Chapter 58: Shisui, the Finisher
When Uchiha Itachi and Shisui noticed this squad of Mist ninjas, they perceived the strangeness of their team composition; they looked like a group of Mist ninjas with very special identities.
Shisui immediately judged their value. Moreover, the guard ninja at the tail of the team was not well-known, and the others didn't look like proper ninjas... The two decided to take down this Hidden Mist squad first.
Uchiha Shisui, relying on his Body Flicker Technique, could completely surround and eliminate the others. If he really couldn't handle it, he could also escape...
Uchiha Itachi, instigated by Kitahara, proactively took on the task of entangling the guard ninja... Judging from the current battle situation between Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi could only manage to entangle him for now.
"This person is very strong!"
The ground had already been covered with a layer of water by Kisame Hoshigaki's Water Style ninjutsu. Itachi somewhat awkwardly realized a problem...
He didn't seem to be a match for the Mist ninja before him...
Kisame Hoshigaki's chakra reserves were vast, and his Water Style ninjutsu was astonishingly powerful in his hands. His taijutsu was also excellent... He could be called the most troublesome opponent Itachi had faced since becoming a ninja.
"Is this all you've got? Naive!"
Kisame Hoshigaki swiftly skimmed across the water surface, treading on the splashing water, and rushed to Itachi's side. The ninja sword in his hand deftly drew a semicircle, avoiding the short sword in Itachi's hand...
The icy blade carried a biting chill. Even though Itachi shifted his back foot slightly to dodge the brunt of the attack, a lock of his hair was still cut off!
Thump!
Kisame seized the opportunity and kicked out. The powerful blow struck Itachi's barely-blocking arm, sending him flying!
Uchiha Itachi, along with the crow, was kicked seven or eight meters away. His body felt rather uncomfortable. Kitahara, who had confidently come looking for trouble, felt a bit uncomfortable psychologically... It kept comforting itself, *the cub is still young...*
Itachi, it seemed, really couldn't defeat Kisame Hoshigaki.
As for Uchiha Itachi, his mental fortitude was very good. Or rather, he believed he was still in a newbie state and had long grown accustomed to combat setbacks.
"Caw!"
A terrifying amount of sage art chakra from Kitahara's body was guided into the little boy's system by the crow. The natural energy between heaven and earth began to converge towards Itachi's body...
*Cub, activate Sage Mode! Go on, behind you is a powerful crow! If you still can't beat him, I'm going to release a Tailed Beast Bomb!*
Miserable screams and pained cries came from nearby. Uchiha Shisui's side was going very smoothly; he had never seen such weak Mist ninjas...
Although these people wore Hidden Mist Village headbands, they had no combat experience, foolishly only knowing how to throw shuriken and form hand seals on the spot.
Kisame Hoshigaki was anxious and charged towards Uchiha Itachi again, "Can't get entangled with this little brat, I must reach those from the Cipher Division as soon as possible..."
"After all, this little brat might be from the Uchiha clan, and I don't know if he has awakened the Sharingan... If this blow can't finish him, I'll release a large-scale Water Style ninjutsu to stop him..."
Seeing Uchiha Itachi standing there foolishly, the shark-faced smile gradually became ferocious, the ninja sword slashing diagonally towards Itachi's neck...
In a battle between ninjas, one would never show mercy just because the opponent was a child. Kisame was very serious about this!
Thump!
Uchiha Itachi's Sage Mode was instantly completed. The black feathered wings on his back suddenly flapped, heavily striking Kisame's body. The sturdy figure was sent flying backward!
The shark-faced man wretchedly propped himself up with his weapon and wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "Indeed, I can't underestimate you..."
"You are also very strong."
Uchiha Itachi didn't get carried away by one successful strike. He had been completely dominated by this guy in all aspects before...
That... feeling that even if he activated the Sharingan and could see his movements clearly, he might not be able to keep up with the opponent's speed.
"Looks like I'll have to expend a lot of chakra..." Kisame Hoshigaki shook his head. Although he had a lot of chakra, powerful Water Style ninjutsu also consumed a lot.
