Chapter 89: Chapter 89
Kisame Hoshigaki's corpse slowly sank into the sea. Without the caster's support, the Water Prison Shark Dance Technique collapsed.
CRASHHH———
The water that had flooded the area for a thousand meters receded like a tide, revealing the soaked ground beneath.
Silence. Utter silence.
Only the sea breeze blew across everyone's faces. Itachi looked at the corpse of his partner, Kisame, speechless for a long time.
VMM!
A brilliant red light shone. A tall, crimson giant rose from the ground. A skeletal giant claw reached out, pulled Kisame's corpse from the water, and clutched it in its hand. Before Kisame died, his dead-fish eyes had been wide like copper bells, filled with deep shock and disbelief until the very end.
Uchiha Itachi said nothing. His deep gaze was fixed in Kusuo's direction, as if he wanted to permanently etch his face into his mind.
At this moment, a distorted vortex appeared in the sky. A mysterious man wearing a yellow spiral mask and an Akatsuki robe suddenly appeared. He slowly emerged from the spatial vortex. The first thing that met his eyes was the tragic and ravaged scene. Then, his pupils contracted.
"That fellow Kisame... is dead?"
The crimson Susanoo was burning with chakra flames. Accompanied by the spatial fluctuation, a mysterious man had suddenly appeared beside it.
Jiraiya, with a swoosh, appeared at Kusuo's side and murmured, "How is it that we kill one, and another one comes?" Jiraiya's eyes were grim. Judging from his aura, this mysteriously appearing man was no weaker than the two from before. And the special way he had made his entrance made him even more wary. It was bizarre and unpredictable.
"Heh, I didn't expect that guy to show up too." Steam was rising from Kusuo's body as the intense heat of his Sun Breathing dried his soaked clothes.
"You know him?" Jiraiya was愕然 (èrán) - astonished. He looked at the boy beside him with even more surprise. It seemed the mysterious aura around this kid was even thicker now.
"I don't," Kusuo said, shaking his head, but the disdain in his eyes clearly showed his attitude.
"Er..." Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, the self-proclaimed Toad Sage, was choked up again. Good heavens, I've roamed the ninja world for so many years. Countless juniors are respectful and courteous when they see me. How is it that this kid... his answers are always so concise? Every word is like gold.
On the other side...
"What on earth happened? The organization sent me immediately after receiving the distress signal. Kisame is actually dead?" The mysteriously appearing man, who was of course Uchiha Obito, frowned as he looked at Kisame's corpse clutched in Itachi's Susanoo, his face very ugly. Although the Akatsuki was nominally controlled by Nagato, he was just a pawn. Obito's goals were much more far-reaching. The people before him were the main force for capturing the Jinchuriki in the future. Each one was a Kage-level existence and could not be ignored. The death of even one was a huge loss.
Itachi remained silent. Obito instantly understood. His icy gaze was fixed on the two people in front of them. "Jiraiya... and that half-grown brat?"
He decided to test them.
Obito swung the war fan in his hand and leaped forward. He naturally did not dare to be careless. He struck with the force of a thunderbolt. No matter which of the two before him had killed Kisame, neither could be underestimated.
Jiraiya took a step forward, chakra surging in his hand, a sharp wind-nature chakra continuously cutting. But he contained it within a spherical shape.
Hoo~
The immense pressure and the rapidly rotating wind element made the air stagnate.
"Rasengan!" Jiraiya shouted. He formed a Rasengan in his right hand and smashed it directly at Obito's head. The humming sound of the Rasengan seemed to have already predicted the upcoming scene. Jiraiya's face was confident, a smile on his lips. It seems this new enemy isn't so tough after all.
Jiraiya was quite pleased with himself. I'm still the man!
However... 飒 (sà)! How can this be?
Jiraiya was astonished to find that his Rasengan had hit empty air. The head of the mysterious man before him had actually become intangible at the moment of impact.
"Compared to Minato Namikaze, you're too slow," Obito sneered, a kunai in his hand already about to stab Jiraiya in the back.
But... "Thunder Breathing, First Form! Thunderclap and Flash!"
SWISH!
A vertical flash of lightning suddenly shot past, leaving only a crackle of ionic sparks in the air. The golden and red lightning ignited the negative oxygen ions in the air, making a crackling sound.
POW!
Kusuo slashed past, only to find himself on the other side of the crimson Susanoo. And the hard shell of the giant Susanoo now had a series of cracks. All of this was completed in a flash of lightning. The calculation and peril involved were known only to Kusuo and Itachi.
Obito and Jiraiya flashed away from each other in mid-air. They each returned to their teammate's side in a standoff.
"What happened just now?" Jiraiya was still shaken, a look of horror on his face. That ability... it's too bizarre.
Kusuo squinted his eyes and said faintly, "That guy has the ability to make his body intangible. But he has to become solid when he attacks. That's why I didn't tell you that information beforehand. I was planning to kill him with one slash, but I didn't expect Itachi to save him."
Uchiha Itachi! As expected, a man not to be ignored.
He had been gambling. Gambling that Obito would let his guard down. And Itachi was also gambling. Gambling that he knew about Obito's ability.
Obviously, they had both won their bets. If either one had made a mistake, then just now, it would have either been Jiraiya seriously injured, or Obito's body slain by his Thunder Breathing slash.
"I see!" After learning of the mysterious man's ability, Jiraiya became much more serious.
PAK!
"Ninjutsu! Needle Jizo!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A massive amount of white hair grew wildly, turning into sharp needles that shot towards the other side in a uniform barrage.
Thump, thump, thump!
Itachi controlled the Susanoo's limbs to block from a distance, and the rain of white hair needles was all blocked.
"Wind Style! Giant Rasengan!"
