Several months earlier, in the desolate wastes north of Iwa, another displaced traveler found himself wandering in an unfamiliar place. The short man grunted as he climbed a sheer cliff, sweat pouring off his brow as he moved along the edge of a massive volcanic hot spring. Cresting the ridge of the cliff, the white steam that filled the air swirled around him, clearing the view in front of him. Shifting the weight of his sword on his back, he took a drink from the sake jug at his waist and carried on.

As the stream cleared, the man could see a shape in the stone before him. Worked into the rough black stone of the mountain was the face of a massive demon, its gaping mouth forming a door that lead in the yawning blackness of the mountain's interior. There was a narrow stone walkway leading up to this entrance, flanked by pools of steaming black liquid. Rivulets of molten stone continuously poured down behind the demon's eyes, casting a hellish glow over the scene.

Taking away from the foreboding entrance somewhat was a small house that had been built off to the side. It seemed to be made from the same black stone that dominated the rest of the area, but it was covered in flowering mosses, and a small garden grew off to the side. Looking closer, the traveler could see lines of wet laundry flapping in the breeze behind the house, and a weathered wicker chair sitting on a makeshift porch. Standing next to the chair was a short man with bright red hair, who had begun to walk out to meet the visitor. He called out as he walked forwards, "If my cousin sent you out here, I'm going to need you to fuck back off."

"'Fraid I don't know who that would be, friend. I was just trying ta find a place to get away, and I ended up here. I had no intentions of intrudin', Mr…" The visitor trailed off.

"Sanzang Rōshi. You are?" While still hesitant, Rōshi had settled into a slightly less aggressive stance as he waited for an answer.

"Shimazu Yoshihiro. Nice to meetcha!" Yoshihiro took the jug from his waist and took a long drink before holding it out towards Rōshi. "Ya want some?"

Rōshi took a long look at the sake jug, and at the visitor holding it out. After a moment of internal deliberation, he shrugged. "Ah, what the hell." Gesturing back over his shoulder with his thumb, he continued. "Come on back to the house and we can chat. Unless you were in a hurry to get somewhere?"

Yoshihiro gave a dismissive wave. "No place in particular. 'Sides, might be nice to sit and have a conversation for once."

With that, the two men walked the rest of the way to the small house next to the demon's mouth. Rōshi went inside to grab a second chair, as the only pieces on the porch were a poorly made wicker chair and an equally rickety table. While he did so, Yoshihiro took in the view. Thick white mist hung through the air still, but the porch still had a clear view over an expansive field of volcanic activity. The ground was dotted with spots that glowed a bright red or orange as the lava rose through cracks before hardening in the light rain that steadily fell across the valley.

When Rōshi came out, he found Yoshihiro leaning on the porch's railing, lost in the scenery. "Quite the sight, huh? There's no other place like this… At least that I've ever seen."

Yoshihiro turned around, lingering for only a second more on the view. "You're right about that. I'm from a place not too different from this myself, but it's a totally different atmosphere back there."

Rōshi took his seat first, subtly stabilizing himself as he sat in the decaying wicker chair. "Where would that be, exactly? I haven't heard of too many active volcanoes down south, and most of those aren't in places that are friendly to Iwa."

Yoshihiro uncorked the jug of sake as he sat down, then held it out to Rōshi. "Satsuma, down in Kyūshu. If ya like it here, you should try and make it there at some point. Youse can't beat the sea breeze, and the hot springs are a damn sight better the ones 'round here."

"They might not look like much, but I've been told that their full of stuff that's good for the skin. Not that I know much about that though." Pausing, Rōshi took a deep drink. "So, what's the deal with that sword? Seems a bit big for just decoration."

"Blue Storm here's seen me through a lot so far. Still, I suppose I'm looking to put all that past me- My time out there's done." Yoshihiro trailed off at the end, looking off into the curling steam.

