"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Kisame loved fighting Jinchuriki more than anything.
With Samehada on his back, ready to devour chakra, he glided through the air.
Water Release chakra cloaked his body like a shark.
Kisame Hoshigaki hurtled toward Naruto like a runaway truck.
"Naruto Uzumaki! Let me see just how strong a Jinchuriki really is! Mr. Itachi can't have all the fun!"
Kisame never worried about his opponent having too much chakra.
He only worried that they wouldn't be strong enough.
Only the Uchiha Clan, with their mastery of both real combat and genjutsu, could earn Kisame Hoshigaki's genuine respect.
"You want to see what I can do?"
Naruto's Mangekyō Sharingan lay hidden beneath his eyes, like two dark lines.
Even without activating Susanoo, Naruto's entire body was still wrapped in Nine-Tails Chakra.
His golden cloak rippled despite the lack of wind. The Nine-Tails emerged from behind it, granting Naruto, in his human form, nine chakra arms that could each wield the power of a Tailed Beast!
"Kisame, an honest guy like you isn't worthy of seeing it!"
One of Naruto's chakra arms seized Kisame. Even when he detonated his Water Shark Bullet, it did nothing.
It was like a firecracker that fizzled out, vanishing without a sound.
"What terrifying strength. I didn't see that coming."
Water Release chakra protected Kisame's entire body.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
A spherical chakra shield enclosed Kisame.
Hidden inside, he formed Hand Seals as well.
A colossal water shark burst out at incredible speed, swift and ferocious.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
The most terrifying thing about this jutsu was its ability to steal the enemy's chakra and grow stronger!
It was a fearsome technique that grew stronger against stronger opponents!
"Kisame, if this is all you've got, I'm going to lose all interest in fighting you."
Another of Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra arms struck out.
As soon as it touched the water shark, the shark began devouring chakra, and its body swelled dramatically.
But the Nine-Tails Chakra arm seemed to have limitless chakra. Its claws closed around the shark, then pierced its body with sheer force!
Boom!
So what if it could absorb more chakra? As long as the force was strong enough, it could still be crushed!
"So you're overwhelming me with sheer power? You're an opponent unlike anyone I've ever faced!"
Kisame could barely contain his excitement. His shoulders trembled with delight as he formed Hand Seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Whoosh!
It was like a lake falling from the sky.
The fighting spirit in Kisame's eyes surged to its peak.
"How much chakra do you have, to still be fighting with such ease after battling the Six Paths of Pain and Mr. Itachi? Let me find out!"
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Unlike the Great Waterfall Technique's wide-reaching destructive power, Samehada first created a vast body of water with a large-scale Water Release technique, turning the battlefield to its advantage. Then Kisame trapped his opponent inside a giant water prison.
He could swim freely through the water, using the environment and the force of his Water Release to overwhelm Naruto!
This combination was enough to defeat the vast majority of ninja.
No matter how powerful your Fire Release was, it would still be extinguished by the sea!
"Rain of Four Sharks!"
"Five Feeding Sharks!"
"Thousand Feeding Sharks!"
Water sharks and real sharks appeared together in the lake.
The entire Akatsuki watched the battle.
As expected, even they were stunned by Kisame Hoshigaki fighting at full strength.
Countless sharks surged toward Naruto, intent on tearing him apart and devouring him.
Surrounded by real and water sharks in the lake's prison, Naruto had nowhere to go.
But the Nine-Tails Chakra was still at its peak.
He moved through the water with ease.
"I can use the same jutsu!"
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Naruto formed Hand Seals, creating a water prison centered on himself that enclosed all the sharks.
The battlefield, which had favored Kisame, now belonged to Naruto.
"How can you use my jutsu?!"
Kisame couldn't remember ever teaching it to anyone.
Kirigakure was still recovering from its recent crisis, with everything in disarray.
Many of its traditions had been lost.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, in particular, were more than just masters of their blades. Each one carried on a different Water Release tradition of Kirigakure.
Kisame's skills had died out in Kirigakure. Had Naruto really mastered them just by watching him use them once?
"Sharingan! An outsider has developed its power to this degree? Maybe you're the one who should be called the Copy Ninja instead of Kakashi!"
Kisame ordered every real and water shark to charge Naruto.
But they couldn't even break through the Nine-Tails Chakra cloak.
They kept smashing into it until their faces were bloody, without making any progress.
"Chakra Enhanced Strength!"
Kisame relied on the sheer strength of his arms to attack.
He was sure he could find an opening and make Naruto slip up.
"Chakra Enhanced Strength!"
Naruto used a different kind of Chakra Enhanced Strength.
The name was the same, but the techniques were not.
Both unleashed astonishing power!
In the lake,
shark blood dyed the vortex red.
Naruto locked hands with Kisame and forced him down.
The difference in their strength was so great that it was like an adult overpowering a child!
"Damn it! This is the first time I've ever been at a disadvantage in a contest of strength!"
Kisame felt the bones in his wrist beginning to break.
Where had Naruto Uzumaki gotten such incredible strength?
"Let me correct you. You're not at a disadvantage. You're being crushed!"
Naruto put his full strength into it, getting a rough sense of just how powerful Kisame Hoshigaki was.
Among ordinary humans, Kisame's strength was unmatched.
Even those who trained in Taijutsu could rarely reach that level. They needed special means to attain such strength, and only for a limited time.
The Raikage's Lightning Armor was an exception, allowing him to grow stronger through years of training.
But besides Kisame, there were perhaps two others with such naturally powerful bodies.
The brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and Hashirama Senju, whose constitution was beyond ordinary.
"Come to think of it, those brothers had pretty impressive bloodline powers."
Naruto stared at Kisame.
"I like your bloodline, too!"
The sound of bones breaking went unheard beneath the water.
Naruto drove an uppercut into Kisame's chin.
Kisame Hoshigaki's sharp teeth shattered.
"Samehada: Flying Chain Slash!"
Despite the agony, Kisame was being pummeled by Naruto's Chakra Enhanced Strength, and he felt a thrill unlike anything he'd experienced before.
The curved blade extended more than ten meters, lashing at Naruto like an iron whip.
"Damn it! Your chakra is too delicious! My blade is so hungry I can't control it anymore!"
Kisame laughed loudly, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Chakra Absorption!"
At last, Samehada touched the Nine-Tails Chakra. Delighted, it was ready to gorge itself.
"You want to eat my chakra? Then get on your knees and beg!"
Naruto seized the spiked Samehada with his bare hands.
"Get over here!"
As Naruto pulled with his immense strength, Samehada's swollen body stretched like a rubber band in his grasp.
"You dared to touch Samehada? Aren't you afraid of losing all your chakra? You crazy Demon Fox!"
Kisame realized he couldn't match Naruto's strength.
Knowing he would lose Samehada if things continued, he threw himself at the blade.
"Samehada Fusion!"
Kisame Hoshigaki transformed in an instant into a true shark-man.
His strength, defenses, and speed underwater all soared. He also gained Samehada's chakra-absorbing ability and its keen sense for chakra.
"I'll kill you!"
Kisame absorbed chakra to heal his wounds.
His body trembled as his shark-like senses picked up the blood in the water.
Naruto merely raised his hand in disdain.
"I've measured your strength. You can't measure mine."
With those words,
a vortex of Nine-Tails Chakra formed a waterspout, forcing open a hollow space in the lake!
Hovering in the air, Naruto fused the Nine-Tails Chakra into a single chakra hand that covered the lake!
"Beneath the golden light, there's no escape into the sea!"