Chapter 162: Hoshigaki Kisame vs. Sarutobi Shinnosuke!

However, no matter how unpleasant it sounds to be called the Dragon Slayer, Konoha's ninjas have to admit it—Kisame has returned. He has lost Kiriichimonji but gained the Sword of Wisdom. His fighting style has changed dramatically.

However, Kisame's overall strength has not only remained unchanged but has actually grown stronger.

Ninjutsu is ineffective against Kisame.

Genjutsu is ineffective against the Sword of Wisdom.

Taijutsu—how many people can match Kisame in that?

As a member of the Shinigami Squad, Kisame is especially skilled in Ninjato and Taijutsu combat.

He might not compare to a member of the Might family with the Eight Inner Gates open.

He also cannot be compared to Yagura now.

However, among the young ninjas of Konoha, the vast majority do not measure up to Kisame.

Even without Kiriichimonji, the Sword of Wisdom is still incredibly sharp.

Moreover, to get close to Kisame and engage him in close combat, one must first break through Kisame's Water Release.

This is not an easy task.

It can be said that none of the young ninjas from Konoha present can accomplish it.

"To be honest, Kisame's strength has increased compared to before."

"Previously, the abilities of Kiriichimonji were indeed special, but bleeding didn't immediately become fatal."

"But now, the abilities of that Zanpakuto are extremely abnormal."

"It directly nullifies Ninjutsu."

"So powerful Ninjutsu is instantly absorbed."

"It can also resist Genjutsu, has self-awareness, and directs Kisame in battle."

"Additionally, Kisame's own strength has also increased."

"He has perfectly integrated the Chakra Absorption Technique into Water Release."

"One strike was enough to completely disable Mitarashi Anko's combat ability."

"It's terrifying."

A Konoha ninja showed an ugly expression.

"So does this mean that the title of the strongest young ninja in the ninja world will once again be taken by Kisame?"

A Konoha ninja was unconvinced.

"It's not Kisame who is strong, but that Zanpakuto."

A Konoha ninja beside him sighed.

"But what can we do? That Zanpakuto is in Kisame's hands. The Blacksmith who forged the Zanpakuto is from the Hidden Mist Village, not from Konoha."

"That Blacksmith is truly impressive."

"He single-handedly saved the Hidden Mist Village."

"The previous Hidden Mist Village was completely inadequate."

"It was even worse than the Hidden Sand Village."

"But now, even after the blow from the Third Mizukage's disappearance, they've still stabilized the situation."

The dissatisfied Konoha ninja snorted.

Dozens of water spears left Kurenai with no place to hide.

"Pfft!"

Kurenai's shoulder was struck.

Immediately, blood began to flow from the wound.

Kurenai gritted her teeth, feeling somewhat unwilling. She hadn't had much time to experience being the top young ninja of Konoha.

Kurenai didn't want to lose it so easily. However, Kurenai couldn't find any way to defeat Kisame.

Not to mention defeating him, she couldn't even pose a threat.

"Young man, six o'clock direction, attack!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

A figure was seen trying to provide support.

"Body Flicker Jutsu!"

Uchiha Shisui's form turned into a green flash.

At this moment, Shisui didn't think about much.

Whether his intervention would be appreciated by Kurenai or result in criticism.

Whether Kurenai truly needed his help.

Whether it would affect Kurenai's current reputation as the top young ninja of Konoha.

Shisui was only focused on saving her.

However, before Shisui could successfully reach Kurenai, a figure intercepted him, launching a burst of Chakra like a cannonball towards Shisui.

"Boom!"

With a loud sound, Shisui was halted mid-air.

"Hiramekarei, release!"

Hozuki Mangetsu appeared.

"Uchiha Shisui, your opponent is me!"

Seeing this, Dragon Slayer couldn't help but mock.

"Where did this little brat come from? You still want to be a hero saving the damsel? You're thinking too highly of yourself."

"Such a young age, and yet your thoughts are so complex?"

If Dragon Slayer hadn't said anything, it might have been fine.

But after Dragon Slayer's mockery of Shisui, the surrounding Konoha ninjas' expressions subtly changed.

The main reason, however, was that the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had deteriorated during this time.

Kakashi lost his Sharingan.

