Kisame Hoshigaki's laughter echoed through the silent streets, his Samehada, slung over his shoulder, swaying gently with his movements, its bandages falling away to reveal rows of ferocious scales.
Asuma wasted no words, his Chakra Blades instantly extending, their azure gleam aimed directly at Kisame's neck. Kisame's smile widened; he didn't move his feet, simply casually brought Samehada horizontally in front of him.
The sharp grinding sound pierced their eardrums.
Asuma felt a tremendous force transmit from the hilt of his blade, numbing his hand. The strange situation reappeared: the Wind Release Chakra attached to his blade was being siphoned away frantically, as if it had encountered a bottomless Uzumaki. The living-like barbs on Samehada opened and closed, emitting satisfied purrs.
"Your Chakra tastes quite good," Kisame remarked, as if savoring an appetizer. He flipped his wrist, and the massive blade, with a dexterity unsuited to its size, pressed back.
Asuma was horrified, quickly retreating. Kisame's strength far exceeded his estimation; each block felt like crashing into a mountain wall.
"Is that all you've got, Konoha Jonin?" Kisame pressed closer, Samehada swinging wide, each movement accompanied by a tearing whistle through the air.
Asuma could only dodge clumsily, his Chakra Blade more like a shield in his hand, barely deflecting the storm-like attacks. He glanced at the battle on the other side; Kakashi and Itachi's fight was equally perilous, and he couldn't afford to be a hindrance any longer.
"Bastard, don't underestimate me!" Asuma roared, not retreating but advancing, twisting his body at a strange angle to evade Samehada's direct slash. His Chakra Blade scraped past the sword's body, leaving a shallow cut on Kisame's cheek.
Kisame's movements paused for a moment. He extended his tongue, licking the bloodstain on his cheek. His bloodthirsty smile receded slightly, and his eyes became dangerous. "Interesting, it seems you're not just trying to tickle me."
On the other side, Kakashi's nerves were stretched to their limit.
"Asuma, Yuhi! Don't look into his eyes!" Kakashi's voice was calm, without a ripple. "Use your body senses and hearing to pinpoint his location!"
He himself did not make that choice.
Crimson three-tomoe met crimson three-tomoe.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Itachi flicked his wrist, and several shuriken shot in a triangular formation towards Kakashi's vital points. But as the shuriken were released, his fingers, hidden in his sleeve, had already completed the hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
Kakashi's Sharingan caught the subtle movement, almost simultaneously forming hand signs: "Water Release: Water Wall!"
A circular wall of water rose from the ground, just barely blocking the high-pressure water pillar that burst from below. Water splashed everywhere, completely obscuring their vision.
Just then, a killing intent struck from behind.
"!" Kakashi's heart tightened. Itachi's Shadow Clone had somehow gotten behind him, a kunai aimed straight at his back.
Pfft.
The sound of the kunai piercing flesh was clearly audible. But the Shadow Clone's face showed no joy of success, only a hint of surprise. The "Kakashi" who was stabbed turned into a puddle of water, disappearing onto the ground.
"The feeling is mutual." Kakashi's true body appeared several meters away, the lightning in his hand already beginning to flicker.
Itachi's Shadow Clone was expressionless, its body suddenly swelling.
A violent explosion instantly engulfed that area.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of earth carved with a dog's head rose in time, blocking the impact of the explosion. As the smoke cleared, Kakashi was unharmed, but his expression grew even more solemn.
Itachi didn't want to drag this out any longer; these probes were enough, and Konoha's reinforcements could arrive at any moment. His objective wasn't here; he had to finish this quickly.
Itachi's eyes changed, the three-tomoe beginning to spin and converge. He was preparing to end this meaningless standoff in the fastest way possible.
Just before he was about to activate Tsukuyomi, a cold voice, through the communicator, had already sounded in Neji's mind.
"'Data collection complete, identity confirmed, Utsusemi,' permission to fire."
On top of a tall building two kilometers away.
Hyuga Neji lay prone on the cold ground, his body integrated with the specialized long-range weapon.
Through the amplification of the specialized scope, his vision had already pierced two kilometers of space, taking in every detail on the street. Wind speed, humidity, the target's minute movements... all data converged in his mind into an absolutely precise trajectory.
