Chapter 15

The Spy is Caught! The Shark vs The Blue Beast!

Mountain's Grave, exact location unknown

In Madara's primary base, near the Gedo Mazo statue, there was a cell that barely saw daylight. The person in the cell was in remarkably good condition despite being sealed up inside it for over a decade and a half. There seemed to be golden chains that extended from her body, impaled throughout the stone floor and ceiling, and several through the opposite wall. Her long, red hair was unkempt, but still had a slight shine to it. Uzumaki Kushina was in a poor state...but that didn't mean she was out.

Its been...16 years...that masked bastard is starting to get complacent...

Testing one of her chains, she pulled, hearing the creaks in the stone above. A small smile appeared on Kushina's face as she twisted it...using the spikes on the chain like a drill to continually get up higher and higher...she then blinked, falling forward as she felt a rush of chakra.

Naruto...he's...he's taken control of the Kyubi and gotten my message! Kushina thought, looking up. She then squeezed her hand into a tight fist. Then I have to redouble my efforts!

She began testing out her chains, breathing in as she began channeling more chakra through them to weaken the cell around her. Now that she knew Naruto was alive, and had taken control of the Fox, nothing would stop her from escaping!

Island Turtle, Biju Sealing Chamber

Naruto was still sitting cross-legged in front of Yamato, Bee, and Hinata. His look of seriousness had changed to a look of serenity, then joy. He threw his arms into the air and gave a loud cheer, hopping back up to his feet.

"Yes!" Naruto said with a grin.

For several seconds, Yamato blinked. "...okay...what does that mean? Did you do it?"

Naruto gave a thumbs up. "I now have control over Kyubi's chakra!"

"Yo yo, show me what you did!" Bee said with a smirk, offering his fist and Naruto pressed his own against it. "Oh...oh yeah! That's badass, that's what that is...nice, you made the Fox pay the price!"

Hinata and Yamato sweat dropped, and the Mokuton user growled. "We can't hear what you're saying, you know!"

"Right, right!" Naruto said cheerfully, jumping up to his feet and he went over to Hinata. "Well...for starters I met my mom!"

"You did Naruto-kun...but how?" Hinata asked as he lifted her up happily, spinning her around.

"Dad used some of her chakra in the seal when he made it. It was designed to bring her back to meet me and help me control the Kyubi," Naruto said as he set her down gently. "She was really awesome and strong!"

"Yondaime-sama...actually thinking that far ahead even in his last moments..." Yamato said in awe, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing'd really surprise me about him anymore..."

"That's not the best part though...I learned what happened that night," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Madara attacked Konoha that day, extracting the Kyubi from my mom to be his weapon..."

Hinata put her hand on his shoulder as Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm going to be the one to finally defeat that monster..."

"What else happened during the attack?" Hinata asked as the young Hokage began explaining, telling them all of the details that Kushina had told him.

"...and that's nearly everything," Naruto said as he finished, breathing out. He squeezed his hand into a tight fist.

"I see...I'll inform the rest of the village on the full truth of that night," Yamato said, putting his hand to his chin. That explains why the Kyubi fought like it was a puppet that night...that still doesn't explain what happened to Kushina's body afterwards though...

"Well...now I'll show you what happens when I use the Fox's chakra now!" Naruto exclaimed, changing the subject.

In his mind, Naruto walked up to the miniature sun which was composed of the Kyubi's unrestricted, purified chakra. Below it there were three torii's which kept it from wandering around his mind. Tendrils of chakra wafted off like a star's corona, and the 'water' of Naruto's mind rippled and shuddered with every movement. He lifted his hand and drew in some of the massive chakra sun's chakra to his body.

In the real world, Bee, Hinata, and Yamato watched as Naruto was engulfed in a bright yellow chakra with a reddish tint on the edges. It was like a life giving flame, filling the room with a warm yellow glow. On his stomach, a black whirlpool appeared as a claw like black object appeared underneath it pointing downward. Six black magatama appeared around his neck, and two more whirlpools with thicker lines appeared on his shoulders with the same claw pointing downward. Black outlines appeared around the whirlpool, going up and to his shoulders, then going down his arms and legs. The fiery aura danced around him, and he gave a grin.

"Looks pretty awesome huh?" Naruto asked with a grin. The mokuton constructs that Yamato made earlier begun growing into full trees, making the mokuton user blink.

"Incredible...so full of life energy...its like its the exact opposite of what the chakra is when the Fox has it under his control," Yamato said with amazement.

Hinata's jaw lowered, seeing chakra flames which had engulfed Naruto. He was grinning, looking around...and then he sensed something. He punched his fist to his hand, looking at Bee...more specifically Samehada on his back.

"Alright, how long have you been hiding there? Get out!" Naruto said with a snarl.

"Huh?" Hinata, Bee, and Yamato said, looking around while in Samehada...Kisame blinked in surprise.

Impossible! Samehada and I share the same chakra signature, I shouldn't be able to be detected even by the best sensors! I even fooled that girl with the Byakugan!

"I can't explain it, but I feel an overwhelmingly negative presence..." Naruto said, pointing at Bee's Samehada. "Right in that sword!"

Samehada responded to that...by leaping off of Bee's back and landing with it's 'tail', the hilt acting like a single leg right behind Hinata. From the top of it, Hoshigaki Kisame himself came out of the swords mouth, smirking as he took out a kunai, pointing it right at the Hyuga Heiress's neck.

