Drifting

by AlphaDelta1001

Naruto is many things; troublesome, wild, unpredictable, adventurous, untamable, unique. But there's a benefit to being wild and unpredictable; no one has the faintest idea what you're going to do next. NarutoHarem

47. Post-Gap Arc - Here Comes the Thunder

NARUTO

Drifting

Here Comes the Thunder

Six Months Later…

In a distant part of the continent, far out of the way of the five great nations, a very sinister experiment was currently underway. Nestled deep within the newly repaired and fully armored, mobile fortress that was the Land of Sky, in a dome-shaped chamber centralized around an enormous, circular platform, a short man in a white, high-collar trench coat, with white hair and pale white skin, could be seen staring up towards the skylight above. His gaze transfixed upon the elegant glass ceiling of the room, complete with geometric shapes and patterns mathematically molded into the panes, giving it an almost seal-like appearance, the man then turned his attention back to the sides of the room.

Eyes cutting through the shadows sitting just beyond the ray of light beaming down on him, the leader of the village and head of the shadowy organization raised a hand and directed it towards his crew. The sound of rushing footsteps indicated groups of foot soldiers moving about in the darkness, attending to the tasks they'd been assigned and promptly following the orders of their superior. Once he was certain everything was in place, the village leader once again turned his attention to the control panel, where he saw his partner in crime Shinno standing by and waiting.

The old man in the medical robes was obviously looking forward to this.

"Preparations are complete, sir," the medical genius responded, pad in hand and eyes set firmly on the center of the stage.

Face covered in bandages, the white haired Hiruko gave his partner a beaming smile before nodding in his direction, "Very well then." His gaze then snapped towards the exit, "Bring in the subject." The moment he uttered his command, the doors to the enormous chamber opened up

The light from outside pouring into the midst of the hub marked the arrival of three other figures to the scene, one of which was being dragged across the room by her captors. Several seconds of waiting later and hearing the sounds of struggling bouncing off of the walls, Hiruko watched as his two subordinates brought their prisoner up to his level and forced her to kneel before him. Brought to submission, the leader instructed the two to release the girl, which they did, and approached the winded individual with a delightful gleam in his eyes.

Her lithe, curvaceous body adorned in a two-piece, black and yellow jumpsuit consisting of short-shorts, a zipped up, figure hugging jacket, and her long, wild, blonde hair growing down to her waist and fanning all around her, the prisoner revealed herself to be none other than Kiyoko. The Kirigakure kunoichi, covered in various bruises and obviously suffering from several hours of torment, panted heavily as she kneeled before the ruler of the Sky Village. When she slowly looked up to face him, she revealed a face covered in bruises, with one eye nearly swollen over.

As soon as her beautiful blue eyes met his, the man reached out and gently cupped her cheek, "Hmm… just as I suspected. You've grown into a fine young woman." Upon inspecting her state and attire, moving her by the chin from side to side a couple of times, Hiruko then clicked his tongue and leaned away, "While not in mint condition, you're still an extremely valuable commodity to our village; a vision of loveliness that only one such as myself can truly appreciate."

Spitting to the side and ignoring her glaring injuries, the now seventeen year old teen, with her arms bound tightly behind her, grinned up at the individual and responded to his compliments in kind, "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, shorty. Unlike some of the other floozies I'm sure you're used to flirting with, I'm not that easy."

Hiruko's immediate response was to chuckle, "That much is obvious. After what you did to the first team I sent after you, I knew it would take a lot more than a few dozen of my grunts to convince you to come along." His eyes twinkled with excitement, "You have a strong spirit, Kiyoko-chan. I respect that."

Smirking, the girl continued to leer at her host while he continued to regard her with a sense of admiration and longing, "So what happens now? I assume you didn't drag me all the way up here just so we could have this little chat."

"Oh, no. No. Of course not," Hiruko replied while taking a big step forward, "The reason I brought you here is a little more complicated than that. You see… you're not just here as a guest of honor." He then leaned in so that his face hovered directly beside her ear, "You're here because you're about to become part of something beautiful."

This earned the villain a frown from his kunoichi prisoner and, the moment Kiyoko saw the man lean away, a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Well… I hope you don't disappoint me with it. You see, I have a very busy schedule today and I don't want to be kept waiting."

A childish giggle from the man followed her gutsy retort, "I assure you my dear, I won't." Standing up to full height, Hiruko began to march backwards at a labored pace. "You show great talent as a kunoichi… and I pride myself on having an eye for that kind of talent. Your kekkei genkai is also quite fearsome, even amongst the strongest shinobi Kirigakure has to offer. Not to mention one of a kind. Steel Release." Feigning a gasp, the man clapped a hand over his chest and clenched his trench coat as if he were suffering from a sudden case of heartache, "What an amazing ability. How I wish I had something like that in my possession."

Smile vanishing, Kiyoko narrowed her eyes on the pale skinned individual, whom she suddenly saw jerk upright and bring his hand around, which he used to convey a sense of surprise.

"Oh. Wait. What am I thinking? Of course I have something like that in my possession." Leering dangerously, Hiruko then used that same hand to gesture toward the girl, whom he saw tense at the ill-omened look he gave her next, "You… my dear."

The young woman snarled, "What are you getting at?"

"In just a few moments, underneath the midday sun, your body will be broken down into a writhing, living mass of fluids and cells; one that will carry with it all of your signature traits and characteristics. Then, once your form has completely reverted into a tangible, gelatinous river of malleable energy, it will be assimilated into my body, where it will combine with my cells and imprint onto me all of your precious physical capabilities and jutsu," Hiruko stated, causing the girls eyes to widen in shock. Then, with his menacing grin still in play, he pointed between them, before lowering his arm to his side and straightening his back, "You and I will become a single, perfect entity… and together… the two of us will accomplish wonders."

Stunned at this revelation, Kiyoko stared across at the shinobi as if he were insane. But then, once realization of her fate settled in, her expression scrunched up into one of anger and she regarded the man with nothing but contempt and disgust. "You're a sick, twisted, evil bastard."

Hiruko giggled, "Guilty," and bowed to her, "I look forward to working with you in the future, Kiyoko-chan." Enthusiasm noted, he then turned and nodded towards Shinno, "You may begin the procedure." Once his instruction was given and received, the good doctor wasted no time in activating the machine, a loud humming sound ringing out as power began flooding into the dark chamber.

Glaring across at the pale-skinned leader as he went about commencing the operation that would soon combine her body with his, Kiyoko was cut-off from her stewing when one of the two guards that had escorted her up to the podium walked forward. When the girl looked up, she saw a tall, impressive man adorned in a brown, high-collar jacket, with sandal boots, bandages wrapped around parts of his face and over one of his eyes, and an enormous, steel gauntlet with holes on its protective side bolted to his right arm. Noticing the man had a bit of a slumped posture, when the kunoichi's eyes trailed up to his face, Kiyoko saw a rugged young male with a scar across his cheek and a thin jaw glaring down at her, his one eye burning with scorn.

After a moment of silence and staring back at one another, a smile slowly formed on the guard's face and he nodded down to his master's captive, "You don't know how happy it makes me to finally see you like this. After three years of blood, sweat and tears, I'll consider this whole thing a reward for all of my hard work and patience."

Blinking as she looked the figure over, the blonde haired girl then balked in surprise and squinted to get a better bearing on the imposing shinobi. "You're… that boy from the Chunin Exams… from the Otogakure Team…"

"Dosu," the man responded in a gravelly voice. Name given, he then brought up his left fist and punched her across the face, sending blood splattering across the floor. Shaking his knuckles out and watching the girl slump and cough, the man with the enormous, mechanical arm smirked and stepped away, "That's for humiliating me." Once he saw the girl look back at him with an unpleasant scowl, he slipped his one hand into his pocket and marched off of the stage, showing the girl his back while a smug smile framed his face, "Hope you enjoy hell, bitch. Sayonara." He then vanished into the shadows.

Staring after the man's shoulders, a now thoroughly awake Kiyoko shook her head and looked ahead of her again. When she did, she heard the loud humming of machinery die down to a continuous tone, which signaled the end of the machine's power up. Gaze fixing upon the white-haired man in the coat, she saw him turn towards her and smile, an expression which was then followed by a cheerful remark.

