~Recap~
"All right, then! Team Gai is ready to go!" the spandex-wearing jounin exclaimed. "Mara, we'll explain the mission to you on the way."
"Hai, sounds good," I replied, resituating my backpack.
"Let's move out!" Gai-sensei yelled.
With a whoosh, we were off to Suna.
* Mara's POV *
We've been traveling for a solid day into our 3-day journey, jumping swiftly through the trees. My team informed me of the Kazekage's capture and that we were to assist Kakashi-sensei's team in Suna. Other than that, there has only been small talk throughout the day. Our squad usually travels with the spandex-wearing duo in the front, followed by Neji, and then Tenten, Yorokobi, and I bringing up the rear.
"It's a beautiful day for a mission," I said, taking a deep breath and looking up at the cloudless sky. The weather was warm, but with a cool breeze.
"Hai, but I'm not happy about the mission itself. Poor Gaara-sama," Tenten replied wearily.
"I agree," I responded, still processing the idea that one of our rivals in the chuunin exam, the Kazekage, had been defeated and taken from his village. Who took him and for what purpose? I tried to remain positive and added, "But we will rescue Kazekage-sama."
Tenten perked up as she noticed our two green companions were slowly creeping away from us.
"Gai-sensei, Lee! You're running too fast!" she called to them. "Oi! I said you guys are going too fast!"
She let out a frustrated sigh. "We've been running nonstop for an entire day already. Let's take a little break!"
"Tenten, you lack discipline," Lee replied, with his head turned around and a slight smile on his lips.
Her face turned red and she was about to spit something back at our energetic comrade when our attention was set on a fuzzy creature in our path.
"Wait, Gai!" it called.
"Pakkun," Gai-sensei stated with his brow furrowed, identifying the little dog in front of us. We all stopped except for Yorokobi who continued straight to Pakkun. After they greeted one another, the brown dog turned to address our squad.
"Kakashi ordered all eight of us ninja dogs to split up and search for the scent of the Akatsuki members separately," Pakkun explained. "We discovered that they headed towards the River country between Konoha and the Sand. Your group is the closest to the Akatsuki as of right now."
"I see," Rock Lee stated, nodding his head.
So, one of my questions is answered: the Akatsuki took the Kazekage.
"Follow me," Pakkun ordered. "I'll explain more on the way."
"Great! Everyone, let's go!" Gai exclaimed.
Pakkun continued to explain that Sasori, a shinobi from Suna and member of the Akatsuki, had injured Kankuro and Sakura was able to heal him, though he is still in recovery. Kakashi's team is currently on the trail to the Akatsuki hideout as were we.
We finally got out of the wooded area and were strictly running on a rocky terrain. Suddenly, Kakashi's petite ninja dog began sniffing the air.
"What's the matter?" Gai-sensei inquired.
"Someone's coming!" he answered quickly.
Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the landscape for the enemy.
"Behind us!" he yelled, turning around swiftly.
As everyone repositioned, a giant object emerged from the rock and seemingly cut through the ground coming towards us, emulating a shark's fin in the water as it stalks its prey. Team Gai waited until the last second to evade the attack in hopes that the unknown object disrupting the Earth's surface could be identified. We all jumped to another location as it crashed into the boulder initially in front of us, creating a loud noise, dust, and rock debris.
As the dust cleared away, the form of a man came in to focus to reveal our opponent. Judging by the black cloak with red clouds, there was no doubt that he is a member of the Akatsuki. The person has blue skin, gills, and sharp teeth that closely resemble a shark. Creepy. He held a sword in his hand that was propped on his shoulder, which was the object that was unrecognizable before that pierced the earth's surface.
I've heard of this man before, his name is Kisame Hoshigaki.
"You...you are…" Gai-sensei began, staring at the man in disbelief.
"Do you know him, Gai-sensei?" Lee questioned.
Our leader glared at the Akatsuki member, as if looking at an old rival of his.
"Who are you?" he finally asked. Tenten and I let out a sigh, almost embarrassed from his behavior. For being on his team this long, you would think we'd be used to this by now. We both glowered at our sensei to see where this conversation would lead.
