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"Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
Kisame wasn't satisfied with merely eliminating a few clones.
Beneath the surface, he conjured a thousand water sharks, all surging upward to bite at the three above.
Some sharks skimmed the surface, dorsal fins cutting through the water.
Some half-emerged, snapping at the air.
Others attacked from directly below, aiming to drag them into the depths.
"This number… It truly lives up to his title as the Monster of the Hidden Mist."
Itachi, as usual, casually copied the jutsu while drawing his blade, slicing through any sharks that lunged at him.
Gai cleared the sharks with pure taijutsu, breaking them apart one punch, one kick at a time. "This environment is giving him an advantage… If this drags on, I'll have to use that."
"Then clear the field first. I'll see if I can force him out."
Naruto wasn't too eager to summon Shadow Clones. After all, they'd probably end up feeding the sharks instead of fighting them.
"It's show time, Gai-sensei!"
"Alright then…"
Gai crossed his arms before his chest, his face reddening as green steam erupted from his body.
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Sixth Gate: Gate of View… OPEN!"
The massive surge of chakra repelled the surrounding water, creating a large circular depression centred around Gai.
Even the nearby sharks were blown away by the sheer force of the aura.
Beneath the water, Kisame gawked in disbelief.
'What the hell is this?! Don't tell me… he's not actually the weakest of the three?!'
"Morning Peacock!"
Kisame barely had time to react before Gai launched himself into the air, fists blurring as he struck at such speeds that flaming shockwaves erupted from each punch.
Unlike normal Fire Release, every fireball from Morning Peacock was fueled by pure physical force, packing immense explosive impact.
The sharks were shattered instantly upon impact.
Gai's fists rained down like a monsoon, and the fireballs followed like a meteor shower.
The entire water's surface was soon riddled with explosions, leaving behind gaping craters.
"Wait… This is taijutsu?!" Kisame stared in disbelief. 'A taijutsu technique strong enough to generate flames?! What kind of monster is this guy?!'
"Found you!"
Taking advantage of the cleared battlefield, Naruto rushed forward, hands forming seals. With a sudden stop, he slammed both hands into the water.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bite!"
Kisame immediately sensed the water stirring around him.
Before he could react a massive force erupted from below, launching him straight up into the air!
The water didn't stop there several large water bullets fired from below, striking him repeatedly, forcing him even higher.
Above him, the collected water bullets merged, stretching and forming into a colossal water dragon.
Its jaw opened wide then, with devastating force, it dove downward, aiming to crush Kisame from above!
"Isn't this one of Tobirama Senju's techniques?"
Itachi's Sharingan spun again whoops accidentally copied it.
He had heard plenty of stories about Tobirama.
Among the Uchiha, opinions on the Second Hokage were divided.
Some, particularly Uchiha Kagami's lineage, admired him, viewing him as an honourable figure.
Others saw him as a demon, a persecutor of their clan.
After all, Tobirama had implemented numerous anti-Uchiha measures, and his Water Release completely countered Fire Release.
Not to mention, he had also mastered Genjutsu-blocking techniques, making Sharingan-based illusions ineffective against him.
Ironically, the Uchiha clan probably understood Tobirama's abilities better than Tsunade herself.
And today… Itachi had been stealing techniques left and right, so his instinct was to copy them automatically.
Though he wasn't sure he'd ever use it.
Gai had landed back on the water, still glowing green, gazing up at Kisame.
At this point, most of the water sharks had been obliterated.
This is getting dangerous.
Kisame made a snap decision he fused with Samehada, then quickly wove hand seals.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave!"
A massive water sphere engulfed Kisame and began expanding rapidly.
Naruto's descending water dragon slammed into the sphere, creating ripples but failing to break through entirely.
Even so, Kisame spat out blood from the impact.
After fusing with Samehada, Kisame's appearance had completely changed.
His hair was gone.
His head looked even more shark-like.
His shoulders had gill slits.
His elbows now had fins.
A large dorsal fin had grown on his back.
He had even developed a long, shark-like tail.
One more thing—
His Akatsuki cloak had completely ripped apart.
The Great Exploding Water Shockwave's sphere kept expanding, quickly reaching a diameter of several hundred meters, trapping Naruto, Itachi, and Gai inside.
Naruto, holding his breath, studied the transformed Kisame.
This full-on fish-man form reminded him of something…
In the Sabaody Archipelago, a guy like this would probably have a bounty starting at around 1,000,000 Berries.
The water sphere felt like a giant water prison, but it didn't restrict movement it was just like swimming in open water.
Naruto debated whether to teleport himself and his team out using Flying Thunder God or just forcefully break the water sphere.
Meanwhile, Itachi's eyes had already shifted to his Mangekyō Sharingan, preparing to unleash his trump card if necessary.
But the most decisive one was Gai.
Without hesitation, he crossed his arms, gathering power.
Then—
"Eight Gates Released Formation Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder… OPEN!"
His chakra exploded once more, this time turning blue.
The raw force pushed back the surrounding water, creating a bubble-like air pocket around him.
Seeing Gai go all in, both Naruto and Itachi put their own plans on hold, instead moving behind Gai.
Kisame, who had just recovered, saw the massive explosion of chakra and adjusted his stance, flicking his shark tail for balance.
"You were hiding a move like that? Fine. Then I'll end this in one go!"
Still fused with Samehada, Kisame formed seals, then thrust his hands forward. His palms opened wide, forming a blooming lotus shape.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Jutsu!"
A gigantic water shark, the size of a bus, surged forward, its gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Kisame was highly confident in this technique. This shark could absorb an opponent's chakra, growing stronger as it devoured jutsu.
Even if Naruto used an equally powerful Water Release, it would only make the shark stronger.
As for the Uchiha, Genjutsu was useless against water-based attacks.
And that taijutsu guy? A mere hand-to-hand fighter stood no chance against something like this.
With all three clustered together, Kisame was convinced this one attack might take them all out at once!
Full of confidence, he maintained the jutsu, eagerly awaiting his victory.
But then—
Neither Naruto nor Itachi did anything.
Instead…
That "rare beast" stepped forward, shifting into a striking stance.
Kisame smirked, 'What could he possibly do with just a punch?'
Then, Gai's fist lunged forward, his battle cry echoing through the water.
"ROAR, MY YOUTH!!!"
"DAYTIME TIGER!!!"
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