"It's time for the ceremony."

Kiyoko, remaining as steadfast as before even in the wake of the brutal hammering, then gave the man a cocky smirk, "You won't win." Her words causing the leader to frown, the blonde gestured to him impishly, "Whatever plan you have for the shinobi nations… it will fail. Because no matter how much power you gain or how high your empire will rise… in the end, all of it will come crashing down on top of you." She then gave an amused chortle, "You can ignore me if you want… but know this; the day you think you've won everything… the day you think the world has become yours, you're going to die screaming… and I'm going to be there every step of the way, watching you and laughing."

Though it sounded like a desperate threat, it was the only thing the girl could say at a time like this in an effort to try and instill a small amount of fear within the prick. Despite how dangerous the man came across and how vast and far-reaching his powers seemed, this girl was adamant in getting a last word in. After all, she wasn't beaten. Not yet. Not while she still had breath in her body and a hope that soared above even the darkest plains of existence.

She had friends out there who were out looking for her. Though she was certain they would find this place and cause this guy all kinds of grief, there was one other person out there she believed that could beat this scumbag.

He was one of her closest friends and one of the strongest people she knew. Not to mention he was the first person to ever beat her in a straight-up fight. That was more than enough for her to believe in him.

Scowling back at the kunoichi smirking confidently in his direction, Hiruko regarded her spirited proclamation with an annoyed grunt, before bringing his hands together and forming a hand seal. "I'll take that under advisement." Flipping through two more, he then executed his technique.

In the blink of an eye, the leader's body emitted from it a pulpous mass of deep blue, viscous fluid that splattered across the floor around him. As soon as it hit the concrete, it began to bubble and boil, growing in size and quantity, and then, with lightning speed, zipped towards the kunoichi and wrapped around her. At that exact moment, the sunlight beating down from above was suddenly eclipsed when the enormous machine that was the room whirring around them suddenly shifted a gigantic lens directly over the panes, magnifying the light to a single point. Once the light was amplified by the chakra enhanced glass, the rest of Hiruko's transformation began.

"The ground on which we are standing on is a slab of carved stone taken from Mount Shumisen itself, representing the element of Earth. The skylight above with the simulated eclipse embodies the element of Heaven. And your flesh that is to be sacrificed, Kiyoko-chan, fulfils the part of the equation that is Human. These are the three main components necessary to fulfill the conditions for this stage of the chimera technique… and the very step that will inevitably complete my transformation," Hiruko spoke, seeing the kunoichi writhe and struggle against the liquid binding her.

Feeling the light's heat blazing down on top of her, the teen eventually ceased struggling and glared up. When she heard the man cackle and saw his eyes fix upon her with a devilish shadow, the kunoichi from Kiri allowed one last huff from her lungs before a sad grin reappeared on her bruised face.

"Kick this guy's ass… Naruto-kun."

Last thoughts spoken, Kiyoko closed her eyes to mask her tears before, without hesitation, she accepted her fate. As soon as she did, the viscous liquid surrounding her enveloped her completely, her body breaking down in a heartbeat to become one with the fluid. The second she disappeared into the substance, the mass quickly returned to its host and reunited with Hiruko's body, slapping itself against his form and sinking back into his skin. In mere moments, the slime was gone, leaving the caster the last thing standing in the center of the platform.

It was done.

Taking that as a sign that the process was complete, Shinno shut off the machine, removing the lens from above and watching as the village leader lowered his arms and breathed a sigh of relief. When silence reigned, the medical ninja approached the stage. Stepping up onto the stone ring, he walked up to his shorter counterpart and looked down at him in concern.

"Well? Did it work?"

Jerking back into life, the white haired village leader glanced across at the old man behind him and narrowed his eyes. "Did it work? Hmm?" Turning around and looking down at his hands thoughtfully, Hiruko tested the weight and feel of his limbs for a moment before facing the darkness ahead of him. It was then, while Shinno was waiting patiently for an answer, he watched the man suddenly pull a kunai out of nowhere and stab himself in the chest. However, the instant his blade made contact, instead of impaling the villain's flesh like it would anybody else, it shattered like glass, an event that had the doctor smirk in success.

A laugh of triumph escaping his lips, Hiruko tossed the knife away, before spinning around and revealing to his partner that all of his skin was covered in a shiny, black coating of metal.

"You tell me," the obsessive leader asked in a metallic tone of voice, which echoed off of every wall in the chamber.

An amused chuckle leaving him at the sight of his boss's new form, Shinno placed his hands upon his hips and nodded affirmatively, "I'll take that as a yes."

OOO

Meanwhile…

Many miles elsewhere…

A loud clatter of a small glass rang out when Itachi inadvertently ended up knocking over his cup of tea, spilling its contents all over the table. The act, while causing a momentary stir in the restaurant he and his partner were eating at, earned a slightly startled glance from the young man himself. His teammate on the other hand, lowering his drink, stared across at the raven haired shinobi from under the shade of his straw hat while at the same time regarding the mess with a serious glance.

"Something wrong?" Kisame asked, giving his partner a strange look before staring down at the spillage more intently, which was now being attended to by the store's waitress. "It's not like you to have an accident like that?"

"…" Remaining quiet at first, Itachi wordlessly asked for another one, which the waitress gladly obliged and went back to the serving desk. When she returned moments later, the young Akatsuki member was once again able to engage in conversation, "It's nothing. Just a feeling…"

Yeah. Whatever the heck that was, it was almost akin to a cold chill. However, unlike most others, this one was stronger and more ominous.

As a battle-hardened shinobi and former Captain in the ANBU Black Ops, he was a lot more unwavering in the face of superstitious nonsense and was able to confront such scenarios with a clear head. But for some reason when he tipped that glass, the sensation he felt beforehand had caused his body to falter for the briefest of moments.

For someone like him, it was unsettling, and Kisame knew this.

Nevertheless, deciding to play it off as just a harmless accident, the shark-faced man smirked and returned to his meal. Poking his chopsticks into his yakisoba, he continued eating away at a leisurely pace. After slurping up another batch of noodles, he then pointed back at his partner, "You know… its bad luck to spill a cup of freshly brewed tea before the start of a mission. It's kind of like breaking a sandal strap or meeting a black cat along the road."

"…"

"Maybe your Mangekyo stigma is finally starting to catch up to you?"

Remaining still and calm as always, the ever-stoic Uchiha then glanced at his partner over the rim of his collar, "I'm not sure what you mean by that."

Kisame snickered, "Come on. I've been with you for how long and you think I wouldn't notice your failing eyesight?" The blue skinned man shook his head and brought his tea to his lips, at the same time his partner gripped the base of his cup. Once he'd taken a swig, the swordsman then gave a toothy grin, "Even though you're seriously good at hiding it, you can't keep stuff like this a secret. Sooner or later, something's bound to give you away."

Like the manner in which he walked and the length of his pauses. Though they were only off by a millisecond, Itachi still had a case of a blind man's stumble. True to form though, the man didn't let something like encroaching darkness throw him off his game. The man was a stone cold killer. Remorseless. Straight to the point. And though he was relaxed and often sought to resolve conflicts as quickly as possible and without violence, he could also be an incredible force to be reckoned with.

It's why Kisame liked the guy so much. He was a professional; through and through.

"And this doesn't bother you one bit?"

The swordsman cocked his head, "If it doesn't bother you, then it doesn't bother me. Besides, from what I can see, you're doing just fine on your own." Looking up, Kisame shared with his fellow rogue a respectful toast. "I'm sure you'll let me know when your perspective on the world starts to decrease in quality, so until then… I'll continue working with you as per the norm."

Rewarding the man with a blink, Itachi also turned back to his dish of noodles and proceeded to eat.

Sitting across from one another, the two Akatsuki members blended seamlessly with their environment out here in the islands of the Land of Water. Though they were quite a ways out from the hidden village, they made extra certain to keep as low a profile as possible, so as to avoid drawing attention to themselves from the local authorities. Thanks to their past experiences as members of their respective Black Ops divisions, this was not a difficult task to accomplish.

Still, they were keeping an extra eye out for anyone watching them from a distance. Whether it was the guy directly behind them or a person in a building two blocks away, they made sure they were ready to move at a moment's notice.

