The moment Kisame Hoshigaki tried to retreat, he was instantly entangled by countless tree roots and vines.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Each time he hacked through a root with Samehada, another vine burst from the ground to bind him again.
"Go to hell, shark freak!" Obito shouted furiously.
At the same time, he and Kakashi hurled their kunai at him, while Ryoma's shadow clone lunged forward with a fierce kick.
Sou! Sou!
Kisame reacted quickly, twisting his massive frame to avoid the worst of it. Still, several kunai grazed past, embedding themselves in his cheek.
The only reason he allowed himself to take such wounds was because he couldn't afford to split his focus. All his attention was on dodging Ryoma's relentless assault.
"Damn little brats… just you wait!" Kisame snarled. With kunai sticking out of his face, he whirled around and tried to bolt.
But the forest betrayed him. The Tree World surged again, roots and vines bursting out to form an unbreakable wall around him.
Obito laughed mockingly. "Haha! Let's see you act so high and mighty now, shark freak!"
Kakashi could only sigh and roll his eyes at Obito's antics.
Meanwhile, Rin watched from the side, her gaze fixed on Ryoma's back. For the first time, she felt his presence looming tall, reassuring.
Not long ago, she had thought Ryoma's methods were too ruthless, even bloody, and she had worried about the effect he might have on Obito.
But in just these few short days, Obito had changed more than in the past year—and so had she.
It was all because of Teacher Ryoma.
"Ugh!" Kisame bellowed, his monstrous strength flaring. The bindings tore apart with a violent bang! as shattered roots and vines exploded outward.
Using the opening, he bolted into the dense forest without hesitation.
"As expected of a tailless tailed beast… his power really is comparable to a jinchūriki," Ryoma muttered. He immediately gave chase.
The Tree World was strong, but once an enemy slipped outside its range, pursuit became much more difficult—and Kisame was nothing if not fast when it came to retreating.
"Teacher!" Rin called after him.
Seeing her struggling to keep pace, Ryoma didn't hesitate. He scooped her up effortlessly with one arm.
Her face flushed bright red at the sudden closeness.
"Teacher, wait for me!" Obito shouted from behind.
Ryoma, of course, had no improper thoughts about Rin. He was simply practical.
"You're too slow, Rin. What were you trying to say just now?"
Blushing, she managed to answer, "Teacher… wasn't our mission to find that little girl? How did it turn into hunting down Mist shinobi?"
"Think about it," Ryoma explained, his voice calm but steady.
"If Mist shinobi are here, it means they're searching too. They may already have leads. Chasing them might bring us closer to our real objective."
Rin blinked, then nodded in realization. "So that's it… teacher, you really think of everything."
In truth, Ryoma was simply itching for a fight. But a good excuse was necessary.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
He formed the seals, leaving behind a clone to look after Obito and Kakashi, then carried Rin deeper into the forest in hot pursuit.
There was no helping it. If he didn't push hard, Kisame—fast as a cornered predator—would vanish completely.
"Teacher, wait up!" Obito cried, running himself ragged.
Kakashi groaned, utterly unconvinced.
Honestly, Teacher Ryoma is way too suspicious. Carrying Rin around like that… is he some kind of lolicon?
Meanwhile, Kisame, still fleeing, risked a glance back. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
What kind of monster was this?!
Chasing him down while holding a little girl in his arms—without slowing at all!
"It's terrifying… even if we called on Lord Jinpachi Munashi and Lord Jūzō Biwa, with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist fighting together, I'm not sure we could handle this monster…"
With that grim thought, Kisame Hoshigaki pushed himself harder, sprinting in the direction of his fellow swordsmen.
He knew well enough: the strength of the Seven lay in their unity. Separated, they could be picked off one by one by this monster of a man—and the result would be disastrous.
Five minutes of pursuit later, Kisame felt his lungs burning. Yet when he glanced back, Ryoma was still right there, relentless as a shadow.
"Damn it! Where is Lord Jinpachi? I'm going to drop dead from exhaustion at this rate!"
Ryoma, closing in from behind, was just as shocked. This brat—barely twenty years old—and yet he can keep running at this pace?
Each time Kisame crossed a stream or lake, his speed surged again, propelled by Water Release techniques. It was as though his chakra reserves had no bottom.
Ryoma's eyes narrowed in curiosity. Could this be tied to a special bloodline?
Up ahead, a sudden burst of wings sent flocks of birds scattering through the treetops. A moment later, booming laughter echoed across the forest, loud enough to shake the branches.
Kisame's eyes lit up with hope. His comrades—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—were close.
He stole another glance back. Ryoma was still on his heels, unwavering. Kisame's face twisted into a mask of fear, but inside, he was already laughing.
Good! Keep chasing! The moment you catch up, you'll be walking to your own death. I'll carve off your legs and feed them to the sharks!
...
TN:
🦊 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin (+25 Chaps)