Rōshi followed his gaze, giving a nod. "It's a young man's game, that's for sure…" The elderly jinchūriki took another drink and passed the jug back, both men staring out into the distance.

After several minutes, Yoshihiro broke the silence, reaching over to slap Rōshi on the back. "Ok, enough o' this mopey bullshit! What kinda stories have youse got? Ya seem the type ta have a few."

Rōshi gave a short, loud laugh at that. "I've seen things that you wouldn't believe."

Yoshihiro grinned back, taking another sip from the sake jug. "Knew I had ya figured. Why don't youse try me, and we'll see about that?"

Rōshi leaned back as he began to speak. "Well, let me tell you about the time I tangled with the Third Kazekage. It was out past the Land of Ri-"

Before he could finish his sentence, both men had to throw themselves out of the way as the porch underneath them exploded into a cloud of splinters. They both came to a stop a short distance away, spinning back to face their previous position. Standing in a pile of broken wood was a tall man in black robes emblazoned with red clouds. He smirked, revealing rows of pointed teeth, and leveled a massive sword wrapped in bandages at the pair. "Yōton no Rōshi! I've been waiting for this for a long time!"

Rōshi glared back at the man. "Hoshigaki Kisame. Is your group betraying Iwa? Or is this just another job?"

Kisame's smirk just widened. "Why don't you beat me and find out for yourself?"

As the tension in the air increased, Yoshihiro interjected with a sharp laugh. "Looks like I can't get away from ta battlefield even when I try!" Casually pointing his thumb at the other swordsman, Yoshihiro looked back over at his new friend. "Rōshi-san, do ya mind if have first crack at 'im?"

"Careful now- he's not one to be taken lightly," Rōshi responded, not looking away from Kisame.

"They don't call me ta Demon of Kyūshu for nothin', friend!" Yoshihiro took a deep gulp from the jug of sake, spitting the last portion of it back onto his hands and the hilt of his sword. He settled into a fighting stance, his sword extending straight upwards farther than his own height. "Now then, why don't cha step up and test yer mettle against a generation's finest!"

Kisame's smile spread into a full grin. "Interesting! Let's see if you can back that talk up, Demon!"

With that, he rushed forwards, bringing his sword down on the shorter man. Yoshihiro brought his own sword down horizontally to block the strike, but the force behind the blow kicked up a massive plume of dust that surrounded the pair. Kisame kept up the pressure, immediately following up with a wide sweeping strike aimed under his guard. Yoshihiro responded by taking a small hop backwards out of range, narrowly dodging the tip of the blade. Kisame just pressed forwards, forcing Yoshihiro to retreat further back. However, simply due to his longer legs, Kisame advanced faster than his opponent could keep going back.

Kisame's sword slammed into Yoshihiro's unarmored side. The elder swordsman barely flinched from the force of the blow, despite the fact that his opponent's weapon was half as wide as he was tall. Kisame just grinned, reveling in the feel of flesh tearing as he pulled the blade back across Yoshihiro's side, only to have his weapon suddenly catch. Yoshihiro had caught the sword by pressing down with his shoulder, and had lifted his own blade even higher in the process. "Youse let yer guard down!"

Kisame could swear that he saw Yoshihiro's eyes glow red for a brief second before he stepped forwards with an overhead strike of his own. Kisame just put up his free arm to intercept the blade while increasing the pull on his own trapped sword. As soon as Yoshihiro's strike connected, however, the Akatsuki member regretted this. The serrated blade struck home with more force than Kisame thought the short man could generate, digging its way into his arm. Yoshihiro's sword stopped when it hit the bone, but the loud crack that echoed through the valley made it clear that both the bones in Kisame's forearm had snapped under the pressure.

Both men pulled themselves free, arcs of blood flying off of their weapons as they parted from the wounds that they had inflicted. Kisame jumped several feet back, hands already finishing a string of seals as he landed. "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!" Thrusting his unbroken arm forwards, Kisame sent a blast of water shooting towards Yoshihiro. The water changed in flight, becoming more streamlined as it formed into the shape of a shark. The shark shaped blast closed in on Yoshihiro, its mouth wide enough to swallow him whole.

