Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

Strangely enough, Samui and her brother Atsi were closest to the statue and should have been the first to be hit, but the shockwave passed right through them without causing them any harm.

However, the dark-skinned, bald, muscular man and others were not so lucky.

Bang bang bang!

Before they could react, a beam of golden light shot towards them, and the next second they were struck by a powerful impact, pushed into the courtyard by the shockwave, and fell to the ground, howling in pain.

what happened?

Samui watched in astonishment as the enemy was sent flying backward. He turned around and saw the Thor statue radiating golden light, as if it were about to come to life.

Could it be that this statue is actually a chakra puppet with some kind of mechanism inside, and she accidentally activated it when she collided with it, thus awakening it?

Samui guessed with a look of surprise and doubt.

However, what happened next was even more unexpected than she had anticipated.

Boom!

As the statue of Thor "awakened," a muffled rumble of thunder suddenly echoed in the sky above the shrine. Then, to the horrified eyes of Samui and his enemies, a golden thundercloud appeared out of thin air above their heads.

The thundercloud wasn't large, only a few meters in diameter, and floated quietly in the air, more than ten meters above the ground. However, a rumbling sound constantly emanated from within the thundercloud, and golden lightning could be seen moving within it, like golden snakes, exuding an aura of majesty and terror.

The appearance of the thundercloud seemed to be a warning to everyone that the shrine was the dwelling place of the gods, and that no loud noises were allowed, let alone acts of killing.

If the gods' slumber is disturbed, the consequences will be unimaginable.

However, the Cloud Village ninjas, having already learned their lesson, remained stubborn and seemed unwilling to believe in this superstition.

"Who's playing tricks? Come out here!"

The burly, bald, dark-skinned man, while keeping an eye on the thunderclouds, surveyed the surroundings of the courtyard and shouted. He assumed it was Samui's accomplices coming to reinforce them, hiding in the shadows and using ninjutsu to scare them away.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

thunderbolt!

Just as the burly, bald, dark-skinned man was busy shouting, a golden bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the thundercloud, piercing the sky and earth. The dazzling light filled the entire courtyard, forcing Samui to quickly shield his eyes with his hands and instinctively close them.

After a while, the dust settled.

Samui slowly opened her eyes, and it took her a while to regain her vision. When she looked into the yard again, she was immediately shocked.

Inside the courtyard, after being struck by lightning, the ground was scorched black, and all the weeds were burned to ashes.

The Cloud Village ninja who were chasing Samui naturally couldn't escape this fate either, being struck dead by lightning in an extremely gruesome manner. The only survivor was a dark-skinned, bald, burly man whose Lightning Release chakra armor saved his life, but it too shattered after being struck by lightning.

Having narrowly escaped death, he was terrified and no longer had any thoughts about Samui. Without saying a word, he turned and fled.

I just want to escape this eerie place as soon as possible.

However, those who offend the gods are destined to pay the price.

Zizizi!

A piercing crackling sound of electricity came from behind Samui. She quickly turned around and saw the statue of Thor with his right hand raised high. Countless golden lightning bolts were gathering in his right palm, eventually forming a dazzling lightning spear.

call out!

To Samui's astonishment, the Thor statue came to life, hurling its lightning spear across dozens of meters, instantly piercing the body of the dark-skinned, bald, muscular man.

They burned him to ashes, leaving him with no complete corpse.

Then, the Thor statue's gaze fell on Samui, causing her to tense up instantly, becoming extremely nervous.

Just when Samui thought he was going to follow in the footsteps of the dark-skinned, bald, burly man and be struck to ashes by lightning, the Thor statue suddenly spoke.

"I am Takemikazuchi, a deity born from the convergence of countless bolts of lightning in the sky above the Land of Lightning, who has protected this country for a thousand years. Mortals, you have always been under my protection, so why have you ceased your worship and allowed this shrine to fall into ruin? Answer me!"

Thor stared intently at Samui, his voice booming like thunder echoing through the hall.

Samui's younger brother, Atsi, had just woken up when he was so frightened by the image and voice of Thor that he fainted again and lost consciousness.

"……cool."

