"Wrong! It's above!"
As Uchiha Kaien, who was swimming downward, revealed his true form as a giant snake, Kisame quickly scanned the area. With Ao's Byakugan, he located the target in an instant.
A tiny shuriken! Almost impossible to detect underwater, but now it was rapidly escaping from the water prison.
"Damn it!" Kisame cursed under his breath. Though the massive water prison followed his every move, he knew flying upward with such heavy water was impossible. He was human, not a tailed beast.
Plop~
With a soft splash, a black metal shuriken broke free from the water prison. A burst of white smoke revealed Uchiha Kaien, soaked to the bone, finally able to breathe fresh air after holding his breath for so long.
"Nice tactic," Kaien smirked. "But every technique has its weakness. You've failed, now it's my turn."
Floating mid-air, Kaien's lips curled into a confident grin. Just as gravity started to pull him downward, his hands began forming seals for a summoning jutsu. But then, a shadow loomed above him.
"Oh really? Too bad, you won't get the chance," came a soft, alluring voice from above. "Handsome man, let me send you off with a beautiful kiss."
Kaien felt cold sweat break out as he turned his head. No allure—only a sense of impending danger. There she was, the woman with the missing part of her mask—Terumī Mei, her brown hair framing her face.
Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
With a swift motion, her soft lips released a massive cloud of beige, sticky, and corrosive acid, completely obscuring Kaien.
The sound of sizzling corrosion filled the air. Terumī Mei, who was falling from the sky with her mask, sighed. "Such a waste of a handsome man. Let me give you a bone-melting, heart-burning kiss."
But as she descended, her confident smile froze. Below, the giant snake hissed in agony as it writhed within the corrosive cloud.
Not good!
Meanwhile, Kisame, still trapped in the water prison, sighed in relief, thinking he'd dealt with the Leaf Village monster. However, Ao, his Byakugan companion, suddenly gripped his shoulder tightly, his face filled with shock.
Kisame froze, eyes narrowing as he followed Ao's gaze to the black area created by the smoke bomb.
Formation of a Thousand Snakes.
From the water, a horrifying sight emerged—a dense swarm of venomous snakes surged forward, moving with terrifying speed. Their overwhelming numbers made it impossible to tell which snake Kaien had transformed into.
But the most unsettling part? The snakes spat out blades that glinted coldly, sweeping across everything in their path.
Water Style: Thousand Feeding Sharks!
In a panic, Kisame made hand seals, summoning countless sharks that swarmed toward the venomous snakes. A battle between numbers, the sharks and snakes clashed in the water.
The water prison became murkier by the second, stained red with blood. Kisame's face turned pale—his chakra was nearly depleted, and without his great sword to replenish it, the situation grew dire.
Gurgle~ Gurgle~
Sharks tore through snakes, blood spilling into the water, but just then, a dark shadow passed overhead, followed by the loud cry of an eagle.
"When did this happen?" Terumī Mei, about to land on a tall tree branch, widened her eyes. She recalled the earlier scene.
"It's the shadow hand sword technique! Hidden in the fine threads! Is this the insight of the Sharingan? No!"
When Mei thought back to the earlier threads, realization dawned. The threads weren't just one; they were two, moving parallel, barely visible to the eye. The second thread had been concealed beneath the smoke, and once Kaien was out of the water prison, he undid the transformation.
Not good! The plan has failed!
Their tactics, so carefully planned, had been shattered effortlessly. Mei quickly shouted at the water prison while forming hand seals, but Kaien in the sky was faster.
A hawk soared above, and Kaien completed his hand seals with lightning speed. A bloodthirsty smile crossed his face as he summoned a wave of flame.
Fire Style: Grand Fire Annihilation!
A meteor-like fireball hurtled down from the sky, crashing into the forest. The explosion ignited a vast sea of flames that spread instantly. This jutsu was known for its ability to turn a forest into ashes faster than the grand fire extinguishing technique.
Boom! Boom!
The forest erupted into flames, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The Leaf Village ninjas cheered, their morale rejuvenated by the display of power.
Amidst the flames, a massive water barrier rose, shielding a ten-meter radius. As the water dispersed, a figure emerged—the Mist Village commander, Suikazan Fuguki.
"Damn kid!" Fuguki cursed.
From his superior vantage point, Kaien smirked. "A good tactic, but I've done my homework. It won't be that easy."
Knowing the power of Kisame and Fuguki, Kaien had prepared himself, especially for their water-based techniques. Though surprised by Ao's and Mei's sudden appearance, he remained confident.
Fire Style: Grand Dragon Fire Technique!
Kaien's mouth released five compressed fire dragons. With his vast chakra reserves, the five dragons—each the size of a small house—charged toward the raging Fuguki below. However, his target wasn't Fuguki but the recently freed Kisame, Ao, and Mei.
As his chakra reserves dwindled, a massive water prison collapsed, flooding the area. Kisame, panting from chakra exhaustion, saw the fire dragons racing toward him. The battle was now a desperate game of survival.
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!
In response, Kisame summoned five water dragons that rose to meet the five fire dragons. The sizzling clash between fire and water created a dense mist, and Ao quickly led Kisame to safety.
"Let's go. The plan has failed, and your chakra is nearly gone."
Mist ninjas were ruthless, but they wouldn't sacrifice a high-level shinobi like Kisame, especially given his potential.
"I've found you."
Kaien's voice echoed, his hawk's cry piercing the air. Terumī Mei, who had just released a Water Dragon Bullet to protect Kisame, suddenly shifted. Before she could react, a bolt of lightning descended.
With a resounding crack, the mask on Mei's face shattered. Kaien's lightning-fast figure appeared before her.
"You're so handsome," Mei gritted out, "but you really don't know how to appreciate women."
Mist ninjas, seeing the situation unravel, began swarming in. Kaien's Mangekyō Sharingan flared as he assessed the battlefield in an instant—each ninja's movements, seals, and hidden weapons flashing through his mind.
As he sheathed his Kusanagi sword, a pair of wrist guards with the kanji for "sword" appeared on his wrists. In a blur, his hands became afterimages.
White smoke flickered around him as a hail of kunai, sharp and cold, flooded the air.
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