"I guess I can't continue my surveillance any longer," Kisame said with a smirk. Extending one of the spikes that made up Samehada's body, he opened up the sealing chamber. "I'm going to go out of here quietly, and this pretty head won't be hurt..."

Yamato growled as Bee took out his swords. Hinata's eyes widened...but she went back to a calm determination. I...I don't need anyone to save me...I need to stand on my own, we can't let this Akatsuki escape! Focusing her chakra to her eyes. "Byakugan!"

Her Byakugan activated...and then morphed to the form it was before. The yin-yang symbol appeared in her eyes. And when it did, all the chakra pores on her body opened and released a stream of spinning chakra around her...forming a Kaiten in a split second! Before Kisame could reacted, and before Samehada could absorb the chakra, both were sent flying towards the wall. The Tail-less Biju let out a grunt of surprise as he impacted the white walls, a little bit of blood leaking from his lip.

What the hell was that? I thought Hyuga needed to spin to do that move! He thought as he started to fall. Wincing, he got a better look at her eyes as she turned. Wait...is that even a Byakugan?

Naruto blinked, looking at Hinata but then back at Kisame. "I won't let you escape!" he said, moving to leap...and time seemed to slow down for him. The Tail-less Biju had barely begun to fall when he was smashed against the wall again, this time the wall splintering and cracking as Naruto slammed his fist hard into Kisame's body which was still in Samehada. What...how...

"What...what was that?" Yamato asked, head darting back to Hinata, then to Naruto whose fist was still embedded in Samehada.

"Yeesh, non-spinning Kaiten smashed Kisame like a melon! And was that a Shunshin...since all I saw was a Yellow Flash!" Killer Bee said as Naruto finally yanked his fist out, letting the stricken Kisame fall to the floor.

How...did he do that...I couldn't...even react... Kisame thought, blood flowing from his mouth. I have to get out of here, the odds are far too stacked against me...!

Quickly, before Naruto could process his new speed or Bee, Yamato, or Hinata could react, the Tail-less Biju scurried out of the room, using Samehada's spines like insect legs, fleeing into the temple and heading for the falls. All the while, a trail of Kisame's blood was leaked leaving a solid trail. The young Hokage found himself stuck in the wall, and just punched the ground to dislodge his leg before leaping back to the floor.

"We have to get him before he gets off the island!" Yamato said as he, Hinata, and Bee ran over to Naruto who nodded.

"I can still sense his malice, I'll keep track on him with that!" Naruto said as they began running in formation out of the sealing chamber.

Hinata's eyes were back to their normal Byakugan. "I can still see him, he's heading for the exit!" she extended her range. "Tenko-kun, Gai-sensei, Motoi-san and Aoba-san are outside of the falls, it looks like Gai-sensei's heading to the island in the waterfall's pool!"

"Great, Shark man's the bait!" Bee said, moving his arms to a beat. "They can keep him contained so I can bring out Number Eight!"

Naruto picked up speed, running as fast as he would be in Sage Mode. ...we have to stop him from getting off the island, he's gotten too much info!

Outside of the temple, Gai, Motoi, and Tenko were talking amongst themselves as Aoba looked up at the sky. Tenko was a little eager to show Naruto of his progress with the Rasengan, he had nearly finished the final step of the technique. He gave a grin, lifting up his hand and the chakra began swirling in it.

Naruto, you're going to be real surprised I got it down so fast!

"YOSH! So Naruto-kun is training to master the Kyubi beyond this point?" Gai yelled in his bombastic fashion.

"Yes...to get past the falls, you have to defeat your true self though," Motoi said as Gai grinned, doing his good guy pose.

"Yosh! Then I'll face my true self then! My youth will explode on it!" Gai announced, looking at the falls. I wonder what my true self will be like! As youthful and energetic as me?

A shadow began appearing behind the falls and Gai braced himself, wondering what it'd look like. To Motoi's surprise, he also began seeing it as did Tenko and Aoba. Konoha's taijutsu master squeezed his hand into a tight fist as a nervous bead of sweat began trickling from his cheek.

"Really...you really shouldn't be talking about youth this and youth that..." the shadow started ominously. "An old man like yourself might harm yourself if you're not careful..." it began forming a more Gai-like shape as he gulped. "I know you want to be youthful in front of Lee, but no one wants to force you to be youthful forever, right?"

"Show yourself! If you're going to talk like that!" Gai ordered, his eyes showing a renewed fire as he pumped his fist up.

"Alright...know your true self..." the figure started before Kisame, still merged with Samehada burst out of the waterfall, completely breaking the ritual as he tried to make his escape.

T-This is my true self? Gai thought, his eyes widening as he thought it was a manifestation of the falls creating his true self. Some weird blow fish? Or some kind of strange animal?

Kisame's eyes widened as he spat out the remaining blood from his mouth, his body healing by forcefully drawing upon Samehada's chakra. Gai immediately got into a fighting stance as Motoi, Tenko, and Aoba's jaws dropped.

"Have you forgotten your youth? I will beat it right back into you to make you remember!"

"Gai-san, that's not your true self!" Motoi yelled as Tenko took a fighting stance, easing into the one that Jiraiya usually would take. "Be careful!"

