A shark-shaped projectile of water sliced across the surface at incredible speed.
In less than a second, it closed in on Sakiya.
She didn't flinch.
Raising her fist, wind chakra coiled around her arm, forming a miniature hurricane.
With perfect form—shoulders, waist, and legs aligned—she punched forward.
At that moment, the water shark lunged, jaws wide open, ready to devour her.
Boom!
The air shook.
A visible shockwave rippled outward.
Her fist tore through the water shark, splitting it apart instantly. The force of her punch didn't stop there—it carved a deep trench across the water, sending a shockwave racing toward Kisame.
Kisame's eyes widened.
He barely had time to raise Samehada to block.
Bang!
The impact sent him skidding backward over ten meters across the water.
Shaking off the force, he looked at Sakiya in amusement.
"This girl really is your savior."
His words stung Yamato and Rōshi, but neither could argue.
"She's just a clone," Rōshi whispered. "Shouldn't we use this chance to escape?"
Yamato sighed, gesturing subtly toward Sakura.
Rōshi followed his gaze.
Sakura's eyes weren't on Kisame or Sakiya.
She was staring straight at Itachi.
More specifically—at Sasuke.
Rōshi clicked his tongue.
"Figures."
Itachi felt a small sense of relief when Sakiya appeared.
If the Nine-Tails had been captured this easily, his efforts as a spy would have been for nothing.
In that critical moment, he had even considered stabbing Kisame.
---
Kisame watched Sakiya closely, tightening his grip on Samehada.
[That last hit… she's got some serious ninjutsu.]
Still, his confidence in his swordsmanship was absolute.
Sakiya met his gaze without emotion.
"Throw me a kunai," she said flatly.
Yamato and the others hesitated, but Sakura reacted first, tossing one her way.
Sakiya caught it with ease.
Kisame smirked.
"Oh? You wanna go hand-to-hand with me? Interesting."
---
Whoosh—
They clashed in an instant.
Bang!
Sparks flew as kunai met Samehada.
For a moment, they seemed evenly matched—locked in place, neither giving ground.
Their stark contrast was almost absurd: Kisame, towering and broad-shouldered; Sakiya, small yet unwavering.
He couldn't hide his surprise.
[This tiny body… has this much strength?]
A sudden crackle of electricity shot through their weapons.
Kisame's muscles tensed.
The shock paralyzed him for an instant.
He instinctively retreated, releasing his grip just as Sakiya surged forward.
Her kunai flashed with lightning chakra, stabbing toward him.
Kisame barely had time to raise Samehada in defense.
Clang!
Another pulse of electricity surged from her blade, this time glowing red-hot.
For a moment, a sharp glow flashed as Sakiya's red-hot kunai pierced Samehada's flesh.
A horrible screech came from the sword.
Kisame's eyes widened in shock.
Instinct took over—he immediately let go of Samehada and leaped back.
Meanwhile, the kunai sizzled where it had sunk into the living blade, its heat burning through flesh.
Samehada howled in pain.
Then, in a flash, it snapped its jaws toward Sakiya's wrist.
She reacted instantly—yanking the kunai free with a sharp twist before flipping backward, avoiding the attack entirely.
Kisame's face darkened.
"That was careless of me," he muttered.
---
Itachi, observing from the sidelines, nodded slightly.
"She's reading Kisame like a book," he remarked.
Kisame wasted no time—his hands flew into rapid seals.
Sakiya, expression unreadable, mirrored his movements.
Both slammed their palms onto the water.
"Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks!"
"Water Release: Ripple Disruption!"
Instantly, concentric ripples spread outward from Sakiya.
Kisame's five sharks **rushed forward—**but the moment they touched the ripples, they dissipated.
His eyes narrowed.
Something was off.
---
He focused on the water beneath his feet, analyzing its flow.
The surface looked calm, but beneath it, chaotic undercurrents swirled in every direction.
[It's not just ripples… this whole body of water is shifting.]
The technique messed with his control over water.
For a water-style ninja like him, this was a nightmare.
Kisame scowled.
"I didn't know a technique like this existed."
Sakiya didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
---
Her eyes flashed.
Lightning chakra sparked across her legs.
Then—
She vanished.
Kisame barely had time to react before she reappeared in front of him, kunai swinging.
"Too fast!"
Weaponless, he had no choice but to dodge.
Her movements were relentless.
Every attack forced him further back, each dodge leaving him with less space to maneuver.
She wasn't just fast—she was cutting off his escape.
Kisame clenched his jaw.
[She's herding me.]
---
His feet skidded across the water.
Further back.
Further.
Until—
A familiar crackling sound filled the air.
A lightning arc spread across the water in a perfect circle.
Kisame's instincts screamed.
With a mighty leap, he launched himself into the air.
This was the moment Sakiya had been waiting for.
In mid-air, Kisame had no way to dodge.
Sakiya tightened her grip on her kunai and launched herself upward, aiming a decisive strike at the defenseless swordsman.
But Kisame wasn't going down that easily.
With sheer brute force, he caught the incoming kunai with his bare hand.
Splat!
Blood sprayed as the blade sank into his palm.
He clenched his teeth, enduring the pain—but Sakiya's expression didn't change.
Her free hand formed a seal.
---
In an instant, a surge of electricity ran through the kunai.
BZZZT—
"AAARGH!!"
Kisame screamed as his body convulsed, but his willpower was inhuman.
Even while being electrocuted, he gathered chakra in his other arm.
"Water Release: Strong Arm Jutsu!"
With the force of a tidal wave, he threw a punch.
---
Sakiya let go of the kunai, kicking off Kisame's chest mid-air to launch herself away.
Kisame's fist struck nothing but air.
Then, his body plummeted, crashing into the water.
Steam rose off his skin, the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air.
---
Just as Sakiya prepared to finish him off—
A flurry of kunai came flying toward her.
She halted.
In the next instant, Itachi appeared beside Kisame.
Kisame gave a weak chuckle.
"Heh… Sorry, Itachi. Guess I let you down."
---
Itachi's gaze shifted to Sakiya, his expression serious.
"Another Yellow Flash…?" he muttered.
"You have a technique that counters Kisame perfectly. Losing to you isn't surprising. I should have stepped in earlier."
Kisame smirked.
"Oh, now you realize that?"
---
Itachi didn't waste time.
"Konoha's reinforcements will arrive soon. We're leaving."
He grabbed Kisame and leaped away without hesitation.
Sakiya watched them go.
She had no interest in chasing them.
Instead, she walked over, grabbed Sasuke, and landed in front of Yamato.
The shadow clone dispersed.
A puff of smoke rose into the air.
---
Yamato and Sakura stared in stunned silence.
"…That's it?"
"A shadow clone of Sakiya beat them?"
Roshi snorted.
"Told you. She can even take me on. Beating those two? A clone was enough. No big deal."
---
Yamato shot him a glare.
"You're still a prisoner, you know."
Roshi scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah."
---
Sakura exhaled.
"So… Are we heading back to Konoha?"
"Yeah," Yamato nodded. "But we should wait for reinforcements first."
A long pause followed.
Then Yamato muttered, mostly to himself—
"Weren't they supposed to be here by now…?"
____________
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