CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248

Clang! Clang!

Sasori’s elbow-blades spun like fans, clashing against the weapons of Chiyo’s puppets. The fight was intense, neither side yielding an inch.

Don’t assume that because he was a puppeteer, his taijutsu would be weak. In truth, his modified body granted him strength and speed far beyond normal. Still, facing so many opponents at once, even Sasori was being pressed.

Guy entangled the Third Kazekage puppet, and Neji joined in. Two against one, the puppet wasn’t as effective anymore. Meanwhile, Chiyo took advantage to keep Sasori himself occupied, not giving him room to unleash further tricks.

The battle was fierce across the board.

On the other side, Sasuke’s Shunshin Maboroshi (Body Flicker Illusion) clones circled Itachi, launching rapid strikes.

At first, Itachi blocked with relative ease. But as time passed, Sasuke grew sharper, faster — small wounds began to accumulate on Itachi’s body. Still, Itachi was formidable; finishing him outright was far from easy.

Naruto, who had originally rushed in to help Sasuke, quickly realized he couldn’t even keep up with their speed. So, he turned toward Kakashi’s battle instead.

Kakashi, armed only with a kunai, clashed against Kisame’s massive blade Samehada. After dozens of exchanges, Kisame began to grow impatient.

Naruto leapt in, unleashing Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique). Clones swarmed Kisame, harassing him.

Annoyed, Kisame swung Samehada in a wide arc — all the clones burst apart instantly. But at that moment, Kakashi suddenly retreated, opening space. Naruto and his clones surged forward together, forming a massive Rasengan.

"Ōdama Rasengan (Big Ball Rasengan)!"

BOOM!

The grinding sphere slammed down with a thunderous roar. Naruto’s face was lit with confidence.

But when the chakra sphere dissipated, Kisame stood there, Samehada blocking — unharmed.

Naruto’s eyes widened. "Impossible...!"

Kisame grinned, baring shark-like teeth. "Heh heh, atsui masu ne (what a pain). Not a bad move. But Samehada devours chakra... techniques like that won’t work on me."

He suddenly drove a kick into Naruto’s gut. Naruto doubled over in agony, folded like a shrimp.

Kakashi rushed in, dragging Naruto back, but Kisame was already weaving signs. He inhaled deeply, then spat out a tidal wave of water.

"Suiton: Daibakusui Shōha (Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shock Wave)!"

A massive surge crashed forward. Kakashi leapt high with Naruto to avoid being swallowed.

Naruto stared at the flood, recalling a card game move — he had seen this jutsu once before. Its power was awe-inspiring.

"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique)!"

"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!"

Kakashi immediately set Naruto down, countering Kisame with the very same jutsu, their shark-shaped torrents colliding in foaming sprays.

Naruto tried to help again with more clones, but Kisame’s water sharks devoured them instantly. Naruto’s moves were too limited — his taijutsu useless against such a foe. Unless he drew on the Kyūbi, he couldn’t contribute much.

Then — CRACK!

A sudden gunshot rang out. A bullet whizzed toward Kisame. He tilted his head at the last second, but the bullet exploded as it passed his ear — detonating tags. The blast sent him tumbling across the water’s surface.

"So it was... an explosive tag..."

His head buzzed. Having an explosion go off beside one’s ear was no joke. He was lucky to still be alive.

Tracing the bullet’s path, Kisame spotted Tenten at the rear, long rifle raised. She had fired it while he was locked in combat with Kakashi — a well-placed ambush. Pressure indeed.

"Tenten, nice work!" Kakashi shouted, joy flashing in his eyes. He lunged forward, kunai aimed straight for Kisame’s heart.

But Kisame, resilient as ever, twisted at the last moment. The kunai pierced his arm instead. Snarling, he swung Samehada, forcing Kakashi back.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

More rifle shots cracked through the air. Bullets streaked toward Kisame. He didn’t dare evade — explosive-tag rounds were manually detonated. Even if dodged, if they exploded nearby, he’d still be caught.

So he braced with Samehada, deflecting them one by one. It was enough to hold on, and the ringing in his head began to fade.

"Impressive... truly Natsuki’s woman. So many tricks, and powerful too. Dealing with Kakashi alone was already tough. But with a sharpshooter backing him... tch, troublesome."

Kisame cast a quick glance at Itachi, but saw him fully occupied in a blazing duel with Sasuke. No help was coming.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked back toward Tenten. Her rifle had actually struck Kisame, something Naruto himself hadn’t managed. Frustration burned in his chest. He wanted to be useful too. If he couldn’t... were his two years of training meaningless?

Tenten wasn’t aware of Naruto’s feelings. Seeing Samehada block her explosive rounds, she quickly switched ammunition, summoning a different type.

Bang! Another shot. Kisame instinctively raised Samehada to block.

But this time, the bullet burst into thick smoke. Alarmed, Kisame held his breath, fearing poison. He leapt backward — just as another shot came streaking in.

Boom!

The bullet was laced with explosive tags, detonating point-blank. Kisame was engulfed in the blast.

When the smoke cleared, Kisame stood charred and battered, his appearance wretched.

Before he could recover, Kakashi appeared behind him — "Chidori!" — the lightning thrust pierced through his back, blood spraying from his mouth.

Yet Kisame laughed, glancing at Itachi. "Heh... Itachi-san, I’m done here."

Itachi only nodded, unsurprised. The Leaf’s strength was indeed formidable. Kisame’s loss was expected — though the speed of his defeat was remarkable.

"Great! We took down another one!" Lee cheered loudly.

But his joy didn’t last. Kisame’s body suddenly warped and shifted — revealing not a shark-man, but a shinobi wearing Suna attire!

Naruto rushed over. "What’s going on?! Shark-face turned into someone else?!"

Kakashi frowned. "Most likely a jutsu. He fought using another’s body. The one who died... wasn’t Kisame himself. He may still be alive, elsewhere."

(End of Chapter)

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