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Deep in a dense forest, Obito and Kisame leaped through the trees, rapidly closing in on the Eight-Tails’ location.
“Kisame, be careful this time.” Obito cautioned Kisame.
“Oh? Even you aren’t confident?” Kisame looked at Obito in surprise. Kisame had no doubts about Obito’s identity—he still believed Obito was Madara Uchiha.
“You should know, the Eight-Tails is in Shin Uzumaki’s hands. Do you think it’ll be easy?” Obito reminded Kisame.
“Isn’t Shin Uzumaki also a member of the Akatsuki? Can’t you just ask him to hand over the Eight-Tails? Or is it that even you, Madara, don’t have the power to make Shin Uzumaki hand it over?”
Kisame’s barrage of questions made Obito slightly annoyed. Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.
In the end, Obito didn’t scold Kisame and focused on their journey.
Kisame also fell silent. He wasn’t a talkative person; he was a man of action.
Obito and Kisame were unaware that their movements were being completely observed by Shin, who was flying high above them.
“Should I make things a bit more difficult for them?” Shin mused to himself. Nah, let’s just watch for now. Capturing the Eight-Tails is already difficult enough.
The Third Raikage puppet was currently controlled by the Eight-Tails.
This meant Obito and Kisame were about to face the combined might of the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails. Even Obito Uchiha might not be able to handle that.
Shin followed them, purely for entertainment.
….
Soon, Obito and Kisame found the Eight-Tails—or rather, the Third Raikage puppet Shin had created.
Kisame looked at Obito with a puzzled expression. Weren’t we here to capture the Eight-Tails? That looks like the Third Raikage…
But that’s not right either. Isn’t the Third Raikage already dead? How is he here?
“The Third Raikage is Shin Uzumaki’s puppet. The Eight-Tails is sealed within it,” Obito explained to Kisame.
White Zetsu had provided him with this intel.
“So that’s how it is.” Kisame’s expression turned slightly peculiar.
The Third Raikage turned into a puppet? Didn’t Kumogakure care? Or did they not know?
Did Kumogakure not know? Of course, they knew!
But knowing and being able to do something about it were two different things. Knowing was useless—they couldn’t handle the situation.
“So now we’re likely facing the Third Raikage plus the Eight-Tails.” A battle glint flickered in Kisame’s eyes. He had long heard of the Third Raikage’s strength—now he could finally witness it.
“You go first—” Obito instructed Kisame.
He had no intention of attacking himself. He wanted Kisame to test the waters first—that was Obito’s little scheme.
Kisame didn’t know. He thought “Madara Uchiha” simply disdained to act himself. So, without hesitation, he drew the Samehada from his back.
Though bizarre in appearance, the Samehada was incredibly powerful. At least a third of Kisame’s strength came from this sword.
Kisame without Samehada was a completely different fighter. Of course, even without it, Kisame was still formidable.
“Who are you?” The Eight-Tails’s deep voice rumbled from the puppet, addressing Kisame and Obito. It had noticed them following and had deliberately led them here.
“The ones who came to capture you.” Kisame wasn’t one for small talk. He preferred action over words. He struck first, slashing his massive blade towards the Eight-Tails.
When Samehada struck an enemy, it could absorb their chakra—its most distinctive feature.
However, Samehada wasn’t just an inanimate object—it was a living being. It only recognized those it favored.
Kisame was someone Samehada favored. But if someone appeared whom Samehada liked even more, it would abandon Kisame without hesitation.
Samehada was particularly fond of the Eight-Tails’ chakra. After striking the Third Raikage puppet and absorbing the Eight-Tails’s chakra, Samehada rebelled.
It attacked Kisame, turning against its wielder. Kisame’s expression darkened.
“What’s wrong with Samehada?” Obito was perplexed. If he didn’t know Kisame better, he might have thought Kisame was staging this whole thing.
Kisame Hoshigaki, however, understood Samehada well. He decisively discarded the sword. A disobedient Samehada was nothing but a burden. No matter how strong a weapon, if it didn’t obey, it was useless.
“If you’re looking for a fight, I’ll grant you one.”
The Eight-Tails controlled the Third Raikage puppet, charging towards Kisame. A deafening clap of thunder, and the Third Raikage appeared behind Kisame, unleashing a punch.
The speed was so incredible that Kisame couldn’t react. He was sent flying dozens of meters, his left shoulder completely shattered.
“That’s fast…” Obito was shocked. Even he might not have been able to dodge that, if he hadn’t used Kamui.
….
“Not bad. It seems the Eight-Tails can draw out considerable power controlling the Third Raikage’s body.”
Shin was also observing from above.
Kisame had been injured in the initial exchange. If this continued, Kisame might very well die here.
No joke. The Eight-Tails plus the Third Raikage puppet, especially with Kisame having lost Samehada’s assistance, could easily overwhelm Kisame.
….
Lightning Release Chakra Mode had already been activated. Its extreme speed was second only to the Flying Thunder God Technique. In the blink of an eye, it reached the airborne Kisame and unleashed another punch.
Kisame’s pupils constricted to pinpricks. He couldn’t block this punch. Kisame felt a mortal crisis.
In his desperation, Kisame saw the Samehada that had abandoned him. He immediately pulled it over, using it as a shield.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Samehada was obliterated by the Third Raikage’s punch, shattering into pieces. Even with Samehada absorbing most of the impact, Kisame was still severely injured. He coughed up blood, and several new wounds appeared on his body from Samehada’s own spikes.
Kisame’s injuries were critical—
The Eight-Tails didn’t let up, controlling the Third Raikage puppet to strike again, this punch carrying no less force than the previous one.
Seeing this, Obito couldn’t just watch anymore. He quickly intervened, saving Kisame.
Using Kamui’s intangibility, he managed to rescue Kisame.
Kisame gasped for breath. If Obito had been a moment later, he would have been killed by that lightning-clad fist.
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