A.N: Okay, here we go, the Battle of Worth Woodsea is officially underway. Enjoy, ladies and gentleman.

Chapter 13: The Battle of Worth Woodsea, Demons Appear

As the Battle of Worth Woodsea began, another figure was running through the woods. However, he was not participating in any battles. No, this man was…lost.

Kenpachi Zaraki yelled in frustration as he tore through the woods. "Where are you taking me at this rate, Yachiru?" Kenpachi asked his adopted daughter.

Yachiru Kusajishi smiled and giggled. "It's a shortcut!" She said. "I'm taking you to the fights with a shortcut."

"I'm starting to think we should've just stayed with the others when that mist appeared out of nowhere." Kenpachi frowned.

"Aww but that's no fun, you know that." Yachiru chided. "Everyone knows it's more fun to just charge in. You always say that, Kenny."

Kenpachi sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Are you sure this is a shortcut?"

"Of course I'm sure, I have the greatest sense of direction in the universe after all." Yachiru reminded him.

"Now keep going!" Yachiru ordered. "We're almost done with the shortcut. We'll be at the enemy base in no time. You'll find plenty of strong people to play with there!"

Kenpachi's grin returned. "Yeah, you're right! It's time I see just how strong these otherworld folks really are!"

"Yay, go Kenny!" Yachiru cheered.

(In the Hidden Mist Jutsu)

Ikkaku Madarame growled in frustration as he remained in formation with his teammates. The only thing he could see in front of him was the heavy fog that was the Hidden Mist Jutsu. However, to Ikkaku's left and right were Yumichika Ayasegawa and Kagura Mikazuchi respectively. Knowing that those two, especially Yumichika, were next to him, gave him comfort.

In spite of being relaxed, overall, he was still growing impatient. "Are we really just gonna stand here like this?" Ikkaku asked. "We're not going to get anything done if we stay in this position."

"We don't have much of a choice, Ikkaku." Yumichika reminded him. "If we go further into the mist alone, we'll die. And dying like this is no way for a member of Squad 11 to go out, it's such an ugly death."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but still…"

"But nothing," Kagura interjected, "survival is everything at the moment. We can't leave anything to chance."

Cavendish and Karui remained silent and focused as the other three conversed. "Women are so troublesome when they're right." Ikkaku mused.

Kagura scowled at this and went back to guarding her position. Okay, she thought, remember what Master Reina taught. In battle, when you are handicapped, make up for that handicap. I cannot rely on my eyes, so I must rely on my other senses.

Kagura took a deep breath. Let go, she continued, focus on trying to pick out energy signatures from the enemy. They may not always have Magic Energy, but luckily Chakra and Spirit Energy are rather similar.

At that moment, Kagura felt a Chakra Signature speeding towards her. Her eyes widened at this. Kagura quickly raised Archenemy and blocked an attack from a blade of blue Chakra. Kagura gasped at how long the attack was. Ikkaku and Karui looked at Kagura and what she had just done.

"What the hell is that?" Ikkaku asked.

"It's a Jutsu." Karui muttered.

The five then heard someone chuckle darkly. The chakra blade then retracted itself. "Interesting, to think that my Hiramekarei would be blocked by an undrawn sword. I hope word of that never gets to the others."

Mangetsu Hōzuki walked into view. He took a look at Hiramekarei. This replica is just as effective as the real thing. I'm gonna have to thank Lord Konton's boys in the forgery for making this. Mangetsu mused.

Mangetsu smirked at Kagura. "That's a rather unusual sword style you've got there. Never once have I heard of fighting with an undrawn blade. It's a shame I have to kill someone like you. After all, it's like I said before, I can't let word get out that a sheathed blade stopped Hiramekarei. I would never hear the end of it, especially from Ameyuri."

"That being said," Mangetsu continued, "I will never forget the clearly talented woman I met during this war. The one who could use an undrawn sword as effectively as a drawn sword."

Karui's eyes widened at the man before her. "It's the Second Coming of the Demon." She said.

"Second Coming of the Demon?" Kagura repeated.

"His name is Mangetsu Hōzuki. He is a former member of the Hidden Mist Village's most famous and most powerful team: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." Karui explained.

"What's more," Karui continued, "Mangetsu' generation in particular is hailed as the strongest generation of swordsmen ever known."

Mangetsu laughed at this. "Well, it appears my reputation proceeds me." He noted.

