"Haha, thank you for the compliment. I'd like to experience the strength of a seasoned expert who has been famous for many years," Hoshigaki Kisame said with a grin.
"In that case, I'll grant you your wish."
Kageyama Kogetsu raised his hand, and a vibrant, pale green light emanated from his palm. He passed his palm over Kisame's wounds from sharp weapons, falls, and scrapes.
In the blink of an eye, Kisame's injuries were healed.
"Itachi, give him back his weapon."
"Yes."
Hoshigaki Kisame took Samehada, and his expression became serious. "Your actions are honorable. I am impressed."
"Don't misunderstand. I just want you to lose convincingly, without any excuses."
Kageyama Kogetsu smiled faintly and waved his hand. Kakuzu and the other two vanished.
"I see. Here I come."
Hoshigaki Kisame took a few steps back with Samehada and then charged forward, delivering a simple but powerful downward slash.
Kageyama Kogetsu extended his right hand and, without any fancy moves, pressed upwards. Samehada could not advance an inch.
"Hmm... a bit of strength," Kageyama Kogetsu said, his left hand behind his back, his expression flat.
"What terrifying strength and physical fortitude. But a little too arrogant."
"Samehada, suck him dry."
Samehada had actually been absorbing chakra from the moment of contact, but unfortunately, it couldn't. It still couldn't, even with all its might.
"How is that possible?" Kisame's expression was one of horror, his mouth agape.
"Just a mutated fish that's been hanging around with the Three-Tails. You want to absorb my chakra?"
"You're far from it. Give it to me."
Kageyama Kogetsu activated his ability, and the chakra stored in Samehada was absorbed instead.
If not for Kageyama Kogetsu holding back, Samehada would have been sucked dry and become a dead object.
Hoshigaki Kisame looked at the listless and terrified Samehada and quickly transferred a portion of his chakra to soothe it.
After Samehada had recovered some of its power, Kisame did not dare to clash head-on again. He jumped back to create distance and then formed hand seals.
Fearing that Kageyama Kogetsu would pursue, Kisame used the jutsu with the fastest casting speed.
Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
A large amount of water was spewed from his mouth, enough to fill a small lake. The water piled up into滔滔 giant waves, one higher than the other, crashing down continuously.
Kageyama Kogetsu had no intention of dodging. He raised his right hand and pressed it forward. A translucent shield appeared, and the giant waves were quickly absorbed upon contact with it.
In the blink of an eye, the layered giant waves were completely absorbed, not even sparing the overflowing water on the ground. It was as if they had been absorbed by a black hole, all disappearing into Kageyama Kogetsu's palm...
"This ability..."
This was the first time Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi had seen such an ability. They were shocked!
In fact, although there were not many means of absorbing chakra in the ninja world, it was not very rare.
Hoshigaki Kisame was an expert in this, but he could not directly absorb ninjutsu. Instead, he indirectly broke the ninjutsu by absorbing the chakra within it.
The two seemed to have similar results, but the actual difference was huge.
"Use whatever means you have. If I leave this area, consider it my loss."
Kageyama Kogetsu turned his body and drew a small circle with the tip of his right foot, then raised his right hand and beckoned.
Being looked down upon, Hoshigaki Kisame came to his senses from his shock, a little indignant. He quickly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
A massive amount of water gushed from his mouth, at least three times the previous amount. However, Kisame did not spew it forward, but behind him.
As the saying goes, water flows downwards. The monstrous waves washed over everything behind him, carrying along the flowers, plants, trees, rocks, and mud, roaring and surging with great momentum...
"Smart. But... you still can't do anything to me."
Kageyama Kogetsu praised as he raised his right fist and threw a punch.
Gentle Fist: Fire Demon Fist!
A massive amount of fire-style nature transformation chakra transformed into an orange-red inferno that gushed out, the flames condensing into a giant, magma-like fist of fire.
