Whoosh!
Each kunai sliced through the air, shooting toward Kai's back. The kunai, infused with Armament Haki and combined with Itachi's skills, were difficult to defend against.
However, Kai didn't look back. He seemed to dodge all the kunai with a few random twists of his body. This was clearly the use of Observation Haki.
Uchiha Shisui took the opportunity to appear in front of Kai. His arms had changed color, hardened and entwined with weapons. He threw a punch at Kai's face.
Snap!
Kai raised his palm and blocked Shisui's fist.
Itachi's figure appeared silently behind Kai, raising his foot to kick him.
Shisui couldn't help but smile with pride.
But before Shisui could react, Kai grabbed Shisui's fist with his other hand and hurled him toward Itachi, who quickly pulled his foot back.
Bang!
"Wow!"
The two men collided.
Boom!
The sea began to surge.
"Oops!"
"Water Style: Water Tooth Bullet!"
Kai said casually. Just like the ninjutsu Itachi had used moments ago, a spiral column of water erupted from the sea, aimed at Shisui and Itachi.
"Bang!"
Shisui and Itachi pushed against each other, quickly separating just before the water bullet could strike, landing back on the sea.
Shisui and Itachi exchanged glances.
"Let's go together!"
The two rushed toward Kai, activating Haki to engage in close combat.
The members of the Nine Snakes couldn't help but gasp. They realized that Kai, Shisui, and Itachi were not only powerful in ninjutsu but also top-tier in physical skills.
Every move from the three was incredibly precise, and it was clear that Kai was overpowering Shisui and Itachi on his own.
Suddenly, snap!
A pair of hands emerged from the sea at Kai's feet, grabbing his ankles tightly.
"We won!" Shisui shouted excitedly, quickly launching an attack on Kai.
"Don't come near!" Itachi's expression changed drastically at Shisui's sudden attack, and he quickly warned him.
But it was too late.
Crack!
Kai's body crackled with lightning, instantly destroying the water clone beneath the surface.
Then he appeared in front of Shisui in an instant.
"You brat, if you want to defeat me, you're still a hundred years too early."
Bang!
Kai raised his foot and kicked Shisui in the stomach, sending him flying.
"Uuuuuuuuh!!"
"Shisui!" Itachi couldn't help but shout when he saw Shisui get kicked away.
Kai's voice rang out behind Itachi: "Do you still have the heart to worry about others?"
"Oops!"
Itachi turned around to attack.
Snap!
Kai's finger tapped Itachi's forehead.
"It hurts!" Itachi exclaimed, covering his forehead.
"It's okay if it hurts. You can live like a little adult at a young age."
Shisui ran back from a distance, clutching his stomach and complaining to Kai, "Brother Kai, you were too cruel to me."
"Your personality is too mischievous, and you're always careless. I have to educate you properly. How do you feel?"
Shisui replied excitedly, "It's really strong! The additional attack and defense power from Armament Haki is impressive. It's purer than Chakra. And I feel like Haki has even more potential for development."
"Observation Haki is also very powerful, but it requires concentration. When facing a stronger Sharingan, it's easy to make misjudgments," Itachi added, mentioning that he had miscalculated Kai's attack just moments ago.
Kai smiled and nodded. "Yes, the true masters of Haki in this world are incredibly powerful. It's good to practice more, but we must not forget our strengths. Haki should be used to compensate for our weaknesses."
"Yes!" Shisui and Itachi took Kai's words seriously.
Kai was both their older brother and mentor, their idol and the goal they aspired to surpass.
"Okay, let's head back."
After Kai spoke, the three quickly returned to the Nine Snakes' ship.
"Everyone has been waiting for a long time. The sea is truly a great place to stretch your muscles."
"You... how can you stand on the sea?" Marigold asked curiously. They were the ones who had eaten the Devil Fruit and were cursed by the sea. If they fell into the water, they would lose their powers and be unable to swim.
Even though they sailed the seas as pirates, the ocean was always a taboo for those with Devil Fruit abilities.
Kai explained, "We use Chakra to stand on the water. By continuously releasing the right amount of Chakra, we can keep ourselves upright on the surface."
"Doesn't that mean you can walk on water without a boat?"
"It's not that simple. The conditions at sea are constantly changing, and various dangers can arise. It's more convenient for us on the sea than for most people, but it doesn't mean it's easy."
"…"
The women of the Nine Snakes were speechless. More convenient? Was that really the right word? This was incredibly convenient! They lived on the sea and knew firsthand how extraordinary the other party's abilities were.
After all, they had just fought a fierce battle, and under those circumstances, how big of a storm would it take to hinder them?
They had learned Armament Haki and Observation Haki in less than a day and were using them with great proficiency. In addition to their powerful ninjutsu, they also possessed exceptional physical skills. They felt that these three were becoming more and more powerful—almost unreal.