"Ah, it looks like the 'Bizarre Beast' is as dumb as one as well. At any rate, I'd better refresh your memory," Kisame snarked.
"What…an overwhelming amount of chakra," Neji stated, assessing our enemy with his Byakugan. "I haven't seen anyone with this much power since Naruto!"
"That much?" Rock Lee inquired.
"You really don't recognize me?" the Akatsuki member asked, continuing his interrogation with our sensei.
"It can't be you…" Gai began.
"Now you've got it," Kisame smirked.
"…you've met me before?" Gai replied.
"It seems that the animal has the brain of one as well," Kisame threatened. "Well, I'll make you remember soon enough."
"He's a member of the Akatsuki," I stated, only loud enough that Neji could hear me since he was the closest to me.
"Akatsuki?" Neji asked, a tiny bit of shock in his voice.
Before I could respond, Kisame chuckled, threw his sword into the air, and clapped his hands together.
"Suiton, Bakusui Shouha!" he exclaimed, his water element - explosive water shock wave jutsu.
"Get ready," Gai instructed, everyone nodded.
Kisame began spewing water from his mouth, creating a gigantic tsunami. He grabbed his sword as he rose to the top of the waves. Our team was able to avoid being washed away by standing on large boulders that emerged from the rapid current.
"Here I come," our enemy chuckled as he surfed towards us from the peak of the wave.
As we jumped out of the wave's impact and avoided our enemy, he chuckled again while storming past us. We landed and the water was calm momentarily, until Kisame rose through his waves, causing more tsunamis.
"Neji! Lee! Mara!" Tenten called in a panic tone from the air above us.
"How about now?" Kisame taunted with a large grin sitting upon his face. He whipped past our team, with a large wave to follow. "Have you remembered yet?"
"How could he create so much chakra?" Tenten asked aloud in disbelief.
"He has a tremendous amount of chakra," Neji replied, studying the Akatsuki member with his kekkei genkai. "I've never seen a technique like this!"
Suddenly, Kisame sunk beneath the water's surface.
"Where is he?" Lee asked, looking around to try and pinpoint the location of the shark-like foe.
Water jolted up into another large wave that stood at least 20 feet high. Lee called out to Gai-sensei and Tenten who were in the path of the crashing wave. We all jumped above the wave to avoid the impact. As the wave crashed below us, Kisame came out of the wave and took a swing at Gai with his sword.
Gai-sensei dodged the swing and kicked Kisame square in the face, which revealed that he was a water clone.
What appeared to be our real enemy rose out of the water as the clone disappeared and laughed, "You need more time to remember, I see."
Once again, Kisame took a swing at our leader and it was deflected due to Lee using his Konoha Shoufuu, Konoha Rising Gale. The sword was knocked out of Kisame's grip and went soaring through the air.
"What?!" came the surprised outburst of the elite ninja.
Neji jumped in front of the enemy. "Hakke Kuushou!" he exclaimed, using one of his clan's special techniques, otherwise known as Eight Trigrams Air Palm. Kisame went soaring backwards through the air.
"All right!" I encouraged my sensei and teammates, though still taking my stance.
As Kisame was flown back, he managed to grab his sword and stop himself. I sent my shadows out and had them wrap around his legs and arms to prevent him from moving further. When he looked up, he saw a spiked ball heading towards him. He shielded himself with the sword, but noticed the paper bomb in between the spikes.
BOOM
I let out a grunt as my jutsu caved in, then I released it.
"Damn…missed," Tenten sighed, arms extended with a giant scroll draped across them. Kisame had used a water clone and sunk under the water to avoid the explosive attack.
"Neji, can you see him?" Tenten asked, voicing the question that our team members all had.
"He's right in front of us," he replied, focusing his attention to the blue hair emerging from the water.
"What pesky brats…an extreme nuisance," the Akatsuki member remarked.
"Water-type ninjutsu and that huge sword," Gai-sensei stated, realization setting in. "You-!"
"Have you finally remembered?"
"I feel like we've met once before," Gai confirmed. Kisame just stared at him, dumbstruck. His reactions were pretty typical for those who don't have much contact with Maito Gai of Konoha. Tenten let out a sigh of exasperation. I laughed to myself, glancing over to Neji who brought his hand to his face and closed his eyes in frustration. Lee was staring intently at his idol.