Samui stood frozen in place, only managing to utter a single word after a long pause. Perhaps everything happening before her eyes was beyond her comprehension, leaving her unsure how to respond, and she could only subconsciously utter her usual catchphrase.

But then again, this Takemikazuchi is really cool.

"What did you say?" Takemikazuchi frowned, appearing even more dignified and solemn.

Samui finally came to his senses, his body trembled, and he quickly knelt on one knee, bowing his head to report to the Raijin: "Lord Takemikazuchi, I am Samui, a ninja from the nearby Kumokage Village. In recent years, the village has fallen into internal strife, with villagers bleeding and dying in battle every day. As a result, the shrine has been abandoned and left unattended and unmaintained. Just now, my brother and I were being chased by the enemy and fled all the way here. If it weren't for your divine intervention, we would have already died at the hands of the enemy."

She was naturally intelligent and immediately came up with a perfect answer to Thor's question.

Samui dared not meet Thor's gaze, and could only look down at the floor, holding her breath, nervously awaiting his response. Now, she could only hope that he would believe her words, rather than strike her dead with lightning in a fit of rage.

However, young Samui was unaware that the words she uttered were exactly what Thor wanted her to say.

Because the so-called Thunder God is not actually a god born from lightning, but rather Kisame Hoshigaki in disguise.

Ten minutes ago.

Kisame Hoshigaki anticipated Samui's escape route and arrived at the shrine ahead of time. He originally planned to rescue Samui here, ask her about the situation in Kumokage Village, and then go back to kill the Gold and Silver Brothers.

After that, he indirectly controlled Cloud Shadow Village by using Samui and her companions.

However, when Kisame's gaze inadvertently fell upon the statue of the Thunder God in the main hall, a brilliant idea popped into his mind.

What happened next was that Kisame used a series of brilliant performances to convince Samui that he was the incarnation of the God of Thunder and the guardian god of the Land of Thunder.

264. God's Messenger

Inside the main hall of the shrine.

Under Samin's terrified and tense gaze, Takemikazuchi leaped lightly from the shrine. Then, with a shake, the clay shell covering her body cracked and fell to the ground.

Before Samyin, she transformed from her previous effigy form into a living, breathing person.

"Lord Thor, you..."

Samin looked surprised. Standing in front of her was a burly man who was 1.95 meters tall, with short blond hair and bronze skin.

Her face was resolute and strong, exuding an aura of authority without anger. She was shirtless, her pectoral muscles as broad and thick as a door panel, her eight abdominal muscles neatly and tightly arranged, and her arms thicker than Sam's thighs, giving off a very powerful and imposing feeling.

Huh?

Sam suddenly noticed that, like many Jonin of Kumogakure, Lord Rai had a shoulder mark on his right shoulder, a black... "Gan" character.

She had never seen this unfamiliar character before. Could it be a script used by the gods? What did it mean? It must have a special meaning, right?

Just as Samin was making her own guesses, Kisame noticed her gaze, so he slightly curled the corners of his mouth and pointed to the shoulder line on his right shoulder, saying to her:

"This word is pronounced 'gan,' and it means battle. From the day I was born, I have never stopped fighting, vowing to use the power of thunder to sweep away all filth and evil in the world. As long as I am alive, this battle will not stop."

His serious-sounding nonsense clearly fooled Samin, leaving the naive young girl deeply shocked and looking up at him with adoration.

Seeing that the time was right, Kisame looked at Samin and spoke again in a deep voice:

"Samin, you said that Cloud Shadow Village fell into internal strife, many villagers and ninjas died, which is why the shrine was abandoned and no one comes to visit. Is that true?"

"...Yes, Lord Thor."

Samyin felt a little guilty, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell the lie.

"Fine, since I am Takemikazuchi, it is my duty to protect the lives of you commoners. As for the shrine being abandoned, I will not dwell on it."

Kisame shook his head, observing Samin's reaction. Seeing the joy on her face, he continued to press, "Tell me, who ordered the hunt for you and your brother?"