"Katsu!" Yoshihiro shouted, the air in front of him seeming to buckle and compress under the force of the exclamation. The shark bullet hit this pocket of air and burst, spraying into a cloud of water droplets. Yoshihiro charged through the cloud, taking advantage of the brief cover provided by the cloud. Kisame was forced to leap back as the shorter man leapt from the cloud, slamming the flat side of his sword down where the Akatsuki member had just been standing. Kisame swung down at Yoshihiro, looking to capitalize on the missed strike, only to abandon the attack to shield his eyes as Yoshihiro used his sword like a shovel to toss a cloud of volcanic rock back up into his face. This was quickly followed by another powerful overhead strike, which Kisame countered at the last second with a strike of his own.

Blades and eyes locked together, the two men grinned wildly at each other. "You're not half bad, 'Demon!'"

"Youse're quite the thing yerself! But-" Yoshihiro suddenly stopped putting pressure into the blade lock and ducked, letting Kisame's sword sweep out over his head. The next moment, Yoshihiro pulled his blade in and swept at Kisame's legs. He was able to leap back from the assault, but not before Blue Storm caught his leg, the serrations tearing into his hamstring. "-as soon as youse lower yer guard, yer dead!"

Kisame laughed, still smiling as widely as ever. "I knew this was going to be a good fight, but this is more than I could have hoped for!" He began another string of hand seals, prompting Yoshihiro to barrel towards him again. He was about to bring his blade down on the Akatsuki member once more when he was distracted by a yell from his side. "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!"

Yoshihiro was barely able to look over in time to see a second Kisame standing behind the shark shaped blast of water before it struck him. The shark bullet hit him in the center of his chest, the force sending him flying backwards. Skidding over the ground, he hit one of the hot springs that dotted this valley. As he vanished beneath the black water, a third Kisame quickly stepped out of the mist, slamming a palm down on the surface of the water. "Suiton: Goshokuzame!" Five shark shaped constructs formed in the murky water, quickly vanishing from sight as they spiraled down into the depths of the hotspring.

The original Kisame didn't have time to reflect on this, however, as Rōshi had immediately charged, body wrapped in glowing molten rock. Kisame brought his sword down to block Rōshi's initial punch, the bandages wrapped around the blade blackening as they made contact with the jinchūriki's fist. Kisame leapt backwards from this as Rōshi quickly slid into a low sweeping kick. From there, he sprung upwards on one hand, curved kunai clutched in the other, using the momentum of his sweep to spin him back around towards Kisame. The jinchūriki's attack was interrupted halfway, however, as Kisame slammed his fist into his midsection, sending Rōshi flying away.

Rōshi was quick to recover, landing with a quick backflip to disperse the force. As he came around to face Kisame, he held a half seal to his lips and spat out several streams of molten rock. As the streams formed into boulders of superheated stone, Kisame and his clones scattered. One was dispursed by the assault, evaporating in a burst of steam as a boulder crashed through it, but the other two found their way to higher ground. Both Kisame and his remaining water clone stabbed their blades down into the rock and began a string of seals. Quickly completing them, they called out as one, "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!"

Powerful streams of water shot out of their mouths, slamming into the glowing jinchūriki. Rōshi stayed on his feel under the pressure, but the water created a massive gout of steam as it evaporated under the heat of his own armor. Burnt by the steam, battered by the pressure, and wary of the veritable lake growing around his feet, Rōshi began to look for an escape route even as he felt his chakra flow out of him to maintain his armor's temperature. Even still, Rōshi's attention was pulled by a sudden burst of activity behind one of the Kisames. A hot spring sprang to life, spraying a gout of black water into the sky. In the center of the spray, obscured until the last second, was Yoshihiro with his sword held high above his head. With a shout, he brought it down on Kisame's unprotected back, cleaving him in two.