"You really have a talent of getting on people's nerves. I'm going to take my time playing with you until you remember me,"
Kisame and Gai-sensei ran towards one another. Kisame took a swing and Gai managed to take his sword away with his legs.
"Now!" he cried, as my teammates and I dropped down to make our move. I commanded Yorokobi to stay back.
Neji used his Jyuuken attack, which was blocked by Kisame's sword. He moved away so Lee could attack, but the enemy swung his sword and launched Lee backwards. I used my shadows and Tenten used her scrolls to throw kunai, but they were easily deflected.
"I see, he swings that sword around so easily that it is going to make it difficult for us to find an opening," Rock Lee announced to our team.
"If close combat doesn't work then…" Tenten began as she whipped her scroll out and summoned kunai with paper bombs attached that shot forward, exploding after sinking into the giant sword of the Akatsuki member's. "…how about this?!"
After the smoke disappeared, Kisame chuckled, "Did you do something?"
"That sword's getting annoying," she responded, aggravated.
"I knew it! That sword…" Gai-sensei spoke up and the enemy turned towards him. "It's your weapon, isn't it?!"
"You can tell that just by looking at him," Neji answered, Byakugan still activated. His response was somewhat calm, much to my surprise.
"But, there's a huge difference between thinking it's his weapon and knowing it's his weapon," Gai replied. Lee nodded his head in agreement.
Tenten held up her hands in question, "You're just now figuring that out?"
"Just forget it, Tenten" Neji told her.
I looked down to my side to check on Yorokobi. She was standing ready for the next command. I patted her head and looked at my teammates and the enemy in front.
Gai started attacking the foe again, kicking and using his signature taijutsu skills. However, Kisame continued to block and deflect his kicks and punches. Once close enough, he grabbed Kisame's sword once more.
"Do it now!" Gai hollered as my teammates, Yorokobi, and I hovered over Kisame.
"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" the enemy cried out, forming a seal with his hands. Five water clones appeared in a circle as we came closer to our target.
"What?!" Neji inquired before we all hit a clone. Gai-sensei slid off to the side, still holding onto Kisame's sword.
"Suirou no Jutsu!" Kisame shouted after making hand signs that coincide with his jutsu. Gai ran at Kisame, cursing under his breath, and taking a swing at him. The sword's handle produced spikes that cut through our sensei's hands, causing him to let go. "NO!"
Individual orbs of water surrounded each of us, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Yorokobi, and I, with a water clone controlling the water.
Ignoring the fact that we were encompassed in water, I yelled out a muffled version of Yorokobi's name, depleting my oxygen. I brought my hands to my mouth and nose.
The only thought that ran through my head was that I had to do something quick, Yorokobi won't be able to hold her breath for long. I closed my eyes and wracked my brain.
*Neji's POV*
As Shikamara, was trapped in the water prison, along with the rest of our team, she yelled for her canine companion without thinking which reduced her oxygen level. I looked over to Yorokobi, who was struggling in the sphere. I switched my gaze to my other comrades who tried to remain calm while fighting the urge to breathe in. Shikamara held her hands over her mouth and had her eyes closed.
'Shit,' I thought. 'We can hardly move in these prisons.'
"I'll admit that I'm surprised," the real Kisame spoke. "These kids are more skilled than they look. Now we can fight without any interruptions."
Gai took a fighting stance. The sword of the Akatsuki member's pierced the water's surface like a shark fin as it raced back to its master's hand.
"This is Samehada, and this great blade only allows me to wield it," he stated once his weapon was in his grasp. Gai pulled out his nunchucks. This foe is not to be taken lightly by any means.
"This should be interesting," the blue Akatsuki ninja remarked, leaping at our sensei. "Let's begin, shall we?!"
The two began fighting with taijutsu, running and clashing weapons. Gai-sensei was going to kick Kisame, but he placed Samehada between himself and our sensei to block. Just before Gai swung his leg through, spikes poked their way through the wrapping on the sword. He managed to draw back just in time to avoid the spikes. As he jumped away, he glanced over to our location, leaving an opportunity for the enemy to strike.