Most people in Konoha believed that it was done by the Uchiha.

This belief was due to the fact that Uchiha had the strongest motive.

Furthermore, some radical Uchiha members not only failed to explain but also engaged in verbal confrontations with others in Konoha, stubbornly insisting that even if the Uchiha were responsible, it was justified.

This made the situation even harder to explain.

Thus, opinions against the Uchiha in Konoha grew even stronger.

Even someone like Shisui was affected.

"This Shisui is indeed very self-serving."

"Who doesn't see Kurenai's danger?"

"Is he the only one who can act?"

"If there were real life-threatening danger, are we just useless?"

"It just makes him look capable."

"An obvious show-off!"

Hearing such voices, Shisui opened his mouth, displaying an unhappy expression, unable to defend himself.

These voices were very low, and from Mangetsu's position, he couldn't hear them, but he could see the change in the way the Konoha people looked at Shisui.

However, Mangetsu didn't mock him.

In fact, he felt some sympathy for Shisui.

To Mangetsu, Shisui seemed somewhat similar to himself.

The Uchiha Clan and Konoha had huge conflicts.

The Hozuki Clan and the Hidden Mist Village also had severe conflicts.

Shisui was caught between his family and his village.

Mangetsu was also caught between his family and his village.

He was a genius.

Shisui was also a genius.

Mangetsu thought that Shisui was like another flower, similar to himself, blooming in Konoha.

"I wonder what the future holds for the Hozuki Clan and the Uchiha Clan?"

Mangetsu became somewhat distracted.

Kurenai, dragging her injured body, still wanted to hold on.

She didn't want to lose just like this.

But she was facing Kisame's stronger Water Release attacks.

And this time, Kurenai had nowhere to dodge.

At that moment, a figure slowly approached from behind.

Against Kisame's Water Fang Bullet.

"Gentle Fist!"

A punch was thrown.

The water spears were shattered. They turned into countless droplets, splashing everywhere.

When Ameyuri saw the figure appear, her expression immediately changed drastically.

Her eyes were filled with coldness.

"Hyuga Hizashi!"

Ameyuri harbored extreme hatred for the Hyuga Clan.

And Hizashi was one of the most detested members of the Hyuga Clan by Ameyuri.

Because after the Kaguya Clan was "annihilated," the circumstances were gradually made public.

It was indeed Hizashi who went to the Land of Water and met with the Kaguya Clan members. Using the long-standing friendship of over a hundred years between the two ninja clans as moral coercion, he pressured the Kaguya Clan to help retrieve the lost Byakugan.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

Without any hesitation, Ameyuri attacked directly.

Hizashi's expression darkened.

Using Gentle Fist, he shattered Ameyuri's Water Release and then approached her with extreme speed.

As a ninja of the Hyuga Clan, his specialty was close-combat Taijutsu.

However, Ameyuri was not afraid of this.

Holding Nikkari Ao'e, as long as she landed a hit, the following exchanges would all be in Ameyuri's favor.

"Ding!"

Hizashi knew this, so after closing the distance, he didn't use Gentle Fist to counter. Instead, he took out a Kunai.

A clash of metal sounds erupted.

Ameyuri retreated a dozen steps.

Hizashi had anticipated this.

However, what surprised Hizashi was that he too had been pushed back by three or four steps.

"Is Ameyuri Ringo really this strong?"

"At such a young age…"

"She's not just relying on the Stiffening Blade, Nikkari Ao'e."

"She does have some genuine skill."

"But why does this kid look at me with such intense hatred?"

Ameyuri's expression changed slightly.

Originally, Ameyuri thought that with Nikkari Ao'e, she could still put up a fight against a mature ninja like Hizashi.

During this time, Ameyuri had defeated many Konoha ninjas.

But it was only in actual combat that she realized she had somewhat overestimated herself.

The ability of Nikkari Ao'e was indeed very strong.

However, if you can't even injure the opponent, there's no way to make an impact.

Hizashi moved his feet and closely pursued.

Ameyuri was at a disadvantage but didn't give up, constantly searching for an opportunity.

However, there was indeed a significant gap in strength between the two at the moment.

"Young man, you can open your eyes now."

At Dragon Slayer's voice, Kisame opened his eyes.