Both halves wavered for a moment, shimmering as they reverted back to plain water, but the opening was enough. With the lessening of pressure, Rōshi focused his chakra to the armor directly under the stream and began a string of seals. Seconds later, he slammed the palms of his hands into the ground and yelled "Yōton: Hasu no Hana!" Kisame quickly stopped his jutsu as the ground beneath him began to glow a hellish red. Mere seconds after he jumped away it buckled upwards, exploding into a cone of lava. Yoshihiro vanished in the resultant ash, the ridge on which he had been standing covered entirely by a black cloud. Rōshi continued the assault, closing in on the Akatsuki member in a matter of moments. His blows were tight, controlled, and mostly directed towards the larger shinobi's center of mass. Kisame was forced back onto the defensive, turning away each of Rōshi's attacks in turn.

Taking a second to tear off one of his sleeves that had ignited from a particularly close punch, Kisame studied his opponent. While he was able to block everything that Rōshi had been throwing at him, he wouldn't be able to bear the heat pouring off of his lava armor forever. With that in mind, he watched Rōshi's motions carefully, until the perfect time to strike arose. That time soon came as a right cross aimed at Kisame's jaw went wide, exposing Rōshi's side. Kisame brought Sameheda up and around, carrying the jinchūriki over his head in a perfect arc before slamming him back first into an open hot spring behind where Kisame had been standing. Two things happened when Rōshi hit the water. The first was the eruption of a superheated plume of steam that burned the prone jinchūriki's arms and legs before he vanished under the water's surface. The second was Yoshihiro propelling himself from the depths of the hotspring, sword at the ready.

Blue Storm caught Kisame directly under his sword arm. The Akatsuki member managed to catch it in his armpit, arresting its progress through sheer force, only for Yoshihiro to tighten his grip and let out a deafening shout. Yoshihiro's blade flared to life as bluish white arcs of electricity began to run up and down the length of the sword. A bright yellow aura flashed into existence around Yoshihiro for a brief second as he pushed, and Kisame's flesh tore. Now panicking, Kisame channeled the chakra for a last second substitution and vanished, but not before the serrations on Blue Storm tore through his rotator cuff. Yoshihiro landed roughly on the bank of the spring, slamming Blue Storm down into the rocks so that his momentum didn't flip him forwards. He looked up to find Kisame standing on the bank of another, small spring, panting as he held his arm on, as only a thin flap of skin on his shoulder kept it from tearing off completely.

Kisame looked down at the damage to his shoulder and frowned. "Looks like I can't keep taking you this lightly…" His voice began to deepen as his sword disappeared into his arm, flesh pouring over the bandages as they fused. Thick scales covered Kisame's arm as it knit itself back together. Gills rose on his thickening neck like knife wounds, and within seconds, a shark-human hybrid faced the pair with a grin wider than was humanly possible. "After all, I have a job to do."

Kisame brought his hands together, palms out, and shouted "Suiton: Senshokukō!" Water flowed upwards, coming from both the pool that Kisame had already created and the natural springs, forming into a towering wave that appeared to be composed of hundreds of sharks. Yoshihiro and Rōshi both retreated behind a stone outcropping, the ridge of stone letting the wave break over their heads.

Rōshi and Yoshihiro crouched in the small shelter provided by the outcropping, listening as the stone began to crack under the sheer pressure. Rōshi was quick to act, placing one palm on the stone while the other formed a half tiger seal. As soon as he did so, the stone thickened, expanding upwards into a solid cliff of volcanic stone. As the rock wall grew, Rōshi looked over at his new partner. Shouting to be heard over the roaring water, he spoke over his shoulder. "I think it's time that you pulled back!"

