The Battle Begins: Mei Terumi vs. Kisame Hoshigaki

"Hmph," Obito sneered, "Uchiha Feng, are you looking down on us? You're sending these trash out to their deaths instead of going all out yourself?!"

"How could a coward like you, hiding your head and tail, possibly understand the heights that Clan Chief Feng has brought the Uchiha Clan to over the years?"

Sending yourselves to your deaths? Ha! Today, you'll be the ones who die!

Before Feng could speak, Uchiha Bosawa, who was standing in front of him facing Obito, clenched his fists and spoke first, gritting his teeth.

"Heh, you lot? I've been a bit bored lately—I'll reluctantly keep you company for a bit."

Obito tilted his head and glanced disdainfully at Uchiha Bosawa and the others that Yan Feng had pushed out.

"Kenji, right? You were the one who manipulated the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure using Genjutsu, weren't you?"

Today, our Kirigakure will settle this score.

Mei Terumi took another step forward, ripped off the mask that concealed her identity, and revealed her true face.

"Mei Terumi!?" Kisame Hoshigaki recognized her instantly and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Mei Terumi? Kirigakure? Liquidation?"

Heh, you think you can beat me?

"Hmph, your entire Kirigakure is nothing but a plaything in my hands."

Obito frowned slightly upon seeing this, showing a hint of surprise, but then responded with a light laugh.

At the same time, his gaze fell upon Feng behind Uchiha Bosawa, Mei Terumi, and the others, and he continued:

"I never expected that you would not only ally with Orochimaru and Sunagakure, but also collude with Kirigakure."

So it seems that you didn't do nothing during the years you were missing; rather, you did a lot behind the scenes.

Therefore, for the sake of the Eye of the Moon Plan, I have even less reason to keep you here."

At the same time, Itachi, who hadn't spoken until now, heard a familiar voice and suddenly looked up at the girl who had stopped Uchiha Kazue, revealing an unusual expression for the first time.

That was Uchiha Izumi —his classmate from the Konoha Ninja Academy. She had even confessed her feelings to him at a tea shop, and the two had shared a youthful, ambiguous relationship. She was the only person in the entire Uchiha Clan, besides his family and Shisui, whom he had never forgotten.

"Mr. Itachi," Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, seeing Itachi lose his composure with anyone other than Sasuke for the first time. "An acquaintance?"

"Hmm." Itachi finally spoke, but remained sparing with words, though he didn't really know what to say.

During the years he spent wandering outside Konoha with Sasuke, having witnessed the diverse lives of people in the Ninja World outside of Konoha, he had asked himself more than once whether he regretted slaughtering his clansmen in Konoha.

Although he firmly believed each time that it was the village and that for the greater good, he shouldn't regret it.

But deep down, another thought always kept popping up: Was I too extreme? Was I really, as Uchiha Feng said, a fool, a... beast!?

"Madara!? Us?" Zetsu, who least wanted Obito and Uchiha Feng to clash, asked Obito, feigning composure.

Damn it, logically he should Obito, since Obito is his pawn. But Uchiha Feng on the other side knows all his secrets. If he reveals them, Obito will be the first to turn around and kill him.

Let's help Uchiha Feng. Without Obito as a pawn, who knows how long it will take to revive his mother.

"Hmph, let's do as Uchiha Feng said, each of us will deal with our own opponents."

"How dare they look down on us! I'll show them the price of stupidity!"

Obito replied with a cold expression.

In reality, a normal person would never agree to such a joke duel, but he was Uchiha, and the extreme and arrogant Uchiha were easily provoked.

"Okay, then I'll hang out with some old acquaintances."

Unexpectedly, Kisame Hoshigaki was the first to agree. It was a rare opportunity to meet a former comrade, and he wanted to see just how good the ninjas of Kirigakure were now.

Obito then turned his gaze to Uchiha Bosawa, his Kamui Mangekyō slightly rotating:

"Uchiha Bosawa... was once the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force. He was later rumored to have disappeared on the border between the Fire and Water Kingdoms, and was suspected to have been killed by Danzo."

