with contained desperation, but Sasori, Pakura, and Karinna formed an impassable wall. The energy of Daigo, even after having fought Mangetsu, was a constant pressure against which he could not fight. He knew that fleeing now, without the advantage of surprise, was impossible. He was trapped in the Kazekage's game.
"A proposal?" Kisame snorted, trying to regain his composure as a Kirigakure ninja. "What can a man offer who just killed my Kage and stole the power my village coveted? A quick death?"
Daigo stopped a few meters away. His eyes glowed with a cold, almost hypnotic intensity, reflecting the setting sun.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, a ninja who always remained in the shadows under Fuguki's command until I ended his life, and that's when you took his position. You have a hunger for power, but you haven't been given the opportunity to prove it. What do you think of the sword Samehada?" Daigo said.
Kisame remained silent, listening to Daigo's words; he was surprised by the information the man possessed.
"That was Fuguki's sword," Kisame murmured, thinking. "It has always caught my attention, yes. And what about it? Are you just going to give it to me, just like that?"
"I will give it to you," Daigo said with absolute calm. "I have all Seven Swords in my possession. I will give you Samehada. I will give you the weapon that will help you be stronger. In exchange, I want you to join Sunagakure and abandon Kirigakure. Be loyal to me, be loyal to Sunagakure. I don't ask for blind loyalty; I ask you to be part of the new Suna I am building."
The silence stretched, heavy and dense like the air before a storm. Kisame looked at Daigo, searching for the lie, the trap, the political trick, but he only found a brutal coldness that he found strangely comforting. It was a honesty he had never found in the halls of the Mist.
"Why so much trust?" Kisame narrowed his eyes, his sharp teeth gleaming. "How do you know I won't betray you the moment I have the sword in my hand? How do you know I won't slit your throat at the first opportunity?"
Daigo let out a cold laugh that made everyone present tense up.
"Because if you try to betray me, I will kill you before you can even draw it. I am the man who turned a Kage into crystal, Kisame. Do not underestimate my ability to end any threat. Besides, you know it yourself: Kirigakure is a pit of corruption. Sooner or later, you will abandon it. Why not do it now, when the world is changing and you have the opportunity to be on the side of those who write history?"
Kisame felt a chill. Daigo was right. Everything he had seen—the hypocrisy of Kiri's leaders, the suicide missions, the lack of honor—it all weighed on his soul. But his pride did not allow him to be just another subordinate.
"You have an interesting proposal, Kazekage," said Kisame, a spark of defiance shining in his eyes. "But my loyalty is not bought with words. It is earned with strength. If I am to follow you, I need to know that the man I follow is superior to me."
"I'm listening," said Daigo, interested in the game.
"A fight. One on one. You against me. If I win, I leave with the sword and no one follows me. If I lose..." Kisame smiled, a shark's grin, "...I will be loyal to you and Sunagakure until the day I die."
Daigo felt a surge of adrenaline at Kisame's words. He had always thought about fighting powerful people, and he was finally doing it. Although he knew Kisame was not yet the powerful shinobi he had appeared to be in the anime, he would be soon if he joined Sunagakure.
Daigo, without hesitation, walked toward the crystal statue that was once Mangetsu. He detached a piece of the crystal, took out a sealing scroll, and opened it. The Seven Swords of the Mist appeared in a flash of cold light. Daigo took Samehada and threw it to Kisame. The sword, feeling Daigo's chakra, twisted and groaned, but the Kazekage forced it to submit with a bit of his chakra.
"Pakura," said Daigo, without taking his eyes off his opponent. "Go back to Kanzaki. Secure the vessel. I'll handle this."
"Kazekage-sama," protested Pakura, "we cannot leave you alone in enemy territory. We are not leaving without you being alright," said Pakura, her voice devoid of any trace of the affectionate Pakura.
Daigo looked at her. His eyes knew she was upset with him and that she didn't like what they were doing, but Daigo just ignored her and turned away, knowing she wasn't going to leave.
"Then keep your distance. Watch from the high ground, but do not interfere. That is an order from your Kazekage," Daigo commanded.
Reluctantly, the team retreated to an elevated point. Daigo took off his Kage robe, letting it fall onto the earth, leaving his torso bare.
