Deidara was bored. He could hardly improve his artwork in this situation, sad as he was to admit such a fact, and there was nobody to talk to either.

Sasori had apparently decided that regardless of the steady rocking of their makeshift vessel, he would still indulge in his craft, if not the more detail-oriented aspects of it. Not that the redhead was a good conversationalist usually either. The only way to really get the introverted puppeteer to open up was insulting his art. And honestly, Deidara wasn't really in the mood to bicker.

Yes, while his own sense of art was the complete opposite of Sasori's, the only reason he really confronted him about it was to get the quiet as a grave ninja to talk. Seriously insulting someone else's sense of art really wasn't his style. He wasn't above converting them though.

'Un', he grinned to himself. 'Explosions are the best after all.'

In any case, Kisame was still doing his thing underwater and Itachi was sitting quietly and appeared to be meditating, or deep in thought. Deidara couldn't tell with the stoic teen. The teen who had beat him with unsettling and insulting ease at their first meeting. And didn't that still prick his pride every time he thought about it. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to resent the Uchiha for it anymore. Oh, he was still bitter about it, don't get him wrong and he was definitely still coming up with countermeasures for the young ninja's honestly scary Genjutsu skills. He just… couldn't bring himself to hate him anymore. The Uchiha was just too damn likeable for that, as he had gotten to know and grudgingly admit to himself during his time at the Akatsuki.

Otherwise he'd have grumbled a lot more during this mission.

'Mission', he thought sarcastically, 'More like a fucking death trap.'

Deidara was convinced this was some kind of farce to get rid of the 'disloyal' elements. As if he would leave before beating Itachi in a rematch. If one wasn't part of the organization then getting hold of the sneaky Uchiha was close to impossible, really.

"Che"

He felt kind of insulted their leadership thought it was this easy to get rid of them. Underestimating them like this was downright rude, in his opinion. Thus, Deidara swore to himself to find a way back, even if the seal was destroyed as the circumstances implied. If only to rub it in their face and flip them off, before calling it quits in their face.

Being lost in contemplation and boredom, Deidara instantly noticed when Itachi's eyes snapped open and the ninja turned his head.

He followed his team leader's gaze and smirked. Finally, something interesting.

It seemed like they were about to get company.

Dulacre Mihawk's mood was complicated when he woke up from his short nap. It always was on these yearly trips of his.

He didn't even really know why he was still doing this. There literally wasn't a point to this family tradition at all. Yet… for some reason he couldn't name he never managed to shake the habit.

Most likely… because habits like these were the only thing he had left of his family, of their heritage. Getting rid of even one felt almost like he himself was slowly killing the last vestiges that remained of them.

He doubted his trip this time would bear fruit either. It hadn't in all the years he had done it, not even in all the years his father and grandfather had done it before him. But the chance, however small it was, was worth it to their family.

Sighing, he grabbed a random shirt, got up and left the small cabin of his vessel. He squinted as he stepped out, once more silently vowing to get a hat of some kind and took a few seconds to let his eyes get used to the sun burning onto the small deck before he let his eyes roam over the seemingly endless expanse of sea before him.

He would never get tired of this view. The sea was a thing of beauty, equally as much as it was a thing to fear, hiding unknown wonders in its depths that equalled its terrors. It was exciting in a way he couldn't even hope to describe. He never wanted to lose this feeling.

If the winds didn't change overly much, he estimated that he would arrive in another 6 hours, give or take.

He blinked at a small black spot in the distance, flying close to the clouds.

A lone bird that wasn't a seagull… this far out over open waters?

"Huh"

Weird.

Well, not weird enough for him to look into.

He hauled the anchor back inside and readied the sails. With a last pull, he secured the ropes and got behind the wheel.

A small grin stretched across his face as the wind caught in the sails and his boat smoothly sailed towards his destination, not knowing he was already being expected.

The red eyes with 3 black tomoe of the crow gliding just below the scarce clouds glowed as it watched the traveller silently, awaiting instructions. It and its murdermates had spent the last 5 days scouting the area for any changes, circling the skies in wide arches.

Their feathers were growing slightly ragged due to the salty winds after all this time. Luckily, they could be repaired quite easily once their task was complete and they returned to their nests.

The crow cawed in acknowledgement of its new task, changing its course to keep in sight of the vessel below, which steadily made its way towards its master's location.

Mihawk narrowed his eyes in amusement at the crow trailing his boat at a distance. It seemed like it wasn't quite brave enough to approach or land but wasn't quite ready to take the risk. He was only around an hour away from his destination, so the bird's stamina was quite something. He estimated the whirlpool would be visible on the horizon any second now.

Regardless of the destruction it wrought, the gigantic whirlpool was always a majestic sight to see.

In anticipation, he fixed his eyes to the front.

Through the eyes of the crow Itachi curiously observed the single traveller steadily sailing in their direction. It was a tall man, a few cm short of 2m. He seemed just a little older then Itachi himself, maybe 20 at most, had short black hair with some sideburns, straight bushy eyebrows and the most intriguing black-rimmed yellow eyes. It almost looked like a target was painted inside.

Maybe a doujutsu?

The lines of his face were defined but not unhealthily so. He was muscular, built like a samurai, more for strength than for speed, but at the same time not overly so as to influence his flexibility. A strangely familiar cross peeked out from within his half-opened red shirt that was haphazardly stuffed into his light grey pants.

The boots he looked sturdy, most likely steel-toed. A well-used but also well cared for katana hung at his side.

