How Mangetsu and Suigetsu ended up in Danzo's covert unit was still unknown to Kaede.
Their original aim seemed to be helping Sasuke secure a top-ten slot. But after Sasuke's fight with Naruto spun out of control, the brothers stepped in. Maybe this was Danzo's "plan B." Maybe Mangetsu changed the script on the fly.
Either way, he was here to wreck the Chunin Exam.
While Suigetsu bragged about his brother, Kiba and his partner Akamaru spun up Fang Over Fang, a howling cyclone that slammed into Suigetsu.
On impact, Suigetsu liquefied—spilling across the floor like a dark spread of water.
A head rose from the puddle, then shoulders, arms, torso, legs—until a living, whole Suigetsu stood there again.
Those who'd never seen the Ghost Lantern secret art flinched. In any other world, it would rank top-ten nightmare fuel.
Kiba's strike had done nothing. Suigetsu bared sharp teeth, eyes slanting in mockery, and talked even more than before.
"That's your plan to hit me? Childish. Got anything real?"
The taunt lit Kiba's fuse. "Akamaru! Let's show him how it's done!"
He dropped to all fours; chakra flared. His gaze sharpened like a beast's.
Akamaru vaulted onto his back, then shifted into Kiba's mirror image.
Man and hound blurred left and right, trading places so fast that, in moments, no one could tell which was Kiba and which was Akamaru.
Suigetsu planted his feet, shaped his hand like a pistol, and snapped off Water Bullets at the pair.
They were too fast. By the time a shot reached where they'd been, both were already inside Suigetsu's guard, closing for the strike.
Forced to give ground, Suigetsu back-pedaled and kept firing. The two feral silhouettes moved as one—one high, one low—claws flashing down.
Suigetsu shredded into spray again, splashing to the stones.
For him, it was a scratch at best. Every hit looked clean, but the damage dissolved with his liquid body.
Again and again, Kiba and Akamaru lunged, and the result never changed: Suigetsu scattered, then flowed back together without the faintest wound.
"That won't work on him," Shikamaru called, sliding in beside a breathing-hard Kiba. Frustration burned hotter than fatigue; this body just wouldn't bleed.
Shikamaru crossed his hands, angling for Shadow Possession to pin Suigetsu down.
He tried a few times—but the shadow fell short. It was noon, when shadows run shortest, the worst time to land that technique.
(End of Chapter)
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