019 Reborn as the Third Kazekage

Fuguki Suikazan stared in astonishment at the two people who had suddenly appeared before him. His eyes lingered on the blue-haired youth, and a flicker of recognition sparked in his mind. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a wanted poster and compared it to the man standing before him.

"You're the Third Kazekage?"

"That's right," Arashi replied, his voice calm but edged with irritation.

Fuguki burst into a shrill, grating laugh, like the cawing of a crow.

"Hahaha! You walk willingly into the netherworld! Today, you die!"

"Your laugh is unbearable, you know that?"

Annoyed, Arashi unleashed Iron Sand toward Fuguki. However, despite his bulky frame, the swordsman dodged the attack with surprising agility. In retaliation, he drew his massive Samehada and swung it toward Arashi, who quickly materialized a long, black iron staff to parry. To his dismay, Samehada greedily absorbed the chakra flowing through the staff.

The living blade unwrapped itself, its gaping maw and tongue savoring the stolen energy like a fine meal. The black iron staff in Arashi's hands crumbled back into scattered iron sand.

"Be careful! That blade absorbs chakra!" Arashi clicked his tongue in frustration. Samehada was proving to be a real headache. He recalled that years later, Kisame Hoshigaki, Samehada's next wielder, would earn the title of "Tail-less Tailed Beast," capable of taking down the Four-Tails in single combat. Fuguki, as Kisame's predecessor and mentor, was clearly no lightweight either.

But then a thought struck him—Might Guy's father was here, wasn't he? And he'd already opened the Seventh Gate. A plan began to take shape in Arashi's mind.

"Dai-san, this one's all yours. I'll handle the rest!"

Might Duy, with a series of dramatic flips, landed between Arashi and Fuguki. Flashing a thumbs-up, he said without hesitation, "Leave it to me!" His body flared with a surge of blue steam as he adopted a battle-ready stance.

"Prepare yourself!"

At that moment, Tsunade appeared from behind, giving Arashi an "OK" gesture. It seemed she had successfully coordinated the Leaf ninja to complete their ambush.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were now surrounded. Their odds of survival had plummeted.

...

"Not bad, but not invincible..."

"Even with this tight encirclement, three of them still escaped," Arashi muttered as he gazed at the four lifeless bodies sprawled before him.

Once Might Duy took on Fuguki, the rest of the battle had been comparatively easy for Arashi. The Iron Sand proved to be a devastating counter to blade-wielding opponents—Samehada being the exception. It wasn't long before the remaining Mist shinobi were cornered.

Fuguki initially underestimated the unassuming, bearded Konoha ninja before him. But as their battle progressed, he realized his mistake. This man was fast—almost unnaturally so—and his strikes packed immense power, all without using chakra. Samehada had absorbed nothing.

Just as Fuguki's confusion deepened, his opponent suddenly performed an unfamiliar technique.

"Daytime Tiger!" he shouted, and a colossal, blue-and-white tiger roared toward Fuguki.

In response, Fuguki smirked.

"Still using ninjutsu? Samehada will drain it dry!" He countered with Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique, sending a massive shark-shaped wave to clash with the tiger.

To Fuguki's horror, the tiger shredded the shark to pieces in an instant, then slammed into him with a thunderous impact. He spat blood as the shockwave left him reeling.

"How... is this possible? That wasn't ninjutsu?"

"Correct," Duy replied, standing tall amidst the dissipating steam. "This is taijutsu!"

"And the 'chakra' you thought you sensed? It's evaporated sweat."

From a tree branch, two young Leaf ninja watched with wide-eyed admiration, stars practically glowing in their eyes.

"So cool!"

Defeated, Fuguki coughed up blood and flung Samehada into the air. The blade unwrapped and latched onto its wielder, morphing Fuguki into a monstrous, shark-like hybrid.

"Retreat!" he roared, bolting away with blinding speed. The remaining three swordsmen followed, scattering in different directions.

The battle had ended, with only Fuguki, Jinin Akebino, and Raiga Kurosuki escaping. The rest of the Seven Swordsmen lay dead.

Might Duy, however, was far from unscathed. He lay on a stretcher, pale and drenched in sweat, his once-mighty presence reduced to near frailty.

"Will he be okay?" Hidan asked, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

Beside him, Might Guy sobbed uncontrollably.

"Can you two stop overreacting? He's just exhausted," Tsunade said as she administered an IV drip.

"Honestly, opening the Seventh Gate right off the bat... If you keep this up, you'll cripple yourself. You're staying on that stretcher until further notice. No arguments."

Meanwhile, Arashi examined one of the fallen blades, Twin Blades. With a satisfied nod, he sealed it into a scroll and labeled it with bold, elegant kanji: "Double."

"You waste nothing, do you?" Tsunade remarked, unimpressed by his looting.

"Here." Arashi tossed the scroll to her.

Tsunade caught it, confused.

"Send it to the Hokage with a message. Have the Leaf and Sunagakure issue a joint statement condemning the Mist's despicable actions. This will keep the Mizukage in check and secure the eastern borders for now."

Tsunade stared at him, stunned.

Arashi smiled. "I told you, you have the makings of a Hokage. And a Hokage must see the bigger picture."

...

Later, Arashi and his team stumbled upon a devastated village.

"It's all gone," a villager wept.

"What's your name?" Arashi asked the man at the front of the group.

"Jinsei, sir," the man replied, wiping his tears.

Arashi looked at the ruined homes and despondent villagers.

"You all live here?"

"Yes, my lord. These are my family and kin. There are twelve of us."

Arashi donned his green Kazekage hat, his voice filled with authority and kindness.

"Come with me. In the west, we're building a new village. You'll have food, shelter, work, and protection. A new life awaits you there. Will you go?"

Jinsei's face lit up with joy. He rushed to his people, explaining the offer. Soon, the entire group was bowing and thanking Arashi profusely.

A young girl stepped forward, offering Arashi a pink crystal with a flower encased inside.

"For you, sir!"

Arashi smiled, lifting the girl into his arms. "What's your name?"

"Aiko."

"An excellent name." Arashi's smile grew wider, like a cat that had caught its prey.

"Let's go," he said, pointing westward. "Westward bound!"

The villagers cheered, following their Kazekage to a new beginning.