Mangetsu returned to a battle stance. "Now then, shall we get started?"

With that, Mangetsu disappeared into the mist. "Damn coward won't fight us head on." Ikkaku growled angrily.

"Hey now, calling me a coward is quite uncalled for." Mangetsu' voice was heard in the mist. "After all, fighting from the shadows is part of the Shinobi way, wouldn't you agree Cloud Kunoichi?"

"All of you stay on guard!" Karui ordered. "He has a long range thanks to the Hiramekarei!"

"You know, this situation reminds me of what my old teammate, Zabuza used to say." Mangetsu mused. "He would always go on and on about the many places you could strike in order to kill a man."

"The only question is, which area should I strike? The head? The heart? Or one of the other many spots Zabuza would always refer to?"

"This guy's toying with us." Ikkaku realized.

"He's got every right to, he's the one with the advantage at the moment." Yumichika reminded his closest friend.

The five heard Mangetsu laughed. "I like you, Feather Face." He said. "I really do. You're not afraid to admit that your in deep trouble and that takes balls."

Yumichika frowned deeply at this. "Feather Face?" Yumichika repeated. "Okay, now I really want to kill this guy."

Mangetsu gleefully watched them try to prepare for his next strike. The Hidden Mist Jutsu' greatest weapon is actually what many would not expect, Mangetsu thought, it's greatest weapon is fear.

The fear that comes from the thought of an enemy coming out of nowhere at any time. The terror I can feel emulating from my enemies is truly exhilarating. He continued. Eventually, that fear consumes them, and leaves them an easy target for a fatal blow.

Mangetsu suddenly cried out in pain. He looked down to see a hand coming through his chest. Luckily it was not a fatal injury due to the Hōzuki Clan's unique body structure. Mangetsu was practically made entirely of water.

Yoshio Hyūga gasped in surprise when he realized what had happened when he had struck Mangetsu with his Gentle Fist. Mangetsu looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Ow," he said mockingly.

Mangetsu spun around and swung Hiramekarei at Yoshio, who leapt over him and landed in between the Mist Swordsmen, and the team of five. Yoshio quickly ran over to the team of five.

"It's all right, I'm a friendly!" He shouted to them.

Yoshio ran up to Ikkaku and the others. "What the hell," Ikkaku said upon meeting him, "I thought going into the mist alone was dangerous."

"It normally is," Yoshio admitted, "but I possess the Byakugan. I can see right through this mist."

Kagura was surprised by this. She immediately acted on this newfound information. "Can you give us Mangetsu's location?"

Yoshio nodded and turned around. He then gasped when he saw that Mangetsu had already left the spot he was in before. Luckily, his Byakugan allowed him to do a quick scan of the area. He quickly spotted where Mangetsu was going to attack from next.

"5th Seat Ayasegawa!" He called out. "He's coming straight for you!"

Yumichika narrowed his eyes at this. "Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" He called.

Yumichika's Zanpakutō transformed into a sickle that split into four blades at the top. He did this just in time to block Mangetsu' attack.

Mangetsu narrowed his eyes at this. "This isn't fun anymore," Mangetsu deadpanned, "as much as I love the extra challenge, seeing you five squirm, trying to figure out where I was gonna hit you from was much more entertaining. Now you've got this damn Hyūga to be your eyes."

Yumichika grinned slightly at this. "Complain to someone who cares you fanged freak." He insulted. "I'm more interested in cutting you down at the moment."

Yumichika knocked Hiramekarei out of the way and swung Fuji Kujaku at Mangetsu' head. Yumichika watched as Mangetsu' head exploded into water, and then quickly reformed.

"Nice try," Mangetsu said, "but it's clear you don't know jack about Clan Techniques in the Ninja World. That's okay, I understand. After all, you're not from that world."

"Extend, Hōzukimaru!"

Ikkaku had leapt into action and had cut into Mangetsu' shoulder with his Shikai. His shoulder quickly reformed like his head had done earlier. Cavendish then appeared behind Mangetsu.

"Beautiful Sword: Blue Bird!" Cavendish shouted, stabbing forward with great force.

Mangetsu felt the blade go through his body. He scowled at the trio's futile attempts to kill him. He then transformed himself into a puddle and left the group. "Cavendish, Ikkaku, get back in formation!" Karuit ordered.

Ikkaku and Cavendish did as they were told. "Hyūga," Kagura addressed Yoshio, "can you give us Mangetsu's location again?"

