Naruto: Cthulhu: Ch. 267

Nisan?

Nisan?

Almost everyone present, including Kisame, silently repeated the word "brother" in their minds. None of them knew the relationship between the two men. Kisame didn't even know who Sasuke was.

Among them, only Guren had known early on that the two were brothers.

At the same time, several figures landed beside Sasuke, naturally, it was Jūgo, Karin, and Suigetsu.

Seeing these sudden arrivals, Guren was slightly startled, but quickly calmed down.

"Did Orochimaru send you to capture me?"

Since all the newcomers had once been under Orochimaru, Guren naturally assumed this possibility. But Jūgo shook his head in denial.

"We've already left Orochimaru. We're now part of Team Taka, led by Sasuke."

"All of you?"

Guren scanned their faces in disbelief. Karin immediately turned her head and explained, "Of course."

"But don't get the wrong idea. I only brought him because Sasuke asked me to find you. I didn't come looking for you on my own."

Guren gave a faint smile and didn't care much for Karin's explanation.

What Guren hadn't expected was that Orochimaru would let so many people leave his side all at once, especially Sasuke, someone he had spent three years cultivating.

In Guren's view, Orochimaru had used the excuse of helping Sasuke uncover the truth to keep him close, because he had his eyes on Sasuke's body.

Originally, Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation technique could only last for three years before the host body began to decay. But with the help of Mi-Go technology, the body could now be modified in advance to last five years.

So for now, Orochimaru didn't need Sasuke's body yet.

But regardless, there was no logical reason for Orochimaru to let Sasuke go.

Yet the fact remained, Orochimaru had released Sasuke and even allowed him to take other strong subordinates, ones clearly more valuable than the discarded ones at the Blood Prison.

Why?

Meanwhile, Jūgo and the others were also sizing up the pair in front of them.

Jūgo's emotional world was not very rich, so seeing Itachi and Kisame didn't stir any strong feelings in him.

Karin, however, was full of inner drama.

That's Sasuke's brother? He's kind of handsome, too. So that cool face must run in the Uchiha clan, huh?

Wait! Sasuke doesn't have any parents, so if this really is his brother, then he's the only living relative Sasuke has left, right?

If I can get his brother's approval, then maybe I really have a shot with Sasuke!

While Karin's thoughts were entirely focused on Itachi, Suigetsu's gaze was locked onto Kisame.

Suigetsu hadn't just followed Sasuke to escape Orochimaru's endless experiments, he also had an ambition to collect all seven of Kiri's legendary swords and restore the glory of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

The moment Suigetsu saw Kisame, he recognized him as a Kiri ninja, and the massive blade on his back had to be one of the seven swords, Samehada.

That face... he vaguely recalled a wanted poster from his childhood, issued by Kiri.

The face on that poster was the same as the one before him now, the man was wanted for killing one of the Seven Swordsmen, Fuguki, and stealing Samehada.

That man's name was Kisame.

He didn't understand why someone as loyal as Kisame would suddenly kill his own direct superior. Nor did he know why Kisame was now standing beside a Konoha ninja like Itachi.

But Samehada was simply too tempting. Suigetsu's purple eyes locked onto Kisame like he was staring a hole through him.

Feeling Suigetsu's gaze, Kisame turned and looked back.

That's the kid from the Hōzuki clan? Seems like he's Mangetsu's younger brother.

The Hōzuki and Hoshigaki clans were both prestigious in Kiri and had frequent contact, so Kisame had a vague memory of Suigetsu.

Whatever. What does it have to do with me?

Normally, encountering someone from the same village in such a faraway place would bring a sense of comfort.

But he had already vowed to dedicate his entire being to that man, and naturally, he no longer cared about such trivialities.

Even if there were a reason to kill Suigetsu now, he would do it without hesitation.

As the silent standoff dragged on, Itachi finally spoke, his voice calm and slow:

"Sasuke, you've grown."

Just as expected.

When the man in front of him said those words, Sasuke knew without a doubt, this was his brother.

But upon realizing that the person he had long searched for, day and night, was finally in front of him, Sasuke found his tongue tied. He couldn't speak. He could only stare intensely.

He had so much he wanted to say, so many questions to ask.

But at that moment, Itachi's ever-active Sharingan began to subtly rotate.

The tomoe in the Sharingan seemed to spin with a mysterious force, as if injecting power into those who stared at them.

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes widened. His right hand drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist and charged straight at Itachi.

"Sasuke!"

Karin let out a sudden cry, but Sasuke had already dashed forward, raising the Kusanagi sword high, aiming straight for Itachi's head.

At the very instant the sharp blade was about to fall, Itachi leaned aside to evade and then swiftly kicked Sasuke in the stomach.

A flawless move, clean, efficient, and without wasted effort. The kick sent Sasuke flying.

He skidded across the ground for several meters, using his sword to slow down and stabilize himself.

When Sasuke raised his head, everyone was stunned by the look in his eyes.

Sasuke's gaze was full of hatred, an intense, murderous hatred that clearly showed his intent to kill. A hatred that could not be reconciled.

What's going on?

Sasuke had always said he was looking for his brother, weren't they supposed to have a close bond?

How could it be like this?

Guren was stunned by this sudden turn of events. The rest of Team Taka felt the same.

Only Kisame, standing next to Itachi, showed an amused expression.

So Itachi doesn't get along with his brother?

And matching Kisame's expression was another hidden figure, concealed in the shadows.

This figure was half-grown into a tree, only his flytrap-like upper body emerging from the wood. A pair of pale gray eyes stared intently at the people gathered in the clearing.

