The terrifying, charred finger was aimed directly at him. A wave of ice-cold dread washed over Kisame Hoshigaki. If the Kikoho beam had struck his head, he knew, with chilling certainty, he would be dead.
"What is that technique?"
The combination of overwhelming destructive power, lightning-fast attack speed, and the complete absence of hand seals defied every principle of Ninjutsu Kisame knew. He was gravely injured, his internal organs severely damaged by the initial impact.
Gato didn't bother to explain. He merely gasped for air, his feral smile returning as he charged his next attack.
The second beam of light materialized instantly. Kisame had only time to desperately raise his greatsword, Samehada, in front of his face.
Zzzzzztttt—!
The impact was deafening, followed by a searing pain. Samehada, the legendary living blade, was violently ripped from Kisame's grasp. Large clusters of scales were scorched off the frontal impact zone, and a faint, viscous fluid—the blade's own blood—oozed from the damage.
"What in the name of the damned is happening!?"
Kisame watched in horror as Gato's finger began to glow again, even as the small man wheezed in exhaustion. Every cell in the swordsman's body screamed a final warning: You will die.
"Die!" Gato panted, his smile maniacal, convinced of his victory.
And at that precise, inevitable moment, Itachi Uchiha finally launched his counter-attack.
His right eye spun wildly, the three tomoe connecting almost instantly, forming the unique, terrifying pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Amaterasu!
Suddenly, an eruption of horrifying black flames spontaneously combusted around Gato's outstretched arm.
"Aaaaaahh!"
Gato's screams were agonizing. He flailed his right arm in blind panic, attempting to shake off the strange, inescapable fire.
It was utterly futile. Amaterasu—the ultimate Fire Release technique—was irreversible. Unless Gato could summon the presence of mind to instantly sever his own arm, he was destined to be consumed.
Tragically, Gato had lost all rational thought, reduced to a shrieking animal.
"Please forgive me! Lord, save me! Save me!"
His final cries were pleas for rescue, revealing the inherent, pathetic subservience that defined his life, even on the brink of ash.
"It seems the threat has subsided..."
Kisame Hoshigaki gasped, a wave of debilitating weakness washing over him. Only his immense Chakra reserves had kept his body functioning after the first fatal blow. A look of deep, unsettling fear remained fixed in his eyes.
"Itachi-san," he managed, addressing the Uchiha, "can you leave any salvageable remains?"
"It is too late," Itachi Uchiha replied, blood weeping from his right eye. His Amaterasu, unlike Sasuke's later mastered form, was uncontrollable and devastatingly fast.
The battle was over.
Shen Mo watched as Gato slowly vanished within the black flames, sighing heavily in profound disappointment.
Gato had died simply because he didn't know how to endure and fight back. The very nature of Amaterasu, often called the "strongest physical attack," had numerous known counters, most notably severing the afflicted limb or even waiting it out, if one could withstand the pain.
Gato, despite wielding two formidable Tier Three abilities (Four Demon Fists and Kikoho), was utterly crushed.
The raw power was not weak, yet the result was catastrophic.
Gato's performance was akin to a child fumbling with a loaded weapon. His battle awareness, mentality, and lack of experience crippled him. Apart from the single, desperate use of Kikoho at the end, his execution was abysmal.
He failed to target Kisame's head in the first attack, hesitated to use his powerful finisher until he was critically cornered, and didn't grasp the tactical importance of his abilities. He should have used the Kikoho instantly after his close-range sneak attack, which would have granted him a greater chance of eliminating Kisame and achieving a clean escape.
In short: He was a rookie player.
"As expected," Shen Mo muttered, stroking Fei Ju. "These wealthy individuals and Daimyos, for all their money, are not quality customers. They cannot be relied upon to create new value with the power they gain, and their power growth, even from the same Jars, is significantly less than that of true warriors."
Unless a customer had the foresight to purchase a ridiculously overpowered, "cheat-code" ability—which required both immense wealth and high-Tier Jars—raw money alone couldn't close the skill gap. Gato had simply gambled and lost.
He was the first member to be killed by a non-member, denying him the opportunity to trigger a Stage of Destiny event, and thus, he was undeserving of a cheap resurrection.
While Shen Mo contemplated how to better manage his client roster, Kisame Hoshigaki, having bandaged his severe chest wound, cautiously approached Gato's charred remains. He was searching for any remnant, any trace of the power source Gato had wielded, and information about the mysterious "person" Gato had mentioned.
The realization that an ordinary merchant, using an outside power, had nearly killed him sent a chilling premonition through Kisame. The power was defined by incredible physique and horrifying techniques—a potentially massive threat to Akatsuki's plans.
Or, it could represent an immense opportunity. Kisame, for all his savagery, was deeply loyal to the organization's ultimate goal.
"There will likely be nothing left," Itachi Uchiha said coolly, approaching. "My Amaterasu Black Flames reduce everything to ash." He had used the technique not just to save Kisame, but also to ensure no evidence remained for Akatsuki to discover, maintaining his cover.
"Itachi-san, would you mind looking at this?"
Kisame Hoshigaki suddenly made a discovery among the blackened remains.