While nudging his sword Samahada in the side and making sure his primary weapon was still there with him, the blue-skinned warrior then looked up and smirked, "Since Sasori and Deidara have just captured the Rokubi; I'm guessing Leader-sama will be calling us in to start the sealing process soon."

Finishing up his plate of noodles and pushing it aside, Itachi responded promptly with a nod of agreement.

"Transferring a biju into that statue will take a lot of time and effort. Even though we have a total of nine members, it's still going to take us three whole days to complete the ceremony, so we'd better make sure we're both well rested for it" Seeing the Uchiha grab his cup encouraged Kisame to do so as well. "Once it's done and dusted, the two of us will be able to take it easy for a while… maybe even go on a vacation or something."

"…"

"…"

"…" Sensing something amiss about his teammate's odd remark, Itachi looked up at his partner silently. The second he did so, the young rogue saw the unmistakable look of excitement burning in the tall shinobi's eyes, which quickly drew a raised eyebrow from the Uchiha.

"Once the Rokubi has been taken care of, it'll be our turn to go hunting." When all he got from the raven haired boy was a hard stare, the swordsman responded by holding his cup up to him, "That's my idea of a relaxing vacation."

Itachi blinked, "I see."

"So which one do you think it'll be? The Sanbi, the Yonbi or the Gobi?" Kisame asked, at the same time taking a sip from his drink.

The Uchiha shrugged, "Not sure. Your best guess is as good as mine."

"My money is on the Sanbi," the swordsman answered with a slight tilt to his head, "Word on the street is that there are several other interested parties out there wanting to get their hands on the turtle, including our former colleague Orochimaru and that group of weirdoes running around causing trouble. Considering how important these things are, Leader-sama isn't going to want one of his most valued assets falling into the hands of another organization. Odds are he's going to be sending us two to find the Three-Tails."

There were a lot of other factors that led Kisame to this conclusion as well. Looking at what they already knew and the current status of the biju across the five great nations; the Nibi and Hachibi were safely holed up inside Kumogakure territory, the Yonbi and Gobi were being sent on missions outside of Iwagakure regularly, the Ichibi was reportedly always surrounded by groups of Sunagakure's strongest shinobi, the Sanbi was wandering aimlessly through the oceans, the location of the Kyuubi's jinchuriki was currently unknown, and the Nanabi had, for some strange reason, suddenly vanished off the face of the earth.

In the group's last meeting, the leader addressed the issue of the missing Nanabi and its host with the rest of the organization, inquiring his subordinates as to her possible whereabouts. But after hours of debate, in which the two-man teams could only give expired rumors as to when and where she was last spotted, not a single trace of the biju or its container could be found. This baffled the group somewhat, but the issue was quickly dismissed as all of them had other important matters to deal with, namely the biju they could hunt down.

From what Kisame gathered, the jinchuriki that were going to prove the most difficult for them to capture were the Ichibi, the Kyuubi, the Hachibi, and the Nibi. Not only were the first three incredibly powerful individuals without their biju, with Kakuzu and Misora giving a spine chillingly terrifying description as to what the Kyuubi's host was now capable of, but as long as the host of the Two-Tailed Monster Cat was in close proximity of the Eight Tailed Giant Ox, there was no way any of the group's teams would be able to get close to them without fighting a costly battle in the process.

And of course there were the strange habits of the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. Three years ago, the organization had become aware of the fact that Naruto had left the hidden leaf on a training excursion to another country with the legendary Jiraiya of the Sannin, in preparation for the foes that were set to come after him. Even though the group had split and called off all pursuits until the three years were up, the leader still felt it best to keep an eye on him. However, when they tried to find out where the boy had gone and what kind of special training he was undertaking, the blonde simply disappeared from the limelight.

For the next three years the group would hear stories of the blonde popping up in several different places across the continent and even far outside of it, way out of reach of any of their operatives. They'd even heard he'd been involved with a number of films alongside the famous Yukie Fujikaze, with some of the members even having had the pleasure of seeing his pictures in the theatres.

As it turns out, these were merely part-time projects of the Jonin's and didn't reveal anything remotely related to his progress. What's more, they also discovered he never stayed in the same place twice or for long periods of time, always moving and changing locations to throw them off his scent. Though he obviously had a place he returned to frequently, he was so far off the grid and out of the way that they hadn't been able to keep track of him.

Hell, even Zetsu and Kisame couldn't locate the brat.

Much like them, he'd somehow found a way to suppress his presence and his chakra, as well as his biju's, preventing others from sensing him even when he was nearby. This meant that for the past three years he'd taken on the mantel of a ghost. For the Akatsuki, it was like a game of cat and mouse; only the mouse they were after was invisible.

It was frustrating, yes, but there was little they could do about it. Naruto's appearance six months prior had been the only contact any of them had made with him, and the boy had practically been standing right next to two of their members. Granted they were fighting against an Armageddon level threat, which had nearly resulted in the permanent end of their world and universe, he'd still been that close. Now he was gone.

"I still can't stop laughing at how badly Kakuzu and Misora got their asses kicked," Kisame remarked when he and Itachi finally left the restaurant and town following their delightful lunch. Deciding to venture further into the island, where they planned on finding transport back to the mainland later down the line, the pair sauntered on through the wilderness with their heads covered and eyes trained forward. "That must have been one hell of a party."

"Let's just be grateful that the four of them were able to defeat Moryu in the end. If it hadn't been for their timely arrival on the battlefield, than neither one of us would be standing here right now," the Uchiha replied with an unflinching stare, the wind whipping at his cloak and causing the bell hanging from his straw hat to chime hauntingly.

"Yeah. We're all still breathing thanks to those two. Even so, when the pair of 'heroes' finally made their triumphant return from the hospital with the full story, I swear I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from dropping out of the meeting." The swordsman had been snickering so badly he'd almost lost the signal the group had been communicating with at the time of their last report. Kisame could only thank the fact that the hologram reception that his faction used during their conferences was bad and didn't permit the other teams to see one another's facial expressions. That would have been embarrassing if they could. "Deidara lost it. It would have been gold if you did as well."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Not that I'm expecting you to anyway," the swordsman chuckled, tugging on his collar and making sure Samahada was still safely strapped to his back. Murmuring a chipper tone as he raised his head a little higher to look up at the sun, the blue-skinned shinobi then gave a low snicker and rolled his shoulder, "What with everything that's been going on across the shinobi nations lately, it looks like things are going to get pretty hectic around here, wouldn't you agree, Itachi?"

"Yeah," the Uchiha nodded, his Sharingan eyes suddenly glancing over his shoulder, at the same time his partner's eyes did as well.

Though they continued walking unimpeded, following the dirt road further into the island and onward for their next destination, the pair proceeded on with a slightly more cautious step. Reason for this was obvious, but something they didn't respond to beyond the occasional blink.

They were being followed.

Having sensed two sets of eyes on them back in the village, the two Akatsuki members made it seem as though they were unaware of the fact that they were being hunted. Knowing that whoever was shadowing them wouldn't attack while they were in a public place; the pair had taken their time in paying for their respective meals before setting out for the countryside. It was only until they got further enough away from the village and out of reach of any prying eyes did the creeping feeling of a pair of stalkers finally settle over them.

From that point onwards they decided to wait until their would-be pursuers decided to make the first move.

When Itachi and Kisame eventually happened upon a point along the road where the path came dangerously close to a cliff overlooking the ocean itself, where dozens of islands could be seen dotting the stretch of blue along the horizon, the shadows tailing after the pair finally, and without warning, pounced.

A flash of blue light followed by a concussive explosion seemingly engulfed both Akatsuki members in what seemed like a quick and painless death. When black smoke and embers began gushing into the air from the enormous crater punched into the ground, both rogues rematerialized out of thin air several yards away, looking back at the spot they'd previously been standing and carelessly shrugging off the surprise of the rather violent attack.

"Woo. That was a close one," Kisame exclaimed, obviously amused at the attempted assassination as he removed the straw hat from his head and tossed it onto the wind.

Sharingan eyes narrowing, the Uchiha also removed his hat and threw it away, allowing him a better view of his surroundings, "Be careful. This could be trouble."