Kisame began falling to the ground. Just have to reach the water, then I'll be able to make my escape...

Before he could even reach the water however, Gai jumped up, throwing both of his legs out and he shoved his elbow out hard. "Konoha Kaiganshō (Leaf Destroying Rock Rise)!"

Slamming his elbow hard right into Kisame's chest, the swordsman Akatsuki groaned right in pain as he was sent flying right into the cliff face near the waterfall. The rock splintered and shattered before breaking completely as he fell to the ground hard. Lifting his head up weakly, he bore his sharpened teeth in frustration.

On every...single turn now. Now this idiot!

Bee and Naruto burst out of the falls at the same time, Naruto's Kyubi chakra still flickering around him, and then Hinata and Yamato too. Kisame glanced over...and he cursed again mentally.

"What are you saying that that isn't my true self?" Gai asked slowly as Kisame tried moving. "This...is...?"

Kisame smirked a little. So he's finally remembered?

"Some type of weird blow fish?"

Everyone paused for several seconds as Yamato's jaw dropped. "Its the Akatsuki Kisame Hoshigaki! He infiltrated us Gai!"

Blood dripped from Kisame's mouth however. "As usual, the beast doesn't get any smarter..."

"We can't let him escape Gai-sensei," Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles.

Samehada then pulled off of Kisame, heading for Bee and it began wailing. "Ah I see, so he forced you to do all those things! You didn't want to!" Bee said as he put his hands on the sentient sword's scales. "Its alright, I forgive you!"

Akatsuki? Tenko thought, his eyes narrowing and he instantly performed the seals. "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!"

Kisame was one step ahead, slipping into the water right before the Yomi Numa could form beneath his prone form. The gills on his shoulders and cheeks began turning the water into oxygen and he swam right to Samehada's swinging hilt as it cuddled against Killer Bee. Licking his lip, he flexed his hand and grabbed Samehada roughly, sending a command into his wayward blade. It then bit right into Killer Bee's bicep, gnawing away at it as it began to drain the chakra from him.

Excellent, that should do! Kisame thought as he flexed his hand, now at full power again. Surfacing for a second, Tenko again tried again.

"Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)!" Tenko yelled as Killer Bee jumped out of the way, Samehada letting go of his bicep.

"Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet)!" Kisame exclaimed with a viscous smirk, slamming his palm to the water's surface, the water shaping into a great white shark and lunging at the incoming fireball, the clash of the two attacks threw up a stream of steam, before the water shark burst through it right at Tenko.

He jumped out of the way and Kisame gave a smirk, whipping his arms around as the steam cleared out of their vision. Aoba capitalized on that as did Hinata, the Tokebetsu Jonin tossing several kunai with wires attached to them while the Hyuga Heiress used a Hakke Kusho, launching an air shell right at him. Kisame blocked Aoba's kunai with his forearm and caught the air sphere with his hand, and his body glowed blue for a moment...the air sphere vanishing.

"Hijutsu Ishibari (Secret Technique: Stone Needle)!" Aoba yelled, sending a paralyzing pulse of his chakra through the wires and the Akatsuki Swordsman smirked.

A ninjutsu that stops your movements through injecting chakra...an even greater meal than that air shell that Hyuga girl sent at me! Kisame thought, his body glowing blue again as he reversed the pull of Aoba's chakra, draining him through the wires.

Aoba's eyes widened and he dropped to his knees. He's draining me entirely...!

Naruto leaped in as Kisame completed another seal sequence and waved the water right in front of him. "Sorry Naruto-san, going to have to imprison you for a while. Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Technique)."

"Damn it not this!" Naruto yelled as the water prison formed around him and Kisame split off from the circular prison after forming a Mizu Bushin.

"YOSH! I'll take you down!" Gai yelled, launching a spin kick. "Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind)!"

Contemptuously, Kisame blocked him with his forearm and did another seal sequence, creating another Suikōdan no Jutsu which launched Gai into the air and he then used it to swim away, diving under the water and moving at full speed towards the coast. Tenko began tossing kunai at him but Kisame was too fast, dodging each as he dived and disappeared from view.

"Damn it!" Tenko yelled angrily as Naruto ceased using Chakra Mode and began floating inside the water prison, calming himself down.

Calm down...just use Sage Mode to get out of this... Naruto thought as he floated motionlessly in the water prison.

Motoi gritted his teeth. "We have to move quickly, if he gets off the island I won't be able to track him!"

"YOSH! I'll handle that!" Gai yelled as a green glow engulfed him, his skin turning red. "Keimon...OPEN!"

Hinata's eyes located Kisame, and she pointed. "He's in that direction, Gai-sensei! He's almost at the coast!"

"Yo...beast..." Bee said as he held out his arm...and it began growing and the fingers fused together, and his elbow jutted out until it formed a small version of one of Hachibi's arms. "I can do this, at least!"

Gai nodded, jumping onto Bee's hand as the Jinchuriki took a deep breath...and then tossed Konoha's Blue Beast with all his might through the air...and then he collapsed. Naruto floated in the water prison, having a hard time staying still enough to collect the Natural Energy safely. What's worse, he was starting to run out of air.

Damn it! I can't hold my... Naruto thought as he went into his mind again to get Kyubi's chakra from the orb again. I'll have to use this to break out!