Which is exactly what he did. Kisame swung his sword, which was blocked by Gai's nunchucks. Kisame punched him in the stomach, sending our sensei under the water. The enemy made hand seals and slammed his palms against the water's surface, snarking "My five sharks will tear you to shreds."
"My, my, this mutt appears to be something important to you," the shark clone spoke directly to Shikamara, and shifted my attention. "It'd be a shame if it were to drown in this prison." He began to tighten the water trap around Yorokobi, adding more pressure to the ninja dog.
Mara's eyes opened quickly, flames burning in her sapphire eyes. She did several hand signs and mumbled a few words. Her shadow technique extended forward to wrap around Kisame's throat. She tightened the grip of the shadow and Kisame continued to harm Yorokobi through the water technique.
This was bad. I closed my eyes to focus chakra on every point in my body. "Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!"
The water shot away from my body and I quickly moved forward to repeatedly strike two of the water clones. Rock Lee was the first to be released, who went over to attack Tenten's captor with his Great Konoha Whirlwind. As Tenten was about to fall, Lee caught her.
"Arigato, Lee," she said, gaining her footing.
The clone of Kisame that held Shikamara captive reached into the water chamber and grabbed her by the throat, just as her jutsu had done him. She was struggling to breathe due to the grip he had on her throat, not to mention she was just surrounded by water.
"Lee! Yorokobi!" I alerted him as I ran up behind the water clone that held Shikamara. She went flying in the air, but I caught her bridal-style in my arms. Her eyes were opened wide, pupils small as she gasped for air, choking on water and holding her throat. Rock Lee kicked the clone and it disappeared. He caught Yorokobi and layed her down carefully.
"Are you all right, Mara?" I asked, scanning her facial expression for a sign of any discomfort or pain.
"H-Hai… Thank you, Neji," she breathed, smiling faintly and gaining color in her face. I set her down and she stumbled to her furry companion's side.
*Shikamara's POV*
I thanked Neji for rescuing me from that Kisame clone. My face began to burn from embarrassment because of my failed management of the situation and the fact that he was holding me bridal-style. I shook the thought out of my mind as he set me down and I ran for my dog. "Yorokobi!" I choked out.
"Arigato, Lee," I said, smiling at him before diverting my attention. I pet Yorokobi's head and her tail began wagging. I withdrew a scroll from my back pocket.
"I'm sorry, girl," I whispered as I opened the scroll and made several hand signs. "I'll let you out as soon as we set up camp. I can't have you getting seriously hurt."
I slammed my hand down on the scroll and Yorokobi disappeared from thin air with a 'poof.' I lifted my hand and a symbol was now written where my palm was. I rolled up the scroll and securely placed it back in my pocket.
The attention of the rest of my teammates was on the continued fight between our sensei and Kisame.
"That posture…!" Lee remarked, astonished.
Our leader's skin had turned to a reddish color and he was moving a lot more swiftly than before. It was obvious that he had opened the gates, one of his and Lee's special techniques. I was unsure which gates he had unlocked, but it he was kicking some major ass.
"It's over," Lee smiled at his sensei with pride as Gai performed the Morning Peacock jutsu. Kisame was literally on fire as he went hurling into the water below, but when he made contact with the water, it quickly began evaporating into steam. Gai-sensei was panting and the reddish color faded from his skin.
"Looks like he's finished," Pakkun stated.
The team walked over to the body lying in the ground.
"I do feel as though I've fought against him before," Gai-sensei said, pondering.
"Do you really not remember?" Lee asked.
"It looked like he knew a lot about you, Gai-sensei," TenTen remarked.
"What's going on?" Neji asked. His Byakugan was still activated.
"He…He's…" our sensei stammered.
We all looked down at the body of what should have been the Akatsuki member. Instead, there was a random person in the robes, dead. There was an eery feeling in the air.
"What on earth does this mean?" Lee asked.
"I don't know," Gai replied. "But one thing is clear to me."
Our team turned to look at our sensei, anticipating his response.
"I have no idea who this guy was," he said. His pupils were tiny.
Everyone but Lee let out a sigh.