Facing Gato's apparent attempt at a big move, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki leaped back to a safe distance.
"Be cautious," Itachi said softly.
No matter how you looked at it, an ordinary man like Gato displaying such power was just too bizarre.
"Understood," Kisame replied, forming hand signs again.
Though his words were fierce, as a ninja, he wouldn't underestimate any foe—especially after experiencing Gato's newfound strength firsthand.
Itachi prepared as well.
But at that moment…
From Gato's protruding shoulder blades, his clothes tore as two muscular arms burst out.
"What?"
Even Kisame couldn't help but gasp.
Indeed, Gato now resembled a monster.
Four arms!
Four Demon Fist!
From the Dragon Ball world, Tien Shinhan's ability, granted by Shen Mo as a skill. The two arms sprouting from Gato's back were even stronger than his own!
Even Itachi furrowed his brow.
Seeing Gato's form, he thought of one person.
Orochimaru.
That man was always experimenting with the human body.
But there was no time for Itachi to dwell. Gato, with a crazed expression, charged at Kisame again.
What could two extra arms do?
Kisame soon found out. The hands gripping Samehada were seized by Gato's back arms, their immense strength making Kisame's face twitch.
"Die!" Gato snarled, his own fists hammering Kisame's body, using the same move as before.
Kisame seemed cornered.
But in that instant…
Itachi appeared behind Kisame.
Genjutsu!
In Gato's eyes, Kisame bled profusely under his blows, his chest caving in, blood and flesh mangled, the stench filling Gato's nose.
Victory!
Gato's face lit with joy. No wonder it came from a can!
"You think you've won?" Kisame, his chest a pulpy mess, still wore an unchanged grin, his body spreading like blood toward Gato.
"Aaah!"
The horrific sight made Gato scream hysterically.
His aura fluctuated wildly.
At that moment, the genjutsu vanished.
Kisame's outstretched hand appeared.
They wanted him alive.
Gato, terrified, retreated explosively.
"Mr. Itachi?" Kisame was genuinely shocked.
He knew how potent Itachi's genjutsu was.
"Inside his body…" Itachi's expression grew grave, "there's an energy completely unlike chakra."
"What?" Kisame exclaimed again.
An energy unlike chakra?
"I'm not mistaken," Itachi added firmly.
To break a Sharingan genjutsu, another's interference was needed to disrupt the target's chakra.
But just now…
Gato's chakra was disrupted by another force within him.
Itachi could faintly sense it.
That force was domineering, inherently destructive.
Utterly unlike chakra.
"Heh," Gato seemed to catch their words, clenching his fist, the air crackling faintly. "This great power is that Lord's gift, beyond what you ninja can match."
Gato's nature was to vent his frustrations on the weak.
Their reactions…
Gave him a thrill he'd never felt.
Maybe…
He could truly change his fate with this power?
"Mr. Itachi, we must investigate this," Kisame said, eyeing Gato gravely.
He might be the only Akatsuki member aware of Tobi's ultimate goal, deeply aligned with the "Moon's Eye" plan for a false world.
Itachi nodded.
No more words were needed.
Kisame charged with Samehada, while Itachi formed signs behind, unleashing ninjutsu to cut off Gato's escape routes.
If genjutsu didn't work…
They'd beat him down and take him back!
"If you won't let me live, I'll drag you down with me!" Gato's ferocity erupted. Like a cornered mad dog, he lunged.
Another afterimage appeared.
Afterimage Fist!
Moving at ultra-high speed, he created a visual afterimage. Even Itachi's eyes couldn't discern the real Gato—or perhaps both were real.
"Such terrifying speed, yet only for afterimages?" Itachi couldn't fathom it.
Normally…
Even the Body Flicker Technique couldn't produce such afterimages, requiring high-frequency movement. With that speed, Gato should've easily escaped.
If it didn't make sense, they'd beat the answers out.
Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Flames shot from Itachi's mouth, scattering like bursting balsam seeds, precisely avoiding Kisame and bombarding Gato.
No dodging.
Boom, boom, boom—
After relentless explosions, Gato leaped away screaming, his body charred black from burns.
But…
"Just surface wounds?" Itachi paused, stunned.
He could tell Gato looked wretched but was barely harmed by the assault.
A normal ninja…
Would be dead or crippled from such a technique.
"This guy's body isn't like flesh and blood," Kisame said, spitting blood-tinged saliva. "My Water Dragon Jutsu barely scratched him… I've never seen such an unbelievable physique."
Shen Mo, watching silently, gave a slight smile.
Dragon Ball's martial artists, unlike taijutsu ninja, centered on "ki," enhancing the body comprehensively. Even early Earth-based martial artists could catch bullets barehanded or withstand bombs, their bodies like steel.
Their stamina was staggering.
Taijutsu ninja, meanwhile, relied on chakra for physical bursts. Even the Third Raikage, dubbed the strongest shield, used Ninjutsu: Lightning Armor, a "nin-taijutsu." His body wasn't inherently superhuman.
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