Warnings given, the two cult members then watched silently as the smoke from the explosion started to lift from the strike zone, revealing two unidentifiable silhouettes. Moments later, the wall eventually parted, and the Akatsuki pair soon found themselves facing down two incredibly attractive looking kunoichi. One of them, who neither of the pair could recall seeing before, was a tall, elegant young woman with ivory white skin and a fair face, with long black hair growing down to her waist. With only bandages covering her well endowed chest, showing off a lot of her cleavage, including the underside of her breasts, she was also wearing a flowery kimono, the top of which she'd shed and had hanging around her waist with the rest of it by her obi. With her top half pretty much exposed to the sun, she could also be seen carrying an enormous sword on her back, a mammoth blade which Kisame immediately recognized as Zabuza's head-slicing clever; Kubikiribōchō.

Showing a bit of leg from underneath her kimono, the fetching, raven haired teen was also joined by another equally fetching girl. Standing at the exact same height as her teammate, clad in a pair of tight, low-rider jeans that exposed some of her hips, a revealing green bikini halter top, with a white, yellow trim kimono robe draped over her shoulders and two pouches strapped to her back, the figure appeared to be none other than Tsubaki. Her long orange hair now growing down her lower back and her body having taken on a few extra curves, though her chest wasn't as impressive as her partner's, she appeared on the scene with an expression of intensity fixed upon the two Akatsuki henchmen standing across the way.

With both sides facing each other down and eyes glued squarely on the opposition, silence fell over the region, and when the smoke eventually cleared from the air, the two girls, gazes narrowed and stances set, began sizing up their foes one after the other. The two men did so as well, with Kisame finishing up first when he quickly recognized the one with the orange mane.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a pleasant surprise," the swordsman chuckled, reaching up and gripping the handle of his sword. "Long time no see, Tsubaki-chan."

"Kisame-sensei," the kunoichi replied with an aggravated hiss.

"What brings you all the way out here?"

"Do you have to ask?" At that inquisition, a spark of electricity shot off of the girl's head and struck the ground, causing her teacher to flinch when her chakra spiked.

"No, I suppose I don't." Frowning momentarily, the man lightened up once again and gave the girl his characteristic, toothy grin, "In any case, it's good to see you again, gaki." Acknowledging his student's state of being as well as the changes she'd undergone in the past three years, the swordsman's eyes then trained over to the raven haired girl beside his student. Upon giving her an appreciative look, which took a little bit longer than the first scan, he turned back to Tsubaki curiously, "And who's your well-endowed friend?"

This question had the lightning user's eye twitch irritably, "What's it to you?"

Blinking when he looked between the two kunoichi, the swordsman then pursed his lips inquisitively and looked across at the attractive newcomer, "She's pretty cute for Zabuza's replacement. What's her cup size?" This off-beat question had Itachi look at his partner strangely.

Whether he was just trying to irritate his pupil or whatever was beyond the Uchiha. Regardless, it was obvious the swordsman had never heard of the word 'tact' before.

Though this question had Tsubaki bristle in outrage, Haku merely tilted her head in confusion and, with the honest inquiry still out in the open, decided to speak up on behalf of her friend.

"G."

"DON'T ANSWER HIM!" the orange haired kunoichi screeched with a red face. Annoyed sparks flying from her head as her teammate glanced coyly in her direction, Tsubaki allowed her anger to boil down some before giving her partner's half-dressed appearance and partly naked upper body a disapproving look. Though her daring manner of dress was one thing, the kunoichi was mostly uncomfortable with the fact that the ice user's bust size was significantly larger than hers. "Why do you dress like that anyway, Haku? Are you trying to catch a man's eye with that getup or something?"

Haku blinked, "Yes. How did you know?"

Not really expecting that answer to come from her friend, the lightning user gave her a suspicious look, "Whose?"

Remaining silent for a moment, the ice user then looked away with red in her cheeks and swayed on the spot bashfully. "Naruto's," she mumbled, but only loud enough for her friend to hear.

Slapping a hand over her cranium and running her fingers down her face, Tsubaki shook her head and breathed an exasperated sigh. When she eventually remembered they were currently standing against two incredibly dangerous shinobi, one of which was still looking at the other one strangely, the lightning user shook herself out of her daze and set her form back into a proper standing position. "I'm going to have a long… long chat with him once this is all over. But for now, we have a couple of bigger fish to fry…"

Literally.

With that understanding established, the voluptuous, raven haired kunoichi decided to butt into the conversation and stepped forward. With the enormous clever now propped against her shoulder, Haku raised her head a little and looked from one Akatsuki member to the next.

A sense of equal intensity burning within her irises, even though her expression said otherwise, Haku then spoke up in response to the current issue at hand, "It seems that our attempt to ambush these two on the road has failed, even though I was hoping for a more favorable outcome." The ice user then glanced towards her partner, "What do you propose we do now, Tsubaki-chan?"

"Simple. We take them out." Obviously still fuming in the presence of her former master and his audacity, the kunoichi took another step into the spotlight and fixed the pair with a more menacing glare. At the same time, she made sure to blast their adversaries with as much killing intent as she could muster, "But before that, we're going to get them to talk."

Kisame smirked, "That, I think, you'll find to be a little bit above your pay grade, my dear."

"Cut the crap," Tsubaki snapped, her attention turning towards Itachi. Following the observational advice from her teammate concerning the Uchiha, she made sure to keep her eyes fixated on his feet. "What have you done with Utakata-kun and Kiyoko-chan?"

Itachi arched an eyebrow, "Kiyoko?"

The jinchuriki he knew, but the other one-

"Where have you taken them?" the orange haired girl barked, at the same time backing up her question with a discharge of lightning. "There's no sense in playing dumb with us. Our village knows all about your little organization and what your ragtag team of super ninja is after. The fact that you're here in the Land of Water is proof of that. So spill it."

Another loud 'crack' rang out, but this time it didn't come from Tsubaki. The two kunoichi looked to their right to see that Kisame had buried the tip of his sword into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. Having drawn it with a ridiculous level of speed, the man made sure he had the pair's attention before smirking in their direction.

"Now that's just rude, Tsubaki-chan. I could have sworn I taught you better manners than this," Kisame spoke, tilting his head towards the orange haired girl to see bolts of electricity start to course over her in an irritated manner. "Perhaps I should give you a refresher course on how to properly address your elders."

It was this that earned yet another scowl from the young woman, "You have nothing left to teach me… sensei."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," the swordsman replied, sparing the girl one last condescending smirk before addressing his partner, "Shall we?"

"Well it's quite clear that we're not going anywhere without a fight. Let's just try to wrap this thing up quickly and get off this island before reinforcements arrive," Itachi replied without a hint of hesitance in his voice. It was obvious by this point that the man was far from backing down.

Kisame chuckled, "Easier said than done." Bringing his sword back up and propping it against his shoulder, the man nodded, "I'll take care of my former pupil. You can handle Zabuza-kun's muse and prodigy."

"Very well," Itachi answered, acknowledging his teammate's request and allowing him free reign over this battle.

To the Uchiha, this was undoubtedly a personal spat between his counterpart and the swordsman's former student. Being the understanding type of guy that he was and not one to waste time and energy arguing, the former ANBU captain was willing to let Kisame take the lead in this one and choose whichever target he wanted to face. Considering there was two of them and that both were apparently really powerful kunoichi, the man knew that they were in for one hell of a confrontation.

Eyes landing on the raven haired girl when he saw her take a step forward, Itachi fixated upon the kunoichi while the sword wielder focused her attention back on him.

"My name is Haku; Jonin of Kirigakure, personal bodyguard to the Mizukage and member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." Bringing her sword, spinning it, and slamming the blade into the floor, Haku nodded to her opponent and took a wide stance. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Itachi Uchiha."

"Likewise," the man few words replied in a similar tone of voice.

Once all pleasantries had been made and both sides had prepped and readied themselves for battle, silence once again fell over the area.

A long gust of wind dragged across the coastline and ruffled the clothing of the four individuals standing at the precipice. With a cloud of dust and debris being picked up by the slipstream and sent bellowing across the plains, the clouds were also joined by the discarded hat lying at Kisame's feet, which was also lifted up and sent on its merry way. The straw headwear rolled and bounced across the pitch, blowing between the two parties and away from its owner.

