Kisame Hoshigaki raised the greatsword Samehada and charged straight in front of Deepa.
Deepa wore a confident smile as he calmly retreated.
Boom!
With a tremendous impact, the roof of the secret base was blown clean off.
"Not bad strength."
Deepa's eyes filled with arrogance as he looked Kisame over with a faintly appraising gaze.
The sky above was covered in heavy gloom, with goose-feather-sized snowflakes falling in dense sheets.
Kisame formed hand seals with both hands. "Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
A massive Water Release gathered into the shape of a chakra shark, opening its bloody maw as it viciously bit down toward Deepa's body.
Deepa merely snorted and remained standing where he was, seemingly with no intention of dodging at all.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the water shark burst apart into countless droplets that scattered down.
Kisame's pupils shrank, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Deepa's body seemed to be covered in a smooth layer of armor.
The right side was black, the left side was white, completely encasing his body within.
The muscular contours across his frame made him look as though he was brimming with power.
"Impressive."
"Who would have thought a guy who looks like a beanpole would actually have a decent body?"
As Kisame spoke, his hands once again formed seals at high speed.
"Water Release: Four Sharks Rain!"
The moment the seals were completed, nearly a thousand water sharks swallowed Deepa's body all at once.
But before long, Deepa's wild laughter rang out.
"Useless. Before my absolute defense, that kind of attack doesn't even count as a scratch."
The water sharks dispersed, and Deepa once again appeared before everyone completely unharmed.
"Well? How do you feel now?"
"If you still haven't given up, I can keep standing here and let you attack me."
Hearing Deepa's arrogant tone, a rare look of anger appeared on Kisame's face.
With a forceful swing, the bandages wrapped around Samehada split apart inch by inch.
"Even if you're wearing a turtle shell, I'll still shave you into pieces."
After saying that, he brandished Samehada and charged straight in front of Deepa.
"Die!"
Samehada came crashing down heavily, while Deepa's arm transformed into a sharp claw blade.
Clang!
With a loud crash, Deepa's body was sent flying.
Holding Samehada, Kisame smiled and asked, "Can you still stand?"
As the dust settled, Deepa patted the dirt from his body in a slightly disheveled state.
The smile from earlier was gone from his face, replaced by a gloomy expression.
"I'm out of patience for playing with you…!"
He took the initiative to charge at Kisame, and the two instantly fell into a chaotic melee.
Kisame's taijutsu was clearly stronger than Deepa's, and several times he sent Deepa flying with heavy blows from Samehada.
However, as time passed, the smile on Kisame's face gradually disappeared.
The reason was simple...
Even a Tailed Beast jinchuriki should have had their chakra drained dry after being hit by his Samehada so many times.
Yet the enemy before him seemed completely unaffected!
"Hahahahaha... confused, are you?"
"I'm not like you lowly humans. My body has been completely modified."
"Samehada's ability to devour chakra doesn't work on me!"
As an Inner member of Kara, Deepa naturally knew a great deal of information.
He understood Samehada's abilities perfectly.
Right now, his body itself was a Scientific Ninja Tool. Before him, Samehada was no different from an ordinary blade.
"Carbon Shower!"
Countless stones formed from carbon condensed in the air and shot toward Kisame all at once.
Kisame blocked most of them with Samehada in front of him, but a few still left bloody cuts across his shoulder and thigh.
"How's that?"
"What an irritating guy."
Kisame licked the blood from his body and was about to charge at Deepa again.
But before he could move, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"Kisame, his ability happens to counter yours. Let me deal with him."
"I know, but it still feels kind of unsatisfying."
"I'll let you fight to your heart's content the next time we meet a suitable opponent. For now, don't waste too much time."
Seeing that Itachi Uchiha was about to step in, Kisame was somewhat unwilling, but he could only put Samehada away and step aside.
Itachi walked forward two steps, his pitch-black eyes like an abyss in the night.
One hand rested on the collar of his outer robe, which he had pulled up to his chest, making him look casual and arrogant.
Deepa picked at his ear, a trace of displeasure flashing through his eyes. "Did you just say... don't waste too much time?"
"Do you think the length of our battle is something you get to decide?"
The moment his words fell, Deepa's figure vanished from where he stood.
In the next second, his sharp claws sliced straight through Itachi's body.
"Caw! Caw! Caw..."
Itachi transformed into countless crows and flew toward Deepa. Deepa impatiently swung his arms. "Are you trying to defeat me with this boring little trick?"
Did this idiot really think a flock of crows could peck through his defense with their beaks?
But once he was surrounded by all the crows, he discovered that every crow's eyes had turned into scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Those eyes..."
"Not good!"
Deepa immediately closed his eyes, but it was already too late.
When his vision returned, he found himself bound to a cross.
"This is the world of Tsukuyomi. Everything here is under my control."
"For the next three days, I will keep stabbing you with a blade until you tell me information about Kara."
Looking at Itachi standing before him with a long blade in hand, Deepa said coldly, "I possess absolute defense. Don't even think you can..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the long blade pierce effortlessly into his body.
Itachi's voice rang out again. "I told you, everything here is under my control."
Splurt!
Another stab landed, and Deepa could not help letting out a howl of agony.
The pain, like being sliced apart piece by piece, instantly soaked his entire body in sweat.
An unknown amount of time passed. Only when Deepa felt he was on the verge of collapse did Itachi slowly speak.
"One second."
"What?!"
Deepa suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.
He had just endured so much pain, yet only one second had passed?!
"Devil... You... you're the devil!"
A trace of fear suddenly rose in Deepa's heart.
He had always taken pleasure in torturing people, and there was no telling how many had died in agony by his hands.
But compared to Itachi before him, he felt as though he could practically be called a saint.