Lightning ripped through the air. Ten meters. Five meters. Three meters. Zero...
Sasuke's Chidori was strong enough to shatter solid rock, but Itachi Uchiha didn't move an inch, the three black tomoe spinning in his eyes.
To a normal person, Sasuke looked as fast as a bolt of lightning. But to Itachi, the trajectory of the attack was slowed to absolute clarity.
'Too slow.'
Itachi's right hand shot out.
Smack! A soft sound rang out as he caught the attack.
Itachi gripped Sasuke's wrist, which was still wrapped in wild lightning. The attack stopped instantly. Sasuke's eyes went wide with shock.
In the next second, Itachi twisted his brother's wrist and yanked it to the side. Sasuke was pulled along, unable to stop himself.
Bang! Sasuke's arm, still sparking with the Chidori, slammed hard into the trunk of a nearby tree.
Boom!
Wood chips flew everywhere, and the smell of burnt wood filled the air. The massive tree shook as the lightning blasted a black hole deep into the trunk. Sasuke's right arm was buried inside; the light of his attack flickered and died.
"Ngh!" Sasuke groaned, his forehead pressed to the rough bark. His left arm strained against the trunk to free his right, but it wouldn't budge. The hand gripping his wrist was incredibly strong.
"Anger makes you blind... my foolish little brother," Itachi's voice whispered right next to his ear. He sounded cold and mocking, as always. "Hatred clouds your eyes. You only see what you want to see. You are blind to the gap between our power... and blind to the truth."
The word "truth" hit Sasuke hard. He stopped struggling, and all his strength seemed to vanish. He just panted for breath, staring at Itachi with wide, shocked eyes.
'Hm?' Itachi's brow twitched.
He expected Sasuke to be screaming, cursing, and attacking like a madman. Why was he suddenly so still? Itachi's mind raced, but his face stayed calm and his grip remained tight. He didn't have time to wonder about it now. The real danger was standing just a few steps away—a dark-haired young man who gave off a heavy, invisible pressure.
Itachi stopped looking at Sasuke and turned his gaze toward Tejima Shinichi.
Shinichi had just stood there, watching everything. He watched him subdue Sasuke, watched the boy struggle, watched their exchange. That absolute composure—and sense of control—made Itachi realize that Shinichi was even more dangerous than he first thought.
"Kisame."
"Hmm?" Kisame Hoshigaki looked over.
"Trouble," Itachi said in a flat, calm voice. "With presence like that at his age... we've found our target."
"I thought so, too." Kisame showed his sharp shark-teeth and stared at Shinichi. "The new Konoha 'monster' who caught Orochimaru—Tejima Shinichi, right? I didn't expect to meet you so soon. It looks like our misson to infiltrate has already failed."
Kisame lifted Samehada from his shoulder and rested it on the ground. A few dry leaves blew away as the tip hit the dirt.
"Fine with me," Kisame said. "I'll handle him right here. I'll beat the information out of him and save us the trouble of finding Orochimaru. It's much faster this way, don't you think?"
"Hmph."
A cold, mocking laugh came from Tejima Shinichi. He looked at the excited Kisame and sneered. "Take me down? Get information from me? You actually think... you can defeat me?"
He shook his head as if he were listening to a child's fantasy.
"Very well." Shinichi's amber eyes locked onto Kisame's grinning face. "Then let me see..."
He took a half-step forward, his body sinking into a simple fighting stance. Even though the move was basic, it felt as heavy as a mountain. "...if the one they call the 'Tailed Beast without a Tail' can even keep me entertained!"
Kisame's eyes blinked in surprise. "Oh? So you know who I am."
He shrugged his shoulders, not really caring. As an S-rank criminal listed in every bingo book—it made sense that a genius from the Leaf Village would know his name.
"Knowing me is one thing... but finding out if I can 'entertain' you? —only battle will tell!"
The moment he finished speaking, Kisame's hands moved in a blur of signs.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
He leapt high into the air, his chest puffing out as he spat a massive wall of water down at the forest. A crushing flood poured over the trees.
Rumble!
'Too much! Kisame...' Below, Itachi frowned as he realized what his partner was doing.
'Going all-out from the start...huh!'
As the thought crossed his mind, Itachi yanked Sasuke out of the tree and jumped back. By then, Kisame's jutsu had become a giant sphere of water, trying to trap Shinichi inside.
"...challenging me on chakra reserves?" Shinichi looked up at the massive flood trying to trap him. It was powerful—he didn't deny it; even Killer B would fall to this technique. "But even at this level, the purity is still lacking!"
As he spoke those last words, Shinichi planted his feet firmly on the ground. His hands moved in a blur of signs before—
Clap! He slammed his palms together with a loud bang.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Boom! The ground beneath Shinichi exploded first, dozens—hundreds—of massive roots rippled outward like waves. Inside the imprisoning water sphere, huge tree trunks erupted from the earth, shooting toward the sky! the once-perfect orb was packed solid with twisting, growing timber.
"What?!" Kisame, who was halfway through merging with his sword, turned pale and shouted in shock.
He was stunned by the Wood Release—and by the sheer volume of chakra! Even though Samehada kept draining Shinichi's chakra, the flow showed no sign of slowing; if anything, it surged like a bottomless abyss.
To make things worse, Shinichi's Wood Release was siphoning Kisame's own chakra!
...At that very moment, hundreds of wooden spears shot out from every direction, aiming straight for his heart and throat...Every way out was blocked!
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