Naruto: My Clones Can Evolve

The Land of Water, Kirigakure.

After several days of traveling at full speed, Genzuki and Suigetsu finally arrived at their destination.

Genzuki knew precisely where to find the seven legendary swords of the mist.

According to his knowledge, only four members of the current generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen remained:

Momochi Zabuza, Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and Hoshigaki Kisame.

Among them, four of the swords were in the possession of Hozuki Mangetsu.

The easiest one to track down would be Momochi Zabuza. If Genzuki recalled correctly, Zabuza and Haku were about to arrive in the Land of Waves.

"Boss, I know this place well... After all, it's where I was born," Suigetsu said. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen have all defected from the village long ago."

As they approached the village entrance, Genzuki suddenly stopped, a cold smile forming on his face.

"As expected from the Bloody Mist Village. What a warm welcome."

Swish... Figures began to appear from the mist—forty, maybe fifty. They all wore Kirigakure headbands, but their eyes were filled with hostility.

"Hozuki Suigetsu, how dare you come back? Your head will fetch us a nice bounty!"

Genzuki chuckled. "Looks like you're quite the celebrity."

"Where's the Fourth Mizukage? Is this how you openly attack visitors to the village?" Suigetsu asked coldly.

"Hah, this is all under Yagura-sama's orders!"

"Enough talk, you brats! Hand over your lives!"

The Kirigakure shinobi charged, swords gleaming as several began weaving hand signs to unleash powerful jutsu.

Genzuki smirked and snapped his fingers.

Splash! Countless water clones formed in an instant.

"Aaaagh!" Slash! Thud!

Screams filled the air as the clones moved like ghosts, appearing behind the enemy and slitting their throats without hesitation.

Against these small fry, Genzuki didn't even bother using actual jutsu.

Pathetic. He sighed, stepping over the corpses without a second glance. "Yagura, it's time for you to wake up."

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had been under Obito's genjutsu for a long time, which had plunged Kirigakure into chaos.

Suddenly, a loud crack! echoed through the mist.

Several bolts of lightning struck down from above, surrounding Genzuki and Suigetsu.

"Lightning?!"

Lightning chakra was Suigetsu's greatest weakness, so his expression tightened at the sight.

A figure with bright red hair and twin lightning swords appeared—Ringo Ameyuri of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"Who dares intrude on my hunting grounds?"

Suigetsu recognized her instantly. "That's… Ringo Ameyuri!"

"You brat from the Hozuki clan," Ringo sneered. "Did you come here to steal my lightning swords?"

"And what if I did?" Suigetsu growled. "Not only do I want your swords, but you're going to tell me where my brother is!"

"Hozuki Mangetsu? He's long dead!"

Ringo swung her twin swords, sending a surge of lightning toward them.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

Without even forming hand signs, Genzuki raised a massive earthen wall, absorbing the lightning.

"Ringo Ameyuri, I didn't expect to meet you so soon," Genzuki said with a smirk. "I'll be taking those swords of yours."

『Ding! System task released: Defeat Ringo Ameyuri. Reward: Lightning Clone Technique and 40,000 reputation points!』

"You arrogant brat," Ringo sneered. "So, you must be the one they call the Phantom of a Thousand Shadows."

Genzuki paused. Phantom of a Thousand Shadows?

He suddenly recalled Sasori's parting words about spreading his name far and wide.

"So that's what he meant. Giving me such a nickname… not bad, Sasori," Genzuki chuckled.

Ringo's grin grew even more feral. "Your head is worth over five hundred thousand ryo on the black market! That's ten times the bounty on Suigetsu!"

"Even the Akatsuki has put a price on your life! Die beneath my blades!"

Genzuki sneered, gathering water in his palm.

"Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

In Kirigakure, where the air was dense with moisture, water-style jutsu were particularly powerful.

Genzuki's Great Shark Bullet grew to a monstrous size, charging at Ringo like a massive summoned beast.

"You're using water style against a former Mist ninja? Have you lost your mind?!"

Ringo quickly formed hand signs.

"Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"

The two giant water sharks collided with a boom, locked in a fierce stalemate.

"Let's see how you handle this!"

Ringo infused her shark with lightning chakra, causing it to surge with power and overwhelm Genzuki's shark.

"Hahaha! You can't win against me!"

Genzuki smiled coldly. "Ringo Ameyuri, did you really think I only have one shark?"

In an instant, ten water clones surrounded her.

Each clone unleashed the Great Shark Bullet Technique, sending a wave of giant sharks crashing down on her.

"Damn it… Using this many jutsu at once… just like the reports said!"

Barely escaping the onslaught, Ringo found Genzuki already upon her, his Kusanagi sword glowing with water chakra as it slashed down.

She raised her twin swords to block, but was horrified to find that Genzuki's swordsmanship completely overpowered her.

"How… This isn't what the Akatsuki's intel described!"

Genzuki moved like a shadow, relentless in his attacks, leaving her no chance to counter.

"Don't underestimate me!" Ringo shouted, summoning all her strength for a desperate counterattack.

But Genzuki knew it was just her last struggle.

"Gate of Wonder… Open!"

"Sword Technique: One Flash!"

Genzuki had already mastered the combination of the Eight Gates and samurai swordsmanship. By briefly opening the seventh gate, he gained an explosive boost of speed and strength, perfectly timed with his sword technique for an unstoppable strike.

A streak of blue light flashed across Ringo's body, silently taking her life.

She didn't even have time to fight back.

Her twin lightning swords, Kiba, clattered to the ground as blood gushed from her neck. She collapsed in a pool of blood.

"You were so desperate to kill me… but now it's you lying dead. No complaints, right?"

Genzuki smirked, picking up the lightning swords and tossing them to Suigetsu.

"Take these. You should have been trained to use them… being from the Hozuki clan."

"Y-Yes…" Suigetsu stammered, trembling at how terrifying his boss truly was. "Boss… when did you become this strong with a sword?"

The Hozuki clan was known for their skill with blades, but Suigetsu felt like a complete amateur compared to Genzuki.

"Stop standing there like an idiot, Suigetsu. We've got a date with Yagura," Genzuki said with a cold smile, stepping deeper into the Bloody Mist Village.