028 Kumo Shinobi Pursuit

The next morning, the Cloud Village search team found the area where Killer Bee had fought Kisame, following the trail of clues they had gathered along the way.

Kumo Anbu: "There are deep sword marks everywhere. A high-level shinobi must have fought here. And here, this blade... it's Samehada, the giant sword of the Mist!"

Raikage: "Hmph! Hoshigaki Kisame, of course, it's Akatsuki!"

Anbu: "The signs of battle are fresh. It likely happened last night. Master Bee didn't use a Tailed Beast Bomb, or this entire area would've been wiped out."

That was true, before meeting Kisame, Killer Bee had been training in enka with Master Asan. Using a Tailed Beast Bomb could've harmed his teacher, so Bee held back.

Raikage: "Where's Bee? Can you track him?!"

Anbu: "The ground is still wet, with large amounts of water. It's from a massive Water Style jutsu. If the user had died, the water would've disappeared quickly. The fact that it's still here means the caster is alive!"

"Master Bee doesn't specialize in large-scale Water Style. So it must've been the enemy's jutsu. That means… Master Bee was defeated!"

Raikage: "Damn Akatsuki!!!"

In a fury, the Raikage punched a tree, shattering it.

Raikage: "The battle happened last night! Kisame can't have gotten far with Bee. He must've left some kind of trail. Find him! If I catch that Akatsuki scum, I'll tear his head off myself!"

With that, the Cloud Shinobi launched a full-scale pursuit of Kisame.

By noon, Kisame was only ten miles from the designated village.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, loud explosions echoed from the woods behind him.

Kisame came to a stop and looked back.

"The traps I set are being triggered one after another… So they knew about them, but still charged in headfirst? That kind of recklessness…" 

He looked down at the unconscious Killer Bee.

"…must mean your dear brother is coming to save you."

Realizing a major fight was unavoidable, Kisame took out a thick iron chain, securely strapped Killer Bee to his back, and turned to face the forest behind him with Samehada in hand.

From the woods, crackling with lightning, the Raikage led the charge, lightning armor blazing, followed by Darui, Chee, and a team of elite Kumo Anbu.

Kisame stood firm and called out, "Raikage! Your brother's right here on my back. If you want him, you'll have to take him off my corpse!"

Raikage: "Gladly! Darui, all of you stay out of this. I'll kill this Akatsuki bastard myself!"

Crack!

Wrapped in his Lightning Release Armor, Raikage landed and sprang forward like a bolt of lightning!

He closed a hundred-meter gap in an instant, elbow first, lightning chakra surging

—Heavy Thunder Charge!

The same move that once knocked Jūgo out of his cursed transformation!

Kisame raised Samehada to block, and with a dull thud, Raikage's elbow slammed into the massive blade!

"!"

Kisame grunted, overwhelmed. He staggered back, gripping the sword with both hands, pushing against Raikage's monstrous strength but still, he kept getting knocked back.

BOOM!

With a second burst of power from Raikage's elbow, Kisame was launched into the air. 

As he flew, he drove Samehada into the ground, skidding for dozens of meters before grinding to a halt. Trees around him shattered from the force.

His arms numb, Kisame muttered in awe, "What a monster… even stronger than your brother in tailed beast form…"

Raikage: "Hmph."

He cracked his neck, muscles bulging like armor.

"If you're scared, it's too late now."

And then he charged again, faster and fiercer than before.

Kisame didn't dare let his guard down.

—Samehada: Flying Chain Slash!

The hilt of Samehada extended over ten meters, twisting like a chain. The blade whipped forward, slicing toward Raikage!

Crack! Snap!

But Raikage shifted positions mid-sprint, dodging the attack with ease.

Kisame frowned.

"More troublesome than strength… is his speed."

Letting go of Samehada, he quickly formed hand signs.

—Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu!

Whoosh!

A huge amount of chakra shaped into a speeding shark-headed water bullet, surging straight at the Raikage!

"Hmph. That won't stop me."

Raikage didn't even dodge, he charged straight through the shark bullet, smashing it apart with brute force.

But the impact of the water slightly slowed him down.

Kisame took the chance to grab Samehada again and stepped back.

"Normal Water Style attacks won't work on someone like him... so I'll just go all out."

He rapidly formed more hand signs, taking a deep breath.

—Water Style: Great Exploding Water Wave!

Whoooosh!!

A massive surge of water erupted from Kisame's mouth, flooding the entire area and creating a huge, swirling dome of water, a giant water prison that submerged the surrounding forest from above.

Darui and others who were patrolling in the rear quickly retreated to a farther distance and stared at the exaggerated water ball in front of them in amazement.

"This is a technique that only monsters can use. The water left on the battlefield before was this technique, right?"

"We're in enemy territory. The boss is at a disadvantage!"

Clang!

Darui drew his sword. "Get ready. We might need to back him up."

Meanwhile, inside the vast underwater dome, the Raikage regain his senses only to find himself trapped in an endless world of water. 

His vision was blurred, movement slowed by pressure from all sides, and worst of all, he couldn't breathe.

Why doesn't lightning work in water?

Because the Lightning Style chakra that generates it is also absorbed by the water around him.

Rustle—

On the far side of the dome, Kisame had already fused with Samehada, becoming a half-man, half-shark.

In this form, Kisame could breathe underwater, swim freely, sense chakra, and absorb it at will.

"Your speed is useless here. Your lightning armor is made of chakra—it'll just be drained. Let me speed that up for you…"

Splash! Splash! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kisame dashed through the water, hitting the Raikage's body again and again...

Kisame, which is fused with Samehada, is equivalent to the sword itself. Every time it collides, a large amount of Chakra will be absorbed...

The lightning coat on the Raikage's body became weaker, and he closed his eyes and buried his face.

Kisame smirked.

"Losing chakra… no air to breathe… painful, isn't it? Don't worry. It'll all be over soon…"

Outside the water dome, Darui asked nervously, "What's going on in there?"

Cee focused. "The boss isn't moving…"

"Still?!" Darui raised his sword, ready to charge in.

"Wait," Cee said. "His chakra—it's rising, not falling!"

Darui paused, then slowly lowered his blade. "Looks like he's about to use that again… He really doesn't want our help. Always so stubborn. He could fight with backup, but no, he insists on going solo!" 

Crack! Crack!

Inside the water dome, lightning suddenly flared stronger than ever. Raikage's hair turned into sharp bristles of static.

—Lightning Style Chakra Mode: Full Power!

Swish!

Kisame dashed forward again, but missed.

"What?! He resisted the water pressure and dodged my attack? His chakra just spiked to tailed-beast level! What is this?!" 

Gurgle...

Raikage, holding his breath, charged in with raw force.

Kisame quickly backed off, adjusting his plan. The water dome moved with him at the center, so as long as he kept his distance, Raikage couldn't break free.

"He's running out of chakra and air," Kisame thought. "No matter how strong he is, he can't last forever."

But Raikage had caught on to Kisame's plan and chased after him even harder.

Still, no matter how fast he was, the thick water slowed him down. 

And this was Kisame's domain. Without chakra sensing, Raikage couldn't pinpoint his enemy's exact location.

Gradually...he began to feel overwhelmed!

"Damn Akatsuki… every one of them has more disgusting abilities than the last!"

Kisame focused all his attention on the struggling Raikage and let out a breath of relief.

"At this rate, it's only a matter of time…"

But just then, a faint voice came from behind him.

"The Eighth Sword Style…"

Killer Bee was still chained to Kisame's back murmuring softly….

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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