When the piece eventually rolled to a crawl and ended up standing on its rim several yards away, the second it fell and hit the ground, the four ninja launched themselves into battle.

A clap of thunder ringing out, Tsubaki drew her hand from her pocket and, in the blink of an eye, fired a beam of compressed lightning straight towards her former master.

The swordsman had only a split second to tilt his head to the side and avoid the attack, which barely grazed his ear before striking the region further inland. A square kilometer of rocky outcrop was literally nuked into oblivion when a fiery mushroom cloud filled the sky half a mile away from their position. The second the explosion rocked the region, all four ninja vanished in a shunshin, scattering themselves across the area and taking the fight to the next level.

While a heavy mist fell over the part of the coast where Itachi and Haku took off in, Kisame and Tsubaki retreated to another, a trail of fiery explosions marking the direction that their battle followed.

For the next few minutes after the opening shot was launched, the two Kirigakure ninja sprinted across the isle's terrain at an almost untraceable speed; with one taking the form of a shadow and the other taking the form of a bolt of lightning. While the former individual stayed as far ahead of his pursuer as he could, the latter spent the better half of that engagement pursuing her quarry, firing off round after round of high-powered energy bolts in an attempt to take out her deceptively quick target.

Their game of tag rocked the island from its highest cliffs to its lowest shores, riddling the region with smoking craters before the fight eventually moved further in, where the two then found themselves exchanging blows across the rocky flats of the coastline's largest valley.

With a shout of effort, Tsubaki cocked her right foot up and threw a side kick, launching a beam of lightning straight towards her target when he finally decided to go head to head with her.

Kisame, noting the incoming blast, grinned excitedly and cocked his sword back. Once it was loaded, he thrust it forward with a grunt of effort and intercepted the beam with ease. The attacks collided with one another with a clap of thunder, with the swordsman's blade absorbing the beam's chakra and splitting it, causing excess bolts to shoot off in random directions to bombard the surrounding landscape. After peppering the field, the Akatsuki member pulled back his weapon and let out a roar, before charging forward at full speed to cut his opponent down.

When Tsubaki landed and saw her opponent flying at her with his sword pulled back, the girl brought both hands in front, one over the other, and formed a sphere of electricity, the glow of which enveloped her in a sheath. Once her body was lit up, she took off. "Raiton: Yata no Kagami!" (Lightning Release: Eight Yata Mirrors) In a flash of dazzling light, the girl's form broke apart into countless electrons of energy, which scattered and shot up into the sky, a split second before Kisame slashed at her with his enormous blade.

The man ended up missing his opponent completely, prompting him to hit the brakes and skid to a stop. When he did, he spun around and glared towards the sky in annoyance, where he then saw the kunoichi reform from the particles and, the second she became solid, chucked another kick straight down at him.

"Catch! Raiton: Raigeki no Yari!" (Lightning Release: Spear of Lightning) Another beam of electricity was fired from her foot, which struck the ground directly in front of the Akatsuki member and prompted him to shield himself with his sword. When the attack impacted the earth, the ground was lit up with an enormous, dome-shaped explosion, like a small biju bomb had been set off at pointblank range with its target. The blast punched a massive crater into the island's landscape and engulfed the swordsman in a raging inferno. Once the flames dispersed, all that remained of the attack was smoke bellowing into the air.

Cutting through the cloud and out of the blast radius, a slightly scolded Kisame emerged from the heart of the cataclysm and gave an amused chuckle. Sprinting across the valley at full speed and putting some space between him and his foe, the man then looked to his left in time to see a series of blue photons appear alongside him, before Tsubaki's form materialized out of them. The kunoichi, with her hands in her pockets and also sprinting across the field, glared heatedly across at her master, who returned the sentiment with equal vigor.

"The two of you aren't here by coincidence. Why don't you just tell me where you've taken Utakata-kun and save me the trouble of having to electrocute the truth out of you," Tsubaki spoke, her voice now notably calmer and level than before.

Kisame snickered with delight, "Tsubaki-chan… how many times have I warned you never to rely on your kekkei genkai? Use it too much and you expose all of your weaknesses to your enemy."

"As long as I'm aware of those weaknesses I can avoid being hit by them," Tsubaki shot back, smirking when she then changed directions and lunged at the swordsman. When she threw a kick at him, Kisame threw up his sword and blocked the blow, allowing the nimble girl to push off of it and flip backwards through the air. Upon landing several yards away, she then leapt high into the sky and held both hands forward, "You're as coarse as ever… just like I remember you."

Lightning shooting off of her palms when she sailed away, Tsubaki then began summoning enormous quantities of iron sand from the ground, which started to bellow around her like a tornado. Hurricane winds touching down on the entire valley had Kisame look up seriously, before the kunoichi unleashed the iron sand upon him in a series of lightning fast, spear-shaped clouds, "Raiton: Satetsuarashi!" (Lightning Release: Iron Sand Storm) The wall of vibrating death particles flew towards the swordsman at an unbelievable speed.

Responding in kind, Kisame swung his sword out and smacked the first cloud onto the wind, before springing away and beginning to dodge one wave after the other. The lances of iron haze shredded the ground with every strike and converged upon the retreating rogue. When he eventually touched down seconds later, the former hidden mist assassin began wiping out the attacks with wide sweeps of his Shark Skin blade, taking out the surrounding clouds and keeping them away.

While fending off the iron sand converging on his position, Kisame then noticed a flash of blue light circling him from behind the walls, seconds before he was forced to wrap Samahada's entire blade protectively around him and block a simultaneous barrage of energy bolts.

The attacks, which came in from all sides, were immediately absorbed by the sword, which jittered excitedly as the black mass of iron cloud dispersed across the field. When it did, Tsubaki rematerialized out of the air several yards away, glaring across at her opponent shielding his entire form with his weapon. When Samahada removed itself from around the shark-faced man, the girl clicked her tongue irritably.

"You could learn a thing or two about not having to rely on a special ability, sensei," the girl spoke, mirroring the man's condescending tone of voice.

"Heh. I see you've adopted more than just my teachings in combat etiquette, Tsubaki-chan. That's good," Kisame spoke, before a frown stretched across his lips. "But… if I'm being completely honest, it's really starting to get on my nerves." Bringing his sword around, the man cocked it back and watched his opponent bring her hand in front of her.

Lightning shooting across the ground, the kunoichi began collecting up the same iron sand particles at an alarming rate, all of which converged in front of her and stretched across the air to form the enormous blade of a claymore.

Upon gathering enough powder, Tsubaki then began melting it down with her lightning to form a perfect, steel hard blade, which flashed brightly underneath the sun. "Raiton: Satetsuken!" (Lightning Release: Iron Sand Sword) As soon as she'd created her weapon, she took it into a two-handed grip and held it over her shoulder like a baseball bat. "Well tough luck. Until one or both of us are dead, I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with it a little while longer!"

With a roar from both combatants echoing out, the two lunged at one another with their respective swords and struck.

The moment their blades collided, a shockwave rang out that split the earth beneath the pair, causing the two ninja to slide back under the force. When the tremors faded, the master and student then started hammering away at one another with their respective weapons, their blades slamming against the others with concussive force, shaking the island with every strike.

After battering their opponent with attacks that would have easily carved through a mountainside, the two warriors then pulled back, took aim with their swords, and thrust towards their opposite with a yell of effort. The second they struck, they passed each other, causing an invisible, thunderous blast to ring out, one that ripped the ground apart like it were made of paper.

Spinning their respective swords in their grips, the pair spun around to face each other, with Kisame grinning all the while. "Don't get cocky. Just because you're recognized as one of the strongest in Kirigakure now, doesn't mean you should be letting your guard down against me."

Leaping back, Tsubaki held her sword out and brought her free hand forward, a frown framing her face. "This may come as a shock to you, but I didn't come all the way out here to be reminded of the past." Electricity shooting off of her arm, the kunoichi held her finger forward and began gathering iron sand particles at the tip. When she managed to compress it into a tiny marble, she fired it. "Raiton: Cho-Denjiho!" (Lightning Release: Super Electromagnetic Cannon) A powerful beam then shot from her finger and across the field, breaking the sound barrier several times before reaching its intended target.