Hinata was two steps ahead of him thought, charging Kisame's Mizu Bushin. The clone smirked, lifting his arm away from the water prison and going to knock her away. She thought of the lessons of how to do the Rasengan, how to rotate and strengthen the chakra...and chakra began swirling around her hand and wrist as she began shaping it. Right at her finger tips the rotation and power were at their sharpest, and her eyes widened.

Its like...a spinning spear...that's it...! Hinata thought as she ducked the Mizu Bushin's slash. "Rasenyari (Spinning Spear)!"

And with that, she slammed her Rasenyari right into the Mizu Bushin's chest, and the spinning chakra around her arm drilled outwards and obliterated the clone in surprise. Tenko and Naruto's jaws dropped, and Motoi's eyes widened seeing the attack.

That was like...Sandaime's legendary Nukite! Motoi thought, looking at Hinata who had the same look of surprise on her face. He got the image of the Sandaime Raikage, Akui, charging into battle against the Hachibi, slicing off its tails. And she...doesn't even know...

"That was...badass Hinata-chan!" Tenko said, Naruto gasping for air as he accessed his Chakra Mode again.

"Damn...were you saving that...that's twice today that you surprised me!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully, wiping the water off his face as steam rose from his chakra cloak and the water around him.

Hinata flushed. "I just...thought of it after remembering your Rasengan lessons Naruto-kun..." she then gasped. "The Akatsuki Member is nearly at the coast, Gai-sensei hasn't caught up to him yet!"

"Then we don't have any time to waste!" Naruto said, the chakra flickering around his body.

Gai was nearly half way to the coast when he began descending and he quickly bit his thumb and did a few hand seals. Slamming his palm down in the air, lines formed into three circles under his hand and then a puff of smoke appeared under him. When the smoke cleared...he was standing on his giant tortoise: Ningame.

"What the? Gai, what am I..."

"Sorry Ningame, I needed another boost!" Gai yelled as he leaped off of Ningaime's shell, giving him the boost of height and speed he needed as his tortoise plummeted.

Ningame withdrew into his shell and hit the top of a...big...head in a rock outcropping. It was a giant turtle's head! It lifted up its head, munching on a bunch of seaweed and other vegetation as it continued swimming along at a very slow speed.

Gai began appearing, seeing the Kisame starting to stow the scroll away into the shark's jaws. He landed right in front of Kisame, who smirked back. The Akatsuki smirked, having already formed his plan.

"You live up to your namesake, beast. You're persistent."

"That scroll you have has the intel, isn't it? I won't let you get away!"

"Can you stop me here? I have the advantage," Kisame said with a smirk, flying through the seals and he slammed his palm down. "Suiton: Senjikizame (Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks)!"

Immediately, Gai got into his normal fighting stance as a massive wave of sharks began forming in front of him. They rose nearly thirty meters high, Kisame's riding on the wave, intent on ripping Konoha's Blue Beast apart. The gleam of the sharks' teeth was nearly blinding as the Akatsuki Swordsman gave a viscous grin.

I can't tell which shark is which! Gai thought to himself, and he narrowed his eyes. I'll just have to wipe them all out! He leaped up and his fists were engulfed in flames as he breathed in. "Asaku Kujaku (Morning Peacock)!"

Gai began punching the air so fast, fireballs began being thrown right at the wall of sharks. It was a numbers game then. For every shark that the blue beast destroyed however, two more seemed to take their place. But the wave began getting smaller and smaller...and several sharks were trying to make a break for it.

Where's the scroll? Gai thought as he fell back into the water, his fists still ablaze and he could see the sharks darting below the waves. There are just too many! I'll have to widen my scope!

"He's not going after the sharks...fine then, I'll just have to rip him to shreds!"

Gai crossed his arms as he began sinking below the water...and veins pulsed visibly on his forehead. "Dai nana Kyoman...kai (Gate of Wonder, open)!" When he did that, the water bursts away from him and began boiling. It was like he was practically floating now, and Kisame grinned, getting into attack range.

"A taijutsu that uses extremely fast punches to create a flame from friction, and destroys the enemy with a flaming blast!" Kisame praised as he created a new seal. "You really are a skilled beast, ninjas with taijutsu at this level are rare!"

"Maybe I am a rare beast, a rare blue beast of prey! And that taijutsu was nothing compared to what's coming next!" Gai announced, pulling his fist down in front of his chest. "Its not something you see often..."

His green chakra is increasing...its repelling and evaporating the water... Kisame thought, staring Gai down.

At the same moment, they executed their attacks. Kisame intertwined his fingers and pushed his hands forward, while Gai slammed fist into his palm. The water coalesced into a giant water shark around the Akatsuki swordsman, dwarfing the others he summoned or created before while around Gai, his aura turned into a massive white tiger. The two attacks seemed to roar at each other before being launched.

"Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique)!" Kisame yelled, thrusting his hands out with his fingers curled pointing up and down.

"Hirudora (Daytime Tiger)!" Gai retorted, pushing his hands forward in a strange seal which had him cross his middle fingers, point both thumbs up and point his pinkies forward. His middle fingers were engulfed in chakra as the Hirudora surged forward.

Both attacks, white tiger and great shark charged at each other, sending waves cresting away from them. Kisame smirked, pushing forward with even more force to make the Daikōdan cross the distance faster.

