Kisame Hoshigaki's laughter echoed through the deathly silent streets. Samehada, slung over his shoulder, swayed lightly with his movements, its bandages slipping away to reveal rows of savage scales.
Asuma wasted no words. The chakra blades in his hands instantly extended, their cyan edges driving straight for Kisame's throat. Kisame's smile widened. He did not move his feet, merely casually held Samehada across his body.
The shrill screech of friction stabbed at their eardrums.
Asuma felt an immense force travel up through the hilt, numbing his hand. The strange phenomenon happened again: the Wind Release chakra coating his blades seemed to encounter a bottomless vortex and was madly sucked away. The living barbs on Samehada opened and closed, letting out satisfied hums.
"Your chakra tastes pretty good," Kisame remarked, as though sampling an appetizer. With a flick of his wrist, the enormous blade pressed back at him with agility utterly disproportionate to its size.
Alarmed, Asuma hurriedly retreated. Kisame's strength far exceeded his expectations; every block felt like crashing into a mountain wall.
"Is that all you've got, Konoha Jonin?" Kisame pressed forward step by step. Samehada swung in wide arcs, every strike carrying a howl that tore through the air.
Asuma could only dodge awkwardly. The chakra blades in his hands had become more like shields, barely holding back the storm of attacks. He glanced at the battle on the other side. Kakashi's fight with Itachi was just as perilous. He could not keep holding them back.
"Damn it, don't underestimate me!" Asuma roared. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, twisting his body at an unnatural angle to evade Samehada's frontal slash. His chakra blade scraped along the sword's surface and left a shallow bloody mark on Kisame's cheek.
Kisame's movements paused for an instant. He stuck out his