Taking a second to finish a gulp of sake from his jug, Yoshihiro shouted back. "Not on yer life, friend! I can't just walk away from a clash like thissun!" As he spoke, several of the shark shaped masses of water had detached from the rushing wave, turning back along their paths to leap into the makeshift shelter. Yoshihiro again let out a deafening "Katsu," causing the projectiles to crash into the shockwave and harmlessly dissipate. As the last one was blown apart, Kisame revealed himself, shooting forwards at the pair from inside the cloud of mist. Yoshihiro quickly ducked backwards under his outstretched claw, leaning backwards to make way for the obsidian pillar that shot backwards from the stone wall next to Rōshi's hand. The pillar struck Kisame straight in the chest, pushing him back out into the downpour before the sheer water pressure of the wave snapped the stone in half. Yoshihiro straightened out, grinning back at Rōshi. "'Sides, if I weren't here, who would guard yer blind spot?"

"It wouldn't need guarding if you weren't here! I'm trying to hold back to not catch you up in my techniques!" Rōshi shot back, visibly sweating from the exertion of sustaining the wall.

"Well there's yer problem!" Yoshihiro laughed, watching the rushing water for any signs of his opponent. "Stop holdin' back! I can take anythin' youse got, and if I can't," Yoshihiro shrugged, "then youse warned me."

Rōshi just sighed. "You're going to regret this." As soon as he said that, red chakra began to pour out across his body. The malevolent energy formed a cloak around Rōshi, one tail winding back into the shelter. As the cloak formed, the temperature skyrocketed, the stone that Rōshi had been supporting the first thing to glow red. The ground began to shift and bubble under the intense heat. As the stone floor began to liquefy, Yoshihiro just laughed, a sheen of sweat the only thing betraying the change in environment. At that moment, Kisame crashed back into the shelter, this time choosing to burst directly through what remained of the rock outcropping.

Kisame reeled back as he passed the stone barrier, caught off guard by Rōshi's Tailed Form, but that didn't stop the tide of water from pouring in behind him. The loud hiss of steam forming filled the room for a split second before everything was underwater. Rōshi and Yoshihiro both caught on to the current, letting the water sharks carry them away from Kisame. The constructs bucked, trying to turn back and bite their targets, but they were unable to pierce the aura of heat surrounding Rōshi before they boiled away.

Kisame himself faced no such difficulty, having quickly pursued his targets through the rolling wave. His enhanced form allowing him to swim faster than his opponents could retreat, he swiftly overtook Rōshi. Raking clawed fingers along Rōshi's side, an eerie red glow filled the water as part of the jinchūriki's cloak was absorbed into Kisame's hand. Rōshi responded with a quick series of hand signs, ending in him opening his mouth toward the shark man. Brilliant green flames erupted from his mouth, engulfing Kisame.

Kisame was silhouetted under the crashing wave, his outline clearly visible as the flames collapsed inwards and were drawn into his skin. At the same time, however, the water directly around him was superheated, immediately expanding into steam. Kisame was forced to jump back from the cloud, hissing as the vapor scalded him. Seconds after exiting the cloud, Kisame had to leap back again, narrowly dodging Yoshihiro's blade as it appeared from within the mist. Yoshihiro followed up quickly, swinging out at Kisame's unprotected stomach. He blocked the strike with one arm, the scales coating the surface of his skin acting as an armor coating. Unfazed, Yoshihiro planted his feet, drawing back into his ready stance.

Kisame didn't let the moment pass him by, however. As Yoshihiro withdrew, Kisame's arm shot out towards the unarmored portion of his chest, directly under his right arm. The blow struck true, sharpened fingertips digging into Yoshihiro's flesh, but Kisame was the one who stepped backwards from the impact. Where the blow should have carved away the side of his ribcage at best, Yoshihiro had five long gouges that superficially crossed over his bare pectoral. In the same breath, Yoshihiro completed his own strike, forcing Kisame to bring his other arm forwards to block Blue Storm from reaching his face.