Daikōdan is no ordinary jutsu..its designed to absorb the chakra from enemy ninjutsu to grow larger and more powerful. The stronger my opponent's jutsu, the stronger Daikōdan becomes...

Hirudora and Daikōdan finally clashed, the tiger shaped attack smashing into the giant shark's head before the jaws of Daikōdan expanded and with one bite, engulfed Hirudora. It began shrinking, just like Kisame expected as it began going into the shark's stomach towards him...but something was wrong...it looked like it was increasing in speed! What's more, there was no increase in size of the Daikōdan.

Something's wrong...that 'Hirudora' was swallowed but my jutsu isn't even stronger... Kisame thought as the now fist-size projectile howled towards him at increasing speeds, multiple shock waves being felt as it broke the sound barrier several times under water. It should have absorbed its chakra...its not a chakra missile?

"Roar, youth!" Gai commanded his attack and there was a bright flash as Kisame's eyes widened.

The tiger shaped fist detonated, sending a massive dome bursting out with the same tiger stripes that had been on the jutsu. The remaining sharks were destroyed, either being summoned back to their point of origin or being reduced back to their original water state again. Not only that, a wave was sent crashing into the island turtle and the shock wave was felt by everyone inland. Trees were uprooted and blown apart while the waves crashed into the side of the massive sea turtle.

"What the hell is that?" Tenko yelled.

"That's Gai's Hirudora!" Yamato replied, shielding his face.

"Huh...Hirudora? That's not the sort of name of an attack I'd expect from Gai-sensei..." Naruto commented, his chakra cloak still whipping around him.

"There's no time to worry about that!" Yamato yelled as he did a seal, intertwining his fingers and a massive wood dome rose. "Get in here, Hirudora's energy will spread throughout the island and the surrounding area!"

They got behind Yamato's wooden dome not a second too late. The massive air burst from the Hirudora ripped inland and flattened the surrounding forest around them. Nearly a third of the forest on the Island Turtle had been destroyed by the shock wave, and finally the outer rocky ridges of the turtle's shell were chipped and battered by the tidal wave that hit moments later. Few of the rocks fell off and were washed away. Shortly the Hirudora dispersed, and Gai was standing over a defeated Kisame, the scroll he had in hand.

"Don't. Move," Gai commanded, the green aura still wafting off his body.

"...that jutsu...it wasn't a chakra missile was it?" Kisame asked weakly, his light blue body was covered in burns from the impact of the Hirudora.

"Hirudora isn't a ninjutsu, its a taijutsu!" Gai replied proudly, standing over his defeated enemy. "It's just a punch, a very fast punch. It concentrates the air pressure in the direction of my opponent, and it diffuses upon compressing! And this aura surrounding me isn't chakra either, anyone who opens the seventh gate, Kyoman, sweats green sweat! It is the hot air evaporating off my body!"

"No wonder what I thought was a chakra missile getting smaller...this is the third time I faced you...but I had no idea you harbored such a secret until now," Kisame gave a smirk. "Well...you probably won't remember me...but you should have done one thing first." Gai's eyebrow raised and the Akatsuki swordsman smirked. "You should have checked if I was a clone instead of my sharks!"

Gai's eyes widened as Kisame exploded into a puff of smoke, and he began looking around rapidly. I fought...a clone the entire time?

Out at sea, on the route to the Land of Water

Kisame surfaced, smirking as he looked back...he was now far enough away from the Island Turtle, swimming a well known route to him towards his next target. With his Kage Bushin providing the ample distraction against Gai, he could get away to his objective nearly unnoticed. And now he was receiving the intelligence received on Gai's jutsu after it was dispersed.

"Excellent..." Kisame said with a smirk, swimming at a far faster rate. "The next time I fight that stupid beast, I'll be the winner!"

The gills on his shoulders began working overtime, and he took a dive and began swimming like a torpedo. At the rate he was going, he'd reach his target in a few hours...since Hanzo the Salamander's death, he was the fastest shinobi in water. Lazily putting his hands to his sides, he let his feet kick up a small bubble swarm as he swam at full speed.

Kirigakure

Mei Terumi was walking with those she put in charge of the village's 'home guard'. The Mizukage wanted to be sure the village would be safely protected before heading back to Kumogakure with the majority of their forces. The home guard would consist of nearly 5000 ninja to guard and continue to take missions to bring in revenue so the economy could continue. The village elder was put in charge, he leaned on his staff.

"The village'll be fine, Mizukage-sama," the elder said with a grin. "You don't have to worry about it, you should just focus on beating Madara and Akatsuki in this War."

"I know..." Mei said as they walked through the mists, passing the civilians along the street. "Kirigakure has suffered much though, I can't help but worry..."

"Aye...Yagura's Bloody Mist and the Kekkei Genkai purges are a blight on our people," the elder said as they kept walking. "But we should start focusing on the future! With all Five great nations united, think of all the great things we can accomplish."

She grinned. "Right oji-sama..." she cleared her hair out of her face, Ao and Chojuro were walking with her as her guard. There were statues of the past Mizukages along the main pier of the village, from Shodaime...who looked like a humanoid shark with a huge blade on his back, to the Nidaime who looked like a laid back guy standing on a giant clam, the mysterious and powerful Sandaime who had a huge jug on his back for his acids, to Yondaime...Yagura of the Bloody Mist, complete with Sanbi's tails spurting from his back. Her own statue followed after Yagura's, and she smiled proudly at it.