"But it seems you were recruited by Uchiha Feng a long time ago. Let me see how he dares to send you to deal with me."

"You wretch, there are many things you don't know. Don't use your ignorance and stupidity to guess at Lord Feng's wisdom."

Come and fight! Let me show you what the Uchiha are all about!

Upon hearing this, Bosawa drew his sword and slashed at Obito as he spoke.

"Hmph, Uchiha Feng has already told you my information, yet you are still so foolish. It seems he overestimated you."

Obito, Obito let the opponent attack him, shaking his head and sighing.

We'll skip the fight Obito and Uchiha Bosawa for now; on the other side, Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki have already clashed.

However, they tacitly shifted the battlefield to a distant location, on the mudflats near the sea.

After all, both of them were ninjas from Kirigakure, and their main Ninjutsu was Water Release. They could unleash the full power of Water Release Ninjutsu at the seaside.

Kisame Hoshigaki unleashed a sweeping attack, Samehada slashing towards Mei Terumi's waist with a whooshing sound.

Mei Terumi flipped backward while rapidly Hand Seals.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique

A gigantic water dragon rose from the mudflats, roaring as it lunged at Kisame Hoshigaki.

Kisame Hoshigaki neither dodged nor evaded, but held Samehada horizontally in front of him. Then, the moment the water dragon touched Samehada, it was completely swallowed up by the fine scales that opened on the blade.

"As a ninja from Kirigakure, don't you know that Samehada can absorb any Chakra- based technique?"

He grinned maliciously, a hint of doubt on his face.

"Of course I know, I just want to see it for myself."

Mei Terumi was certainly aware of Samehada's characteristics; after all, she had been trained by Genji to be the Mizukage, and there were practically no secrets in Kirigakure that she couldn't know.

However, hearing about it and seeing it with one's own eyes are two different things. Without seeing it firsthand, she couldn't know the true effect of this Ninja Blade.

"Lava Release: Lava Release: Melting Apparition"

As she spoke, she directly used one of her Kekkei Genkai.

Kisame Hoshigaki leaped into the air, his Samehada aimed at the Mei Terumi, attempting to devour and absorb the technique once again.

However, Mei Terumi's Lava Release Chakra transforms into a highly corrosive acid, no longer pure Chakra energy, while Samehada can only absorb Chakra that has not undergone a nature change.

Therefore, this time Samehada not only failed to absorb the Lava Release, but was also corroded by the acid and screamed in agony.

Meanwhile, the acid that splattered from Samehada's cut continued to spray towards Kisame Hoshigaki.

Caught off guard, Kisame Hoshigaki immediately dodged, but his arms and thighs were still splashed with acid, causing several corrosive wounds that bled profusely.

Instead of getting angry, Kisame Hoshigaki laughed and said, "Interesting... A genius with Kekkei Genkai is indeed not to be underestimated."

He clasped his hands together, and a massive amount of Chakra surged forth from his body like Dotō.

"Water Release · Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

This is Ninjutsu powerful enough to alter the terrain. Since this place is located by the sea, the area was instantly filled with water created by a large amount of Water Release, connecting with the ocean to form a vast expanse of water.

Mei Terumi is like a small boat teetering on the edge of the ocean, while Kisame Hoshigaki, like a shark, swims around them, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment. His speed is several times faster than on land.

"In the water, I am invincible."

Kisame Hoshigaki's voice came from all directions.

Water Release Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu

Mei Terumi used a Ninjutsu that could both protect herself and restrain her opponent to protect herself.

Then calmly perceive the Kisame Hoshigaki swimming around in the water.

This can't go on...

As Feng once said, it's impossible for a person to keep their nerves on edge all the time; the side that is always on the defensive during a battle is the one most likely to expose a weakness.

so...'

Mei Terumi frowned, pondered for a moment, and then had an idea.

(☺Recently I discovered that Tomato has several Hokage that borrowed settings from my book and were about the battle for the Tea Country. Hahaha, I've become a creator myself.)