Itachi and Kakuzu stopped attacking almost at the same time.
If Fujimoto Tōma had already appeared elsewhere, then everything they were doing now was meaningless.
Sure enough, when the flames finally dispersed, the space where Tōma had stood was completely empty.
"…Flying Thunder God," Itachi said quietly.
"But when?" Kakuzu frowned. He understood the technique, yet Tōma hadn't thrown a single kunai toward them.
Their eyes shifted upward.
Hidan was still embedded headfirst in the cavern ceiling, his body twitching uselessly. Below him hung his blood-red triple-bladed scythe, swaying slightly.
And carved clearly into the metal was a Flying Thunder God mark.
Silence followed.
"So he marked it back when he caught the scythe?" Kakuzu muttered. "That easily?"
That thought alone was infuriating. Not only had they gone to extreme lengths to seal Tōma's strongest technique, but now it turned out the activation condition was that simple?
"It isn't simple," Itachi said calmly. "It only looks that way because he's the one using it."
As a former ANBU captain, Itachi knew the reputation of Flying Thunder God well. Even if the technique were publicly taught, the number of shinobi in the entire world capable of mastering it could likely be counted on one hand.
And among those, only two names truly stood out.
One was the Fourth Hokage.
The other was standing right here.
Kisame glanced up at Hidan's dangling body and wiped sweat from his brow. "You know… maybe we should stop obsessing over Flying Thunder God. That kick earlier wasn't normal. If that hit one of us instead of him, we'd already be dead."
Neither Itachi nor Kakuzu argued.
That level of raw physical force was monstrous. Even Tsunade's legendary strength might not exceed it.
Kakuzu clicked his tongue. Physical attacks didn't bother him much as long as his hearts weren't hit, but that didn't mean he liked the idea.
"So what now?" Kisame asked, gripping Samehada. "It feels less like we surrounded him… and more like he's surrounding us."
"Get Hidan down first," Itachi said. "His ability may still be crucial."
He exchanged a glance with Kisame, and the two moved simultaneously, charging toward Tōma while forming seals.
Kakuzu, meanwhile, stared at Hidan still struggling uselessly above. With a sigh, he sliced through the rope connecting the scythe to Hidan's waist using Wind Release. Then his arm shot forward, black threads stretching as it grabbed Hidan and ripped him free from the rock.
Dragging him back, Kakuzu winced.
Hidan was a mess.
His chest was grotesquely twisted where the Rasengan had landed. Any normal person would have died instantly. His jaw was shattered, parts of his skull cracked, and his neck vertebrae were clearly damaged.
Even for Kakuzu, who'd stitched himself together countless times, this was an unpleasant repair job.
But against that opponent, Hidan's curse technique might actually matter.
So Kakuzu got to work.
Meanwhile, Tōma faced Itachi and Kisame without the slightest trace of panic.
If anything, he felt… eager.
He'd broken through recently and hadn't had time to truly test his limits before being forced into action. Right now, even he wasn't entirely sure how far his strength went.
And four Akatsuki members were perfect measuring stones.
His brief exchange with Hidan had already told him something important.
He was stronger than he'd expected.
As long as he stayed cautious, survival wasn't a concern. Winning outright might even be possible.
With a flicker of chakra, Tōma summoned the Inkshadow Sword. Ordinary summoning wouldn't work here. This weapon was bound through a sealing technique instead.
That confirmed his suspicion. This space was isolated, similar to Kamui. That was why his perception couldn't extend outward.
Even so, Tōma could feel it. If given enough time, he might be able to forcibly break through the suppression and reconnect to his Flying Thunder God marks.
But time wasn't what he wanted right now.
He wanted clarity.
Itachi and Kisame attacked relentlessly, yet Tōma kept his eyes closed the entire time. Even so, they couldn't touch him. Not a scratch. Not a drop of blood.
And worse, there was a disturbing sense that he was adapting mid-fight.
Is he getting stronger…?
The thought made Kisame uneasy.
Itachi understood what was happening. Tōma was deliberately avoiding eye contact to guard against the Mangekyō Sharingan. The problem was that it didn't matter.
Fighting purely on perception, he was still overwhelming.
The Sharingan couldn't copy Flying Thunder God. It couldn't replicate that sword technique either. Even Rasengan wasn't practical for Itachi to use.
That sword… Itachi narrowed his eyes.
It didn't just cut physical attacks. It severed chakra itself, collapsing techniques at their core.
After a moment's thought, Itachi threw several kunai. No chakra attached.
They struck the invisible electric field around Tōma and fell harmlessly away.
Itachi exhaled softly.
"So it's chakra-based perception," he concluded.
"But that doesn't help," Tōma said lightly. "Nice test, though."
Metal weapons were useless against his magnetic field. Non-metallic weapons might work in theory, but even Itachi couldn't plan that far ahead mid-battle.
Besides, Tōma still had other senses he hadn't even started using.
Air flow. Pressure shifts. And if it came down to it…
He could simply open his eyes.
Testing resistance against Tsukuyomi in a real battle, however, was a terrible idea.
That was a last resort.
By now, Tōma felt he'd learned enough.
The Inkshadow Sword trembled, pale light crawling along its blade.
In the next instant, Tōma vanished forward.
"Nintaijutsu: Vacuum Sever."
This was no longer ordinary Wind Release. He had fully fused Wind Release: Vacuum Wave into his swordsmanship.
One swing.
Nothing before it could remain whole.
Itachi felt the threat instantly and retreated, hands flashing through seals. But he was slower. Ordinary ninjutsu would be cut apart effortlessly.
Kisame moved.
Chakra surged into his arms as he stepped between them, swinging Samehada to block.
The clash shook the cavern.
Kisame's face twisted as his arms went numb. Worse, Samehada screamed. It couldn't even begin to devour the chakra before the cutting force tore through its defense.
Another direct block would destroy it.
He retreated immediately.
Just then—
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A massive wave of flames roared toward Tōma.
Kisame began forming seals despite his numb arms. If Tōma used Flying Thunder God now, he'd be met by Water Release instead.
But Tōma smiled.
He raised the Inkshadow Sword.
White light surged upward, extending along the blade until it reached the cavern ceiling itself.
Then he swung.
The blade fell.
And the flames split cleanly in half.
A sword strike that cleaved a high-level ninjutsu.