Yoshihiro looked up into Kisame's inhuman face, grinning as they locked eyes over crossed weapons. "Youse' got some real sharp claws there-" Pausing mid sentence, Yoshihiro shifted his weight back, pulling Blue Storm back up to its full height and slamming it back down into Kisame's arm in the space of a single breath. "But-" Yoshihiro repeated the cycle again, even quicker. "Ya lost yer edge-" Another breath, another strike hammering down. Kisame winced, looking for an opening to pull back, noting that each successive strike was stronger than the last. "When youse threw away yer sword!" A fourth strike hit home, blood rising rapidly as it was forced out through a growing spider web of cracks forming in the scales of Kisame's arm.

Before Yoshihiro's fifth strike could hit home, Kisame bowed out and away from him, just barely avoiding Blue Storm's tip as it slammed down into the rocks. As soon as he had moved, however, Kisame had to duck out of the way as a brilliant red streak reached out for his face. Scales beginning to blister up and slough off, Kisame moved quickly, burning through a string of hand seals as he narrowly wove around Rōshi's attacks. Sacrificing the moment of scorching contact, he slammed Rōshi off to one side with a vicious swing of his less damaged arm before leaping straight up into the air. When he was almost level with the overhanging cliff, he called back down "Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha!"

The exclamation was accompanied by a tremendous torrent of water. The water flowed out from the center of Kisame's downwards jet, crushing anything and everything in its path. Rōshi and Yoshihiro were caught up in its unrelenting path, both tossed about like so much flotsam. Before the water could reach the edge of the cliff on either side, however, something strange happened. Clinging to itself, the water curved back upwards, rising against the force of gravity into a tremendous dome. As the turbulent current slowed slightly, both Yoshihiro and Rōshi managed to gain their bearings just enough to see the solitary figure hanging in the center of the newly created water, staring at the both with a wide smile.

"Suiton: Goshokuzame!" Without any movement on his part, five glowing lines of chakra spiraled out of Kisame's outstretched hand. Quickly coalescing into five ethereal sharks, they darted towards Yoshihiro's position. Kisame quickly repeated the process, not waiting for the first set of sharks to get halfway to Yoshihiro before sending a second quintet on their tails. Smirking, Kisame turned away from the swordsman to his appointed target, the water around him spiraling into viscous eddies as he launched himself towards Rōshi.

Rōshi spun in place, narrowly avoiding Kisame's outstretched claws as they streaked underneath him. He pushed back against the surrounding water, trying to force himself backwards to avoid the follow up attack, but the combination of his lack of leverage and the thin layer of steam being generated by his own chakra cloak slowed him enough so that Kisame's hand dragged three long gashes up his torso. Rōshi could feel his wounds begin to knit themselves back together even before Kisame's hand left the wound, but the raw damage wasn't what concerned him. Rather it was the swell of chakra that he felt drain away from his cloak and into his opponent from the brief contact. He forcefully directed more of his chakra to the front of his cloak for a split second, causing the temperature to skyrocket. The pocket of steam created by the flare collapsed inwards, giving Rōshi an opportunity to slam his feet into the center of Kisame's chest and use him as a springboard to push off of. As Rōshi put distance between him and Kisame, he looked back to see that there was a coil of reddish orange chakra still filtering into his skin, which didn't seem nearly as badly burnt as it should have been from the close quarters combat.

Kisame didn't just let Rōshi idly paddle away, however. Within seconds, he was bearing down on the jinchuuriki again. Rōshi was quickly pinned down, victim to swooping attack after attack. Every move, each surge of heat only held Kisame back for a second before he set about on his next assault. Kisame danced around short lived gouts of green fire and rocks that shot out from the surface of the water as he toyed with his prey. Rōshi was forced completely on the defensive as he backpedaled, desperately feeling out behind him as he sought the edge of the sphere.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sphere, Yoshihiro was finding a somewhat easier time of things. Sword slipped back into the strap across his back, he cut through the water at an astonishing pace, occasionally rolling to the side or diving to avoid the sharks that spiraled around him. Eventually, one dive came slightly too slow as a shark bit down on his exposed shoulder. Barely pausing, Yoshihiro reached up and grabbed the construct by the nose, forcing its jaw up and back out as he pried it open. As the transparent teeth came free of the rows of bite marks, he swung back around, sending the shark hurtling back at one of its companions. The two underwater predators passed through each other without touching, the one that was thrown only delayed for scant seconds as it turned itself back over, but that was enough for Yoshihiro to regain his slight lead.

