With a single punch, Kenta shattered the incoming shark, then leaped with force, instantly breaking through the water's surface and soaring into the sky.
"Bang! Bang!"
Kenta used Moonwalk, continuously stepping upward through the air.
He then looked down at Kisame below and took a deep breath. Two glowing red sparks instantly puffed from his nostrils, and his originally green Chakra was dyed with the color of scorching flames.
Suddenly, the Chakra around his body vanished, all of it condensing onto his right fist.
Crimson flame Chakra surged incessantly on his right arm, like a mass of forcibly compressed fire, radiating a blistering heat.
On the lake's surface, Kisame looked up with a grim expression. This technique of stepping through the air reminded him of Aoki Yoru, that detestable fellow.
Furthermore, he felt a profound sense of threat coming from Kenta's arm.
"Flame Breathing · Fire Fist."
The massive amount of Chakra provided by the Eight Gates was entirely ignited by Fire Breathing. Combined with the flames generated by high-speed air friction during the punch, it finally formed a fire that blotted out the sun.
It crashed down from the sky with a scorching heat wave, hurtling toward Kisame like a burning meteor.
As Kisame watched the massive fire plummeting toward him, his face twisted into a ferocious expression. Veins bulged across his body as he pressed his hands together.
"You want to defeat me? You're a hundred years too early, kid!"
Under the agitation of his Chakra, the lake beneath his feet swirled violently. Before long, a massive water dragon appeared before him.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The water dragon roared as it rose into the sky, carrying an overwhelming torrent of water to collide fiercely with Kenta's flames.
"Boom—"
The Fire Fist slammed hard into the towering wall of water. The scorching flames instantly evaporated the outer layer into steam, and a massive cloud of white mist exploded outward.
"Oh! Not bad. Kenta actually came up with a move like that."
Aoki Yoru couldn't help but praise Kenta as he watched the technique.
Kenta didn't come from a ninja clan and his Chakra reserves were average, but when combined with a Breathing Technique, even a common C-rank Fire Release could exert immense power.
The battle over there was already decided; he sensed Kisame's presence transform into another person.
He then turned his head to look at Uchiha Itachi, who was sitting on a rock. "Aren't you going to make a move?"
"My mission is to stop you. Nothing else matters."
Aoki Yoru understood; Itachi didn't want to waste his ocular power either.
...
Yui stopped in a clearing, remaining fully alert. Since the opponent could be a teammate of Uchiha Itachi, his strength would not be simple.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, she immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat rapidly.
"Boom—"
A massive crater several meters deep instantly exploded where Yui had just been standing, sending rubble flying and dust filling the air.
Kakuzu slowly retracted his fist from the bottom of the pit, his punching force still lingering. That strike had almost hit her.
"So fast. If I had been distracted for even a second, I would have died."
Yui stared at Kakuzu with a serious expression; her opponent was indeed no ordinary person.
Furthermore, during that last attack, his arm had turned black, as if encased in a layer of armor.
'Is it an Earth Release nature transformation? I'll have to test it again.'
She then pulled back to increase the distance from her opponent and wove hand signs:
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
With her low shout, several sharp vacuum wind blades shot from her mouth, heading straight for Kakuzu.
"Hmph! Just a little trick."
Kakuzu didn't dodge. He crossed his arms in front of him and took the round of attacks head-on. The wind blades slashed against his hardened skin, only producing small sparks without leaving a single wound.
Yui's expression darkened; her hypothesis was correct.
She thought of her teammate Kenta, who had also developed a similar technique, though this opponent seemed more skilled and profound in the application of Earth-attribute nature transformation.
"If I'd known, I would have swapped with Kenta."
Yui sighed helplessly. She disliked fighting these high-defense types the most.
"In that case, let's see just how hard you are."
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Yui's hands moved in a blur of afterimages. She opened her mouth and spat out a surging torrent of water that roared toward her opponent.
Facing the incoming surge of water, Kakuzu contemptuously punched the wave, causing it to split to both sides.
Suddenly, his pupils constricted and a look of surprise appeared on his face. The water wave was mixed with a large number of explosive tags, which were currently burning intensely.
Boom—!
Incandescent white flames exploded violently, and the fire swept in, instantly swallowing him. The water hissed and popped, creating a massive cloud of smoke.
Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the flames. His clothes were in tatters, yet there wasn't a single burn on his skin, showing that the power of the explosive tags caused him no damage at all.
"Swoosh—"
Yui's figure appeared behind him. She was now holding a short sword. Taking a deep breath, she perfectly synchronized her Wind Release Chakra with her breathing rhythm, causing the Wind Release Chakra to flare along the blade.
"Wind Breathing · Wind Blade Type 1 · Instant Slash!"
Kakuzu showed a look of shock. He wanted to defend, but it was too late. He could only rely on his experience to instantly twist his body.
"Squelch—"
Kakuzu's right arm was severed directly by the wind blade. Having succeeded in her strike, Yui immediately pulled away from him.
Kakuzu's face darkened. He hadn't expected to be outmaneuvered by a kid.
Yui flicked her short sword and nodded with satisfaction.
She wasn't originally a sword user, but since learning the Breathing Technique, she found that using a sword in coordination with it could truly bring out the sharpness of Wind Release.
Especially against high-defense targets like this, only a slash with the blade wrapped in Wind Breathing could instantly tear through hardened defenses and deal effective damage.
It seemed her theory was correct; otherwise, while a simple Ninjutsu could cause similar damage, the opponent would easily dodge it.
At that moment, the previously proud Yui's pupils suddenly shrank, and a look of horror appeared on her face.
The arm that had fallen to the ground suddenly grew black tentacles, which connected with the tentacles at Kakuzu's stump. In no time, the arm was restored to its original state.
Kakuzu raised his green eyes to look at Yui. "Not bad, but this is where it ends..."
"Ngh—"
A short sword wreathed in lightning suddenly pierced through Kakuzu from behind. The tip of the blade, carrying lightning, emerged from his heart, causing his entire body to twitch violently.
The Yui who had been standing in front of him instantly turned into a puddle of water.
He turned his head with difficulty to see Yui, her breath carrying lightning and the Lightning Release on her hand chirping loudly.
"You're right, this is where it ends."
The light slowly faded from Kakuzu's eyes, and his body gradually toppled forward.
Yui looked down at Kakuzu's corpse, her hand still maintaining the 'Lightning Cutter' Ninjutsu. After all, the opponent's techniques were too bizarre; she didn't know if he could still recover after having his heart pierced.
Originally, she only possessed Water and Wind Chakra natures, so she had been purposefully developing other attributes.
After practicing the Thunder Breathing taught by Aoki Yoru, she found that her conversion and application of Lightning Chakra became much more natural.
She had subsequently asked Kakashi for the training method for Lightning Cutter.
Although she didn't have her teacher's Sharingan or Aoki Yoru's sensory abilities, she didn't use it for frontal charges, but rather for final sneak attacks to break through defenses.
Situations like this were perfect, where the opponent was like a turtle shell and conventional Ninjutsu was useless, and Lightning Release happened to counter Earth Release.