The transaction went smoothly after both Izumi and Kevin Cross unleashed the power of their Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, making it clear that neither of them were to be trifled with.
As expected, unless absolutely necessary, ninja seldom engage in actual combat. In the shinobi world, to strike first often signals a fight to the death. Rarely would either side hold back unless they were evenly matched or forced into a stalemate.
However, the moment they left the meeting site, Izumi grew alert. Kevin, noticing the sudden shift in her demeanor, quickly realized that something was amiss as well.
"He's here. The killing intent is impossible to hide now. Itachi Uchiha."
Izumi's voice was cold, laced with lethal resolve.
Kevin was a little surprised at how certain she sounded. After all, no one had yet revealed themselves. At most, he had only sensed the presence of someone lying in ambush nearby.
Truthfully, Izumi hadn't identified the attacker purely by presence either. But she could feel it an intense, overwhelming bloodlust, specifically directed at her. It was impossible to mistake it.
Since Kevin had rescued her, Izumi had only acted once, when helping to apprehend Sasuke Uchiha. Aside from that, she hadn't made any moves, and so had no obvious enemies. There might be those who wanted to capture her for her surname, or others who wished her dead for the same reason but not with this kind of hatred.
Only one person in the entire shinobi world could harbor such a profound killing intent toward her: Itachi Uchiha.
After all, in his pact with Konoha, Itachi had personally slaughtered the Uchiha clan in order to protect his younger brother. That alone spoke volumes about his feelings toward Sasuke.
Whoosh!
Two figures appeared simultaneously. One immediately lunged toward Izumi, and before their body even closed the distance, several kunai and shuriken came flying her way.
In the face of such a sudden assault, Izumi sneered. Her eyes grew even colder as her killing intent surged. With a flick of her wrist, she responded in kind her own kunai and shuriken clashing mid-air with the incoming projectiles in a sharp metallic flurry. The next instant, her form blurred as she launched herself directly into combat.
The other figure blocked Kevin's path. He stood nearly two meters tall, powerfully built, his bluish-green skin and gill-like slits along his face making him look more fish than man. Slung across his shoulder was a monstrous, bandage-wrapped blade resembling a slab of stone the Samehada.
It was Kisame Hoshigaki.
With Kisame intercepting Kevin, the attacker who had ambushed Izumi could only be Itachi Uchiha.
Izumi and Itachi clashed with incredible speed and strength. Their taijutsu exchanges, though basic in form, carried lethal precision, and each move was seamlessly paired with ninjutsu. The pace was brutal, yet almost elegant.
Their combat styles were strikingly similar a natural consequence of their shared heritage. Before the Uchiha clan was annihilated, both had received the same rigorous training. Itachi had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing Shisui's death, while Izumi, though once a formidable wielder of the three-tomoe Sharingan, had not activated hers until much later.
Even so, Izumi's innate talent was extraordinary. Compared to Itachi, she was in no way inferior.
And now, empowered by her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan awakened after her union with Kevin she had undergone a complete transformation. Her speed, strength, stamina, and reflexes had all been enhanced.
Even without the Eternal eyes, her prowess alone would have rivaled Itachi's.
With both still relying only on their three-tomoe Sharingan for now, their battle was intense, lethal, and utterly captivating. Each technique flowed into the next: taijutsu, ninjutsu, shuriken control, and genjutsu were woven together in a deadly dance. This wasn't like the flashy, symbolic duels depicted in the anime. This was a real, vicious fight fast, fluid, and fraught with danger.
Kevin watched with unwavering confidence in Izumi The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan surpassed even the Mangekyō it was a power on a different level. He had no doubt she could hold her own.
Kisame, for his part, had equal faith in his partner. Neither man made the first move. Instead, they watched each other, tension thick in the air.
"So, you're a Uchiha too?" Kisame grinned, sharp teeth flashing as he rested Samehada on his shoulder.
"That's right," Kevin answered without hesitation. He bore the Sharingan, carried the Uchiha bloodline. Even if it had been passed to him through Izumi, that made no difference now. He was as much a member of the Uchiha as any of them.
"Interesting. I thought the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, save for Itachi and his little brother. Didn't expect two more to crawl out of the ashes."
"Fate's a funny thing," Kevin said. "It's only natural that a few would survive. And from now on, the Uchiha clan won't dwindle further. It will grow."
"Grow?" Kisame's expression darkened slightly. "You mean those women carrying Uchiha blood? The ones being sold?"
"Exactly. And all their children… come from Sasuke Uchiha."
Kevin said it louder on purpose, ensuring Itachi could hear it.
Sure enough, a subtle twitch ran through Itachi's body mid-fight. It was barely perceptible, but Izumi noticed. In that instant of distraction, she struck. Her kunai grazed his side, carving a deep gash.
"Susanoo."
As Izumi pressed the attack, aiming to finish him off, Itachi called upon his ultimate defense. A massive skeletal warrior erupted around him, shielding his body from her blade.
"You think you're the only one who can use Susanoo?" Izumi's lips curled in a cold smirk. She raised the bloodied kunai to her lips and licked Itachi's blood clean from it. In the next instant, her eyes shifted again.
Another giant warrior emerged her Susanoo. Not only did it match Itachi's, it looked even more complete.
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