Alarmed at the sight of the blast, Kisame threw his sword up to deflect it. His sword took the force of the Railgun, which forced him back along the ground while his sword absorbed the lightning style chakra. The attack screeching as bolts scattered across the open ground, the attack eventually faded, allowing the swordsman a moment of reprieve before he teleported forward.

The man's sudden dash across the field prompted Tsubaki to look on in slight surprise when she saw her charging teacher rear his sword back for a strike. Responding quickly, she brought her long sword up to defend, reacting in time to block the titanic blow from Samahada crashing into her. However, the instant Kisame's sword struck hers, the bandages along its top half exploded off and the gaping mouth of the Shark Skin blade appeared.

With a roar, the sword sprouted two chakra vents from its fins, a split second before the blade unleashed a flash of blinding light right in the kunoichi's face, engulfing her in a blast of raw chakra. The explosion sent rubble flying through the air and knocked the stunned Tsubaki off her feet, sending her sword spiraling away while the young woman was literally blown to pieces.

Kisame watched in satisfaction as his former student's body parts scattered through the air, but that smile slowly vanished when he saw the kunoichi's remains glow blue before dispelling into countless photons of energy.

Pulling his sword back, the swordsman drew a deep breath at the effort he was exerting trying to fight the ludicrously fast kunoichi. Since she had a clear speed advantage over him, it was taking everything Kisame had just to keep in step with her. However, knowing that speed wasn't exactly his area of profession, the best he could do was hold his ground and intercept Tsubaki's attacks wherever she came from. As strong as he was, even he had his limits when it came to stopping something that could move at the exact same speed as a bolt of lightning.

Eyes cutting across the field, the swordsman searched out his foe for the next several seconds, before a flash of electricity behind him drew the swordsman's attention around. Reacting instinctively, Kisame threw Samahada up, moving just in time to block the lightning covered sword that crashed down on top of him from above. The impact was marked by another loud thunder clap and after managing to absorb the chakra from the large blade, the powerful rogue held his ground while Tsubaki pressed down on him, electricity shooting off of her body like a Tesla coil.

The kunoichi frowned, "You won't be able to match my speed with that heavy sword of yours. As good as your reflexes are; defending can only take you so far." Feeling the man push back with his superior strength, edging her along the ground at a staggering pace, all Tsubaki could do was seethe and grit her teeth while her opponent started to gain the upper hand in their grappling match. "Just tell me what you've done with Utakata and Kiyoko and I'll let you go!"

"You know, many years ago…" Kisame said as another grin pulled across his face, "You and I never did get along very well, did we?!" With a shout, the man threw the kunoichi off, before lunging in with a slash of his sword.

Reacting quickly, the girl vanished in a flash of lightning. When the swordsman passed the spot she'd been standing in, Tsubaki reappeared several yards behind with the same frown in play. Upon seeing her opponent straighten up from his lunge, the girl snarled, "I'm done playing around. Tell me where my teammates are… or I'm going to make your life a living hell."

Kisame chuckled, his back still turned to his former student, "It's that same determined tone of voice. You know, you really should learn to speak more kindly to adults… especially to the one who taught you everything you know about being a shinobi." Grinning, the Akatsuki member spun around and, upon sheathing Samahada onto his back, threw the kunoichi a toothy grin. "You may be strong… but you still have much to learn!" With a shout of effort, the man back flipped through the air, where he then landed atop a rocky tor many yards away.

Baffled by the man's maneuver, Tsubaki crouched down and readied herself for another charge. However, before she could begin building up for an attack, she was stumped when she suddenly saw her opponent fly through hand seals in the blink of an eye before forming a snake seal. The moment he did that, his chakra levels skyrocketed.

"Here's a little demonstration. Suiton: Goboshokusame!" (Water Release: Five Gluttonous Sharks) With a yell of effort, the man conjured a ridiculous amount of water to the battlefield, which exploded out of the ground around him and began flooding towards the kunoichi in the form of a tsunami carrying five water sharks with it.

Eyes widening in bewilderment when she realized exactly what that jutsu was, Tsubaki acted quickly and took flight. Her body flashing blue momentarily, the kunoichi then broke apart into countless photons of energy, all of which shot into the sky in the form of a lightning bolt. However, in spite of her instantaneous teleportation, Kisame knew exactly where she was going and responded in kind.

Grinning maniacally, the blue-skinned man slammed his hand into the floor and summoned the colossal waves of his attack towards him. The lake's worth of water twisted around his position like a maelstrom, singling him out and building in size before converging upon the swordsman and scooping him up. With Kisame mounted upon the crests of the waves, the man was then rocketed into the sky when his self-made vortex immediately transformed into a monstrous spout, which blasted him in pursuit of his opponent.

Just as Tsubaki was reforming dozens of stories above the island, Kisame, having predicted her flight path to the last second, stopped at the exact same altitude as her and took aim. Upon suspending himself in place with his makeshift 'elevator', the man slammed his hands together and countered, "Predictable as ever!" Blurring through seals, the swordsman stopped at the snake sign and conjured a ring of water around him. "Suiton: Daikodan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique) He then thrust both hands forward.

The instant he did so, the water arcing over his head blasted forward and, upon growing to a ridiculous size in the blink of an eye, transformed into an enormous shark made entirely out of the element. Giving a terrifying roar, the translucent sea creature opened its mouth and charged towards its target like an arrow in flight, only thousands of times larger.

The instant she reformed out of the scattered electrons, Tsubaki got the shock of her life when she saw the titanic man-eater bearing down on her. Gritting her teeth, the kunoichi responded by crossing her arms and throwing them out, unleashing a torrent of thousands upon thousands of blue energy spheres that flew towards the approaching entity in a hail. However, the instant the bolts began bombarding the water shark, all they did was get absorbed by the jutsu's mass, increasing its size ten times over.

"What?!"

Tsubaki barely had enough time to look stunned before she was suddenly swallowed up by the creature, which barreled her back down towards the island at breakneck speed.

When the gargantuan shark inevitably struck the coast of the landmass many stories below, it hit the valley with a combination of a tsunami and a typhoon all at once. Not only was a substantial chunk of the isle blasted to smithereens, but when the giant sea creature collided with the ocean and started plowing through it, it created a swell twenty stories high that rippled towards another distant island, which it then crashed into and leveled the entire forest growing on top of it.

Once the tsunami's waves ebbed away and the waterlogged island unveiled itself from underneath the ocean a minute later, showing an utterly ruined and drenched piece of land, silence fell. In the time the isle took to surface, Kisame managed to land safely back onto solid ground, his water spout depositing him at the edge of the destroyed cliff, where he then straightened up and surveyed his handiwork.

A grin appearing across his mug, the swordsman chuckled darkly.

"We'll meet again… Tsubaki-chan…"

OOO

With Itachi…

While Kisame was having it out with his opponent over on his end of the island, the Uchiha on the other hand was having troubles of his own.

As it turns out, the duo from Kirigakure that both he and his partner had found themselves up against were two of the fastest ninja from that village. It was a theory that the raven haired young man had played on when he recognized the orange haired girl from the Chunin Exams three years ago and was able to catch a glimpse of what she was capable of. And now, not only did she appear to be faster than before and was confronting her master of yesteryear, but the young man was now having the pleasure of going toe to toe with her teammate.

Normally he wouldn't have had a problem with this if it was an ordinary shinobi and he'd be able to defeat them in no time flat. But as he was now finding out the hard way, the kunoichi, who was once a prodigy under Kisame's old associate Zabuza Momochi, was also ridiculously quick.

Sliding backwards along the ground after blocking a very vicious assault from his opponent, Itachi managed to stop himself when he slammed his palm into the floor and applied the brakes. Kunai in hand, the shinobi then looked up through the cloud of dust and snowflakes hanging in the air to see his opponent standing several yards away with her enormous clever held out and unwavering gaze locked firmly onto him. Even though it looked like an incredibly heavy weapon and one that would be difficult to wield with any kind of proficiency, the young woman appeared to have no problems with swinging it whatsoever, showing just how strong she actually was.

His expression tightening, Itachi rose up from the ground and took a defensive stance. When he did, he saw the Jonin in front of him spin her sword and prop it against her shoulder.

