Chapter 155: Suikazan Fuguki... Self-Destructed!
Dozens of ninjas joined forces, amplifying the scale of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave to terrifying heights. A colossal tsunami surged from below, engulfing the entire cliff in an instant.
Pakura immediately retreated.
But—
At that moment, Suikazan Fuguki closed in on her, swinging Samehada with deadly precision.
Pakura's chakra had just begun to condense when—
Her jutsu failed.
What?!
Her expression twisted in shock as she realized—
This sword… it's absorbing my chakra!
She hurled several explosive tags and flickered backward.
As the overwhelming tsunami bore down on her, a flicker of despair flashed in her eyes.
This is it.
Her Scorch Release worked by superheating the air, using scorching winds to incinerate enemies.
A fusion of Fire and Wind Release, no matter how powerful, still relied on air to function—rendering it useless against the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
Water counters Fire—this was the fundamental rule.
Trapped within this watery prison, she was as good as dead. Her only hope was to escape its range.
Though she had suspected this mission was a trap, facing death head-on still triggered an instinctive will to survive.
Yet—
Fuguki was faster.
Riding the currents, he appeared behind her in an instant.
With the water's flow accelerating his movements, Pakura knew Scorch Release wouldn't work—but in desperation, she still unleashed her chakra.
Because…
She had no other choice.
As Samehada siphoned her chakra, she forced out a burst of flames, but they lacked the usual searing intensity—her energy was being stolen.
Fuguki raised Samehada for another strike, but the blade suddenly recoiled, resisting violently as if on the verge of rebellion. He had no choice but to abandon the idea.
Instead—
His hands flew through seals, and within seconds, he spat out a massive surge of water.
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
A crushing tide crashed toward Pakura.
Though her Scorch Release evaporated portions of the water, the sheer volume was unstoppable.
And behind her—
The tsunami had arrived.
This is the end.
A strange calm washed over Pakura.
The past few months in Sunagakure had been filled with hostility and betrayal, wearing her down to the bone.
Now…
It was finally over.
But before she died—
She'd take as many enemies with her as possible!
She fled toward the forest.
"You can't escape."
Fuguki grinned, manipulating the tsunami to surge forward, swallowing the land in its path.
As the wall of water loomed over her, Pakura stood her ground, her gaze steady.
"So this is where it ends."
Memories flashed before her eyes—the days when the Third Kazekage still lived, when hope still thrived in Sunagakure.
But now…
Only regret remained.
Just as the tidal wave was about to consume her—
A blur.
A figure appeared before her.
Then—
BOOM!
A blade cleaved through the tsunami, splitting the colossal wave in half with a single strike.
What…?
A Wind Release technique?!
How could anyone wield wind with such destructive force?!
Who was this?!
Before she could process it, a low voice commanded:
"Move!"
The stranger grabbed her arm and yanked her back, riding a self-created wave to escape the flood.
Fuguki, still in the water, froze in disbelief.
"What the—?!"
His prey had just been snatched away.
"AFTER THEM!"
He dove into the currents, giving chase.
Behind him, Hoshigaki Kisame followed, hands forming seals as he summoned—
Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!
"Watch the water below!" Pakura warned.
"Hn."
Kyohiko acknowledged, then—with a single-handed seal—created a shadow clone.
A one-handed Kage Bunshin?!
Pakura's eyes widened.
She knew who this was now.
Ryoho Kyohiko.
Konoha's prodigy—no, the strongest young genius in the entire shinobi world of this era.
Only he could perform a shadow clone with such effortless precision.
And he was saving her?!
Her thoughts raced.
Should she… betray him now?
As if sensing her hesitation, the masked figure turned slightly. Though she couldn't see his face, she felt it—
He was smirking.
Why?
She found out a second later.
His finger struck like lightning, jabbing at her pressure points before she could react.
A sharp pain flared through her limbs, followed by complete paralysis.
Tenketsu strikes?!
Pakura's mind reeled.
Wasn't that a Hyūga clan technique?!