Yoshihiro soon reached what he was aiming for- the cliff wall. The dome had formed so water extended almost to the cliff's lip. Yoshihiro pushed into the submerged granite, pivoting at the last second so that he could use the crevasses and cracks of the volcanic slope to scale the cliffiside. With the extra leverage, Yoshihiro ascended towards the surface quickly, leaving the sharks to nip at his heels as he climbed. When he was almost three fourths of the way to the surface, he abruptly came to a halt, slamming his palm into the underside of a narrow overhang so that he wouldn't float further up. Milliseconds afterwards, Kisame materialized from the twisting wake of a shark that had been paralleling Yoshihiro's climb, and gouged a pit into the granite where he would have been. Pulling himself downwards with the cliff, Yoshihiro pulled Blue Storm from his back and slammed the flat of the blade into Kisame in one fluid motion. The edge of Yoshihiro's blade crushed the shark man into the unforgiving cliff edge, where the clone dissolved into the surrounding water. Yoshihiro continuing his ascent without hesitation, moving quickly enough that the closest shark barely had time to snap at his legs before he pulled out of the way.

Yoshihiro soon reached his goal, drawing a loud breath as his head pushed above the surface of the globe. His free climb continued unabated, even as he left the water. As his trailing foot pulled free from the water's surface, Yoshihiro looked back down and shouted. Two of the shark constructs barely had time to burst from the water, jaws open wide, before they crashed into the solid wall of force and splattered back into a spray of harmless water. Yoshihiro closed the gap and swung himself over the cliff's edge seconds later. Now standing above Kisame's trap, he took a moment to steady himself. First, he pulled the jug from his waist and took a long drink of sakē, spitting a mouthful back out over his hands as he adjusted his grip. Second, he took his stance, feeling out the ground beneath him as he settled into the familiar form. Third, he drew himself up to his full height, lightning flashing across his body and blade alike as he hoisted Blue Storm high. Finally, he struck home.

With a shout that would have been deafening if there had been anyone to hear it, Yoshihiro slammed his sword down into the top of the cliff. The shock from the impact was immediately visible, sending a gout of powdered stone shooting into the sky while a large crack shot downwards along the cliff face. Kisame and Rōshi barely noticed the fracture as it traveled past their field of vision, but took notice when it hit the valley floor. The fracture expanded downwards, spreading out until it hit one of the valley's active lava tubes. The superheated magma followed the fissure back out until it hit the water table. The water under the springs turned to steam, and the valley floor exploded.

Kisame and Rōshi both separated in a flash, drawing back to protect themselves from the wave of shattered granite that the explosion was propelling up through the water dome. Kisame simply swam for his life, while Rōshi created a buffer of superheated air to force him backwards as fast as possible while also melting the smaller shards away. Still, both ninja found themselves with several large chunks of stone embedded in their bodies as they moved away from the brunt of the cataclysm.

Even through the intervening layer of water, a thick cloud of dust, steam, and other volcanic gases obscured the valley floor for a minute as Yoshihiro peered over the edge of the cliff. He held a hand to his eyes to block out the swirling particles that still filled the air, as well as the glare from the new stream of lava that somehow now flowed out from the gash in the broken cliff beneath him. This quickly became necessary, as his vision of the valley cleared suddenly. The cloud was pulled down and away, drawn in to two opposing vortexes that sprung up from beneath the haze. One vortex surrounded a bloody Kisame, who stood snarling on a pillar of water that seemed to be quickly coiling up around him, moving towards his outstretched hands. The other swirled around an ape of tremendous size, its violent red and green fur contrasting sharply against the dark black landscape that it now towered over. It howled, beating its massive fists against its chest as its four tails thrashed behind it.