Just as he was preparing to throw himself back into the fray and take her head on, the Uchiha then blinked in surprise when he saw Haku begin flying through signs. It was a sight that had him stop in midstride.

"She's weaving seals with one hand? I've never seen that before."

Once she'd finished the combination, Haku brought her hand up and focused. "Hyōton: Tsurara Tsubame!" (Ice Release: Icicle Swallow) Upon accumulating the right amount of chakra, the temperature around the teen dropped like a stone, after which countless ice needles formed in the air around her. As soon as the senbon had fully materialized, the kunoichi wasted no time in hurling them towards her opponent, forming an inescapable wall of death.

Having been unable to break down her hand seals due to their unique nature and execution, Itachi had no choice but to counter the attack with one of his own. Drawing four kunai in each hand, the young male threw them forward with blinding speed. The second the eight knives collided with the approaching senbon, the paper bombs attached to them detonated with concussive force, filling the air with simultaneous, fiery explosions. The attacks were effective in taking out much of the first wave of needles.

But they did nothing to stop the second and third waves from flying through. Itachi had only a split second to cross his arms over to protect his face before his body was absolutely riddled with senbon. While the rest peppered the valley around him, Haku was able to watch with a satisfied gleam in her eye as the Uchiha was thrown backwards through the air. When he eventually touched down and stumbled to a painful stop, the pin-cushion form of the rogue then collapsed to his knee and his body slumped forward, leaving him wide open.

"It's over," the raven haired girl stated. Taking up her mammoth sword, Haku sprinted forward and sprang into the air. Her shadow falling over her fallen foe, the assassin held her blade overhead and swung it straight down at him. It seemed like an easy kill.

But then, the exact moment the weapon made contact with its quarry, Itachi's form suddenly broke apart into dozens of crows, which scattered through the snow-filled air and away from the kunoichi.

Her attack ending up hitting nothing, Haku straightened up and brought her sword around, propping it against her shoulder at rest. Eyes glaring ahead of her and watching the noisy crows flutter about the area in circles, Haku lowered her head and frowned, "I stand corrected." With her gaze fixed ahead of her, she didn't seem to notice the murder converging behind her and forming into the shape of a person.

But, sharp as always, Haku picked up the waves of killing intent falling upon her and spun on the spot. When she did, she swung out with her sword and slammed it into the side of Itachi Uchiha, who'd managed to bring a kunai up in time to block her blow. With an earsplitting clang, the girl sent the shinobi flying across the field.

Managing to course correct, Itachi back flipped and landed firmly on the ground. When his feet touched down, he shot forward and swung in, aiming to impale his target. Haku countered with her sword, sparks flying when their blades crossed and were knocked back. Blow deflected, the Uchiha spun on the spot and threw a side kick into the raven haired girl, only for her to catch it with the flat side of her sword, before both pulled back their respective weapons and slashed at each other once again. Their blades collided in another earsplitting shower of sparks and both adversaries began glaring one another down heatedly.

During their grappling match, Haku's eyes met Itachi's, the pair's expressions unwavering even at the sight of the other's gaze and the sparks flashing between their blades. For the next minute they held their ground, snow cascading all around them and clouding the air as they attempted to overpower the other.

It was only after the faceoff reached its breaking point that the Uchiha immediately realized something was off about this picture and narrowed his glare upon his foe.

"This snow is distorting the light around us," Itachi said, taking note of the shimmer between him and his opponent. "That's why my genjutsu isn't working on you."

"Very perceptive," Haku replied in the same cool tone of voice, "Doujutsu like yours can be a real problem for other shinobi, which is why I trained myself to counteract such an anomaly."

She wasn't just producing the snow to create an appropriate backdrop for their fight, oh no. The real reason was a lot more discreet than that. By producing snow, Haku was establishing the ideal battleground for her to fight in, not only to produce her jutsu at a more accelerated rate, but to also render the Uchiha's Sharingan null and void. The way she was utilizing her snow as a masking agent functioned in a similar manner to her former master's hiding in the mist technique, not just changing the visual quality of the atmosphere but also distorting the light to prevent optical genjutsu from reaching its intended target by fracturing it.

The way she was doing this required very little chakra, which was ideal for someone like her.

Realizing this method of attacking was getting him nowhere, Itachi disengaged prematurely, back-flipping across the valley and unleashing a hail of shuriken towards the kunoichi. The projectiles cut towards her all at once and caught her in the barrage. However, when the first shuriken that slicked into the girl took a chunk of ice off of her face and scattered it across the floor, the Uchiha realized right then and there that he was facing a clone.

When the rest of the projectiles struck the Kori Bunshin (Ice Clone), the entire body collapsed to the ground, forming a pile of useless snow.

Unable to find his opponent anywhere in sight, Itachi disappeared in a shunshin and began darting across the uncharted wilderness. His body taking the form of a shadowy blur, the man leapt from tor to plateau over their part of the island, where his body then reappeared half a mile away on top of a hill's crest, glaring back in the direction he'd come.

Expecting to see his opponent in hot pursuit, the Uchiha continued to scan the horizon, even when the explosions of Kisame and Tsubaki's attacks echoed away in the distance, making listening for his foe's approach incredibly challenging. The young warrior was in fact so focused on the area in front of him that he failed to notice the ice mirror materializing from the mist over his shoulder, and Haku's form appear from its reflection. It was only when the girl produced a series of senbon from out of thin air that Itachi realized she was directly behind him.

Spinning around at the last second, the raven haired warrior received two senbon to the shoulder while at the same time dodging the rest she threw his way. Quickly reciprocating the action, the Uchiha tossed a kunai with an explosive tag at her and had the privilege of watching it explode on impact. When the fire and smoke died out, Itachi saw that his opponent and her mirror was gone, but could still feel her presence somewhere in the area.

Eyes widening as his Sharingan cut left, the man ducked right down, avoiding the swing of Haku's massive blade when the kunoichi rematerialized out of thin air via snowflakes. Having used a Kori Shunshin (Ice Body Flicker) maneuver to try and get the drop on the man, Haku ended up missing and seeing the Uchiha fly through lightning fast hand seals while avoiding her attack. Springing back as soon as she saw him look up at her, the kunoichi retreated across the plain as fast as she could before Itachi's cheeks puffed up and he launched his counterattack.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fire Ball Technique) The moment he was charged, the raven haired shinobi unleashed a jet of fire from his lips, which spewed across the valley like a flamethrower.

Managing to back up several more yards, Haku stopped to face the wall of flames blasting towards her and tearing up the valley. As soon as she was upright, the girl flipped through a quick combination of seals and threw a hand forward. When she did, three mirrors of ice shot out of the ground to surround her, which formed a protective wall that effortlessly deflected the fire attack. The entire valley lit up in a raging inferno, but once Itachi ceased feeding chakra into his attack, the flames extinguished and a fine mist fell over the battlefield once more.

Seeing his opponent standing behind her barrier of ice without a scratch on her and her eyes locked onto his position caused the Uchiha to frown. After giving his opponent another look-over and assessing the battle that had taken place so far, the rogue then realized he wasn't going to go anywhere with this bout unless he took it up another level.

This kunoichi was powerful. So in order to contest with her properly, he was going to have to fight with her on her level.

Putting all the chakra he could spare on the table, the man flew through more seals.

In response, Haku leapt away from the small barricade of mirrors she'd formed and also formed several seals. Recognizing the attack her opponent was loading as another fire release technique, and a big one at that, the raven haired kunoichi made sure to get some distance before finishing her countermeasures. Even though fire style techniques had no effect on her ice style jutsu, she needed to be extra careful with this one. After all, Itachi Uchiha wasn't an opponent to take lightly.

"Hyoton: Makyo Hyoheki!" (Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Wall) Upon making contact with the ground, an enormous wall of ice crystallized out of the snowflakes hanging in the air, forming a towering barrier between her and her foe. The moment the mirror formed in front of her, creating a secondary buffer against her opponent, Itachi had finished kneading chakra.

Cheeks inflating, Itachi cocked his upper body back and, upon taking aim, threw himself forward, unleashing his attack.