Ao stretched. "Our detection barrier should be updated before we go, Mizukage-sama. We don't want the village to be caught flat footed by nuke-ninja..."

"Good idea," Mei said as they kept walking. "We'll swing by it before leaving the village."

At that moment, Kisame had poked his head out of water next to the main pier, overhearing the conversation up above. He gave a shark-like grin, looking up at the sky to see the time of day and he licked his lips. Since the sun was setting, the mist would begin to build up to its maximum amount.

Excellent...its about this time that the mist becomes thicker... he did a seal. "Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)."

Mist began rising around him as the wind started picking up and he sent it forward through the village, no one even detecting the change. Swimming to shore, he used a jutsu to have the water evaporate off of himself and added to the Kirigakure no Jutsu, so there'd be no trace of him coming out of the water. When he was fully out, he began running at full speed, avoiding the sentries and other ninja and jumping onto the buildings.

He headed straight to the Mizukage Tower, heading in through an open window. His eyes darted back and forth as he began walking straight to his target. He then froze, moving up against the wall as a jonin walked into carry some more paperwork in for the elder. Acting quickly, Kisame shunshined behind him, grabbed his neck and with one swift movement broke it, and he dragged him to a supply closet.

Too easy, though it'll be a lot easier when I get my objective... Kisame thought as he climbed up against the wall, seeing another Jonin come walking in.

Leaping down swiftly, he grabbed him by the neck and kneed him in the back, right in the spine. The Kirigakure Jonin gasped, his back then his neck breaking and he died nearly instantly from his injuries. Stowing the second dead body way, he made his way to the archives. Seeing another two guards at the opening of them, he reached down quickly, grabbed their heads and smashed them with such force he cracked their skulls, killing them near instantly.

He broke into the archives, knowing he'd set off the alarm. But Kisame knew it wouldn't matter, and he charged right on through and powered through any of the barriers that were put up inside. And then there it was...Sameha...or 'Shark's Tooth', the Shodaime Mizukage's own sword displayed prominently in the archives. It was scaled like Samehada, but there were a line of sharp teeth around the sides. The scales seem to shiver as Kisame approached, sharp teeth poking from its hilt to prevent itself from being grabbed.

"The strongest blade ever forged in Kirigakure..." Kisame said with a smirk, heading over as he grasped its hilt. The sword hissed and he began feeding his chakra to it. "Yes, that's it, you like having a lot of chakra don't you...just like your little brother."

Sameha hissed and rattled in joy, withdrawing the teeth to let Kisame get a better grip. The scales shivered and the Akatsuki Swordsman lifted it up, grinning widely. Both Samehada and Sameha had been forged of the same material-the carapace of Sanbi, which is why they could absorb chakra. They were drawn to it. But unlike Samehada, which had trouble with ninjutsu, Sameha had been refined further...it lacked that weakness.

Kisame swiped the air with his new Sameha, breaking down the remaining barriers. He gave a fierce grin, and he sensed something. Jumping out of the way of a large glob of lava, he saw Mei Terumi there with Ao and Chojuro.

"K-Kisame Hoshigaki?" Chojuro gasped in shock, holding the Hirameki out. "But...Killer Bee-sama said he was dead!"

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...ah the Hirameki, you must be the new meat of the Seven Swordsman," Kisame replied politely, flicking his wrist. "You must be quite the swordsman yourself for at a young age."

Ao's eyes narrowed. "You have some nerve returning to Kirigakure, Kisame," he flicked his wrists and two scythes dropped into his hands. "Since you aren't leaving it."

"True, I'd have loved to spend more time in my old village," Kisame said with a grin. "Chat with the new Mizukage here, see how different she is from Yagura-sama..."

"You'll find out, you aren't leaving alive," Mei said, doing several seals in a flash. "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)!"

Taking a deep breath, the Mizukage then spat out a large wave of molten rock right at Kisame. The Akatsuki swordsman smirked and he whipped Sameha out, slashing right through the lava...which was absorbed right into the blade. Ao charged at him, his Byakugan now active and he began engaging in close combat with him, tossing one of his scythes at Kisame to force him to block.

Kisame dodged, the teeth now spinning around Sameha and he slashed at the Hunter Ninja leader, who was forced to break off. Chojuro leaped in, his Hirameki shifting to a giant hammer and he swung hard, smashing the hammer into the Sameha, which absorbed the chakra but the force sent Kisame skidding back. Mei then followed up with a kick, slamming it right into the Akatsuki Swordsman's face and making him roll back and jump back up to his feet.

"Heh, I really needed a warmup with my new weapon," Kisame said as he gripped Sameha tightly, blood leaking from his cheek where Mei had kicked.

Mei then jumped, doing several seals and when she landed she slammed both hands to the ground. "Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall)!" A wall of earth rose behind her, sealing her and Kisame in and she smirked. "I believe I'll eliminate Yagura's primary enforcer here and now..."

"Oh, is that what I'm called here now? I'm flattered," Kisame said with a smirk.

"Just one of many, Hoshigaki-dono," Mei said respectfully. "But I'm afraid you won't get to hear them..." She did the horse seal. "Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu (Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique)!"