Yoshio nodded and scanned for Mangetsu' location. He quickly found the Second Coming of the Demon, but he also found something else. "There are three of him now." Yoshio said.

Karui gritted her teeth at this. "He's using Water Clones."

"Like I said, this isn't fun anymore." Mangetsu reminded his prospective victims. "I've taken out several groups already with little to no trouble, and then you guys come along and make things difficult for me."

The Mangetsu in the middle then did some Hand Signs. "That being the case, I'm going to try something a bit different."

Yoshio's eyes widened. "Everyone brace for impact!" He shouted.

"Water Style: Raging River!"

Water appeared out of nowhere in front of Mangetsu and rushed towards the group of six. The water struck them all at once, sending them all away to different places. Mangetsu smirked at this. "One of the first rules of hunting is to separate the herd, then pick them off."

"You're taking too long, Mangetsu." Said a familiar voice.

Mangetsu frowned as one of his comrades walked into view. "What the hell are you doing here, Fuguki? Shouldn't you be focusing on killing off the suckers in this mist?"

"I could ask you the same question." Fuguki Suikazan replied. "What's taking you so long with this group? You didn't have much trouble with the others."

Mangetsu shrugged. "Well, they've proven themselves to be a bit more difficult than the others."

Fuguki scoffed at this. "You really don't live up to your potential some times, you know that?"

Mangetsu frowned. "What, you want to start something, Fuguki?"

Fuguki shook his head. "Just get back to doing your job. We were assigned to completely annihilate this portion of the First Division, not mess with them."

Fuguki turned away from his comrade and left before Mangetsu could say another word. Mangetsu scowled. "Fat bastard, always got to try to bring me down out of jealousy." He muttered to himself.

Mangetsu addressed his two clones. "Track them down and get rid of them." He ordered.

(With Kagura)

Kagura Mikazuchi got to her feet and looked around. "Damn," she muttered, "that bastard separated us."

"Well, it's not like I had a choice. You guys weren't exactly making things easy for me." Came Mangetsu' voice.

Kagura looked around. "If I concentrate, I can sense you, you know."

"Heh, well, who says I'm going to give you a chance to concentrate?"

"I know you won't." Kagura admitted. "So I'm going to have to improvise."

Kagura raised Archenemy. "Slashing Form!"

Kagura started swinging her blade at extremely high speeds, much to Mangetsu' confusion. What the hell is that supposed to do? He wondered.

Mangetsu moved to the side and unleashed Hiramekarei in its longsword form. He swung it at the back of Kagura's neck. Kagura looked off to the side. Mangetsu' eyes widened when he realized that Kagura had seen him.

Kagura pivoted to the side and blocked Hiramekarei. "What?" Mangetsu was shocked.

"I see you." Kagura deadpanned.

"That's not possible, unless…"

Mangetsu' eyes widened when he realized what had happened. "That technique you used earlier."

Kagura nodded. "The force from my slashing blew away the mist around me." She explained. "I now have a wider range of visibility.

Mangetsu was actually impressed. "Not bad," he admitted, "you came up with an effective counter to my Hidden Mist Jutsu on the spot. Not only that, but you've effectively neutralized my Silent Killing."

Mangetsu raised Hiramekarei. "Oh well, I kinda wanted to get a feel for that sword style of yours anyway."

With that, Mangetsu charged Kagura. The undrawn longsword clashed with the famed twin sword of the Hidden Mist Village. Their wielders stared down one another. Kagura with a calm and serious look, and Mangetsu with an excited grin.

(With Yumichika and Cavendish)

Yumichika Ayasegawa yelled in anger over his ruined hair. When Mangetsu had struck him and his group with that Water Style Ninjutsu, Yumichika's hair had been ruined by the attack. While Yumichika lamented the 'destruction' of his hair, Cavendish was on his hands and knees crying about the 'destruction' of his hair.

"That fanged bastard!" Yumichika screamed, not caring that technically he was in enemy territory. "I'm going to kill him!"

"My hair," Cavendish sobbed, "my beautiful hair. It's ruined!"

Cavendish' sadness then turned to anger. "That monster!" He shouted. "He really is a demon! I'll kill him for this unforgivable sin!"

Yumichika heard this and turned his anger on Cavendish. "Get in line, Blondie!" Yumichika shouted. "I'm going to kill him first!"