Upon hearing this, Samin quickly recounted the situation in Kumogakure in detail, starting from the death of the Fourth Raikage, through the period of leaderlessness, and then the appearance of the Gold and Silver Brothers, who carried out brutal suppression and purges within Kumogakure.

"The brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku are peculiar in appearance and exceptionally talented. They are said to be descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, possessing ninja tools left behind by the Sage, making their strength unimaginable. Back then, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers launched a coup and perished together with the Second Raikage, plunging Kumogakure into prolonged chaos. Unexpectedly, they have now resurrected and returned with a vengeance. If Kumogakure falls into the hands of these two, under their cruel rule, the village's fate will surely be destruction!"

Samin confided her worries to Kisame. Usually calm and taciturn, she was deeply concerned about the fate of Kumogakure, and her tone unconsciously became much more agitated.

"Oh? The Sage of Six Paths, huh?"

Upon hearing this, Kisame showed a slight look of surprise and said in a pretentious manner, "Several hundred years ago, I also met the Sage of Six Paths. His real name was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and he was a human with considerable strength. I never expected that after hundreds of years, mortals would become weaker and weaker. All the ninjas in the entire Kumokage Village combined couldn't even defeat two of Hagoromo's descendants."

"..."

Samin was speechless for a moment. On the one hand, he felt ashamed of his own weakness, and on the other hand, he gained a new understanding of the power of the Takemikazuchi in front of him and was increasingly shocked.

In her words, the legendary Sage of Six Paths, who supposedly founded the Ninja Sect, could only be considered "not bad in strength." That nonchalant tone was enough to show just how powerful this Thunder God was.

Kisame was very satisfied with Sam's reaction.

After he finished boasting, he walked towards the exit of the main hall, tossing a few words to Samin:

"Samin, from this moment on, you will serve as my messenger. Go and tell the ninjas and villagers of the Cloud Shadow that all who come to the shrine to worship will receive my protection. Also, tell the Gold and Silver Brothers that they must come to the shrine within seven days to repent and apologize. Out of respect for the Sage of Six Paths, I may spare their lives. Otherwise, I will personally lead the expedition and use the power of lightning to reduce these two to ashes."

After saying these words, Kisame had already entered the courtyard.

He looked up at the golden thundercloud in the sky, and with a whoosh, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting into the sky and merging into the thundercloud, disappearing along with it.

However, when Kisame left, a sword crackling with golden lightning silently stuck in the ground where he had stood.

This is a brand new lightning sword created by Kisame after fusing the characteristics of the Kusanagi sword—the Ame-no-Murakumo sword—and Tobirama Senju's sword—the Raijin sword—within his body. It possesses a portion of his power and is different from the pile of toys in the hands of the Gold and Silver Brothers. It is a true Six Paths level ninja tool.

This thunder sword was specially left by Kisame for Samin as proof of her identity as a messenger of the thunder god.

Samyin came to her senses, walked into the courtyard, slowly extended her snow-white arm toward the Thunder Sword, and then carefully grasped the hilt.

"Um……"

The instant she gripped the hilt, a jolt of electricity surged from the blade, spreading along Samin's arm and throughout her body, causing her to tremble, bend her knees, and let out a soft groan.

However, the electric current was not fatal; instead, it brought a tingling sensation, which Sam quickly adapted to.

Then she was pleasantly surprised to find that after the electric current washed and cleansed her meridians and acupoints, a warm energy remained in her body, making her feel full of strength, as if she had been reborn in an instant.

"Lord Takemikazuchi, so you infused her chakra into my body in this way... So this is the meaning of a messenger."

Samin murmured, a golden light flashing in her light blue eyes, making her aware of her mission.

The power bestowed upon her by Thor, along with this sword, gave Samin the ability to rally the people of Cloudshadow Village and fight against the Gold and Silver Brothers.

So she carried the Thunder Sword on her back, checked on her younger brother Atsuin, and after confirming that he was alright, she temporarily placed him in the shrine.

Then, Samin immediately set off, leaving the shrine in a few swift movements and heading straight towards Cloud Shadow Village.

Above the clouds on the mountaintop.

Kisame sat cross-legged, with a crystal ball in front of him, inside which was Samin's beautiful figure running on the ground.