How does he know it?!
She tried to channel chakra, but her pathways were sealed.
"Has the Hyūga clan gone mad? Teaching you their secret arts?!" she spat.
Kyohiko chuckled. "Konoha stands united—unlike Sunagakure, where you stab your own in the back. Don't worry, I'll avenge you."
"Save your pity," Pakura sneered. "We're enemies. And don't pretend you didn't want this outcome."
She was no naïve genin.
Konoha had let her go for a reason.
And upon her return, Sunagakure had only spiraled further into chaos.
"If I had truly fought for the title of Fourth Kazekage, Suna would've fractured entirely. Then what? Left defenseless against Konoha and Iwagakure?"
Kyohiko glanced at her, then smirked.
She understood far too well.
"If I had my way," he mused, "I'd have backed Sasori. Now that would've truly ruined Suna—maybe even put it on par with Kirigakure's current mess."
Pakura's eyes narrowed. "So you admit it?"
"Admit what? We're enemies. And let's not forget—it was Sunagakure that attacked the Land of Fire first. Don't twist the narrative."
Kyohiko responded indifferently.
Pakura fell silent.
The previous war had indeed been initiated by Sunagakure. Konoha was justified in using any means necessary—including killing the Third Kazekage and destabilizing their village from within.
She had no rebuttal.
A moment later, a blade suddenly appeared beside "Kyohiko."
Pakura recognized it immediately.
That was Suikazan Fuguki's sword!
Had he killed Fuguki?
How was that possible...?
Her expression froze as she stared at Kyohiko beside her, her mind reeling with shock.
Wasn't that just a shadow clone?
Moreover, space-time ninjutsu of this level had previously only been mastered by Namikaze Minato. Now, even Kyohiko had learned it—this was nothing short of a disaster for Sunagakure.
"Look over there."
"What?"
Pakura turned her head and saw, in the distance, a crimson light shooting into the sky, appearing particularly eerie under the moonlight.
What was that...?
---
Moments earlier.
Suikazan Fuguki charged forward, hands forming seals, a strange "fish" following closely behind him.
Samehada had been fully unleashed!
A vicious grin spread across his face.
Samehada disliked the scorching heat of Scorch Release, but it had no issue with other jutsu. Kill this guy first, then chase down Pakura—he could still salvage the mission.
Maybe even score an extra prize.
That had been his plan.
Moreover, countless sharks emerged from the water, surrounding Kyohiko.
But—
In the next instant, he heard the sounds of battle.
What was happening?
Fuguki froze for a second.
Behind him?
He immediately realized—his opponent wasn't alone.
Had Sunagakure betrayed him?
Or...
Was this person not from Sunagakure at all?
A chill ran down his spine. Something was wrong. He needed to escape—now.
In past battles, this instinct had saved his life multiple times. But this time was different.
His opponent tapped a single point in the air—and suddenly, his chakra presence skyrocketed.
Then, in a flash, a figure appeared beside him as if teleporting, giving him no time to react.
The sharks didn't even have a chance.
A single finger struck.
Concentrated Lightning Release chakra pierced through a specific point on Fuguki's chest. At first, he felt an overwhelming surge of chakra flooding his body.
But then—
A terrifying weakness set in.
He couldn't control the chakra. His strength was fading rapidly.
It felt like...
The last flare of a dying flame.
"Chakra erupts, but vitality and physical strength rapidly decline?"
"Hm. Let's test further."
A wisp of smoke drifted toward Fuguki, but Samehada immediately absorbed it, neutralizing the effect.
"Absorbed, huh?"
Kyohiko glanced at it, then placed his hand directly on Samehada—and in the next instant, used Flying Thunder God to teleport Fuguki away.
Fuguki roared, trying to counterattack, but Kyohiko's fingers struck like lightning—dozens of precise strikes in an instant.
Then—
Whoosh!
Kyohiko vanished.
Flying Thunder God—a space-time ninjutsu.