Kisame took Samehada. Upon contact, the sword shuddered, terrified of Daigo's aura, but upon feeling Kisame's chakra, it calmed down.
"Do you still have fighting spirit, new friend?" Kisame asked the sword. "Let's see what this man is made of and take revenge for keeping you without a wielder."
At Kisame's words, Samehada seemed to let out an energetic screech, its scales appearing to come to life, as if telling Kisame that it was ready to fight Daigo.
Kisame did not wait. He launched his attack, Samehada striking the air with devastating weight. Daigo did not use crystal. He activated the Sixth Breath of the Seven Heavens. His body became a blur of speed. He dodged Samehada's first blow by millimeters, feeling the vacuum the sword left as it sucked the air.
Kisame, seeing Daigo dodge with one hand, performed hand seals to launch a high-pressure jet of water, attempting to strike Daigo, but the Kazekage simply vanished, reappearing to the swordsman's right. A dry, direct blow to Kisame's ribs made him recoil, the air escaping his lungs.
Kisame, far from being intimidated, smiled. Before he started using his massive chakra reserves, this was where the others understood why Daigo wanted to recruit Kisame: he created a new ocean where they were fighting.
With the sea created, Kisame did not hesitate to start launching jutsus at Daigo. The first he used was the Goshokuzame (Five Hungry Sharks). Six water sharks headed toward Daigo at full speed to try and bite him, but with rapid movements, Daigo destroyed them one by one using only pure taijutsu. However, something characteristic of that jutsu was that it didn't matter how many times Daigo destroyed them; they reconstructed themselves to attack again.
Kisame, seeing that the five sharks were not enough, began to perform new hand seals, this time a little longer, to return to the water.
"Let's see if you can handle 1,000 sharks! Sen-shokuzame (Thousand Hungry Sharks)!" said Kisame, who now appeared with many more that went toward Daigo.
Daigo, seeing all the sharks, just shook his head, starting to get bored of Kisame's games, knowing that if he used his crystal, this would end very quickly. So, without waiting any longer, he vanished from his spot, appearing above Kisame—who did not expect that—striking him and causing him to enter the water.
Although Daigo didn't stay behind, entering Kisame's terrain, he began to pursue him as Kisame dodged with his sharks. But this was no more than a ruse: he performed seals, and a stone platform rose, pulling both of them out of the water, taking away Kisame's advantage.
"Is that all you have, Kisame? You're boring. I think I'd rather recover Samehada and look for a more suitable wielder for her," said Daigo, looking boredly at Kisame, who just gnashed his teeth, having no choice but to try what he had learned about Samehada.
The fusion between the sword and the wielder.
Kisame, looking at Samehada, began to channel all the chakra he could into it, and it began to grow in size due to the amount of chakra it was absorbing from Kisame.
"Let's go, Samehada, let's show them your true power," said Kisame, who let himself be swallowed by the great Samehada, which engulfed him in a single bite.
Seconds later, the water that still remained in the surroundings was absorbed into Samehada, creating a dome where nothing could be seen, only the silhouettes inside, which began to change. When the silhouettes stopped moving, the water dome exploded with a strong, beastly roar, releasing an amount of chakra that made the water and air around them tremble.
Daigo, who was propelled by the winds, observed the new Kisame fused with Samehada. His skin had disappeared, replaced by a natural armor of rough, gray scales, so dense they looked like tempered steel. His pupils had contracted until they became two cold, empty slits: the predatory gaze of a shark. The sides of his neck and ribs had gills that pumped air with a wild urgency. A dorsal fin, sharp and rigid as a blade, had torn through his tunic and rose upon his back. His fingers had elongated and fused with translucent membranes, ready to tear. He leaned slightly forward, losing all upright posture, moving with the terrifying grace of an animal.
That was the sight everyone observed, surprised that Samehada had this ability, which even Fuguki had not been able to achieve.
Kisame, without waiting a second longer, launched himself toward the sea, swimming at a speed faster than before, and headed toward Daigo along with the water sharks.
Daigo, before the attack, prepared for Kisame's assault. Each shark that tried to bite him was disintegrated by a precise movement of his hand, a blow of pure physical force, or a kick that broke the jutsu's structure. He didn't need his crystal powers to dominate; his chakra control and pure speed were superior.