"The one who gets to kill him is the one who was the victim of a worse crime." Cavendish replied. "Considering that my hair is perfect and also better than yours, I have it worse than you. Therefore, I will kill him!"

"What?" Yumichika glared comically at Cavendish. "Your hair is better? How dare you look me in the eye and tell me that your hair is better than my beautiful jet black hair!"

"I dare because it's true, Ayasegawa!" Cavendish comically glared back.

"Blonde she-male!"

"Human peacock!"

As the two traded barbs, one of Mangetsu' Water Clones sweat-dropped at the sight. Do I really need to get involved in this? Mangetsu thought. I can just stand here and let these two self-destruct.

"There's only one way to settle this!" Yumichika shouted. "We'll find him. The first one who finds him gets to kill him! And the one who kills him is the most beautiful!"

That logic makes no sense. Mangetsu' clone thought.

"Alright, I'm game! Let's go track down that bastard!" Cavendish shouted.

The Water Clone sighed. Well what do you know? They put aside their differences by finding a common enemy. What a damn cliche. He thought.

The Water Clone turned into a puddle and moved across the ground. When he reached Yumichika and Cavendish he reformed into his true form, albeit with larger hands meant to suffocate both of them.

What the Water Clone did not count on was that Yumichika and Cavendish were on heightened alert due to their anger at Mangetsu. The minute the Water Clone came into view, Yumichika and Cavendish turned the full force of their anger on him.

"DIE!" They screamed in unison.

The Water Clone' eyes widened as Fuji Kujaku and Durandal cut through his body, destroying him instantly. Yumichika and Cavendish immediately realized that the Mangetsu they had killed was not the real Mangetsu.

"Damn him!" Yumichika shouted. "Where the hell is he?"

"It's obvious that we must go into the mist and find him." Cavendish told his newfound rival. "Let us hunt down this fiend!"

(With Ikkaku)

Ikkaku Madarame twirled Hōzukimaru, blocking a Water Style Jutsu from the second Water Clone. The 3rd Seat of Squad 11 frowned at the fact that Mangetsu had not attacked him with that strange sword, Hiramekarei. It was clear that this Mangetsu was not the real Mangetsu.

If that is indeed the case, Ikkaku thought, I find myself wondering just how durable this clone actually is.

The Water Clone did some Hand Signs under the cover of the mist. "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!"

The Water Clone fired a ball of water at extremely high speeds. Ikkaku's combat instincts, combined with the fact that he had long gauged the Water Clone's location from spending time sensing for the presence of friend and foe alike, allowed him to disperse the ball with another swing from Hōzukimaru.

The Water Clone frowned at this. "He's blocking my attacks with little to no effort. Damn, I guess using Ninjutsu to take him out isn't going to work."

The Water Clone sighed at this. "Getting close to him is going to be dangerous though. He's clearly a short ranged fighter."

The Water Clone melted down into a puddle. "Let's do this cautiously then. He's shown quite a bit of skill gauging my presence already. Let's see how good he really is."

The Water Clone moved across the ground at high speed. Ikkaku immediately sensed where the Water Clone was coming from and stabbed the ground where the puddle was. However, the Water Clone dodged the stab at high speeds and reformed behind the Squad 11 3rd Seat. The Water Clone's hand expanded and grabbed Ikkaku, enveloping his entire head, restricting his breathing.

Ikkaku was choking, gasping for air. However, he thought quickly and made his move. Split! He frantically commanded his Shikai.

Hōzukimaru split apart into three pieces. Ikkaku whipped Hōzukimaru behind his head and impaled the Water Clone in the head, destroying him instantly.

Ikkaku fell to his knees and gasped for air. "Damn," he choked, "that was a dirty trick that bastard pulled."

Ikkaku managed to get to his feet. "I think that Hyūga mentioned that there were two others besides this one I had just destroyed."

Ikkaku looked around. "I can only hope that the others managed to have just as much luck with the others as I did."

(Meanwhile, in another part of the mist)

Milliana of Mermaid Heel frowned deeply as she kept her attention in front of her. "I really don't like the idea of standing around." She admitted. "Our friends are out there, and they could be hurt, or worse."

I don't like to think that Kagura is hurt, Milliana thought, especially considering how powerful she is. But still…

"Look, I already told you." Kitsuchi of the Hidden Rock Village turned to her. "There's nothing we can do. Unless you have some sort of visual technique that will allow you to see through this mist, there's nothing you can do."

