Whether it was because of his Wood Style Body or simply Lin Mu's natural talent, he seemed to have a unique gift for precise chakra control!
The blade in his hand lengthened and shortened at will, shifting in countless ways.
Sharp wooden spikes also periodically sprouted from other parts of his body, stabbing at Kisame Hoshigaki.
Kisame was caught off guard by this bizarre fighting style and briefly found himself at a slight disadvantage.
"This is... Wood Release?!"
The usually impassive Uchiha Itachi, as cold as a god, showed a distinct flicker of emotion.
Wood Release—that was a technique of the Senju Clan!
And the Senju Clan were the sworn enemies of their Uchiha Clan.
"Still... he must have something special about him to be taken under the wing of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin."
Uchiha Itachi quickly came to terms with it. Anyone who caught Jiraiya's attention was bound to be exceptional.
"That's amazing!"
Naruto Uzumaki, who had been pushed into the room, couldn't help peeking out to watch Lin Mu fight Kisame Hoshigaki.
The last time he'd seen Lin Mu fight was in the forest, but these two opponents were in completely different leagues.
Last time, Lin Mu had faced two Genin who could barely match a Chunin. This time, he was up against an S-rank criminal wanted by every nation!
The gap between the two fights was almost impossible to describe!
Had Lin Mu... gotten stronger this quickly?!
"Kisame, stop wasting time! We don't have much time. It'll be a disaster if Jiraiya gets back!"
"Understood!"
Kisame Hoshigaki answered, and his entire presence abruptly changed. He became like a savage beast.
Seizing his chance, he swung the greatsword in his hands with all his strength and smashed it into Lin Mu.
With his current strength, Lin Mu couldn't possibly withstand Kisame Hoshigaki's monstrous power head-on.
He crossed his arms to block the blow, but Samehada slammed into him and sent him crashing through the wall and flying outside the inn.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
Kisame Hoshigaki glanced at Uchiha Itachi, then leaped straight through the huge hole Lin Mu had made in the wall and continued after him.
"Lin Mu!"
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened in alarm, and he tried to rush outside to see how Lin Mu was doing.
But the next instant, his body stiffened. Uchiha Itachi's blood-red Sharingan had fixed on him.
Naruto could barely move.
Uchiha Itachi... was terrifying!
"Long time no see... Uchiha Itachi!"
A cool, masculine voice rang out.
At the sound of it, Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan trembled almost imperceptibly.
That was... Sasuke Uchiha's voice!
Uchiha Itachi?!
When Naruto realized the identity of the terrifying man before him, he was shocked all over again.
"He has the same surname as Sasuke... Uchiha..."
Sasuke Uchiha's gaze turned fierce. His Sharingan was still incomplete, with only two Tomoe, but the chill in his eyes was no less intense.
"Uchiha Itachi, I'm going to kill you!"
Cold sweat broke out all over Naruto again as he remembered what Sasuke had told him during that mission, when he'd been gravely injured.
"That man... before I kill my older brother... I made up my mind that I absolutely couldn't die!"
This was the man Sasuke had said he wanted to kill!
The atmosphere gradually grew tense, and for a long while, no one spoke.
Uchiha Itachi and his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha, both closed their eyes.
Swish! Swish!
As if by some unspoken understanding, they opened their eyes at the same time. Both pairs were the same blood-red, both gleaming with the same icy light!
This was... a clash between brothers!
Sasuke glared fiercely at the cold man before him once more.
He clenched his teeth and spoke in a voice that sounded as if he wanted to tear Itachi apart with his bare hands:
"I did what you told me. I hated you! I despised you! And so, in order to kill you, I..."
Sasuke Uchiha's left hand was wrapped in powerful lightning. As the current surged, it sounded like countless birds were chirping, sharp and piercing.
"I... I survived until now!"
Sasuke Uchiha's expression was ferocious. As he swung his left hand in fury, he even tore through the inn's wall.
"Chidori..."
A faint glimmer passed through Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan as he recognized the technique.
Yet his face remained utterly expressionless.
It was as if the powerful current about to strike him were nothing more than a gentle breeze and soft drizzle.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Sasuke roared and charged forward, the lightning in his left hand surging wildly as it tore a huge gash through the entire wall.
A trace of excitement suddenly welled up inside him.
The man before him—the man who had slaughtered his parents and clan, the man he had dreamed about countless times, the man he hated and despised... was about to die right before his eyes!
"Die!"
The lightning in Sasuke Uchiha's left hand had reached its limit.
He swung his left hand and drove the Chidori at Uchiha Itachi.
Bang!!!
A hand reached out casually and caught Sasuke Uchiha by the left wrist with unerring precision.
The lightning, which contained terrifying destructive power, was redirected into the wall. In an instant, it tore a gaping hole through the entire structure.
"Uh..."
Cold sweat beaded on Sasuke Uchiha's face as he strained with all his might to wrench his left hand free.
But his hand was caught as if in a pair of steel pincers. He couldn't move it at all!
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
The lightning surging wildly around Sasuke's hand, roaring like birdsong, gradually faded.
Its overwhelming force also vanished without a trace.
"Wh-what happened?"
Naruto, standing behind Uchiha Itachi, gaped as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Was Sasuke's ninjutsu really neutralized that easily?!"
What should he do? What should he do? What should he do?!
How could he help Sasuke?
Naruto Uzumaki racked his brains, but faced with such a terrifying gap in strength, he couldn't see any way out!
The battle between the brothers, Sasuke Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, was already over.
But Lin Mu and Kisame Hoshigaki kept fighting farther and farther away. By now, they had reached the woods outside Post Town.
"You think coming into the forest will let you use the trees to beat me, kid who knows Wood Release?"
Disdain showed on Kisame Hoshigaki's beastlike face.
"When there's an absolute gap in strength, that little bit of help is completely insignificant!"
"Heh heh heh heh heh... Tell me, which should I blow off first, your hands or your feet?"
Kisame Hoshigaki laughed maniacally, swinging Samehada again and again and sending waves of pressure toward Lin Mu.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Lin Mu leaned against a large tree, his chest heaving heavily. He was nearly exhausted!
His chakra was almost gone, too!
"Man, I really need to develop my Wood Style Body further!"
The chakra inside Lin Mu had nearly run dry. He had only about a tenth left.
But when he studied Kisame Hoshigaki, he saw that the man was only slightly winded. He must still have plenty of chakra.
No wonder they called him the Tailless Tailed Beast!
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