Kisame, frustrated and excited at the same time, charged again. This time he hit Daigo's guard several times, which sent Daigo backward; he noticed that his chakra was absorbed solely by contact with Kisame's skin, making him more powerful than before.
Kisame made a slashing motion with his shark tail, but Daigo grabbed it mid-attack to start spinning him and slamming him against the ground. Kisame stood up again, his wounds healing through Samehada's chakra and Daigo's own.
He returned to form hand seals to use another jutsu with a smile.
"Here it is, Kazekage, my greatest technique: Daikōdan no Jutsu (Great Shark Bullet Technique)!" said Kisame.
From in front of him, a great shark with its mouth open headed toward Daigo. He, reacting to the jutsu, moved away to do the same, although he did not use crystal as Kisame thought he would. He used the same previous jutsu to get out of the water, although afterward, with new seals and touching the platform, the ground began to tremble.
"Doton: Tsuchi-Shō (Earth Style: Earthly Impact)!" said Daigo, causing pieces of earth in the form of balls to shoot into the air.
Daigo, jumping toward the first one, struck it with his leg wrapped in a layer of stone as if it had been a soccer player. One by one, they headed toward Kisame's jutsu, which absorbed the chakra of the piece of earth, but because it was earth, it did its job, passing through the shark. And the others that followed finished destroying the jutsu. Kisame, seeing his jutsu being destroyed so easily, felt why Daigo had been Kazekage from such a young age, and that was without even using the crystal that made him so famous. In short, he was holding back.
Daigo, already wanting to end this, remembering that he had a Bijuu to secure, appeared in a blur of speed in front of Kisame, connecting a series of blows to pressure points that left Kisame without the ability to react.
A great final blow, loaded with a controlled but devastating force, sent Kisame flying against a rock formation. The impact was so brutal that even the surrounding water was expelled as if by a tsunami back to the sea. Kisame fell to the ground on his back, spitting blood, his form beginning to change and return to normal. Samehada, at his side, now as everyone knew it, seemed to be groaning in pain.
Daigo approached, canceling the Sixth Breath. Silence returned to the coast. Daigo stood in front of him. Kisame, with his teeth stained red, looked up. There was no hatred, only bitter recognition.
"You won," Kisame grunted. "You beat me even without using your crystal. I'm so weak."
"That's right. Welcome, Ninja of Sunagakure," replied Daigo, extending a hand. "And don't worry, you have a long way to go to reach my level, and even if you train, I will keep getting stronger, so good luck if you plan to defeat me."
Kisame took Daigo's hand and stood up.
"It doesn't matter. One day," promised Kisame, "one day I will defeat you."
Those were Kisame's last words before fainting from the use of the fusion with Samehada.
The other ninjas, observing that it was all over, came down. Daigo just threw Kisame, along with Samehada, to give the warning to return to Kanzaki.
The trip back to Kanzaki was disturbingly silent. The group moved through the Land of Tea, hiding in the shadows. Sasori, always analytical, watched the unconscious Kisame as if he were something different; the ninjas around him didn't want to know what was going through the creator of human puppets' mind. Karinna, more perceptive, noticed how Samehada remained unusually quiet near Kisame.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Kanzaki, under the shelter of a mountain range that served as a natural border, Daigo ordered a halt. The sky began to turn a dark violet.
"Sasori, Karinna," said Daigo, without turning around. "Ensure that the vessel with the Nanabi is transported to the secret chamber. No one can know of its existence until I give the order. I don't want leaks, not even from the Suna councilors."
"As you wish, Kazekage-sama," replied Karinna, her voice calm and respectful toward Daigo.
"The same for everyone here; not a word," Daigo said to the ninjas, who nodded with a bow.
Pakura took a step forward, watching Kisame.
"And what about him?" she asked, pointing her chin toward Kisame. "We cannot let him walk through Kanzaki as if he were one of us, just because you defeated him in a battle doesn't mean he can be trust," said Pakura.
Daigo looked at Kisame, then looked at Pakura.
"Take him to receive medical attention. He is one of us, so I don't want anyone watching him; he won't do anything."
Daigo turned around again and began to walk toward the Kazekage tower in Kanzaki. The rest of the team just disappeared, each one doing what they wanted.