"Dad's right, we're blind here. Our eyes are useless." Kurotsuchi added.

"Well I'm the exception." Said Brook, the Humming Swordsmen.

Everyone looked at Brook. "Seriously, how?" Kurotsuchi inquired.

"Well, I don't have eyes, Yo ho ho ho!" Brook laughed.

Everyone nearly fell over at this. Neliel laughed. "That was funny Mr. Brook."

"You stupid bastard take this seriously!" Kurotsuchi shouted.

"Hello there, are you friendlies?" A voice suddenly asked.

"Are you?" Kitsuchi asked.

"I'm a member of the Hyūga Clan."

"Okay, then come over here, we could use some help." Said Kitsuchi.

A male Hyūga ran into view. "Greetings, I'm Ryūhei. Commander Kyōraku sent all available Hyūga Clansmen into the mist to aid those trapped."

"That was smart," Kitsuchi said, "we could use some eyes that can actually see."

Kitsuchi turned to his group. "Okay then, we're going to have Ryūhei walk behind us and direct our movements. Let's try to find a way out of this mist and get as many people as we can to come with us."

"What about the enemy?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"We'll engage them if we find any. But we will not, and I can't stress this enough, will not seek to engage them. They've got the advantage right now." Kitsuchi reminded his daughter.

Kitsuchi turned back to Ryūhei. "Do you understand your assignment, Ryūhei?"

Ryūhei nodded. "Perfectly, Captain Kitsuchi."

The group moved into a single file line with Kitsuchi in the lead and Ryūhei in the back. "Alright, forward march." Kitsuchi ordered.

The group started to march. This went on for a few moments, until Kitsuchi noticed someone speeding towards his group from behind.

"Captain, I've got a large enemy moving straight towards us!" Ryūhei shouted, spinning around. "God, his Chakra levels are insane!"

Ryūhei got into a Gentle Fist stance as the enemy came into view. "Fuguki Suikazan grinned madly at the six enemies before him. "Gentle Fist!" Ryūhei shouted, coating his hands in Chakra.

Ryūhei punched forward, only for Fuguki to swing his blade. Everyone watched in horror as the Chakra around Ryūhei's hand vanished. "No way…" Kurotsuchi muttered.

"It can't be." Kitsuchi laughed.

Fuguki smirked. "Picked a bad enemy to fight, Hyūga."

Fuguki then manipulated his hair and launched several strands of it in the form of a spiked needle. With impressive speed, Fuguki drove the needle straight in between Ryūhei's eyes, killing him instantly. The squad watched in horror as the spike came out from the other side of Ryūhei's head.

"No!" Milliana shouted.

"That's not possible." Kitsuchi muttered. "That blade is supposed to be in Killer B's possession."

Fuguki smirked. "Well, this isn't the real Shark Skin." He admitted, raising the terrifying blade. "It's a replica, forged by Lord Konton's men."

Kitsuchi's eyes widened. That has to mean that all seven swords of the Mist Village are in possession of their original owners. This is bad. He thought.

"Bastard!" Milliana shouted. "Kitten Blast!"

"Cero!" Neliel shouted.

Fuguki smirked as both attacks came straight towards him. "It's useless!" Fuguki shouted, swinging Shark Skin.

Neliel and Milliana watched in horror as the attacks dispersed. Milliana pulled back her whip. "How is that possible?" She wondered.

"Based on information gathered so far, Magic Energy and Spirit Energy are quite similar to Chakra." Fuguki explained. "Because of that, Shark Skin can absorb such power. And I must say, he loves the taste."

This is really bad, Kitsuchi thought, the only way to combat someone who wields the terrifying blade known as Shark Skin is to use Taijutsu. Now in most cases, that wouldn't be a problem. Taijutsu is my specialty.

However, Kitsuchi continued, this isn't most cases. We're trapped in the Hidden Mist Jutsu, a place that is practically a playground of death for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. In a place like this, even Taijutsu is out of the question because they can vanish into the mist at any time during an onslaught of Taijutsu.

Before Kitsuchi could think any more, one of his squad stepped out of formation to face Fuguki. "So, your sword can absorb power? If that's the case, what happens when you go up against someone with no unique power?"