Yoshihiro pulled his own sword behind his back, the blade beginning to burn with the same blue white aura that now surrounded the swordsman, as the other two combatants also channeled their power. What remained of the water in the area spiraled up around Kisame, coalescing into the outline of a massive shark, while the tailed beast was surrounded by a flare of copper green chakra.

"Ushaaa!"

"Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu!"

Yoshihiro and Kisame both shouted at the same moment that the Yōnbi let loose a primal roar. All three let their techniques loose moments after. The strange opening at the back of the Yōnbi's mouth disgorged a tremendous gout of green flame, while the shark surrounding Kisame lurched forwards at the tailed beast as he forced his arms forwards, and a brilliant arc of crackling white light was launched from Yoshihiro's sword as he swung it forwards. Kisame's shark met the Yōnbi's flame with a tremendous crack as the first layer of the construct was immediately converted to steam. For a moment, the two attacks were at a standstill, before Kisame's began to advance, growing even larger as it pushed through. Kisame's progress was quickly halted, as Yoshihiro's attack slammed into his back. While not cutting deeply, it still levied enough force to carry him forwards into the back of his own jutsu. The arc of energy didn't stop as it hit the water construct, instead tearing through it into the fire. The fire flowed around Kisame and the vacuum formed in the wake Yoshihiro had cut into the mass of water. Almost as one, the remaining mass evaporated, creating a massive explosion that filled the valley with steam. When this cloud cleared away hours later, silence reigned.

Several miles away, a pair of figures limped down a rocky trail, the mouth of the valley shrouded in thick mist behind. They came to a slow stop, looking back. Both were quiet, their labored breathing the only sound next to the light patter of the rain began to fall. They rested in the near silence for several long minutes before one of them spoke.

"Gehehe… That was a hell of a scrap back there." Yoshihiro gave a grin to his partner, wincing slightly as he accidentally shifted his wounded arm.

Rōshi gave a weak smile back, leaning on Yoshihiro's shoulder for support. "That's one way of looking at it. Still, I don't know if I would have made it out of there if you hadn't been around. So… thanks."

"Least I could do. 'Sides, I couldn't let youse take that fight all fer yerself!" Yoshihiro finished with a loud laugh. As it trailed off, he turned back to Rōshi, sombering. "Well then, what are yer plans?" Can't say I think yer house is still livable after all that."

Rōshi shook his head, then winced from the sudden movement. "Can't stay here, that's for sure. Either Ōnoki decided it was time to get rid of his uncooperative cousin, or the Akatsuki are after my head for some other reason. Either way, I can't show my face round here, and I sure as hell haven't made many friends elsewhere. So… I guess I'm headed south for now, unless you had a better idea."

Yoshihiro just shrugged, adjusting his grip so Rōshi wouldn't fall from losing his support. "Can't say that I do. 'Fact, I was goin' to ask if I could tag along. After all, I still don't exactly know where we are, and now I know that hangin' around you is bound ta be interesting."

"Can't argue with that logic. Well then, if we keep along this road, there's a small village in a few miles. We can rest there for a night, then make for the border." Yoshihiro nodded in response, and the pair continued off down the road, into the growing twilight.

Technique Name Translations:

Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu: Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique

Suiton: Goshokuzame: Water Release: Five Sharks Frenzy

Suiton: Bakusui Shōha: Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave

Yōton: Hasu no Hana: Lava Release: Lotus Flower

Suiton: Senshokukō: Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks

Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha: Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave

Suiton: Daikōdan no Jutsu: Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique

Apologies for the missed week! But, I'm back, with something a bit different than the recent chapters. Hope you all enjoy, and see you next week!