"Katon: Gōenkyū!" (Fire Release: Great Blaze Ball)

With a deafening crack of a shockwave, Itachi exhaled a ball of roaring flames straight from his lips, which instantly grew to a ludicrous size before shooting across the field like a rocket. The speed at which the meteor-sized sphere traveled ripped the ground to shreds, overwhelming Haku's first shield of mirrors and moving on to the secondary wall behind that. When the attack struck the barrier seconds later, instead of melting it on contact, the powerful attack shattered the monolith and kept right on going.

The comet of fire had Haku's eyes widen in disbelief, prompting the girl to flip through seals and form an ice mirror behind her. As soon as it appeared, she leapt into it for cover. A split second later, the fireball crashed into her mirror and blasted it across the island at breakneck speed. With the ball grinding into the solid block of ice like a drill, it not only carried it across the entire valley, tearing a wide trench in its wake, it also carried it across the ocean and towards another distant island. When it eventually hit the shore of the deserted landmass, it detonated with catastrophic force.

A dome shaped explosion wiped the entire island off of the face of the map, sending shockwaves rippling back towards the island the Uchiha was standing on. Watching his attack impact the isle from a distance, Itachi noticed the ground surrounding him break apart as hot, gale force winds blew into him like a hurricane. But in spite of the heat, the brightness of the explosion and the tremors reverberating through the earth, the raven haired warrior remained completely unfazed.

When the explosion eventually settled down moments later, the raven haired young man found himself staring at a large mushroom cloud, which had formed in the wake of the massive explosion. Adjusting his cloak, Itachi breathed a sigh of relief and turned, where he then saw his partner land directly beside him with his sword strapped to his back.

"Well that was fun," the blue-skinned man said with a pleased grin. "How did you do?"

Itachi stared back at him silently for a moment. After which he closed his eyes and deactivated his Sharingan, "I got a little bit carried away." He hadn't had to use that much chakra in a long time. Even though it'd gotten the job done, he doubted his opponent would have been taken out so easily. Her ice style form of ninjutsu hadn't been an easy element to circumvent, even for him, so he was certain the kunoichi was still alive. "What about your opponent?"

"Stranded on an island nursing some serious whiplash," Kisame replied with a chuckle, "She's a tough little speck, I'll give her that."

"A byproduct of being a former student of yours, I assume," Itachi replied without a single inflection of surprise in his voice.

"Consider my teachings blessed," the swordsman shrugged. "In any case, I doubt we'll be seeing her anytime soon. Not after an attack like that."

Wordlessly plucking the two ice senbon out of his shoulder once the two of them had confirmed they'd managed to ditch their opponents, the Uchiha remained quiet for several seconds before fixing his attention back onto his teammate, "We should get moving." Those blasts could be seen for miles and if Itachi knew anything about anything, it's that the authorities in this region would not be letting something like this sit quietly.

Smirking when he heard his partner's response, Kisame gave a nod of understanding before quickly falling in step with him when the young man started to move, "That's the first time I ever saw you take a hit from someone. Are you alright?"

"I'll live," Itachi replied, completely shrugging off being hit by the senbon. Even though his arm was a little bit numb from having his muscles punctured, it was nothing to get excited over.

Rolling his shoulder, Kisame looked ahead of him again and chuckled, "I think it would be best that we avoid getting into another fight for a little while. As fun as that was, even someone as stubborn as me can get a little winded from playing tag with a bolt of lightning." Trying to compete with the fastest kunoichi in the world was not an easy task, even if the teen's sole intention for fighting him had only been to acquire information.

Hearing this loud and clear from a man he knew never to tire easily from a battle drew a nod of agreement from Itachi. When the pair eventually stepped back onto the still miraculously intact highway moving across the island, they continued on their way, trying to act as though the fight never happened. "Agreed."

Just like his partner, the Uchiha too managed to hide the bead of sweat that had appeared on his temple.

OOO

Meanwhile…

On the shores of the neighboring island, which had been swamped from end to end by Kisame's Great Shark Bullet Technique, a lone figure could be seen floundering in the shallows. Clambering over the sands and rocks on her hands and knees, a slightly battered and completely drenched Tsubaki managed to pull herself out of the ocean and back onto dry land… in a manner of speaking.

After coughing and sputtering out whatever seawater she'd managed to swallow in her brush encounter with the giant man-eater, the girl banged her fist into the soggy beach she was lying in and gritted her teeth in frustration.

There was no other way for her to describe it. That battle had been one big cock-up on her part.

"Damn him. Damn that man!" the orange haired kunoichi cursed furiously. "I held back too much and got blindsided by him." She was getting annoyed at being beaten and talked down to by that shark-faced freak; even more so than having to haul her ass out of the ocean after a ridiculous fight.

This time, she didn't care how much effort it was going to take, she was going to make sure she kicked that man into unconsciousness and took him on at full speed. That was it. No more restraints. Even though she was worried about killing him before questioning him about the whereabouts of her teammates, she was positive the man could take it.

Not to mention she was now worried about Haku. Shit. She'd left her back on that island against Itachi Uchiha, of all people. Was she okay?

She had to get to her!

After clutching sand in her fist and catching her breath, the girl yanked the seaweed off of her and prepared to go after her teammate. However, just as she was in the process of recovering, a foot landing in front of her had the girl stop in her tracks and look up. When she did, she found herself staring up at a tall man with orange, spiky hair, blue eyes, and decked out in a blue shirt, pants and white coat. He also had a pair of oddly crafted stone gauntlets on his arms, both of which he had held at his sides.

For several seconds the pair stared silently at one another; one looking surprised while the other was grinning smugly from ear to ear. A minute later, when Tsubaki eventually realized she was facing down a man with a foul grin fixed squarely onto her, the kunoichi responded with a snarl and a current of electricity, which shot off of her body at the same time her hand curled into a fist. "What are y-" Before she could even respond, the newcomer in front of her cocked his hand back and slammed a punch across her face, smashing her into the ground.

After burying Tsubaki's face in the sand, Ishidate stood back up to full height and nudged her in the shoulder with his foot. Making sure the orange haired girl was out cold, the mercenary then looked over his shoulder and towards a nearby hill, where he saw the armor-clad form of an older Temujin standing there, with an unconscious Haku and her executioner's blade slung over his shoulder. The kunoichi, noticeably banged up after being smacked about by Itachi's powerful fire release technique, had apparently been 'recovered' from the ocean by the knight and brought safely to shore.

Considering who he was, the fact that he was still carrying her, and that the girl had a very noticeable bruise on her face from being knocked out by the man, it was obvious the dashing warrior's intent wasn't just to save her. These two agents had other plans for their quarry.

"Is she alive?" Ishidate asked the young man conceitedly, a question that the armored soldier responded to with an affirmative nod. "Good."

It'd been an easy capture; much easier than they'd anticipated. If these two girls hadn't just fought against Itachi and Kisame and let their guards down after recovering from those big attacks, then both men would've had to fight the pair themselves to bring them down. That would have been an unnecessary drag on their parts.

Bonus points to Akatsuki for that.

"What now, sir?" Temujin asked, shouldering the raven haired beauty up a little higher and eliciting a groan from her unconscious form. With his silver armor glinting underneath the sun, the blonde faced his superior with an inquisitive look and watched as a small smile appeared across his lips.

"Now… we take them back to the fort and toss them into the brig with the others," Ishidate responded positively. "The boss has just completed another transfer. Since his body will need time to adjust to the new additions, it'll be another few months before he can add anymore kekkei genkai to his collection. In that time, I think he'll be sending us out on another hunt while he continues his excavation project to the south." On that note, the man threw a courteous nod toward the young man and pointed in his direction. "Good job on catching the Seven Tails, by the way. That was some mighty fine work."

The white knight bowed at the compliment, "If it means bringing about our utopia, then I will gladly put my life on the line for our master."

Eyes falling back on Tsubaki's unmoving and lithe form, Ishidate then gave the sight of her a wicked grin while his eyes shimmered with notable excitement.

"It's time to get this show on the road."

TO BE CONTINUED…

---

Author's Note: Well, things are starting to get more interesting. Kiyoko's dead, Utakata's soon to be dead, Tsubaki and Haku are captured, and apparently so is Fu. What a fantastic way to start the Shippuden arc, picking off people at random one at a time.

Will they be saved?

Anyhow, next chapter… Naruto finally returns to Konoha! Hope you're all looking forward to that.