Finishing up her seals, she then blew out a thick mist from her mouth. Kisame blinked in surprise, his vision being clouded. So the rumors are true...she does possess two Kekkei Genkai...this is bad...

Kisame then winced, his skin starting to sizzle and melt. "I will melt you down and return Shodaime's blade to its proper place," Mei said with a grin. "Shame we can't have more talks..."

"Hm...interesting jutsu...so that's why you sealed us off," Kisame said calmly, flicking Sameha which ate some of the mist, but not all which was rapidly replaced. "So your two bodyguards wouldn't be caught in it."

"Of course, I can't have my precious supporters being killed," Mei said with a grin. "And unlike you, the acid doesn't bother me."

Wincing as he continued to be burned, Kisame turned to the wall and charged. "Then I'll just break out of here!"

Swinging Sameha with all his might, he smashed into the wall that led out of the building. Grinning like a madman, the teeth of his new sword began spinning at high speed and he cut right through the wall to let the mist escape, before punching it to blow it apart. He leaped out, steam lifting from his body from where the acid burned leaving a shocked Mei behind. She then gritted her teeth, dispelling her acidic mist and her wall and she then took chase, Ao and Chojuro following.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)!" Mei yelled, shooting a blast of water from her mouth and it formed into a giant dragon with glowing eyes and she jumped right into it, using it as a fast means of transport to catch Kisame.

Kisame glanced back, running at full speed as Sameha gave him some of its chakra to repair his wounds. "Sution: Suikōdan no Jutsu!" He yelled, turning back and he spat out a giant water shark from his mouth which clashed into Mei's water dragon. She was forced to leap out of it as both attacks collided and Mei landed on her feet.

Need to limit the amount of damage to catch him... Mei thought as she did the seals and slammed her hands to the ground. "Yōton: Kasho Kiretsu (Lava Release: Burning Fissure)!"

The ground split, and like a fissure volcanic eruption molten rock began rising up and bursting from the ground like geysers, traveling towards Kisame as he ran. Feeling the heat behind him, he dove out of the way as the rest of the village was scrambled to fight him. Ao lead several hunter ninja after him, launching several weapons and ninjutsu at him.

"Thanks for playing into my hands!" Kisame yelled, leaping up and avoiding the next fiery geyser and he slashed at the incoming projectiles and ninjutsu, Sameha gobbling them up and he did a seal. "Suiton: Mizu Funsha (Water Release: Water Jet)!"

His cheeks swelled slightly, and he shot out a stream of high pressure water at the ground and launched him right towards the harbor. He grinned widely, dodging the fireballs launched from Mei who tried to hit him. Kisame gave a respectful salute, turning and slashing Sameha right through the barrier that was erected to stop him, and he let gravity take its course as he dove under the water and started swimming away at full speed.

The Mizukage truly lives up to her name, heh, in the War I'd love to settle this. But that Blue Beast will die saying my name on his lips! Kisame thought, diving deep and out of his pursuers sights.

Mei jumped onto the water with Ao and Chojuro. "Ao, where is he?"

"He's dove to the sea floor! He's out of the harbor and..." Ao gritted his teeth. "He's gotten out of my range...I don't know where he is now...!"

Mei's eye twitched and she yelled in anger, sending a tidal wave out as it responded to her movements. Chojuro gulped, looking at Hirameki.

"Send word to Kumogakure, we leave immediately! And also inform the Alliance that Kisame is alive and at large," Mei ordered as she jumped up onto the pier. "This insult will not stand!"

"Hai, Mizukage-sama!" Ao and Chojuro yelled before running to do her tasks.

Island Turtle

Gai had landed at the rest of the group, exiting Kyoman. The green steam from his body ceased and his face turned back to normal. He sighed, squeezing his hand into a tight fist before kneeling in front of Naruto.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, he fooled me with a Kage Bushin. He got away," Gai said, bowing his head low. "I will defeat Hoshigaki Kisame though, I assure you!"

Naruto blinked. "Um...not your fault, I fooled people with my clone feints Gai-sensei, so its not a detraction from you...you did good...and you don't need to call me that..."

"Alright Naruto...but I won't fail next time! That's a promise of a life time!" Gai said.

Hinata breathed in. "Will this place still be secure? Did we at least get the information back Gai-sensei?"

"No, the scroll was fake," Gai replied as he squeezed his hand into a tight fist. "I spent nearly a half hour fighting off the trap he set in it..."

Motoi nodded. "Then we need to prepare the area for battle, first off by evacuating the animals into the safety of the temple."

"I'll get right on that, it'll be a snap!" Bee said with a grin, Samehada snuggling up on his back.

One of the Cloud Ninja kept looking at Hinata, licking his lips. Soon...very soon...

With that, the group broke off to start the preparations for the island so they'd be ready for the incoming attack. The Cloud Ninja who was after Hinata smirked, knowing that he'll be able to accomplish his goal soon. Vanishing in a Raiton Shunshin, he grasped his blade, leaping through the trees...

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

Whew, this was a fun chapter to write. And I managed to do it quickly too, and my plans for the next chapter are already in the works. I was finally able to showcase Mei's abilities. In my opinion, her power is superior to Kisame's. Her duo Kekkei Genkai are pretty broken, after all, as well as her mastery of the other elements that she can use.

