Chen Xing raised his hand—
A powerful attraction erupted.
Kisame Hoshigaki was suddenly dragged forward, his body pulled uncontrollably.
"What?!"
Even Kisame was shocked.
From the side, Itachi Uchiha immediately formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Two massive water dragons surged from the lake—one wrapping around Kisame to pull him back, the other rushing toward Chen Xing.
Chen Xing's expression remained calm.
"Pointless."
His eyes—bearing the power of the Rinnegan—flashed.
The attacking water dragon halted mid-air—
Then turned around and slammed toward Kisame instead.
---
Kakashi and the others were stunned.
"He's controlling the jutsu itself…" Kakashi Hatake said, his voice heavy.
---
Kisame reacted quickly.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Water surged around him, forming a protective sphere that broke the pull of the attraction and carried him backward.
"Escaped?" Chen Xing narrowed his eyes.
Then—
"Shinra Tensei."
"Boom!"
A violent repulsive force exploded outward.
The water prison shattered instantly.
Kisame was blasted away, crashing hard onto the lake's surface.
---
He coughed violently, struggling to rise.
"My organs… damaged…" he muttered.
---
Itachi appeared beside him, expression serious.
Even he could tell—
Chen Xing's power had already surpassed normal limits.
"Even Pain cannot repeatedly use such force without restraint…" Itachi thought.
---
Chen Xing stepped forward slowly, his gaze cold.
"You survived one strike."
"What about the next?"
---
Itachi immediately grabbed Kisame and retreated.
But—
"Trying to escape?"
Chen Xing's eyes locked onto them.
The gravitational force returned.
Both Itachi and Kisame were dragged back toward him.
---
In that instant, Itachi's Mangekyō activated.
Blood trailed from his eye.
"Amaterasu."
Black flames ignited where Chen Xing had stood—
—but he had already vanished.
The flames burned violently, distorting the air.
---
"He dodged…?" Itachi frowned slightly.
Chen Xing reappeared at a distance, completely unharmed.
---
Then suddenly—
The gravitational force disappeared.
Itachi and Kisame dropped onto the lake surface.
They looked up sharply.
Chen Xing stood calmly, raising his hand again.
"Let's try something different."
---
Two masses of black flames began to form in front of him—
Controlled directly by his will.
Itachi's eyes widened.
"Controlling Amaterasu…?"
Only those with Mangekyō abilities like Kagutsuchi should be capable of shaping those flames.
Yet Chen Xing was doing it effortlessly.
---
Kisame's expression darkened.
"What do we do?"
Itachi remained silent for a moment, then said quietly:
"I've already sent a signal."
---
Kisame gave a bitter smile.
"Then we just have to survive until help arrives."
---
Chen Xing didn't wait.
With a slight motion of his hand—
The black flames shot forward.
---
Far away, in the Land of Rain—
Inside Amegakure—
Pain stood atop a tower, rain falling endlessly around him.
Beside him were Konan and a masked man—Obito Uchiha.
"Itachi and Kisame have encountered trouble in Konoha," Pain said calmly.
"They've requested support."
---
The storm was about to grow even larger.