The other four squad members looked at Brook in shock. "What are you doing, Brook?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"While I admit that I am quite frightened at the moment, it's clear to me that I'm the only person capable of combatting this man without having to worry about that sword's unique ability. Am I correct, Captain Kitsuchi?"

Kitsuchi sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid that's correct."

Kitsuchi looked at Brook. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I can just make us an escape route with some Earth Style Ninjutsu."

Brook shook his head. "It's time I write a new song: Ballad of the Mist." Brook said. "A song cannot be written if you don't try to write it."

Kitsuchi understood the meaning behind Brook's words. "Okay, watch yourself though, this guy is part of the strongest generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Yo ho ho ho!" Brook laughed. "Don't worry about me, I've already seen the might of the man who will be the World's Greatest Swordsman. Someone like this is no problem for me."

Fuguki frowned at the jab against his own skills. "You'll pay for downplaying me, Skeleton."

"Go now!" Brook ordered.

Kitsuchi nodded. "Move out!" He ordered. "We're going to put some distance between us and this battle and get back into formation."

"But Dad…" Kurotsuchi began.

"Brook can handle himself, now come on!"

As the remaining members of Brook's squad disappeared into the mist, Brook turned his full attention on Fuguki. "Tell me, is your brain as dead as the rest of you?" Fuguki asked. "Taking me on alone is very foolish."

Brook did not respond for a moment. He then did something that surprised Fuguki: He started to sing.

"Going to deliver Binks' Sake!"

"Following the sea breeze! Riding along the waves!"

"Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun!"

"The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky!"

"You're singing?" Fuguki asked in surprise.

Brook ignored Fuguki as he continued to sing, easing the remaining nerves that were still in his body.

(With X-Drake)

Former Rear Admiral X-Drake, now Red Flag Drake, Captain of the Drake Pirates, glared at the short bearded man before him, who stood over the corpses of all four members of Drake's squad.

Jinin Akebino of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist chuckled. "What can I say? They shouldn't have tried to defend against me. Nothing can defend against Helmet Splitter."

Drake looked at his ruined weapons. "Yeah, I noticed." He muttered.

Drake threw his weapons to the ground. "I guess I'll just have no choice but to stop you a different way."

Jinin watched as Drake transformed. Within moments, Drake was now a green dinosaur. "What is this?" Jinin wondered out loud.

"Lizard-Lizard Fruit: Dinosaur Model." Drake announced.

"A Devil Fruit." Jinin muttered. "Diamanté mentioned those damn things."

With that, Jinin retreated into the mist, not wanting to directly fight the now enormous Drake. Drake took a moment to sniff the air around him. He smirked when he managed to isolate something in particular.

"I've got your scent, Swordsman." Drake grinned madly.

Jinin realized what was happening and leapt back just as Drake attempted to pounce on him.

(With Kagura)

Weapon met weapon as Kagura Mikazuchi and Mangetsu Hōzuki clashed with one another. Mangetsu had sensed the defeat of his clones and had redoubled his efforts to defeat the Ace of the Mermaid Heel Guild. He was admittedly enjoying himself in this battle. Kagura's unique sword style, the Style of the Undrawn Sword, was interesting, and also impressive.

However, there was one thing about Kagura's fighting style that was starting to irritate Mangetsu. Every time he would push Kagura back into a zero-visibility area, she would leap back and use her Slashing Form once more to clear away the mist around her.

In other words, the two fighters were locked in a deadly stalemate, and neither were giving each other an inch.

Mangetsu raised Hiramekarei to the side. "Release!" He shouted.

Hiramekarei took the form of an axe. Yelling with exertion, Mangetsu swung the axe at Kagura, who ducked under the attack and rushed her opponent. "Strong Form!" She shouted, stabbing forward.

Mangetsu gasped as the blade destroyed half of his liquid body and dispersed a portion of the mist behind him. As Mangetsu reformed, he took notice of the dispersed portion. If she keeps this up, the plan will be ruined. An irritated Mangetsu thought.

Mangetsu slashed downwards, only for Kagura to jump out of the way. Kagura swung her blade in midair. "Long Form!"

The slash moved so fast, an air blade shot towards Mangetsu, who blocked it with Hiramekarei. I cannot afford to lose this fight, otherwise I'll lose face with just about everyone here. He decided.

Mangetsu dug his blade into the ground and did some Hand Signs. "Water Style: Senbon Rainstorm!"

