"Damn it, Kisame! Where the hell did you find this monster?"
Kakuzu was drenched in cold sweat as he stared at the towering beast-like creature in front of him. His green eyes flickered with a trace of fear.
No wonder this guy had such a high bounty—it actually made sense.
This thing was basically a brand-new Tailed Beast.
How the hell was he supposed to fight it?
Even if Hidan were here, they wouldn't be able to handle this thing!
Not to mention, he'd probably spend all his time stitching Hidan back together instead of attacking.
Little did Kakuzu know, this scenario would actually play out in the near future—only the result would be far more disastrous than he could ever imagine!
"Heh, I don't know either. I was just walking, and then I ran into it."
Kisame, usually known for being composed and serious, had begun to adopt a more carefree attitude under the influence of the pirate world and Revy.
And to be fair, he wasn't lying. He really had just run into it.
"Damn it! Stop standing there and help me already!"
"I have no idea why Itachi chose you as his partner. Even Hidan would be more reliable than you!"
Kakuzu's face was dark with frustration as he gritted his teeth.
Back in Akatsuki, he had never noticed this unserious side of Kisame.
"Alright, alright!"
Hearing the urgency in Kakuzu's voice, Kisame decided it was time to stop watching from the sidelines.
After all, if Kakuzu got obliterated, he'd have to face this terrifying beast alone.
"Die, you damn ninja!"
In the instant the two were talking, a massive iron kanabo came crashing through the air.
BOOM!
The kanabo slammed down, leveling the mountain Kakuzu had just created with his Earth Release jutsu and smashing his body to pieces.
Kisame, who had been charging forward, didn't even flinch at the sight. Instead, his eyes gleamed with an unreadable expression.
Kaido furrowed his brows as he stared at the remains of Kakuzu, momentarily stunned.
"Tch, in the end, a ninja is just a ninja. No different from those weaklings in Wano."
Even though he had taken him down so easily, Kaido remained on guard.
Because while one insect had been squashed, another still remained.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
At that moment, the fishman who had been charging forward suddenly opened his mouth, releasing a massive torrent of seawater.
Like a dam breaking, the water gushed forth in a cascading flood, each wave taller than the last.
The fishman stood atop the raging waves, exuding an overwhelming presence.
Even Kaido, despite all his experience, was briefly startled by the sheer amount of water being released.
Even he couldn't store that much water inside his body.
And this fishman was tiny compared to him!
Before Kaido could even process it, the towering tidal wave came crashing down like an apocalyptic tsunami.
Seeing this, Kaido had no choice but to shift into his Azure Dragon form and prepare to take to the skies.
However Just as he was about to ascend, the ground beneath his feet suddenly turned to mud, swallowing his legs.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
As the voice rang out, a figure emerged from the ground not far from Kaido's feet.
"You? You're not dead?"
Kaido's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Kakuzu, who had just crawled out of the earth. For a moment, he was so surprised that he forgot to transform into his Azure Dragon form.
Boom!
Still trapped in the swamp and caught off guard, Kaido was suddenly struck by the massive tsunami.
Although he was a Devil Fruit user, due to his unique nature, he wasn't afraid of seawater.
But not fearing water didn't mean he was immune to the devastating force of the tsunami.
The sheer impact sent him flying across the island. His massive body was launched from the east side to the west side, crashing through countless trees along the way.
"Tch, and here I thought he was some big deal."
"Turns out he's just like that. I'll be taking that three billion bounty, then!"
Watching Kaido disappear into the distance, Kakuzu scoffed in disdain and prepared to give chase.
"Go ahead, go ahead. Just don't come crying to me if you die."
Kisame slung Samehada over his shoulder, staring off into the distance.
Even though they had worked together to send Kaido flying, something felt off.
Judging from that monster's strength, there was no way he'd go down so easily.
"Bastards… Bastards! You actually made me feel pain!"
Just then, an earth-shaking roar echoed across the island.
Kakuzu and Kisame turned their heads just in time to see an enormous hundreds-of-meters-long azure figure rising from the far end of the island.
"Nani?! What the hell is that?!"