At this moment, Kisame noticed that Kurenai on the other side had already retreated.

Shisui was engaged in combat with Mangetsu.

Ameyuri was at a disadvantage against Hizashi.

"Young man, you don't need to worry about that side; someone is watching. We need to press the attack."

"The bandaged woman and the net-clad woman have already been defeated. We should seize the opportunity to capture them and bring them back to Forging Island as maids for Blacksmith-sama."

Kisame chose to ignore the latter part of that statement.

But upon hearing Dragon Slayer's hint, he noticed that a figure had been standing not far behind Ameyuri.

"Raiga San?"

Kurosuki Raiga had already arrived.

However, ever since he was "enlightened" by the Third Mizukage's "Thunder Swords," Kurosuki Raiga's mindset had changed.

He had become more "selfish."

If other Mist ninjas were in danger, Kurosuki Raiga wouldn't pay much attention.

But Ameyuri was different.

Raiga knew that Ameyuri had spent a long time on Forging Island and was a disciple of Juzo.

More importantly, she had a good relationship with Soma.

Therefore, Raiga wouldn't let Ameyuri fall into real danger.

The reason he hadn't acted yet was simply because Ameyuri was still holding on.

"Young man, listen to me, let's pursue!"

"Don't worry about the Byakugan monster!"

Kisame then nodded.

"Good."

With one person and one sword, they charged towards the enemy's camp.

"Water Release: Four Sharks Rain!"

Four sharks soared into the sky and then suddenly shattered in midair, turning into countless raindrops. But these raindrops weren't ordinary; upon closer inspection, they resembled tiny sharks.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive fireball flew into the sky.

The Konoha crowd's eyes lit up upon seeing this figure.

"It's Shinnosuke-sama!"

"Great, Shinnosuke-sama has arrived!"

Compared to Sarutobi Asuma, Sarutobi Shinnosuke held a completely different reputation among the Konoha people.

A genuine genius son of the Hokage.

The next Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Due to his age, he wasn't placed among the younger generation, but in terms of strength, the people of Konoha felt that Sarutobi Shinnosuke's abilities were definitely above Kisame's.

A Konoha ninja loudly warned:

"Shinnosuke-sama, be careful. Kisame's Ninjato has special effects and can absorb Ninjutsu."

"Mitarashi Anko's Fire Release was completely absorbed before."

Shinnosuke nodded and looked at Kisame with a serious expression.

"Absorbs Ninjutsu, huh."

"Let's see."

Shinnosuke formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

Multiple fireballs appeared simultaneously, attacking Kisame from different directions.

Absorbing Ninjutsu and Chakra was indeed something to be wary of.

However, in Shinnosuke's view, it still depended on the specific efficiency.

Kisame tightened his grip on the Sword of Wisdom and, before the fireballs could hit him, slashed out with his sword.

The blade cut through three of the fireballs in an instant.

In a moment, the Chakra in the fireballs was almost entirely absorbed.

And the flames immediately disappeared.

Dragon Slayer's voice sounded.

"Eh, wild fireballs!"

"The taste isn't bad, let's have a bit more."

"Little monkey, do you have a problem with your brain? Your people already said that Ninjutsu is useless, and you still use such a weak Fire Release to test me. Do you look down on me?"

Shinnosuke's expression stiffened.

Dragon Slayer's words sounded too crude to Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

Since childhood, Shinnosuke had never been insulted like this.

Little monkey?

How was he like a monkey?

But in reality, there was a bit of resemblance.

Otherwise, Dragon Slayer wouldn't have used such a term. After all, Dragon Slayer didn't even know Sarutobi Shinnosuke's identity, and was purely reacting based on his observation of Shinnosuke's current appearance.

Shinnosuke, due to his own composure, said nothing.

However, other Konoha ninjas couldn't hold back and began cursing Dragon Slayer.

"Such a shameless Zanpakuto!"

"How dare you insult Shinnosuke-sama, it's unforgivable."

"It's equivalent to insulting Hokage-sama."

Compared to Dragon Slayer's words, Shinnosuke was more concerned with Dragon Slayer's ability.

"It almost instantly absorbed all of my Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu."

"It seems that Fire Release cannot threaten Kisame."

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