As Orochumaru said Begin, Shunsui and Mukai both looked at Kisame, who smirked back at them with confidence.
"So it's going to be a two on one huh. Are you both going to stick to Konohas reputation of spineless Shinobi that can't win a battle fair and square?" Kisame taunted them.
He wanted to change their way of thinking and make them fight separately. Kisame hoped his words would push Shunsui and Mukai to turn against each other instead of teaming up.
He believed that a fair one on one fight would let him win without worrying about two opponents at once. His voice was loud and mocking, carrying across the arena so the spectators could hear every word.
Shunsui listened to the taunt and responded with a calm smile on his face. "We also have a reputation of working with teammates and other shinobi of our village, you know. You should work on your taunting skills." Shunsui said this in a friendly tone.
Kisame though was not going to give up easily. Shunsui had to admit that despite being strong in battle, Kisame was someone well versed in the talking part of a battle too.
Kisame knew how to use words to create doubt and pressure on his opponents.
Kisame first spoke directly to Mukai. "Don't you want to win the exams? And I am pretty confident we both are evenly matched...but he on the other hand...well I can't predict and estimate what he can do. Should not we get rid of the variable and the most dangerous threat first?" Kisame suggested they team up against Shunsui first.
He tried to make Mukai see Shunsui as the bigger unknown and the one who could ruin both their chances. Kisame spoke with confidence, acting like it was the logical choice for both of them to remove the unpredictable fighter early.
Mukai shook his head slowly and replied in a steady voice. "I know that he is not going to kill me accidentally in the fight but I can't say the same for you." Mukai trusted that Shunsui would fight fairly and not cause him serious harm on purpose. But he did not feel the same about Kisame.
Kisame grinned at that response, showing his sharp teeth. He then turned his attention back to Shunsui. "I thought you are someone who loves a challenging fight. Why not make a free for all instead of it being a 2 vs 1." Kisame kept trying to convince Shunsui to change the setup.
"Ho, I rather take the easy route if there is." Shunsui said with a laid back smile.
"Besides, if I don't double team you with him, the people of my village would think that I don't work well with others and my will of fire has wavered." Shunsui said this to explain his reasoning further.
'The hokage might even think of me lacking the will of fire and might just let Danzo get his hands on me.' Shunsui thought to himself.
"So you are doing it for the crowd and their view of you...You even admitted it. You are really straightforward without any lies huh. I kinda like you." Kisame said with a grin.
Kisame respected the straightforward approach even if it went against his taunts. His grin showed he found Shunsui interesting as an opponent.
Shunsui looked at him with a frown. "I don't swing that way and even if I did, You would not be my first choice. Now shall we start this party." Shunsui said which made Kisame grin even more.
After speaking, Shunsui made one of his swords disappear. He then formed hand signs quickly with his free hand. Kisame and Mukai were suprised to see him use cast a jutsu with one hand seals.
Water suddenly erupted and covered the remaining sword in his grip. The water streamed around the blade at a fast speed.
'Water Style: Water Forge jutsu.' Shunsui thought as he completed the technique. The next second, his other sword appeared back in his hand, and water also covered that blade. The water swirled around both of his swords.
He flash stepped towards Kisame, who already had Samehada ready in his hands to eat the chakra from any jutsu.
But Shunsui disappeared in another flash step at the last moment. In his place came Mukai, who took Kisame off guard.
Mukai slammed his gentle fist into Kisame's shoulder, hitting one of the tenketsu points accurately. Kisame's shoulder dropped from the impact, paralyzing his arm temporarily.
Samehada expanded from its bandages and managed to pierce some of its shark scales into Mukai. Mukai backed away quickly but suffered a few cuts that started bleeding.
Shunsui, who was now behind Kisame at a short distance, slammed his sword into the ground. The water covering his sword erupted into waves of steam that surged from the point of impact.
The wave rushed towards Kisame's back like a powerful current. Kisame was hit by it and gurgled in the water for a moment.
But instead of being carried away by the flow, he grinned and swam against it. His body moved through the water attack as if it was natural for him.
"Did not you know that using water against a shark is a bad move?" Kisame said grinning as he arrived near Shunsui. He had closed the distance quickly after swimming through the attack. Kisame swung Samehada towards Shunsui, but Shunsui dodged with another quick flash step.
"Oh I knew it, I just wanted to give you a small advantage considering how sided this fight would be otherwise." Shunsui said.
"Well if you think so why dont you follow up on my suggestion and fight us 2vs1" Kisame said, still trying to make Shunsui change his mind and make a mistake.
Shunsui dodged another swing from Samehada and then paused for a brief moment. He looked at both Kisame and Mukai with a thoughtful expression.
Shunsui felt the energy of the fight building inside him. He had been considering the teamwork approach, but something in the moment made him want more excitement.
"You know what, I changed my mind. Two against one? That's not much of a game. And if the game's boring... what's the point of playing?" Shunsui said with a smirk.
His voice carried across the arena as he addressed both opponents.
"So I will take both of you now alone." Shunsui declared confidently.
-------Author Notes--------
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