Several senbon made of water appeared around Mangetsu and sped towards Kagura. Kagura, with speed honed through combat, blocked each attack. The water splashed around her with each senbon that struck Archenemy. As this happened, Mangetsu retreated back into the mist.

Kagura, though she did not show it, was starting to get frustrated with Mangetsu' tactics. Using my Forms to clear away the mist is effective, but it also slowly saps away my stamina. I need to corner him and end this fight. Kagura thought.

No sooner had Kagura thought that, Mangetsu leapt out of the mist with two enlarged hands. Kagura had no time to think with Mangetsu charging her the way he was.

He's charging me without the sword. Kagura noticed.

"Gravity Change!" Kagura shouted.

Mangetsu gasped as the gravity around him changed. He suddenly felt heavier. Suddenly, he bursted into water and fell to the floor.

Kagura narrowed her eyes at this. A Water Clone. She thought angrily.

Mangetsu leapt at her from behind and grabbed her head. Kagura gasped as she spun around and slashed him, destroying him and showing this Mangetsu to also be a Water Clone.

He's trying to wear me out. Kagura realized.

Suddenly, Mangetsu charged Kagura, wielding Hiramekarei. Here's the real one. Kagura thought.

Mangetsu swung his blade at Kagura. Kagura swung Archenemy at Hiramekarei. When the two blades collided, however, something unexpected happened.

Kagura's eyes widened as Archenemy passed through water, dispersing 'Hiramekarei'. What? She thought in surprise.

Before she could react. A blade of blue Chakra shot out of the mist, cutting Kagura deeply across the abdomen and Mangetsu, who also dispersed into water. Kagura cried out as she was knocked backwards.

Mangetsu Hōzuki laughed as he stepped into view, looking at Kagura's downed form. He then stabbed Kagura in the shoulder, preventing her from wielding her longsword effectively.

"Impressive, huh?" Mangetsu asked mockingly. "That Hiramekarei you destroyed, it was a Water Clone I transformed into Hiramekarei. It was a basic Transformation Jutsu and you fell for it perfectly."

Mangetsu then looked at Archenemy, which had fallen out of Kagura's hand after he had stabbed her in the shoulder. He then kicked it away from her and walked over to the blade. He picked it up and smirked, admiring the blade.

"This really is an amazing blade." He complimented. "Almost perfect in design. It's beautiful, really."

"In fact," he continued, "it's too good for you. If you don't mind, I'm going to take this off your hand so it is wielded by someone who's a bit more worthy."

Kagura's eyes widened at this when she realized what he meant. "You bastard," she said, uncharacteristically glaring with fury, "I won't let you take my sword."

Mangetsu smirked at this. "You don't have a choice." He said. "That wound of yours will bleed out if you don't get it looked at. Furthermore, even if you decided on the whole 'if I'm dying I'm taking you with me' thing, with that wound in your shoulder, the chances of you doing anything to me are rather slim."

Kagura shook her head. "I can still do this." She reminded him. "Gravity Change!"

Mangetsu' eyes widened as he felt an enormous weight on his body. "I won't let you take Archenemy!" Kagura shouted. "That blade is a part of my soul. You have no right to take a part of my soul."

With every word, the weight Kagura was applying to Mangetsu grew heavier and heavier. What both parties failed to notice, however, was that something was cracking from the pressure created by Kagura's Gravity Change. Before either Kagura or Mangetsu could realize what was happening, the sound of something shattering was heard.

Kagura's eyes widened in shock and horror. Mangetsu gasped in surprise. They both watched in stunned silence as the broken pieces of Archenemy fell to the floor. All Mangetsu was clutching now was the blade's hilt.

At that moment, Kagura Mikazuchi, the calm and proper ace of Mermaid Heel screamed. "ARCHENEMY!"

A.N: Let this serve as a reminder (if Ren Akatsuki's death wasn't enough), anything goes in this war. That includes the destruction of the powerful blade known as Archenemy. Anyone can die, anything can be destroyed, anything can happen.

On a different note, I was actually surprised when Mangetsu wasn't given much of a personality in canon Naruto. Considering that he was Suigetsu' brother, I would've thought that Kishimoto would've paid more attention to him.

*Spoiler Alert*

Out of all the new chapters of my favorite Manga I read today, the newest Naruto takes the cake. Kakashi has the Sharingan again and now has Susanōō. Awesome. Just awesome.

*End Spoilers*

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter. Considering how I ended this one, I certainly am.