Wherever the fist passed, the air distorted, the sea of waves evaporated, and the flowers, plants, trees, rocks, and mud were either burned to ash, burned to liquid, or pushed aside and shattered.
The fist broke through the surging mudslide with the force of splitting bamboo and even pushed back Kisame, causing him to lose control of his attack.
The mudslide flowed past on both sides, leaving only the spot where Kageyama Kogetsu stood unharmed.
Hoshigaki Kisame jumped into the muddy water, formed hand seals, and pressed them to the surface of the water.
Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks!
A thousand sharks quickly formed in the water and, with the converging currents, rushed towards the center from all directions...
Kageyama Kogetsu stomped his foot, and a stone pillar rose up, reaching a little higher than the water's surface.
An Eight Trigrams tai chi diagram appeared under his feet. His palms waved, creating a flurry of afterimages, and a dense crowd of arms appeared, like a thousand-handed Guanyin.
This move was a bit similar to Hinata's Guardian: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Kageyama Kogetsu's move was both defensive and offensive.
With the support of a massive amount of chakra and an extraordinary physique, each palm strike had the effect of Hyuga Hiashi's Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm at full power.
One after another, invisible but air-distorting shockwaves rushed out from Kageyama Kogetsu as the center, like a flower bud blooming, easily turning the attacking sharks into puffs of white smoke.
Because the power of the shockwaves was too great, one hit would take out a string of them. The explosion in the water was also enough to destroy the sharks. The sound of explosions was endless, and one after another, columns of water shot into the sky...
The dense columns of water shot into the sky and then fell, creating a localized artificial downpour.
Soon, all one thousand sharks were destroyed.
Hoshigaki Kisame was dumbfounded. He had never thought that his proud ninjutsu would be broken in such a way...
In fact, Might Guy's Morning Peacock was a similar approach, but his punching speed and attack range were not enough to destroy a thousand sharks in a short time.
"Hmph... only one last move. I hope he doesn't use his jutsu-absorbing ability."
Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!
As Hoshigaki Kisame's thoughts raced, he formed hand seals. With his hands cupped together, a giant, shark-shaped water bullet with ferocious teeth enveloped his body and charged out...
Kageyama Kogetsu raised his right fist. This time, he did not use chakra, but purely physical strength. Without any fancy moves, he punched the air.
Gentle Fist: Air Quake!
Crack...
A large number of bright white cracks appeared where his fist made contact. A large area of space shattered like glass, and an invisible vibrating force spread through the air...
The void and the earth did not tremble. Although this move was created by referencing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from "One Piece," it ultimately did not possess the rule-based ability of vibration.
Vibrating the air required a high level of skill. Vibrating the void and the earth at the same time was not yet possible.
There was also no need to do so. Dispersing one's power was not a good thing. There were plenty of large-area attack methods.
The fierce and domineering vibrating force shattered the great shark into pieces. Hoshigaki Kisame, who was inside, was affected by the vibrating force. He was sent flying, bleeding from his mouth and nose, dizzy, and nauseous!
Plop!
Hoshigaki Kisame fell into the water, creating a splash.
Universal Pull!
Kageyama Kogetsu's gaze pierced through the turbid water. He raised his hand and pressed it down. An invisible suction force erupted, sucking both the person and the water over.
Halfway, he waved his right hand lightly, and the turbid water was scattered to the side. The now-conscious Hoshigaki Kisame tumbled twice in mid-air, adjusted his posture, and landed steadily on the surface of the water.
"Still want to fight?" Kageyama Kogetsu said with a slight smile, his hands behind his back.
"No more. Your strength is unfathomable. I am convinced."
Hoshigaki Kisame shook his head, knelt on one knee on the muddy water, his head bowed in submission.
With his strength, even if he were to face that person and the leader of the Akatsuki, he might not be a match, but he would not be beaten like this.
Although Kisame was more in agreement with Kageyama Kogetsu's ideals, he still had a great deal of respect for the masked man.
This was an honest man, and not just because he honestly formed his hand seals.
<><><><><><
Read Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]