His locked target was Uchiha Itachi's right eye.
Neji held his breath, his finger steadily pulling the trigger.
No sound, no muzzle flash.
A slender beam of light, imperceptible to the naked eye, streaked across the sky at supersonic speed.
Kisame, whose cheek had been cut by Asuma, was somewhat annoyed. He decided to stop playing around, raising Samehada, ready to unleash his full power.
The massive blade was just raised, blocking the path of that silent beam of light.
The next second, a sharp wail erupted from Samehada, filled with pain and fear.
A strong smell of burning, mixed with the stench of some burnt protein, instantly spread through the air.
Except for Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and even Uchiha Itachi, their movements froze.
Two kilometers away, Neji showed no hesitation. His Byakugan clearly captured the result of the first strike. He adjusted his angle and pulled the trigger again.
Another beam of light arrived silently.
"Puff!"
This time, the beam precisely pierced Kisame's right arm, which was holding Samehada.
"Ugh!" Kisame let out a suppressed cry of pain, blood gushing out. He gritted his teeth, his left hand shooting out like lightning, grabbing the still wailing Samehada again. Relying on his battle instincts, he brought the blade horizontally in front of himself and Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi stood still.
He had forgotten to cast Tsukuyomi.
Those crimson eyes, usually as calm as an ancient well, were now filled with an incomprehensible shock. He looked at Kisame, at his pierced, bloody arm, at the Samehada that was still trembling slightly, with a terrifying charred hole in the center of its blade. He tried to analyze what had happened, but had no clue.
Something had transcended his understanding.
Konoha had truly changed.
"Itachi-sensei..." Kisame's shark teeth clattered together, his voice filled with unprecedented solemnity and horror. "What... what in the world is this? You didn't tell me about this before you came."
His right arm was already charred black, the flesh around the wound instantly carbonized by the high temperature, even stopping the bleeding. And his Samehada, which he regarded as his life, let out a faint whimper, all the barbs on its blade limply drooping.
Root Underground Command Center.
Naruto looked at the damage data reflected on the light screen and calmly gave another order.
"Target weapon 'Samehada' possesses the characteristic of absorbing Chakra; energy attacks have a significant effect on it. 'Utsusemi,' continue suppression."
At the same time, a Shadow Clone of Naruto silently appeared behind Kakashi and the others.
"Just to be safe, Kakashi-sensei," the Shadow Clone commanded loudly, "don't challenge his Sharingan with your Sharingan; it's meaningless and will only increase your exhaustion."
Kakashi's body stiffened, then relaxed; he understood Naruto's meaning.
That unknown attack had shifted the balance of the battle.
Itachi's battle instincts brought him back to his senses instantly. He lightly tapped his toes, his body gracefully leaping backward, while simultaneously trying to use his Sharingan to pinpoint the source of the mysterious attack.
But there was nothing.
No Chakra flow trajectory, no pre-signs of Ninjutsu hand signs, not even the attack's trajectory could be captured.
An extreme sense of danger enveloped him. His battle intuition told him that standing still was a target.
He had to move, moving with the highest speed and most irregular steps, to evade that invisible death ray.
At the top of the clock tower, Neji's lips were pressed into a thin line.
In the world seen through the scope, Itachi's figure turned into elusive black shadows.
Just as Itachi, to evade Kakashi's subsequent Water Dragon Bullet, had a brief moment of suspension and rigidity in mid-air, Neji's Byakugan captured this fleeting flaw.
"Opportunity!"
The third shot.
"Pfft!"
A spray of blood erupted on Uchiha Itachi's left shoulder.
Intense pain struck, causing him to stumble as he landed. He clutched his shoulder, blood seeping between his fingers.
Humiliation, anger, and a hint of fear he himself was unwilling to admit, instantly surged within him. For a moment, he even had the urge to activate Susanoo, using its absolute defense to block this unknown attack.
"Don't push yourself, Itachi-sensei."
Kisame dragged his body, once again blocking in front of him, his left hand gripping the still passively working Samehada, his eyes fiercely scanning their surroundings.
"I'll handle this."
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