For the first time in a long, long time, Kakuzu—the man who had lived longer than anyone else in the ninja world—lost his composure.
His eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he stared at the massive dragon soaring into the sky.
What the hell was this thing?
Was this really the creature worth three billion?
Because from here… it definitely looked like a dragon.
Floating mid-air, Kaido's eyes blazed with rage and bloodlust as he glared down at the two "ants" below him.
"You two damn ninjas—prepare to face my wrath!"
His furious roar shook the heavens, and in the next instant, a terrifying energy began gathering in his massive maw.
The sheer heat radiating from it sent chills down Kakuzu and Kisame's spines.
"Damn it, what the hell did you get us into?!"
At this point, Kakuzu had completely abandoned all thoughts of the three-billion bounty.
That thing in the sky—the energy it was building up could rival a Tailed Beast Bomb.
No, it was already beyond a Tailed Beast Bomb.
This was actual death staring them in the face.
"How the hell would I know?!"
Kisame's shark-like grin twitched as he bared his razor-sharp teeth. To be honest, he was just as innocent in all of this.
Who would've thought that beating up some arrogant glasses-wearing kid would summon this kind of monster?!
Faced with this overwhelming force, the two had no choice but to exchange glances—then immediately prepare their own jutsu to counterattack.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
They both completed their hand signs and shouted in unison.
But then... Kisame suddenly froze mid-attack.
His sharp gaze snapped to Kakuzu as realization hit him.
"…Wait. You idiot—that's fire! You should be using Water Dragon Bullet!"
Kakuzu, completely unfazed, smirked arrogantly and responded,
"I know… I don't know how."
…
Kisame sighed, utterly defeated.
As the two unleashed their jutsu, the surrounding ocean and land surged violently.
Two nearly kilometer-long dragon-shaped jutsu shot up into the sky in an instant.
At the same time, the heat breath in Kaido's mouth had finished charging.
With a blazing roar, he unleashed a scorching inferno!
The fiery breath tore across the distance in the blink of an eye, vaporizing seawater, trees, and even solid rock along its path, carving a massive trench across the distant ocean surface…
Seeing its sheer destructive force, the two shinobi didn't dare hesitate.
Pouring every last ounce of their chakra into their attacks, the yellow and blue dragons swelled in size, surging upward to collide directly with Kaido's terrifying breath attack!
BOOOOOM!
At the island's edge, the devastating clash between the breath attack and the two colossal dragons erupted into a cataclysmic explosion.
The shockwave that followed was like a category 18 typhoon, obliterating everything in its path.
Trees were instantly uprooted, and before they could even be flung away, they were shattered into dust by the following impact.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Ah… I'm out of chakra. Goodbye."
The storm-like force swept across the battlefield, consuming everything in its wake—including Kakuzu, who had been revived via Edo Tensei.
His body disintegrated into the shockwave, vanishing without a trace.
"Goddamn it, this guy wasn't even human!"
Watching Kakuzu peacefully accept his own demise, Kisame, standing firm behind his water-style defense, couldn't help but curse out loud.
These guys always seemed so reliable before they died, but the moment they kicked the bucket, they suddenly turned into sneaky little ghosts.
"Fish-man! You're strong. You've caught my attention!"
Just then—
From the distant horizon, Kaido came stomping through the clouds, descending directly above Kisame.
Instantly reverting from his Azure Dragon form, he brandished his massive iron kanabo, plummeting from above as he bellowed:
"RAIMEI HAKKE!!" (Thunder Bagua!)
(End of Chapter)
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YO-HO-HO! Apologies for the delay, nakamas! I've been busy setting up my Patreon and Discord.
Hope you're enjoying the fanfic so far—because things are about to go off the rails.
If you're vibing with the story and wanna toss a coin to your fanfic bard—or if patience isn't your strongest stat hop on at
patreon.com/beast0x1
I drop 3–4 chapters a day there. No pressure, though—free chapters are still gonna be there as usual. Also thinking of diving into some Harry Potter or Game of Thrones content next... what do you guys think?
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We're just getting to the good part. Stay aboard,
Arigato.
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