Fuguki's chakra continued to accumulate uncontrollably, but instead of empowering him, it filled him with terror.
His chakra pathways had been destroyed by those strikes.
The energy raged violently inside him, causing excruciating pain.
Around his body, a crimson aura erupted.
And then—
BOOM!
A blood-red explosion of chakra engulfed the entire stone platform.
The cliff shattered and collapsed.
---
Outside the blast zone.
Kyohiko reappeared beside Kakashi.
"Move!"
His hands formed seals.
Under the surge of his chakra, the sea reversed its flow, churning violently into a whirlpool before a gigantic water dragon erupted from the depths.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
But this was no ordinary technique.
It had transcended its original form, resembling something closer to Hardened Water Drill.
BOOM!
The water dragon lanced forward like a spear, tearing through the battlefield.
Shiranui Genma formed seals, and in an instant, a barrage of shuriken multiplied into countless blades, raining down on the enemy.
Kakashi, pushing his limits, unleashed his strongest Lightning Release—
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
A storm of ninjutsu collided.
In the chaos, the four Konoha shinobi retreated, leaving Kirigakure's forces in complete disarray.
When the waters finally calmed, the surviving Mist ninja stared at the blood-stained sea in silence.
Some of the blood was theirs.
Some belonged to the sharks.
Recalling what had just happened, they shuddered.
They didn't understand.
But one thing was clear—
Their enemy's power and techniques were beyond comprehension.
After a long silence, they began to discuss their next move.
The mission had failed.
Suikazan Fuguki was dead.
And worst of all—
They didn't even know who their enemy was.
"How... how did Fuguki-sama die?"
"This wasn't our fault!"
"Who were those people?!"
Those who had been closer to the explosion trembled uncontrollably.
The remaining ninja argued in confusion.
Hoshigaki Kisame's expression darkened.
"They were from Konoha."
At that moment—
His sharks had been part of the battle. He knew exactly what had happened.
Fuguki had emerged from the water, surrounded by sharks. Kisame had been ready to trap Kyohiko using the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
But then—
In the blink of an eye, the enemy had appeared beside Fuguki.
Using a technique similar to the Hyūga's Gentle Fist, he had disrupted Fuguki's chakra pathways, causing a catastrophic internal backlash.
And then—
Fuguki had exploded.
"It was the Flying Thunder God Technique," Kisame said grimly.
The others froze.
But then, a flicker of relief.
At least they had a lead.
Knowing the enemy's abilities was better than complete ignorance.
"Namikaze Minato?"
"Unclear."
Kisame shook his head.
He could only confirm that it was a space-time ninjutsu. Whether it was Minato or not remained unknown.
And then—
"Samehada... it's gone too."
"..."
No one spoke.
There was nothing they could do.
Konoha's shinobi were simply too strong.
"Then..."
"We retreat. This mission is beyond us now."
Someone muttered the words they were all thinking.
The casualties were too severe.
They had arrived with dozens. Now, fewer than thirty remained.
Chasing after an enemy of that caliber was suicide.
"Agreed."
No one dared to pursue further. The unspoken consensus was clear—
Why risk their lives for a failed mission?
Especially when the odds were zero.
"At least the boat's still intact."
Kisame glanced down at the vessel below the cliff.
Their men had protected it from the battle, leaving it undamaged. Otherwise, they'd have to scavenge for another way back to Kirigakure.
"Let's go."
They descended toward the boat.
But as soon as they boarded, something felt off.
The scent—
Amid the metallic tang of blood, there was something else.
Something wrong.
"Poison! Get out—!"
Kisame's warning came too late for most.
He dove into the sea, his Hoshigaki bloodline allowing him to escape swiftly.
But the others weren't as lucky.
As the toxin took effect, they thrashed in the water—only for puppets to emerge, dragging them back onto the ship.
"One got away."
"A shame."
From the shadows of the deck, a figure stepped forward—Sasori of the Red Sand.
He glanced upward, frowning.
"So Pakura survived... and Fuguki's body is gone."
"Pity."