The transaction went smoothly after both Yi Lin 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, ninja rarely resorted to actual combat unless absolutely necessary. In the shinobi world, attacking first often signaled a fight to the death. Most would avoid direct confrontation unless evenly matched or forced into a standoff.
However, the moment they left the meeting site, Yi Lin tensed. Kevin, noticing the shift in her demeanor, instantly knew something was wrong.
"He's here. The killing intent is impossible to hide. Itachi Uchiha."
Yi Lin's voice was quiet and sharp, edged with lethal focus.
Kevin was surprised by her certainty. No one had revealed themselves yet. At most, he sensed someone lying in ambush but nothing definitive.
Truthfully, Yi Lin hadn't identified the assailant by presence alone. It was the intensity of the bloodlust focused entirely on her that made it unmistakable. Cold and unwavering, like the edge of a blade.
Since Kevin had rescued her, Yi Lin had only acted once: helping apprehend Sasuke Uchiha. She had made no enemies of her own. Some might covet her name or want her dead because of it, but none harbored this kind of hatred.
Only one person in the shinobi world could radiate such killing intent toward her: Itachi Uchiha.
After all, he had wiped out the Uchiha clan under Konoha's orders to protect his younger brother. That alone spoke volumes about his view of Sasuke and of anyone connected to him.
Whoosh!
Two figures appeared at once. One lunged directly at Yi Lin, hurling kunai and shuriken mid-air before even closing the distance.
Yi Lin's eyes narrowed. Cold and composed, she met the onslaught head-on. With a flick of her wrist, she responded kunai and shuriken clashing mid-air in a flurry of sparks. Then, in a blur of movement, she launched herself into melee.
The second figure blocked Kevin's path.
Nearly two meters tall, his skin a greenish-blue and his gills twitching faintly, the man stood like a wall of muscle. Slung across his back was a massive, bandage-wrapped sword Samehada.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
With Kisame holding Kevin at bay, the one targeting Yi Lin could only be Itachi Uchiha.
Yi Lin and Itachi clashed at dizzying speed. Their taijutsu was precise and lethal, each blow flowing smoothly into the next. Ninjutsu and genjutsu wove through their exchanges, sharp and efficient. The fight was brutal but elegant.
Their styles mirrored one another, shaped by the same rigorous Uchiha training. Itachi had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after losing Shisui. Yi Lin, though once a master of the three-tomoe Sharingan, had only recently reached the next stage.
Still, Yi Lin's raw talent was formidable. Even before awakening her Eternal Mangekyō, she would have rivaled Itachi. Now, empowered by her bond with Kevin, she had transformed faster, stronger, sharper than ever before.
For now, both relied only on their three-tomoe Sharingan, but the pace was already blistering. Genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu combined into a seamless storm of strikes. This was no stylized duel it was a true shinobi battle: swift, fluid, and deadly.
Kevin watched calmly, confident in Yi Lin's strength. The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan stood above even the Mangekyō. He had no doubt she could match Itachi blow for blow.
Kisame stood relaxed, resting Samehada on his shoulder, but his shark-like grin was anything but friendly.
"So, you're an Uchiha too?" Kisame asked, voice low and amused.
"That's right," Kevin replied evenly. He bore the Sharingan and carried Uchiha blood even if inherited through Yi Lin. That made him one of them, now and forever.
"Strange. I thought only two survived Itachi and his little brother. Didn't expect more to crawl out of the ashes."
"Fate's full of surprises," Kevin said. "Some survived. And the clan's not fading away. It's coming back."
"Coming back?" Kisame's grin faded slightly. "You mean the captives? The ones being sold?"
"Exactly. And every last one of their children… comes from Sasuke Uchiha."
Kevin raised his voice intentionally, making sure Itachi could hear.
A flicker ran through Itachi's body. Barely perceptible but Yi Lin caught it.
In that split second, she struck. Her kunai cut deep into his side.
"Susanoo."
Itachi's chakra surged. A skeletal warrior materialized around him, intercepting Yi Lin's next blow. His ultimate defense had activated.
"You think you're the only one who can use Susanoo?" Yi Lin smirked coldly.
She lifted the bloodied kunai to her lips, licked it clean, and then her eyes shifted once more.
A second warrior emerged beside the first hers. Her Susanoo. Not only matching Itachi's, but more complete, more defined.
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