Chapter 213 : The Murderer Who Killed Third Kazekage
Riku smiled. "Sharkman? You mean Hoshigaki Kisame, right?"
Guy thought for a moment, trying to recall the name Ganshi Guishui, but it didn’t ring a bell. He looked at Riku and asked, "Have you fought him before?"
Riku nodded. "Yeah, I did. It was when I was traveling with Master Jiraiya to find Lady Tsunade. Kisame was pretty strong."
Hearing that, Guy added, "He really is. If I hadn’t opened the Eight Inner Gates in the end, we might’ve been killed."
Neji chimed in, "But Kisame’s chakra was really strange. When he died, it turned out he wasn’t the real one."
Naruto stepped forward and explained, "It looked like some kind of clone technique. The clone only had about one-third the chakra of the original, but it was way stronger than a normal Shadow Clone.
"Shadow Clones divide chakra evenly, but they disappear if they take damage. Kisame’s clone, though—like most of the Akatsuki’s techniques—didn’t vanish unless it was destroyed. And as long as there’s enough chakra, the clone can use the original’s ninjutsu completely.
"It’s similar to the clones Riku makes with Sage Mode."
He glanced at Riku, then added, "Only, Riku’s Sage clones can absorb natural energy from the environment and regenerate sage chakra on their own. If their chakra isn’t fully exhausted in one blow, you can’t take them down."
Guy nodded. "That explains it. No wonder another body appeared when we thought he was dead. And it looked like someone from Sunagakure."
"But for just 30% of his chakra to be that powerful... his true self must be even stronger. The Akatsuki really are terrifying."
Whether it was Uchiha Itachi or Hoshigaki Kisame, both were undeniably Kage-level.
And those two were only part of the Akatsuki. There were several others of similar strength in the organization.
That was the truly frightening part.
But Riku laughed softly. "Don’t worry too much. With 30% of their chakra, they can still use almost all their techniques. It’s just that ninjas like Uchiha Itachi, who naturally have lower chakra reserves, can’t use the Mangekyō Sharingan to its full extent with only a third. That limits him significantly, since that’s his most powerful ability."
"Kisame, though, is a different story. They call him the tailless Tailed Beast for a reason. His chakra is on par with an actual tailed beast."
"So even with just 30% of his chakra, he’s still dangerous."
"And since that portion already represents most of his combat ability, even if you fought his full-strength self, his power wouldn’t increase that much."
Riku was confident in this assessment.
Itachi’s main limitation was chakra. With only a third, he couldn’t unleash the full power of his Mangekyō, making him significantly weaker. But Kisame, with his overwhelming chakra reserves and relatively short fight durations, wasn’t affected nearly as much.
Even his clone could fight for a long time without running out of energy.
Hearing that made Guy feel a bit better.
"That guy’s chakra was insane," Guy muttered. "He could summon a Water Style technique that turned the entire battlefield into a lake... and we weren’t even near a water source."
Although Guy didn’t remember every detail of the battle with Kisame, he acknowledged the man’s strength.
It had forced him to open the Sixth Gate just to bring him down.
After reminiscing, Riku turned his attention to the massive boulder blocking the cave entrance.
"They’re inside," Riku said calmly.
Chiyo stood quietly beside him, her eyes focused on the sealed cave. Right now, she was simply looking forward to seeing her grandson again.
She had created the Forbidden Jutsu—Reanimation Jutsu: One’s Own Life Reincarnation—with the hope of reviving Sasori’s parents. She wanted him to see them again, to make him feel whole.
But before the jutsu was completed, Sasori had defected.
Now, with death on her mind, Chiyo had come to see Sasori one last time—and to stop him.
Over the years, her investigations had led her to believe Sasori might have been the one who assassinated the Third Kazekage.
The timeline matched up. Sasori’s disappearance had coincided too closely with the Kazekage’s mysterious vanishing. At that time, Sasori wasn’t strong enough to take the Third head-on.
But puppet masters were experts in poison.
While the Third Kazekage’s Magnet Style was immensely powerful, his knowledge of poison was shallow at best.
With precise planning, Sasori could’ve successfully assassinated him.
And after the Kazekage disappeared, Sasori vanished as well. The timing was too perfect.
Though some in Sunagakure suspected Sasori, the issue was quietly swept under the rug. Chiyo had been one of the village’s top advisors at the time, and Rasa had recently become the Fourth Kazekage. He needed Chiyo’s support, so he never pursued the case.
Still, Sunagakure’s leadership harbored lingering suspicions.
Sasori had been the village’s most brilliant puppet master—someone even Chiyo admitted she couldn’t match in talent.
By then, his strength had reached the level of an Elite Jonin, possibly even bordering on Kage-level.
Killing the Third with poison wasn’t unthinkable.
And in the end, the Third’s body had never been recovered—no traces, no remains. That fact alone spoke volumes.
This time, Chiyo wanted to ask him directly: Did you kill the Third Kazekage?
She had once believed the Third would lead Sunagakure into a stronger future.
His Magnet Style had made him one of the most powerful shinobi in the world.
Now, standing at the entrance of the cave, the massive boulder blocking the way wasn’t much of a hindrance to the group.
Kakashi turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I’m counting on you."
Sakura nodded. "Got it."
She clenched her fist, the sound of tightening gloves cracking in the air. Taking a few steps back, she narrowed her eyes.
"Here we go... Bastard, break!" she shouted—her signature battle cry.
She sprinted toward the boulder, covering the distance in seconds, then leapt into the air and slammed her fist down.
A thunderous boom echoed across the area.
But the boulder didn’t budge.
Sakura frowned. "What is this made of? It didn’t even crack."
Riku’s gaze narrowed, focusing on a small talisman affixed to the stone.
"It’s a barrier seal. You can’t brute-force it."
Of course, Riku could have broken it through sheer force—but he chose not to.
After explaining the barrier’s mechanism to the group, Riku turned to Neji.
"Neji, check the area—500 meters. Look for similar talismans."
"These seals carry chakra, so they should stand out to your Byakugan."
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