"Water Style: Great..."
Thump!
Itachi, whose speed had greatly increased, used Body Flicker to get close to Kisame and kicked him in the shoulder, interrupting his ninjutsu!
Then Uchiha Itachi, taking advantage of this opening, quickly formed hand seals, "Sage Art: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Such fast speed..." Kisame Hoshigaki observed the little boy's movements in astonishment.
Uchiha Itachi quickly completed the hand seals, so fast it was as if he hadn't formed any. A giant fireball hit Kisame head-on!
Boom!
Kitahara: "..."
Kisame Hoshigaki was hit squarely by Itachi's Sage Art without any defense. This guy wouldn't die, right!
"It's a Water Clone!"
When Uchiha Itachi sensed that Kisame Hoshigaki seemed unable to withstand it, he had condensed a water clone to meet the attack. He himself then took the opportunity to retreat, gaining a life-saving chance to cast a jutsu.
Kisame, however, didn't dare to casually expend his chakra anymore... He had no way to replenish his chakra now.
Moreover, the enemy...
Uchiha Itachi spread his wings, watching Kisame flee in a certain direction from mid-air, "His chakra reserves... are actually so vast! He clearly had a chance to win, why would he flee?"
"Caw!"
*Of course, it's for the mission! Kisame Hoshigaki is the ninja in the world most serious about carrying out missions, almost always striving to complete them with 100% enthusiasm and means!*
"That's Shisui's direction... Sage Art: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
Eight shuriken, entwined with sage art chakra, fanned out and landed around Kisame. Explosions occurred one after another, blocking Kisame Hoshigaki's path.
Utilizing the advantage of high altitude and the super-strong perception of Sage Mode, Uchiha Itachi closely trailed near Kisame, continuously harassing his advance with Sage Art.
A short distance of a few hundred meters, yet Kisame felt it was incredibly difficult at this moment... That little brat in the sky was too hard to deal with, and he couldn't detect the situation of the people from the Cipher Division...
If that little brat could maintain that astonishing state for a long time, it would probably be very difficult to shake off his pursuit, and also very difficult to say he could win.
When unable to defeat the enemy, he had to carry out the final mission given to him by the ANBU captain!
Uchiha Itachi attacked again, scattering a few shuriken, then his hands formed seals as he shouted fiercely, "Sage Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The dense barrage of shuriken was unavoidable. With sage art chakra enveloping them, their sharpness could be imagined...
Originally the Third Hokage's得意 (déyì - proud of/specialty) technique, this was one of the few ninjutsu Jiraiya had taught Itachi. After secondary development, its effect was surprisingly good.
Kisame Hoshigaki finally had no choice but to add protection for himself, "Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
The sphere of water enveloping Kisame's figure, though a thin layer, adsorbed the shuriken onto it...
Kisame broke free from the water sphere and struggled forward. He finally saw the situation at the Cipher Division's resting place... A young Konoha ninja was tying up the unconscious captives to trees one by one...
After a clear look at the number, the shark-faced young ninja's mood gradually became so irritable he wanted to hit someone!
These idiots from the Cipher Division, not a single one managed to escape! And how much time had passed since he encountered the enemy...
Even a dozen ordinary Genin, when facing one enemy, should be able to maneuver for a bit and allow a few to escape!
"Huh? Itachi actually didn't finish off the enemy?" Uchiha Shisui looked in surprise at Kisame appearing here, then glanced up at Uchiha Itachi flying in the air. *That shouldn't be, right?*
This guy was clearly just an ordinary Mist ANBU, right? Itachi had already activated Sage Mode and still hadn't finished him off...
Although Shisui was puzzled, he still had to help his little brother finish things up. He just stared blankly at Kisame for a moment:
"Sharingan: Release!"
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
Kisame, who was just about to make a move, instantly froze in place, dazed. Only one thought kept circling in his mind... *Since when did Konoha Village become so shameless?*
(End of this chapter)