"Uchiha Itachi, huh? That really is a big name. No wonder even with Kakashi-sensei's strength, he ended up like this. So it was him."
After putting on an act of sighing dramatically, Furina excused herself. The livestream camera had already shifted to Naruto's side by now, which meant the conflict between Itachi, Kisame, and the others was coming up next.
And of course she had to hurry over. In a situation like this, how could the "Queen of Saves" possibly be absent?
...
Hotel corridor
"Chidori"
By the time Furina arrived nearby, Sasuke had already clashed with Itachi. No, it could not really be called a clash it was more like a one-sided beating.
The Chidori, usually unstoppable, seemed like child's play in front of Itachi. With a casual flick, he redirected Sasuke's Chidori straight into the wall.
After that, Itachi gave him no chance to continue attacking. A single kick sent him crashing into the wall beside them. Then he grabbed Sasuke by the neck, lifted him, and locked eyes.
"Tsukuyomi"
"Why so fast, damn it." Through the livestream, seeing Sasuke collapse after that, Furina could not help cursing inwardly.
She had originally planned to observe from outside for a while and find the right moment to intervene. But who knew Itachi would act so decisively? In just a few moves, he hit Sasuke with Tsukuyomi and knocked him out. And Naruto was in danger too. How was she supposed to observe now?
"Since this Nine-Tails jinchūriki is making so much noise, might as well cripple him first."
After seeing Sasuke get knocked unconscious by Itachi while trying to protect him, Naruto could no longer hold back the anger in his heart. He mobilized the Nine-Tails' chakra, ready to go all out against the enemy.
But the moment he started drawing on the Nine-Tails' chakra, Kisame, not far away, stepped forward with Samehada and gave him a light slash. Though it was just a gentle swipe, it completely devoured the Nine-Tails chakra covering Naruto's body.
Then it reformed, got devoured again, and the cycle repeated several times. After that, Kisame started thinking about crippling Naruto first. As long as he did not die, everything else was fine.
"Hehehe"
Watching Kisame approach with that eerie laugh, fear inevitably appeared on Naruto's face. He had heard Kisame's words clearly earlier. Was this really the end? He had just made good friends and found a great teacher. He really was not willing to accept this.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave"
Just as Kisame raised Samehada to strike, a high-pressure water jet suddenly shot toward him from the side. Sensing the sharp momentum of the sudden attack, Kisame abandoned his plan to continue and instead dodged to the side.
After dodging, Kisame immediately raised Samehada in front of himself again. The very next instant, a foot kicked against the blocking Samehada. Because the attack was so fierce, Kisame did not choose to meet it head-on. Instead, he used the force to retreat back to Itachi's side.
"I was wondering who it was just now. Turns out it's just a little girl. How embarrassing."
After clearly seeing the figure that had attacked him, Kisame mocked himself. Clearly, he was not satisfied with his performance just now.
But facing Kisame's remark, Furina had no intention of chatting with him. While Kisame was speaking, a water wall suddenly appeared between Sasuke and the pair of Kisame and Itachi.
At the same time, a whip made of water had already wrapped around Sasuke. With a tug backward, Furina pulled Sasuke over to her side as well.
Throughout Furina's series of actions, Itachi simply watched quietly from the side without intervening. No one knew what he was thinking.
Although Kisame did make a move, by the time he broke through the water wall, Sasuke had already been pulled away by Furina. There was no chance to stop it.
"You're also a ninja skilled in Water Release? Interesting. Itachi-san, don't interfere. Leave her to me."
Kisame did not care that Sasuke had been rescued by Furina, nor did he ask why Itachi had just stood there watching. Instead, he grinned widely and began unwrapping the bandages around Samehada while staring at Furina.
Ninja who specialized in Water Release were already rare, and encountering one was even rarer. Since he had finally met one, he absolutely had to test her out.
"If you want to play that badly, then let's give it a try."
Since Kisame wanted to fight her one-on-one, Furina naturally welcomed it. This way, she could stall for more time.
After all, who knew why Jiraiya had not shown up yet? If Kisame and Itachi attacked together, she would not be able to hold out for long.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"
"Pfft"
Watching Kisame seriously form hand seals, Furina almost could not hold it in. In the end, she used all her willpower to keep from showing anything unusual.
The hand seals were completely normal, so why did she feel like laughing? It had to be because of those harassment videos of Kisame she had seen in her previous life. Yes, that was definitely it. It was absolutely not her own problem.
To avoid making the situation awkward, Furina also pretentiously formed a few seals. Then, at the same moment Kisame completed his, she synchronously released her own Water Dragon Bullet.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"
Even though it was a place with no water, the water dragons summoned by both were incredibly powerful. Ordinary people could not compare to them even in a place with water. This showed just how strong they were.
The two water dragons collided and canceled each other out, soaking the surrounding ground completely. After that, no matter what ninjutsu Kisame used, Furina countered with the exact same technique.
After several more cancellations, even Kisame started to lose his composure. No matter how slow he was, he could tell the opponent was purely stalling for time.
"That powerful Water Release technique you used at the beginning why aren't you using it? Are you trying to drain me out and buy time?"
"No no no. Opportunities to spar with Water Release like this are rare for me. I just want to use more different techniques. Like that move from the start once you use it, I'll naturally use it too."
Although her real intention was indeed to stall for time, Furina naturally could not admit it. So she could only try to bluff her way through.
"That's a shame. I don't know that move you used at the beginning."
Although Furina had not directly answered his question, Kisame was not annoyed. Anyway, he was not planning to continue using ninjutsu next. After all, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were all very skilled in taijutsu.
"You mean Water Severing Wave? Don't feel bad. If you want to learn it, I'll teach you."
"Hm? Are you serious?"
Kisame had just been about to attack when Furina's words completely stunned him. Teach him an enemy this ninjutsu, and such a powerful one at that? Was this a joke? Or was it another way to stall for time?
But looking at how serious she seemed, it did not appear to be a joke. This was really confusing.
"Of course. But following the principle of equivalent exchange, if I teach you this ninjutsu, you have to teach me one in return. I remember you were a ninja from Kirigakure. Do you know that Water Transformation Technique or whatever it's called?"