"This is outrageous!"
Kisame snorted coldly.
Relying on the massive boost from the Weapon Blessing, Sasori dared to fight two-on-one and even initiated the attack. To Kisame, this was an insult.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Even in a desert, Kisame showed no fear. Known as the tailless Biju, his Chakra Reserve was almost limitless.
A massive torrent of water spewed from Kisame's mouth, instantly flooding the entire iron sand-filled space.
With the intervention of water, the speed of iron sand is significantly slowed down.
"Now!"
Kisame growled.
While Deidara and Sasori had excellent teamwork, Kisame and Itachi were no less coordinated.
As soon as Kisame spoke, Itachi seized the opportunity created by the slowed iron sand. Manipulating Susanoo, he ascended into the air.
"Well done... huh?"
Naruto, who was observing, suddenly paused mid-sentence. He realized something was wrong.
Itachi was the only one in the flying Susanoo. Upon closer inspection, he found that Kisame was still on the ground. To be precise, he was still in the lake created by his Great Waterfall Technique.
"Samehada - Human Fusion!"
Kisame bellowed. The Samehada fused with his body, and Kisame's upper garment tore apart as he transformed into a shark-like human.
In this state, Kisame's speed increased drastically, moving through the water like Naruto performing the Sky Dance Technique in the air. Furthermore, he gained Chakra absorption and sensing abilities.
By sensing the Chakra fluctuations in the water, Kisame easily dodged the iron sand attacks.
At this moment, Kisame, glowing with golden light, also felt the empowerment brought by the Weapon Blessing.
"Let's see who's tougher!"
Kisame darted toward Hiruko at an astonishing speed, launching a powerful headbutt like a rocket drill.
Ding!
Despite using just his physical body, the collision between Kisame and Hiruko produced a metallic clang.
"I almost forgot about this move!"
Naruto stared at Kisame in surprise.
In the original story, Sakura shattered Hiruko with her monstrous strength. Kisame's brute force was undoubtedly stronger. More importantly, with the Samehada fusion, Kisame also enjoyed the benefits of the weapon's blessing, effectively nullifying Hiruko's boost from the same.
The outcome was exactly as Naruto expected.
Crack!
A cracking sound came from Hiruko's back, and then fissures spread across its entire structure.
"Break!"
Kisame growled and delivered a devastating punch.
Bang!
The terrifying impact caused the ground to cave in, forming a massive crater. As for Hiruko, it was smashed into rubble, scattering in all directions.
The scene was eerily similar, no, identical, to Sakura smashing Hiruko in the original work!
"Scroll: Flame Sea Technique!"
Before Kisame could catch his breath, a surge of intense heat emanated from behind him.
"Not good!"
From his vantage point in the sky, Naruto clearly saw what had happened. The moment Hiruko shattered, a shadow emerged from within… it was Sasori's true form!
Sasori launched a technique Naruto was quite familiar with. The principle was simple: using his palm conduits, he unleashed Fire Release through a scroll, producing a concentrated flame attack.
Though water generally weakens fire, Sasori's fire scroll produced flames of intense heat and melting power. Even steel and stone would instantly liquefy under its straight-line assault.
In other words, this fire was immune to water's countering effects.
Moreover, Sasori wasn't spraying fire broadly across the lake. He aimed it directly at Kisame. So if the attack hit, even Kisame wouldn't escape unscathed.
Bang!
At that critical moment, a shadow descended from the sky, blocking the path of the flames.
It was none other than Itachi's Yata Mirror!
That's right, Itachi hadn't flown into the sky to flee but had coordinated with Kisame through their silent understanding.
The plan was simple: Kisame would act as the shield to draw Sasori out, while Itachi will provide support from the sky at any time.
Yata Mirror was an incorporeal divine shield with the unique property of nullifying all physical attacks!
Previously, Susanoo had sustained damage from the omnidirectional assault of the Iron Sand World Method, but the Yata Mirror remained unscathed.
Against Sasori's fearsome fire attack, the Yata Mirror held firm, denying Sasori any chance of success.
"Still trying to trick me? Take this!"
Kisame squinted his narrow eyes, a cruel grin forming on his lips. Moving freely in the water, he closed the gap to Sasori in the blink of an eye.
Sasori's face remained emotionless, and his movements in the water was just as swift as Kisame's.
Seeing the red-haired boy glowing with golden light, Kisame was surprised and felt a chill at the same time, "This guy is nuts!"
He understood Sasori's obsession with eternal art, but turning one's own body into a puppet was too excessive!
'No wonder Sasori seemed completely unfazed in the water, showing no signs of breathing or discomfort. The golden glow was proof that his body had been entirely converted into a puppet.'
Kisame had encountered plenty of individuals, who are not afraid of death, but someone who experimented on their own body in such a sick pursuit of art was a first for him.
Naruto, observing the battle, was equally astounded. While Deidara's ultimate art, self-explosion, was even more extreme, it was a one-time display.
To keep the Akatsuki intact, Naruto couldn't let Deidara blow himself up. Thus, Sasori's art represented the most extreme form of 'permanent' art in a practical sense.
Clang!
Sasori suddenly halted in place.
Such an abrupt stop was suspicious, as it was either reckless or part of a calculated plan.
But obviously, Sasori wasn't acting recklessly.
Everyone presents realized this, but Kisame didn't seem to care. He sped up, charging directly at Sasori.
"Magnetic Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Sasori controlled Sandaime Kazekage to hide at the designated position early, which was precisely at the spot where Sasori stopped.
Sandaime Kazekage emerged from the ground, the hole in its chest opened. In an instant, waves of iron sand morphed into countless fine needles and shot toward Kisame at incredible speed.
Enhanced by the weapon's blessing, the iron sand needles possessed immense power and penetrating strength. At such close range, water resistance was negligible, leaving Kisame no time to dodge.
As for Itachi's Yata Mirror, Itachi couldn't react fast enough to intercept the attack.
However, would Kisame dodge?
Of course not!
After fusing with Samehada, Kisame's Chakra Sensing ability was unparalleled, especially in water. It was comparable to Observation Haki.
Kisame had already detected Sasori hiding Sandaime Kazekage underground through Chakra Threads. He even anticipated a potential poison-coated weapon attack.
Despite this, Kisame didn't flinch. He was ready to pay the price of losing an arm if it meant getting close to Sasori.
Now that it was just iron needles instead of a poisoned blade, Kisame felt even less threatened.
Being turned into a human pincushion? So what?
If he could grab Sasori, he could smash his head to pieces!
Sizzle!
Countless iron needles pierced through Kisame's body, emerging from the other side.
As blood dyed the water red, Naruto, watching from above, felt his scalp tingle, 'This was insane!'
'Kisame truly embodied the essence of a stubborn Shinobi, demonstrating the core principle of Shinobi's life: pursuing one's goal by any means necessary, regardless of the cost.'
Just as Sasori predicted, at such a close distance, Kisame couldn't evade the Iron Sand Drizzle. But Sasori himself couldn't escape Kisame's relentless grab either.
Bang!
Kisame's large hand clamped down on Sasori's red hair.
"Spurt!"
Unable to hold on any longer, Kisame spat out a mouthful of blood directly onto Sasori's face.
Looking at the expressionless Sasori, Kisame laughed angrily, "What a pity. Turning yourself into a puppet means I don't get to see fear on your face. How unsatisfying. But now that I've got you, your game of hide-and-seek is over..."