Chapter 387: Same Target, Encounter, Kaguya-Kimimaro!

"Wait!"

With a loud roar, a three-to-four-meter-long, shark-shaped water bomb shot out of the forest, hurtling toward Zabuza and Kiri's Anbu.

Hatake Kakashi turned his head sharply at the sound and saw the incoming water bomb. Without hesitation, he immediately leaped back to evade it. The water bomb struck directly at the Kiri Anbu, who had been preparing to take Zabuza away.

"Ice Release: Ice Wall Formation!"

Faced with the sudden attack, the Kiri Anbu had no choice but to halt his retreat with Zabuza. Forming a hand seal with his right hand, an ice shield instantly appeared in front of them. As the water bomb collided with the shield, water splashed in all directions.

"Who?!"

Kakashi shouted coldly as he put some distance between himself and the enemy, quickly moving to Naruto and the others to prevent any unforeseen incidents. Meanwhile, the Kiri Anbu and Zabuza, now restrained by the water bomb, remained behind the ice shield.

"These two can't be allowed to leave."

"I'll be taking them."

Kisame Hoshigaki slowly emerged from the forest, placing his right hand on the hilt of Samehada while curiously eyeing the Kiri Anbu and Zabuza. As a former Mist ninja, he had since joined Konoha after meeting Uzumaki Raiden. By the time he left the Mist, only a few of the village's Seven Ninja Swords remained.

Kisame hadn't expected to encounter another wielder of the Seven Ninja Swords here—the user of the Executioner's Blade, Zabuza Momochi.

He had heard of Zabuza before but had never met him in person. What intrigued him even more, however, was the Anbu attempting to take Zabuza away. The technique used—Ice Release—was a Kekkei Genkai he had never seen before!

"So these two are the ones Lord Raiden mentioned."

"They might be worth something."

Kisame's sharp eyes flickered as he observed the two Kiri, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Kisame?! What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked suspiciously upon recognizing him. He was no stranger to Kisame, who served as one of Uzumaki Raiden's personal guards and was a member of Konoha's secret organization. As far as Kakashi knew, Kisame only took orders from Raiden.

If Kisame was here, that meant he had come under Raiden's directive.

"This has nothing to do with you."

"Step aside."

Kisame shot Kakashi a glance and spoke indifferently before stepping forward, slowly closing in on the Mist ninja.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, is that guy also a Konoha ninja?"

"Is it really okay for him to attack Kiri's Anbu? Won't this affect relations with the Mist Village?"

Uchiha Sasuke, unfamiliar with Kisame, whispered in confusion as he observed the sudden confrontation.

"Kisame Hoshigaki is one of Lord Raiden's personal guards. He spent years performing secret missions outside the village and only returned recently."

"He only listens to Lord Raiden. If this is his mission, then regardless of how it affects the village, we should not interfere."

Kakashi's expression was serious as he replied while keeping an eye on the Kiri Anbu. He had fought Zabuza before—an excellent jonin, but nothing more. Under normal circumstances, someone of his caliber wouldn't have caught Raiden's attention.

This led Kakashi to shift his focus to the Kiri Anbu. The sudden appearance of the ice shield earlier, as well as the unknown Ice Release jutsu, intrigued him.

"Is Lord Raiden's real target this Kiri Anbu?"

"Is that why Kisame is here?"

Kakashi decided against taking immediate action and instead led Naruto and the others back to observe the unfolding battle.

"Pay attention, you three. Kisame is an elite who has been by Lord Raiden's side. You may learn something from watching his battle."

Kakashi spoke before falling silent. Sasuke and Karin immediately focused, while Naruto crossed his arms indifferently, unimpressed. He had seen Kisame fight before—his battles relied mostly on brute-force taijutsu. In his mind, Kisame wasn't stronger than Kakashi.

After all, the chilling murderous aura from Kakashi and Zabuza earlier had left a deep impression on Naruto, while Kisame had never exuded such an aura.

"Well then, cooperate, and I won't have to be rough."

"Save me the trouble."

Kisame casually swung Samehada off his back, holding it firmly as his chakra surged. A powerful killing intent accompanied the energy, whipping up a violent wind that spread outward. Even though the Kiri Anbu wore a mask, his muscles tensed involuntarily under Kisame's terrifying presence.

The pressure was immense.

Even Naruto and the others, positioned further away, instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves from the force.

"So strong! Is this the power of the Fourth Hokage's personal guard?!"

Sasuke squinted against the wind, his heart pounding in shock. The name Uzumaki Raiden was not unfamiliar to him—after all, that man was Uchiha Itachi's master. Since childhood, Sasuke had idolized his powerful and kind older brother, which naturally led to his curiosity and admiration for Raiden.

Now, witnessing Kisame's overwhelming presence, Sasuke trembled with excitement.

Unlike Sasuke, Naruto was more surprised than impressed. The Kisame he saw now was completely different from the one he knew!

Whenever Kisame was with Uzumaki Raiden or training Minato Namikaze, he had never displayed such power. But now, this terrifying aura was far beyond anything Kakashi or Zabuza had shown earlier.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, I didn't expect you to betray the Mist and join Konoha."

"Are you really going to attack me? Are you not afraid of bringing trouble to Konoha?! Can I interpret your actions as Konoha declaring war against the Mist?!"

Kiri Anbu's tone was calm, but a hint of a threat lingered in his words.

"Heh, do you think that matters?"

"The one I serve is Uzumaki Raiden of Konoha!"

Kisame chuckled before swinging Samehada in a powerful strike at the Kiri Anbu.

"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

Forming a series of hand seals, the Kiri Anbu created multiple ice mirrors surrounding Kisame. The mirrors, numbering over twenty, each about one meter wide and two meters high, fully enclosed Kisame inside. Within each mirror, Kisame's reflection could be seen.