The next second, Jiraiya's figure had already shot into the air, rushing towards Itachi. A giant Rasengan slammed into the Susanoo's shell.
BOOM!!!
An explosion roared.
Until the Rasengan dissipated, Jiraiya was completely stunned. He was dumbfounded. He even rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. But the fact was right there. Jiraiya was shocked to find that he couldn't even shatter this crimson shell.
Instead, Itachi gave a casual swipe. The Susanoo's giant hand slapped directly at him. Fortunately, Jiraiya reacted quickly. His long white hair grabbed onto something behind him, pulling his body away to dodge the attack.
Immediately, Jiraiya said to Kusuo in an extremely serious tone, "We have to be careful of this thing. My Giant Rasengan just now couldn't even move it." At the end, he added, "It's very troublesome."
Kusuo looked at him as if he were an idiot, which made Jiraiya feel inexplicably confused. What's wrong? Was I wrong about what I just said? An outer shell that even a Giant Rasengan can't break, and it's so huge. What's wrong with reminding him to be careful?
Then, Jiraiya felt the aura of Kusuo beside him change, becoming like a sharp tornado. Incredibly sharp!
"Wind Breathing, Fourth Form! Rising Dust Storm!" Kusuo let out a low shout. Five claw-shaped green sword auras, wrapped in a gale force wind, suddenly chopped towards the giant crimson figure.
CRASH!
The sound of cracking suddenly rang out, accompanied by a huge roar.
RUMBLE!
The half-body Susanoo on Itachi shattered into a sky full of fireworks and completely collapsed. The earth trembled from its weight. The chakra vortex created by the collapsing Susanoo howled in the sky, kicking up waves from the sea.
Kusuo then calmly sheathed his sword, holding it at his feet.
"You call this thing unbreakable? Didn't it shatter with one touch?"
Quiet. Quiet. So quiet that only the sound of the sea breeze and the chakra vortex howling could be heard. The scene was a bit awkward.
Jiraiya felt like he had just been slapped in the face, repeatedly. Hiss, it hurts a little. His scalp was tingling. The tremor in his heart was about to break through his brain. What kind of monster is this kid? That Susanoo's strength, he had personally tested it with a super A-rank ninjutsu like the Giant Rasengan. It hadn't moved an inch. Why did this kid shatter it to pieces with one slash? And with such a casual look on his face.
Jiraiya seriously suspected that Kusuo was deliberately putting on a show for him.
Not just him. The face hidden behind Obito's mask also stiffened. His entire right arm was empty. He had been standing not far from Itachi. That one slash... Obito hadn't reacted in time. He hadn't had time to go intangible. He had been directly hit by the radiating sword aura. And it was this mere aftershock of the sword aura that had effortlessly cut off his arm made from a clone.
His heart cold, he didn't care if Itachi was dead or alive. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the sword-wielding boy.
A corner of Kusuo's mouth lifted slightly. When he had fought one against two before, Jiraiya and Obito hadn't yet arrived on the battlefield. Naturally, they hadn't seen him shatter Itachi's Susanoo with one slash. But this exhilarating feeling of battle... it was truly satisfying. To switch between breathing styles back and forth to deal with enemies of different attributes... under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to be so relaxed and free. But faced with the members of the Akatsuki, each of whom was a powerhouse at the Kage level or even peak, he had to be on high alert at all times. That high-intensity pressure forced him to adapt to different breathing methods in the shortest possible time.
Just like now—
"Rock Breathing, First Form! Serpentine Rock—Twin Poles!"
POW!
A muffled sound. A terrifying air wave exploded outwards. Kusuo's body flashed to the top of Obito's head. Using his sword as a hammer, he chopped down heavily. That's right. Chopped. The immense impact and inertia brought by Rock Breathing... a normal slash could no longer describe this force. Only a chop could fully convey the heavy attack of Rock Breathing.
"Close call!" Obito, who had sensed it in advance, directly activated his intangibility. Looking at the crater the boy had chopped into the ground... the power of that one slash was like a thunderbolt. If he hadn't had a premonition and made his body intangible in time, he probably would have been smashed into meat paste.
Too dangerous. Obito couldn't help but swallow hard. He immediately shouted to the side, "Itachi, the operation is aborted! Return to the organization with me immediately!"
With that, he grabbed the bleeding Itachi and activated the skill in his left eye. A虚化 (xūhuà) - intangible/warping - space slowly appeared in front of his body, and he was about to disappear.
"Are they trying to run?" Jiraiya watched from behind, also helpless.
But a ripple appeared on Kusuo's calm face. "Trying to escape back to the Akatsuki, are we... if that's the case, then I'll send you off with a big gift!"
SWISH!
A sword left its sheath. The blade was as black as ink. Kusuo softly spoke, "Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form—Dance!"
CRASH!
He slashed with his sword. Like a jade of solar flame, fire dotted the circular sword aura. A brilliant golden light shot into the sky, as dazzling as fireworks. Accompanied by the high-speed rotation of Kusuo's body, the hundred-meter-long golden sword aura roared out.
In Obito's terrified eyes, one slash came at him.
Swoosh.
At the last moment, as the space distorted, Obito and Itachi finally entered the Kamui dimension. But the golden-red sword aura followed them in.
"Ah!"
A world-shaking slash. At the same time, a scream was heard. Unfortunately, all of this was happening in the Kamui dimension. The two people on the beach couldn't hear anything.
"Good kid," Jiraiya said, walking over and patting Kusuo heavily on the shoulder. "That 'parting gift' of yours... it really packs a punch."
"I really don't know what kind of monster you are, brat. The power of that one slash... even I would have to admit defeat."
"When they said you were a monster before, it seems they weren't lying at all."