"Hmph, I refuse to listen to you." Hidan snorted arrogantly.
Hearing this, Kisame raised an eyebrow slightly, "Why? Didn't you say you wouldn't follow Naruto's orders?"
'Could it be that Hidan had suddenly gotten smarter?'
Just as Kisame entertained this thought, Hidan gave the most ridiculous response.
"Such a fun game is the perfect opportunity to show that I'm the strongest!" Hidan declared, "Seeing you all struggle and fail will be even more entertaining!"
Hearing this, everyone was momentarily speechless.
However, Naruto could actually understand Hidan's reasoning.
After all, the reason why Hidan joined the Akatsuki organization was purely because he found it interesting.
Only someone with Hidan's childlike personality could single-mindedly devote himself to worshipping the Jashin cult.
It might sound absurd, but that was the true Hidan.
At this time, Naruto quickly shouted, "Three, two, one… start!"
Taking advantage of everyone's brief confusion, Naruto attempted to gain an early lead.
Whoosh!
However, just as Naruto started moving, he was astonished to see that everyone else had already rushed forward.
'Wow, these guys are indeed elite Shinobi, none of them are pushovers. Even when they were momentarily distracted, they adjusted in an instant and moved without hesitation.'
Still, Naruto wasn't about to fall behind.
Ending up last after proposing the game would be anything but funny.
"Eight Gates, open!"
In an instant, Naruto's body surged with energy, his intense aura sweeping out like a shockwave, momentarily halting the others in their tracks.
Boom!
In the next moment, Naruto stomped on the ground, propelling himself forward like a cannonball. He reached the top of the 600-meter-high waterfall in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a blazing trail of fire caused by the intense friction in his wake.
"Phew~"
Naruto didn't land directly on the waterfall… not because he feared the turbulent water, but because his speed was so fast that landing directly would have torn the waterfall apart, potentially causing catastrophic consequences.
Instead, he deactivated the Eight Gates midair and performed a graceful turn using his Sky Dance Technique, hovering steadily above the waterfall and securing first place.
At this moment, the remaining four were still at the starting point and had just managed to stabilize their bodies.
Without hesitation, Kisame fused with Samehada, transforming into his shark-man form.
In this state, Samehada drastically boosted Kisame's speed in water.
Just as legends spoke of carp leaping over the dragon gate, today Kisame would become the shark that ascended the waterfall.
Whoosh!
Kisame dove into the water with incredible speed, moving faster than he ever could on land.
From the moment Naruto announced this game, Kisame had already devised the plan.
However, merging with Samehada was just the first step, and the real strategy was yet to come.
To ensure he secured second place, Kisame had no intention of playing fair.
In his opinion, this was another one of Naruto's assessments… a test not only of speed but also of how well they could disrupt their opponents.
"Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
Kisame quickly formed hand seals, and a large shark-shaped water bullet formed from his Chakra. The water shark not only wouldn't hinder his speed but also absorbed any Chakra it came into contact with, growing larger and more powerful.
With his defenses secured, Kisame moved on to setting traps and interfering with his rivals.
"Four Sharks Rain!"
Slamming one hand onto the water's surface, Kisame summoned four smaller water sharks. These sharks leaped out of the waterfall, diving down to harass Kakuzu, Itachi, and Hidan below.
Seeing this, both Itachi and Kakuzu opted to dodge. After all, as long as they avoided the attack, there would be no issue.
But Hidan had a very different approach.
"Trying to block my path with tricks? These little sharks are nothing! Watch me smash them to bits!"
As he said that, Hidan drew his crimson triple-bladed scythe. Unlike regular scythes, this one had retractable features and a rope attached to its handle, allowing Hidan to easily hurl it like a projectile.
Bang!
With a single throw, the four water sharks shattered instantly.
However, Kisame's expression remained unfazed. Instead, he revealed a triumphant smile.
The true effect of Four Sharks Rain was triggered only when the water sharks were physically attacked.
The shattered water sharks instantly split into a thousand smaller water shark bullets, raining down like a storm to launch a second wave of attacks against the three below.
The original water sharks were relatively easy to dodge, but the thousand mini shark bullets had wide coverage and high density, making them nearly impossible to evade. This would inevitably delay the three from reaching the top of the waterfall.
For Shinobi of their caliber, a 600-meter climb wasn't impossible, and even if they couldn't match Naruto's near-instantaneous ascent, they could still make it within ten seconds.
But the interference from the shark bullets would be enough for Kisame to widen the gap between himself and the others.
Whoosh!
Kisame burst out of the water and landed on a large rock protruding from the waterfall.
This time, Kisame had successfully turned the tables, securing victory!
As for Naruto's first position, Kisame didn't even count it in the competition.
Whether it was Kisame, Itachi, or Kakuzu, they all treated this as one of Naruto's assessments… a chance to showcase their abilities to him. So naturally, Naruto couldn't be included in the rankings.
Watching Kisame reach the top, Kakuzu shot a sharp glare at Hidan.
If it hadn't been for Hidan messing things up, he wouldn't have fallen behind. But now wasn't the time to argue. Though first place was out of reach, Kakuzu was determined to secure second place.
As a Missing-nin from Takigakure, Kakuzu was no stranger to climbing waterfalls.
By carefully selecting optimal jumping points, Kakuzu's speed increased with each leap.
Itachi, unwilling to be outdone, activated his Sharingan. Through Sharingan's dynamic vision, he perfectly analyzed and replicated Kakuzu's movements, accelerating his own climb.
Hidan, however, remained a complete brute, charging straight ahead through the barrage of shark bullets.
As expected, Hidan was destined to come in last.
Because of this, Naruto and Kisame's attention turned to the intense competition between Kakuzu and Itachi.
"It seems Itachi will be the one to reach the top first." Kisame remarked.
"Why do you think so?" Naruto asked.
Kisame explained, "Itachi's Sharingan allows him to replicate movements, and his Genjutsu is the key. Just before reaching the top, he'll use a Genjutsu to make Kakuzu believe he's already ahead. That's when Itachi will seize the opportunity to overtake him."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, surprised at Kisame's keen observation.
However, Naruto shook his head and said, "I think Kakuzu will be the one to make it first."
"Why?"
This time, it was Kisame who was puzzled.
Naruto didn't explain directly, but just smiled mysteriously, "You'll see soon enough. The outcome will be clear in just a moment."
Whoosh!
Kakuzu stepped on the last foothold, and as long as he jumped up, he would be the first to reach the top of the waterfall.
At this moment, Itachi's Sharingan spun rapidly.
Just like Kisame predicted, Itachi used Genjutsu to create an illusion of Kakuzu reaching the top first, planning to overtake him during the confusion.
But to Kisame and Itachi's surprise, Kakuzu remained unaffected. He leaped upward without hesitation, landing perfectly at the top.
"What's going on?"
Itachi frowned slightly as he reached the top moments later.
Kisame also furrowed his brow and said, "How is this possible? Naruto-kun, what's going on here?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu smiled and said, "Since Naruto-kun can see through my past, I'll let him do the honors of explaining."
Naruto nodded slightly and said, "The reason is very simple, it's because..."