How do you like Hinata's new attack? The jutsu Mei displayed? The jutsu Tenko used? Please, tell me because I'd like your feedback. And with a special treat, the return of the Jutus List!

Jutsu List:

Asaku Kujaku (Morning Peacock): A-Rank, taijutsu, kinjutsu, offensive: The user activates the Sixth Gate, Keimon, and launches themselves into the air. Then they launch a flurry of punches, at a speed which ignites the fist and send fireballs crashing into the target.

Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall): B-Rank, ninjutsu, defensive: The user either spits out mud in front of them, or slams their hands to the ground, making a large wall in front or behind them. A skilled user can even use it to form a box to trap the target.

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld): B-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: Molding the chakra underneath the target's feet, the user slams their hands down. When they do that, they change the composition of the earth, no matter what the substance, into a bottomless swamp. Not only that, the mud in the swamp is incredibly sticky and impossible to break out of. Even one of Nagato's bodies, despite their high amount of physical strength, was unable to break out.

Fukyu Kaiten (Eternal Rotation): No-Rank, Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai, offensive, defensive, supplementary: The first ability of the Keihatsu Byakugan. Wraps the user in a spinning Kaiten to deflect attacks. Unlike the normal Byakugan one, the user is free to attack while the Kaiten is still spinning, eliminating one of its weaknesses.

Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu (Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique): No-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive, supplementary: The user lures the target into an enclosed space, which they fill with an acidic mist. Said mist has to be carefully laid so it won't burn though the surroundings, just hit the target. In moments, burns appear and eventually kill the target, either through them breathing in the mist or the spreading of the burns.

Hijutsu Ishibari (Secret Technique: Stone Needle): C-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: The user attaches wires to kunai, launching them at a target. Once embedded, they channel their own chakra to the target and paralyze them.

Hirudora (Daytime Tiger): S-Rank, taijutsu, kinjutsu, offensive: The user activates Kyoman, the Seventh Gate. They then launch a single punch, which is shaped by the aura of the user into a giant white tiger which upon impact, detonates with explosive force.

Jigokuzuki (Hell Stab): S-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: Sandaime Raikage's strongest ninjutsu, more commonly referred to as 'Nukite', concentrates his lightning around his hand to form a sharp 'spear'. The user can withdraw fingers to increase the cutting and penetrative power of the attack, using it with one finger creates the Raikage's strongest spear, able to cut through and pierce anything. With it, he was able to sever all of the Hachibi's tails at once.

Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet): C-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: Combining their flame with oil, the user shoots out a large fireball from their mouth several times stronger than a fireball without the oil. Can reduce most targets to ashes.

Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique): D-Rank, ninjutsu, supplementary: The user creates a blinding mist to allow for infiltration and assassination, used in conjunction with the 'Silent Killing' technique. All the Seven Swordsmen have mastered this technique, using it to great effect. It can even blind the Sharingan, however the Byakugan is unaffected.

Konoha Kaiganshō (Leaf Destroying Rock Rise): D-Rank, taijutsu, offensive: The user simply launches themselves with a rising elbow, hitting them hard.

Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind): D-Rank, taijutsu, offensive: The user uses their high speed, launching a powerful spin kick.

Rasenyari (Spinning Spear): A-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: The user applies the first two steps of the Rasengan, wrapping the spinning empowered chakra around their hand and arms. With it, they can drill through a target. Like Jigokuzuki, the user can increase the spin by withdrawing their fingers so they can penetrate stronger defenses. Like the Rasengan, it also inflicts internal damage on the target. Due to the high amount of chakra control needed, medical ninja or Hyuga are the best candidates to learn it.

Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique): S-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: The user shapes the water around them into a giant shark, sending them flying at the target. If the target launches any ninjutsu, they are absorbed into the Daikodan, which increases in size and power until it collides with the target.

Suiton: Mizu Funsha (Water Release: Water Jet): C-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive, supplementary: The user shapes a jet of water in their mouth, and then launches it. If it hits the ground, it can propel the user at high speeds through the air. If aimed at the target, it can rip their body apart.

Suiton: Senjikizame (Water Release: Thousand Feeding Sharks): A-Rank: Ninjutsu, offensive, supplementary: The user creates a massive wave out of a thousand Suikodan sharks, the sheer amount means no matter what the enemy tries, they'll be hit by the attack or it'd provide a distraction to let a few sharks escape.

Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet): B-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: The user creates a shark made of water to bombard the target, or it can be used as a quick means of escape.

Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Technique): D-Rank, ninjutsu, supplementary: The user captures the target in a large 'bubble' of heavy water which restricts their movements. The water is so heavy, they can't move normally and they rapidly run out of air.

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet): B-Rank, ninjutsu, offensive: The user, either using the water from a source or creating it internally, shapes it into a giant dragon which can bombard the target. It can also be used as a fast means of transport, or it can swallow and then launch the target at high speeds.

Yōton: Kasho Kiretsu (Lava Release: Burning Fissure): No-Rank, Kekkei Genkai, ninjutsu, offensive: The user slams their hands to the ground, creating magma underneath which then launches in a line of flaming geysers to either cut off an escape or incinerate a target.

Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique): No-Rank, Kekkei Genkai, ninjutsu, offensive: The user spits out a wave of lava from their mouths to incinerate the target, or trap them by melting an exit and sealing it.