He had more or less deduced the method Danzo used to avoid attacks. He couldn't help but admit that this forbidden technique impressed him—personally attempting it was not something he would ever do lightly.
[Susanoo!] Surrounded by ghostly flames, the fully-formed Susanoo appeared around Itachi, shielding him completely from harm.
This time, when Danzo reappeared, Itachi would know the truth.
"You're truly a coward, Danzo. To escape death, you've actually resorted to such measures. Your mastery of Izanagi is admirable… though your sense of morality certainly deserves praise—or at least recognition."
[Summoning Jutsu!]
A colossal beast materialized in the distance. It had the body of an elephant and tiger-like razor-sharp claws, with its head swathed in bandages matching exactly those covering Danzo's right eye.
This was Danzo's summoning beast—the Mugan! Itachi didn't flinch, only tightening his guard.
"Even summoned the Mugan? You truly mean to take me down with everything you've got," Itachi muttered.
The Mugan roared open its massive maw, inhaling violently and generating a powerful vacuum that dragged nearby sand straight into it.
Crouching low, Itachi raised Susanoo's shield to counter the Mugan's violent pull.
"Your attack won't work—my Yata Mirror repels all attacks!"
[Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!]
Itachi found himself in dire straits, barely having time to react.
Danzo surged forward with brutal force. Razor-sharp gusts of wind surrounded him, attacking Itachi from every direction.
These razor-wind blades were so sharp they could slice airborne sand into dust. The Mugan's vacuum amplified their force, making them even deadlier.
Confronted with such relentless assaults, Itachi's Susanoo and shield were rendered nearly useless. The wind blades effortlessly tore through his defenses, cutting deeply into his body.
Blood sprayed as Itachi crumpled to the ground.
Witnessing all this, Danzo felt overwhelming joy at his victory. He knew exactly why—he owed this victory to intel he'd gained from Naruto, allowing him to pinpoint Susanoo's weakness and end Itachi decisively.
## Kisame vs. Fu ##
Getting crushed in a fight that felt like a fair match was bad enough. But getting pummeled while knowing the odds were hopeless made the despair even worse.
That was exactly how Fu felt now.
His partner Torune was dead, and he had lost all effective offensive capabilities.
None of Fu's Ninjutsu could harm Kisame, leaving him no choice but to engage in close-quarters combat.
But in the heat of battle within the Land of Wind's new oasis, Fu quickly realized that even hand-to-hand combat ended in disaster.
Each of his attacks was effortlessly countered by Kisame, whose brutal strikes left deep, bone-deep gashes.
As Fu's blood dripped onto the water, Kisame smirked in satisfaction.
With every blow from Samehada leeching Fu's chakra, Kisame sneered:
"You're feeding my blade so well—think it wants a little extra chakra, too. Catch my drift?"
He had to admit, this young Root agent was remarkably resilient. No one could deny their courage.
While their methods might be questionable, there was no denying they would fight to the bitter end with all their strength.
Fu fought against the oncoming unconsciousness. He knew if he closed his eyes, he would collapse for good—and that meant death. Torune's sacrifice would then be meaningless.
What Kisame called ["draining chakra"] was actually a hint he was about to unleash a powerful technique. By warning Fu beforehand, he wanted to see how Fu would react—just for fun.
Kisame tightened his grip on Samehada and charged toward Fu while starting to gather chakra.
Fu realized something crucial: Kisame didn't know he was a member of the Yamanaka clan.
Kisame had never seen him use the clan's secret jutsu—only witnessed that straw puppet—and had therefore mistaken him for a puppeteer.
Each member of the Yamanaka clan could use a unique secret technique. And Kisame gathering his chakra had placed him perfectly within range of that very jutsu.
In an instant, Fu formed hand seals and activated his technique—[Mind-Body Switch Technique!]
Unlike Kisame, he didn't need to gather chakra first.
As he launched the skill, Fu made sure to fall backward so he'd hover just above the water rather than faceplanting and drowning.
And just like that, Fu successfully entered Kisame's body. With this blue-skinned form, he allowed a cold smile to spread.
However, his victory didn't last long.
The body still firmly held Samehada, but the sword didn't recognize this fake Kisame.
It could sense the imposter wasn't as strong as the real Kisame and thus felt disgust.
Samehada violently wrenched itself free from Kisame's grasp. Its barbed spines tore into Fu's palm, forcing him to let go of the living blade.
Samehada let out a roar through the gaping maw on its hilt, lunged at the impostor, tightly coiled around him, and dragged him underwater.
"What is this thing? What does it want?" Fu wondered, as Samehada pulled Kisame's body through the water below. "It doesn't even care if it destroys itself just to drive me out?"
In truth, Fu's consciousness was now suffering dual damage—from both Samehada's scales and Kisame's physical strength.
If this really were Kisame, he'd absolutely have the power to stop Samehada from harming himself.
But this imposter couldn't do that—proving he wasn't the real Kisame.
Besides, the real Kisame was strong enough to endure attacks of this level.
Fu felt as though his skin was being flayed layer by layer. "If I stay in this body any longer, it'll literally flay me alive!"
And under these circumstances, his original body was completely useless too.
Therefore, Fu decided to forcibly return to his own body.
Once he returned, he erupted into violent coughs, spitting up water. The wounds inflicted by Samehada screamed with pain.
But he had no time to dwell on the pain—he heard Kisame's deafening roar.
Kisame surfaced, forming hand seals with both hands. Glaring at Fu with gritted teeth, he spat out,
"This time, you won't escape..."
His Akatsuki cloak was already in shreds, deep gashes from Samehada bleeding across his body.
[Water Release: Great Waterfall Stream Jutsu!]
Once again, Kisame unleashed a massive torrent of water. This time, however, the attack lacked the overwhelming force he'd used against Torune earlier.
The rushing water coiled like grasping claws, gradually condensing into a massive sphere that trapped Fu inside.
Fu realized he faced a new crisis—he was now trapped inside a prison of pure water.
"You'll soon know real suffering..." Kisame said, as his body merged with Samehada. Moments later, he transformed into a shark-like monster—half-human, half-beast.
[Water Prison Shark Dive Jutsu! You have nowhere to run.] But something strange caught his eye—Fu was actually smiling faintly, as though holding back pain. "What's that smirk for?! You're finished!"
"It hurts…" Fu thought. "It really hurts…" Glancing at his arm, he saw purple blotches spreading across his skin—just like the effect caused by Torune's unique insects.
He looked around and saw his teammates' corpses floating silently inside the water sphere.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>