"Tsk, tsk… this kid's got guts."
Hoshigaki Kisame stepped forward, reaching out with one massive hand. For a real shinobi like him, crushing a child took no effort at all.
Not far away, Yuichi slowly drew the black blade from his waist. Until now, he hadn't tested the weapon's true power.
Hoshigaki Kisame… one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The second wielder of Samehada.
A perfect opponent to test this blade on.
"Oh? You even know how to wield a sword? Not bad for a little brat from Konoha—"
Whoosh!
A shadow flickered behind Kisame. Yuichi's clone appeared out of nowhere, Rasengan spinning violently in its palm.
The whir of churning chakra filled the air. Kisame's small eyes narrowed as he turned his head slightly.
A clone?
When did he make that?
"This kid is… not simple."
The instant he recognized the Rasengan's sound, Kisame shifted to the side.
Boom!
The clone's Rasengan slammed into the ground where Kisame had stood, shattering the earth.
Kisame casually kicked the clone's head. It burst into white smoke.
"You had a clone hidden nearby, waiting for the right moment. The second you sensed danger, you attacked. Clever… very clever."
For someone so young, this kind of caution was rare. Kids his age usually charged in blindly without strategy.
Yuichi smirked. "One clone? No… not just one."
Rustling filled the forest.
Kisame glanced around as countless Yuichis filled his vision. The trees and ground swarmed with shadow clones—easily close to a thousand.
"The chakra needed to create this many clones at your age…" Kisame's brows lifted. "Impressive."
But he grinned. "It's still useless. Against overwhelming strength, no number of clones matters. You're only wasting chakra."
He swung Samehada off his back. "Let me show you—true power can't be drowned in numbers. No matter how many you have, it's pointless."
Confident. Arrogant. The tailless beast himself, Hoshigaki Kisame.
But Yuichi hadn't made the clones expecting them to win. He only wanted to measure Kisame's strength—his taijutsu and swordsmanship. Using clones as bait and scouts was standard strategy. Yuichi had simply multiplied it to the extreme.
Whoosh!
Thousands of clones rushed in at once.
The forest shook with the sounds of battle—explosions, impacts, and the constant bang! of clones bursting into smoke.
Kisame stood at the center, Samehada sweeping in wide arcs. He avoided some blows, countered others, and cleaved straight through the rest. Clones fell like eggs against stone, disappearing at the lightest touch.
In less than a minute, the ground was covered in smoke. Kisame hadn't even moved from his spot.
When the last clone vanished, Kisame rested Samehada on his shoulder and sneered. "You wasted all that chakra for nothing. Fighting like that is nothing but stupidity."
Boom!
A burst of flame erupted before his eyes.
Kisame reacted instantly, swinging Samehada across his shoulder. Sparks screamed as steel met steel, scattering the smoke in a gust of hot air.
Yuichi stood with the black blade in hand, fire chakra flowing along its edge. Flames coiled and hissed, illuminating faint red patterns glowing like veins along the weapon's surface.
Kisame's eyes narrowed. "A fine sword… I didn't expect some random Konoha brat to be wielding something like this."
Yuichi slashed again. The burning blade crashed against Samehada, the force blasting Kisame back several steps.
He staggered, stunned. That power… from a child?!
But then his sneer returned. "Strength is one thing. But your swordsmanship? Pathetic. You disgrace that blade."
He charged, speed exploding as he closed the distance in an instant. Samehada rose high, ready to tear a chunk of flesh from Yuichi's body.
"Die, boy—"
Whoosh!
Yuichi's figure vanished.
Kisame's eyes widened. "What—!?"
A searing pain split across his left shoulder. Yuichi reappeared behind him, blade burning into flesh. The heat scorched his skin, the acrid stench of charred meat filling the air.
Kisame's eyelids twitched. He leapt back, putting distance between them, glancing at the wound. His Akatsuki cloak was split wide open.
Across from him, Yuichi lowered the black blade diagonally, its flames flickering.
"So fast… that was the Body Flicker Technique." Kisame's face darkened.
At that moment, Yuichi had vanished completely—leaving behind only faint traces of chakra on the ground, focused around his feet. Instant acceleration.
But there had been no seals.
"No hand signs…?" Kisame's face twisted. "How can a brat like you use the Body Flicker with such terrifying speed?"
He hadn't even seen Yuichi move.