Kisame swung Samehada, aiming to shatter the ice, but the sheer force of the strike was absorbed by the mirrors, sending a strong shockwave that forced Kisame back.

"This is…?" Kisame steadied himself, his face filled with surprise. He hadn't expected such resistance.

"Blocked?"

"What kind of jutsu is that?!"

Naruto exclaimed as he watched. Even from a distance, he could feel the cold emanating from the ice mirrors. He had never seen such a technique before.

"It's a Kekkei Genkai—a fusion of Water Release and Wind Release."

Kakashi's voice was grave, his expression growing more serious. Hearing this, Naruto glanced at Uchiha Sasuke and Karin. As far as he knew, both of his teammates possessed Kekkei Genkai, and Karin's abilities had already awakened.

"So, you really are one of the people I was looking for."

Kisame smirked, then firmly planted Samehada into the ground and began forming hand seals.

But before he could complete them, a barrage of ice senbon shot out from the mirrors, aiming directly at him.

"Hmph."

Kisame narrowed his eyes and dodged the projectiles aimed at his vitals, allowing the rest to strike him harmlessly. The needles barely penetrated his skin.

"What? He didn't even try to dodge?!"

The Kiri Anbu was shocked.

At that moment, Kisame's body suddenly dissolved into water.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

The towering trees in the woods began to topple, engulfed by the surging torrent. Within seconds, a massive wave, more than ten meters high, crashed into the ice mirrors. Holding Samehada high, Kisame swiftly advanced toward the Kirinin Anbu.

Boom!

The powerful wave struck the ice mirrors with devastating force, shattering dozens of them into fragments. The raging waters swept up the unconscious Zabuza, carrying him nearly a hundred meters before his body slammed into a large tree and came to a stop. Kisame, using the momentum of the wave, instantly closed in on the Kirinin Anbu, striking with a powerful slash.

"Ice Release: Ice Wall Formation!"

With a loud shout, a thick ice wall rose in front of the Kirinin Anbu. Though the water roared around him, the ice wall provided him a small area of refuge amidst the chaos.

Boom!

Just as he thought he was safe, a deafening crack echoed through the battlefield. The thick ice wall began to fissure, the cracks spreading rapidly before the entire structure collapsed.

The moment the ice wall shattered, a powerful current surged forward, sweeping the Anbu into its relentless flow. His mask was torn away as he tumbled through the water.

He was thrown nearly twenty meters before colliding with a tree, the impact violently shaking his internal organs. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

"So pretty? It's a boy?"

As the floodwaters settled, Kisame stepped across the surface, striding toward the fallen Anbu. As he drew closer, he finally caught sight of the young shinobi's face.

It was a child with long hair—likely around fourteen or fifteen years old. Judging by appearance alone, Kisame couldn't determine whether the person was male or female. He could only make a silent guess.

"What's your name?"

Kisame pressed Samehada against the youth's chin and asked.

"...Haku."

The Anbu hesitated before responding with difficulty, his lips slightly trembling. Kisame nodded, then lifted Samehada slightly, using the weapon to hoist Haku's body before casually slinging him over his shoulder.

"Mission accomplished."

Kisame thought to himself as he turned to leave, heading toward the mist-covered battlefield in the distance. However, at that moment, his relaxed muscles suddenly tensed. Without hesitation, he leaped backward just in time to evade an attack.

But he wasn't fast enough.

A white bone spike shot up from the ground, piercing through Kisame's right chest.

The sharpened bone, as if possessing a will of its own, extended rapidly, pursuing Kisame even as he retreated.

Kisame quickly distanced himself, moving back tens of meters. After reaching a sufficient distance, the bone finally stopped growing and rapidly retracted, vanishing into the earth.

"Dance of the Willow!"

Before Kisame could fully assess the situation, a cold wind brushed past him. A white-clad figure appeared at his side in an instant, attacking at blinding speed. Kisame barely had time to raise Samehada to block.

The opponent's strikes were incredibly swift. Kisame deflected the first, but the subsequent attacks rained down relentlessly against Samehada.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sharp sound of metal and bone colliding rang through the air as Kisame was steadily forced backward, his feet digging two deep trenches into the ground. After several exchanges, the assault ceased, allowing Kisame to finally lower his blade and observe his attacker.

Two figures now stood in the waterlogged clearing, which had been carved out by the Water Release technique.

One was a young man dressed in pristine white, his snow-colored hair flowing down his back. Two distinct red dots adorned his forehead, adding an air of maturity that contrasted with his youthful face.

Beside him stood a striking young girl with multicolored hair draped over her shoulders. She wore a bright red robe, her complexion unnaturally pale, exuding an eerie aura.

Behind the two newcomers, Haku lay on the ground, clutching his chest in pain, struggling to rise.

"Who are you?!" Kisame demanded in a deep voice, his expression turning serious.

"Is this the one Lord Orochimaru was interested in?"

"What a letdown... How disappointing."

The white-haired youth ignored Kisame's presence entirely, glancing down at Haku with an unimpressed look before shaking his head slightly.

"Hey, Kimimaro-kun, this one looks delicious. Can I eat him?"

The girl's thought process seemed vastly different from that of a normal person. She stared intently at Haku, her mouth slightly open, a glistening trail of saliva trickling down the corner of her lips.

"No. I'll find you something to eat later. This one is not food."

The boy, Kimimaro, frowned slightly and shook his head.

The girl pouted, disappointed, but then turned her gaze toward Karin and Sasuke in the distance. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she lightly bit her index finger.

"Hey, Kimimaro-kun... What about those two? Can I eat them instead?"

(End of this chapter.)