Chapter 229: Samehada Changes Hands

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Nawaki slashed at Samehada with a single powerful stroke, forcing tremendous pressure onto Fuguki Suikazan. The blade drew closer and closer to Fuguki's shoulder. Suddenly, several large snakes burst from Nawaki's sleeves, spitting venom before lunging to bite Fuguki's face.

The triangular snakeheads, clearly venomous, left Fuguki with no choice but to take the blow on his left shoulder and retreat.

Nawaki chuckled lightly and closed the distance, pressing his advantage.

"Kid, don't push it too far."

"Ninja Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

Ignoring his injuries, Fuguki formed a hand seal, lengthening his hair into sharp needles that shot toward Nawaki.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."

An earthen wall rose swiftly between them, stopping the hair attack just short of reaching Nawaki. The hair stuck out a few inches, unable to go further.

"Is that all you've got up your sleeve?" Nawaki taunted, leaping over the wall and severing Fuguki's hair with a single swipe. His mocking tone carried obvious contempt.

He had clearly learned the art of psychological warfare from Kawakaze.

"Heh, trying to provoke me?" Fuguki sneered, his composure intact despite the jibe. Who taught this brat to be so venomous with his words?

"Ugly people don't necessarily have low IQs, you've noticed," Nawaki continued, his relentless remarks striking directly at Fuguki's pride.

"Cut the crap!"

Enraged, Fuguki charged forward, swinging Samehada with full force, intent on cutting Nawaki down.

Clang!

Nawaki raised his sword to block, the clash of metal ringing sharply in the air.

At that moment, something unexpected happened. The bandages on Samehada unraveled, revealing barbs that quickly extended, aiming for Nawaki. The large mouth at the blade's tip even protruded, sticking out its tongue as if licking its lips.

This Chakra… it likes it!

Nawaki had not anticipated that Samehada was a living blade. His retreat was too slow, and the barbs pierced his arm, leaving several bloody holes.

In that instant, he felt his Chakra being siphoned away.

"Your Chakra isn't bad. This is the first time I've seen Samehada so excited," Fuguki said, twisting his neck with satisfaction, finally feeling vindicated for the earlier attack.

"You're celebrating too early."

The bloody holes in Nawaki Senju's hands began to heal rapidly. Though he knew no Medical Ninjutsu, being a direct descendant of the Senju Clan had its perks.

"Haha, again."

Fuguki seized the moment, intending to use Samehada's abilities to gradually wear Nawaki down.

"One mistake, and there won't be a second chance," Nawaki remarked, fully aware of Fuguki's strategy.

Their blades clashed once more, Nawaki sacrificing a small amount of Chakra while becoming increasingly attuned to Samehada's patterns. With each exchange, his movements grew more fluid, and Fuguki found himself struggling under Nawaki's relentless attacks.

Fuguki couldn't believe the unpredictability of Nawaki's Kenjutsu, a style unlike anything he had encountered before. What Fuguki didn't know was that Nawaki's skill had been forged through countless brutal training sessions with Kawakaze, leaving no room for mercy.

After dozens of fierce exchanges, the two separated again.

"Kid, you're forcing my hand," Fuguki growled, out of options and preparing to use his ultimate technique.

He plunged his entire right arm into Samehada's mouth, which was planted upright in the ground.

"Ahhh!"

A cry of pain erupted as the knife wound on his left shoulder began to heal. His face twisted, transforming into shark-like features.

His skin turned pale, his eyes narrowed further, and his teeth grew sharper. His entire right arm fused with Samehada, forming a grotesque shark's dorsal fin.

The transformation left no doubt—this was a new height of ugliness.

Perhaps the fusion with Samehada wasn't a perfect fit, and Fuguki's technique was far inferior to Hoshigaki's.

A strange glint appeared in Nawaki's eyes as he became more cautious.

In their second exchange, Fuguki began to gain the upper hand. The Samehada fusion had given him a significant boost, and the blade on his right arm was now incredibly durable. Without the constraints of wielding a separate weapon, his attacks became more flexible and unpredictable.

Fuguki mixed punches and kicks into his assault, forcing Nawaki to engage in close combat. However, after trading a few blows, Nawaki sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled back.

"Found it?" Fuguki taunted with a sinister laugh. "I'm going to suck you dry."

As Fuguki attacked again, Nawaki felt his Chakra being drained the moment they made contact. With the fusion, Fuguki could now absorb Chakra through his entire body, no longer needing to use Samehada directly.

Nawaki quickly assessed the battlefield. The fight was evenly matched, though someone from the Yuki Clan had already been injured by a Lightning Release technique. Thankfully, no lives had been lost.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.

Facing Fuguki's relentless aggression, Nawaki shifted tactics. He avoided direct confrontations and refrained from making physical contact. Abandoning offense, he focused solely on defense, retreating cautiously while evading attacks.

Frustrated, Fuguki failed to absorb Nawaki's Chakra, growing visibly irritated. However, the power in his strikes seemed to increase as his fury mounted.

During the retreat, Nawaki's foot slipped slightly on something, causing him to sway.

Fuguki seized the moment, lunging forward with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. His blade-like right arm shot straight toward Nawaki's neck.

In that instant, Fuguki could already envision himself cutting down the troublesome brat. The sneer on his face grew more sinister, his expression twisted with anticipation.

"Minato!"

Nawaki shouted, his body leaning back as he fell. His movements seemed panicked, but as he fell, he raised his sword just in time to block Fuguki's blade-like right hand.

"Die."

Fuguki's hand stopped abruptly, frozen in place.

Puff…

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed. A drop of blood fell from the tip of a sword onto Nawaki's face. Fuguki turned his head in disbelief.

Behind him, Minato stood with both hands gripping a sword firmly lodged in Fuguki's heart.

When did this happen?

Minato pulled the blade free, and blood sprayed from the wound. As Fuguki collapsed to the ground, his gaze caught sight of a specially crafted kunai lying quietly nearby.

It was clear now—this had all been part of someone else's plan.

In the end, he had fallen short by one crucial move.

Bang!

The heavy sound of Fuguki's body hitting the ground filled the air. Samehada, now ownerless, detached from him and fell to the side, twisting uneasily as if in protest.

"Good one." Nawaki wiped the blood from his face, stood up, and patted Minato on the shoulder.

"We're brothers. Who'd dare to fight us?" Having killed a formidable foe, Minato even found time to joke with Nawaki.

Fuguki, who had fully integrated Samehada, was impervious to Ninjutsu and wielded extraordinary Taijutsu, making him a truly terrifying adversary.

"Damn it," Biwa Jūzō snarled, realizing that the opponent who had vanished had killed Fuguki.

Enraged, he charged forward with his Kubikiribōchō.

"This guy's got a problem in the head," Nawaki muttered. Taking on one opponent was already tough enough, but now he wanted to fight two?

Nawaki picked up Samehada eagerly. It was heavy, but undeniably a valuable weapon.

"Finish him off," Minato said, dashing forward.

Ssshhhh…

Nawaki was about to swing his new weapon when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his hand, as if he had been bitten. Glancing down, he noticed that Samehada's handle had absorbed his blood and wrapped snugly around his wrist.

It felt almost alive, as if it were bonding with him.

Nawaki also sensed Chakra flowing into his body.

"This really is a treasure," he murmured with a grin, patting the blade with his other hand. Samehada responded immediately, almost eagerly.

"My new partner, let's go together."

Ahead, Minato had already engaged Biwa Jūzō in battle.