Above him, a spider crawled silently on a strand of web, also watching them all.

The two brothers clashed without exchanging a single proper sentence, perhaps not even a full word, before the fight broke out.

Itachi flicked his hand and hurled several shuriken at Sasuke, who retaliated by throwing his own shuriken.

Their projectiles collided midair, scattering in all directions.

Guren, Rinji, Jūgo, Suigetsu, and Karin immediately jumped away from their original positions, regrouping together, while Kisame stood alone on the other side.

The situation on the field suddenly shifted, and everyone had to reconsider which side to take.

There was no need to mention Guren and Rinji, they didn't want to give up Yūkimaru, so they had no choice but to face off against Kisame.

As for Jūgo and the others, they regarded Sasuke as their leader. Now that Sasuke had started fighting Itachi, they naturally found themselves standing against Kisame.

Moreover, all five of them had originally defected from Orochimaru, so it was only natural they stood together now.

"This guy isn't easy to deal with. Be careful, everyone."

Rinji, having sensed Kisame's terrifying strength from just that one blow earlier, gave a word of warning to the group.

Suigetsu, meanwhile, stared intently at Kisame's blade as the wrappings gradually came loose.

"That blade is mine. No one else try to claim it."

"That ugly thing? No one would fight you for it."

Karin snapped at Suigetsu as usual, then pushed up her glasses and began observing Kisame closely.

Although she didn't have the Byakugan for precise vision, she could sense that Kisame's chakra was massive, far more than anyone she had ever encountered.

Kisame also understood that a battle was now unavoidable. He slowly gripped Samehada in his hand.

"Five against one, huh?"

"Then I'll just take one of you down first!"

To everyone's shock, instead of backing down against five opponents, Kisame advanced, suddenly appearing in front of Karin, slashing Samehada toward her head without mercy.

Kisame's judgment was spot-on. Out of the five, he instantly picked out the one at the back with weaker combat ability, Karin, a support-type ninja.

However, Jūgo was no pushover. The moment he sensed Kisame appear near Karin, he activated his power and flashed in front of her, raising one arm to block the strike from Samehada.

At the same time, Guren's Crystal Release kicked in. She transformed the air around Jūgo's arm into pink crystal, as if giving him a bracer.

Samehada slammed hard onto Jūgo's arm. Its massive spikes clashed with the pink crystal, instantly shattering the crystal and sending Jūgo flying into the distant trees.

Fortunately, that strike had served its purpose, Karin was able to react in time and leap away to safety.

As Kisame's motion lagged from the swing, Rinji suddenly flashed to Kisame's side, using his two barrel-thick arms to tightly lock down Kisame's right arm.

At the same moment, Guren appeared on Kisame's left side. Without forming hand signs, she thrust her arms forward, covering Kisame's left arm in crystal. The crystal connected to formations on the ground, locking Kisame's arm in place like chains.

Now both of Kisame's arms were immobilized, and his body couldn't move. Suigetsu, who had earlier turned into a puddle of water, emerged halfway and launched an attack.

Suigetsu extended both index fingers and fired two high-pressure water bullets straight at Kisame's head.

In the very next instant, Kisame twisted his head skillfully, dodging both water bullets with quick lateral movements. Still, one grazed his cheek, leaving a long bloody scratch.

"My bad, didn't mean to make you bleed."

"But the next shot... won't miss."

Suigetsu grinned smugly. Executing a traitorous ninja of Kiri, his former superior, felt especially satisfying to him.

His only regret was that he hadn't defeated Kisame himself. Others had already restrained the man.

But Suigetsu didn't see himself as dishonorable, after all, he currently didn't have any of the Seven Blades, and there was no way he could challenge Kisame while the man wielded Samehada.

Just as Suigetsu raised his hand again and aimed his index finger at Kisame's head, Kisame let out a mocking laugh.

The cheerful look on Suigetsu's face immediately soured. He bared his jagged teeth, a hallmark of Kiri ninjas, and shouted, "What are you laughing at? You're about to die!"

"You really don't know anything. You've never heard that sharks are drawn to the smell of blood?"

"Sharks? Blood? What are you even talking about?"

Suigetsu didn't understand Kisame's words, but the next moment, he felt a surge of danger.

And it didn't come from elsewhere, it came from the pool of water his lower body had turned into.

Suigetsu looked down and was shocked to see a shark's head rapidly growing larger beneath the water, swimming straight upward.

"What—!"

Before he could finish speaking, a massive shark burst from below, its open jaws instantly swallowing Suigetsu's upper body whole.

Everyone on the scene was stunned. They stared in disbelief at the enormous shark leaping out of the shallow water.

The water Suigetsu had turned into was just an ordinary shallow puddle, not even deep enough to cover his feet. How could a shark of that size suddenly appear from it?

Even if it was one of Kisame's summoned sharks, both of his hands had been restrained the whole time, he shouldn't have had the chance to perform a summoning technique.

But Kisame hadn't used a summoning jutsu at all. What he used was a special ability granted to him after forging a connection with the Father of Sharks.

The Father-of-All-Sharks, a being symbolizing the destructive wrath and brutality of Cthulhu, could bite through thick steel and had a body as massive as a whale.

After encountering Kojiro and forming a bond with the Father-of-All-Sharks, Kisame gained the ability to summon sharks from any nearby body of water.

It didn't matter whether the water was a vast lake, a shallow puddle, or even just a droplet on a tabletop, so long as there was water, he could call forth a shark from within it.