Five years later, in the Land of Water.
The dense mist made it impossible to see more than a few meters ahead.
A young man wearing a white fox mask emerged from the fog. He had a slender build and wore a black bodysuit, with a short blade hanging from his back. The mask was adorned with lightning patterns extending from the eyebrows to the lips. Behind the mask, his silver-black hair swayed gently in the breeze.
The man stopped by a lake, slightly tilting his head to gaze at the tranquil waters obscured by the mist. The eyes revealed through the mask reflected an expression of cold detachment.
Patter...
A faint sound of water came from the fog, and a large, indistinct figure gradually became visible, walking across the lake towards the masked man.
As the figure drew closer, it became clear that it was a towering, heavily built man standing at around 2.5 meters. He had a weighted whip tied around his head, long hair hanging down his back, sharp teeth, and six green stripes painted on his face.
This stocky man wielded a strange, large sword covered in spikes, resembling a durian in appearance.
He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, known as "Fuguki Suikazan."
"Konoha's Little White Fang!"
Fuguki coldly stared at the young man standing on the shore and spoke with recognition.
The young man with the iconic mask was none other than Leaf Village's well-known "Ye Zi," who had just completed a classified mission in the Land of Water.
Ye Zi glanced at Fuguki and silently drew his blade. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, only two remained, one of whom was Fuguki. The sword known as Samehada seemed particularly unique, and Ye Zi could sense the immense chakra contained within it.
"A pleasant surprise. If I can consume Samehada..."
A hint of greed appeared in Ye Zi's cold eyes. In an instant, he vanished from sight and reappeared behind Fuguki, thrusting his blade towards Fuguki's heart.
Clang!
The moment Ye Zi disappeared, Fuguki reacted swiftly, swinging Samehada to intercept Ye Zi's blade, Raiga.
Samehada, with its numerous spikes, was enormous and covered the entire space with a single swing, meeting Raiga with a loud clang and sending waves of water surging outward.
Fuguki was taken aback, not expecting the slender Ye Zi to hold his powerful strike so firmly.
Fuguki's surprise was brief as Samehada, like a rapidly growing plant, extended along Raiga's blade towards Ye Zi.
Raiga suddenly crackled with intense lightning.
Seeing this, Fuguki smirked with cold amusement.
The lightning was impressive but quickly began to weaken.
Ye Zi felt the chakra being drained but remained unfazed. He forcefully repelled Fuguki backward.
Fuguki stumbled back, looking disheveled, astonished that a seemingly frail opponent could push him back.
"Die!"
Fuguki roared, and the water around him exploded as he charged at Ye Zi.
Samehada, with its spikes spread like a peacock's feathers, bore down on Ye Zi.
Ye Zi watched Samehada approach without flinching, raising Raiga to block the attack.
"Foolish."
Fuguki's eyes narrowed with icy determination as Samehada's maw clamped down on Raiga.
"You can't escape now!"
Fuguki laughed maniacally, commanding Samehada to absorb Ye Zi's chakra aggressively.
"Haha, Konoha's Little White Fang is nothing special."
With chakra flowing into him, Fuguki's malicious grin grew even wider.
In the midst of this peril, Ye Zi remained calm. Suddenly, a visible spiritual form appeared on his shoulders and rushed into Fuguki's body.
Fuguki's expression of malice froze instantly as a spiritual form resembling Ye Zi emerged from his massive body, holding another spiritual form that looked like Fuguki.
Ye Zi's spiritual form dominated Fuguki's, biting off a part of Fuguki's spirit.Fuguki's spiritual form twisted in fear, struggling unsuccessfully against Ye Zi's control.
Ye Zi's spirit quickly devoured Fuguki's spirit. Meanwhile, Fuguki's eyes dimmed, and his body collapsed into the lake with a splash.
Samehada, no longer supported by Fuguki's strength, also fell into the water and began to move on its own.
Ye Zi, however, was faster. He grabbed Samehada's hilt and Fuguki's body, returning to the shore.
Samehada, now under control, thrashed violently, its spikes extending towards Ye Zi.
"Hmph."
Ye Zi coldly snorted and forcefully drove Samehada into the ground, leaving only part of it exposed, then tossed Fuguki's body aside.
At this moment, a cross-shaped light appeared in the fog.
A figure of similar size to Ye Zi emerged from the light.
"Haha, I smell a delightful scent!"
The voice preceded the figure.
Upon landing, the figure, known as "Shokui," looked at Samehada stuck in the ground, its massive single eye shining brightly. Shokui didn't immediately lunge for Samehada but turned its gaze to Ye Zi.
"Consume it, along with the body," Ye Zi said coldly, glancing at Samehada and Fuguki's body.
Shokui's eyes lit up with excitement. It reached for Fuguki's body first, opening its mouth wide to effortlessly devour the 2.5-meter-tall corpse. Then, it turned its attention to Samehada, eager to consume it.
Samehada, sensing danger, began to tremble and desperately begged for mercy.
However, as a unique sword, Samehada's submission meant little to Ye Zi.
He silently observed the foggy mountains and lake, saying nothing.
Behind him, Shokui devoured Samehada with increasing delight.
Moments later, Shokui's form expanded significantly.
"This is fantastic, the best meal I've had in five years!" Shokui roared in satisfaction.
"Be quiet."
Ye Zi shot Shokui a cold glance and walked away in a specific direction.
Shokui shrank back, obediently closing its mouth.
"One day, I'll devour you too!" Shokui thought with a menacing glare as it followed Ye Zi.
Join the patreon and get 48 chapters in advance