Itachi's eyes snapped open and he turned towards the direction of the incoming boat on reflex. It wasn't visible yet, even to his eyes. So he turned his attention to his companions. He pulsed his chakra in a familiar pattern, one Kisame would feel and recognize as an order to return.

That cross though, just why did it seem so familiar…

The gilled ninja didn't take long to return, looking at Itachi in question and derailing his train of thought.

"Hn, small vessel, 1 person visible, eta 6 hours, 15 minutes."

That was around 10 pm, just before the sun would set. Likely it was just someone passing through, but they didn't know the situation, so it was best to prepare as if the passenger/s were hostile.

"Visible in approximately 5 hours. No sign of aggression currently, armed, training apparent, likely a samurai. No other weaponry apparent, there is a small cabin though, so there could be more people or weapons inside. Maximum capacity estimated at 4."

Short and to the point. Now it was time for instructions.

"Kisame, continue but return towards a distance where you can ambush them if they should prove hostile on my signal."

He nodded in acknowledgment.

"Sasori, how are your puppets?"

"Not as efficient underwater as I'd like… yet."

"Hn, then you are the point of contact if the vessel approaches us. If they prove non-hostile or you feel the need to, signal us to return or attack. Standard flares."

"Deidara and I shall join Kisame underwater, depending on what I observe in the next 4 hrs 30 minutes. In this environment my crows aren't as sneaky in scouting as I'd like but the single passenger has yet to show suspicion. We shall prepare for either situation."

"Now, Kisame, anything to report yet?"

"Aaah, I found the danger the water warned me of last time. There's some kind of sea creature sleeping close to the whirlpool. Kinda surprising our flashy escape didn't wake it, really. It… looks like a cross between an ostrich and an eel. That's the only way I can describe it. Threat level is unknown but since it's as big as the tower in Ame and has pretty sharp accessories I'd say at worst it's around an A-level threat. Nothing we can't handle even individually."

Even Sasori raised his brow at that. A giant ostrich fish. That was… intriguing. And relieving. They had honestly expected worse, given the bad luck they had on their mission until then.

"Another thing. I found some signs that there used to be buildings here, not many though and there's nothing yet that could tell me what kind or what purpose they served. Most likely, either the bigger pieces were destroyed or I wasn't looking at the right place yet. Let's assume for a moment the buildings housing the seals used to be some kind of travel point. It wouldn't be too strange for that to be a bit of a distance away from any kind of settlement. If we want to find further info, that would be our best bet though."

He did not voice that a search like that could take weeks, even for him.

"Hn, I see.", Itachi finally said after a moment of mulling the new information over, "just continue for now, maybe you'll get lucky."

Kisame grinned. He liked that about the teen. Always a level head and never giving in to a seemingly hopeless situation.

Yes, Kisame had already come to terms with the fact they likely would not be able to return to Amegakure.

Surprisingly, he was fine with that.

Honestly, the fact that the sea seemed to love him so much here, wherever here was, was reason enough for him to stay here. Don't get him wrong, he would be happy if they could return and he'd help the others search for a way as long as they felt like looking. But Kisame himself, he could live anywhere. He was happy as long as he had strong people to fight or spar with.

At least that's how it'd have been once upon a time. Now… Kisame had gotten… attached. Strange as that was for him. When one of his comrades, one of those Kisame trusted back in his old village had callously sold critical information to the enemy, Kisame had sworn not to put his trust into anyone anymore. Yet, the Uchiha had managed to worm his way behind the countless shields he had put up, before he knew it.

He didn't think he could leave the Uchiha to search for a way back by himself. And, knowing the teen, he would no doubt wish to return, if only to watch over his baby brother.

Yes, Kisame knew about the brat, even if Itachi didn't know it. He didn't like how he had handled the situation, far from it, but he could understand, even if he didn't approve. Plus, it wasn't like it was really Kisame's business anyhow.

He just hoped Itachi would not grow to regret it.

Soon enough, Kisame had returned to the place he left off earlier. He had found a small pile of rubble swept against one of the countless boulders in the area. It had collected in one of the cracks where the current wasn't able to carry it off.

Kisame carefully shifted some pieces to the side, inspecting each one as he did so.

'Nothing, eh…', he sighed to himself. As expected. He was about to turn around and continue searching elsewhere when a glimmer of white half-hidden by the sand caught his eyes. It must've been uncovered while he was inspecting the rubble earlier.

He carefully stretched his hands towards it, brushing off the sand.

'Oh?', Kisame smirked, 'Now, what do we have here…'

Sasori silently sat inside of his usual puppet, Hiruko, patiently awaiting the small vessel steadily approaching his own position. He absentmindedly played with the spine-like bladed tail attached to the hunchbacked looking chimera.

He was quite disappointed in himself, honestly. While he hadn't been useless to the mission, exactly, his pride and joy, his life's work, his art… was flawed.

This would not do. This wouldn't do at all.

He swore that first thing he would ocean-proof at least some of his works.

'In fact', he grinned in excitement, 'perfecting my craft more and more like this… I'm… happy."

Yes, discovering and promptly fixing the flaws in his designs was his pride. He relished it, lived for it even. He didn't think there could be a greater feeling than the pride he felt once he succeeded in a self-appointed task.

Sasori was quite excited to find out how his puppet would keep up with the Samurai of this weird place. He couldn't wait.

When the boat finally was within speaking distance of the ninjas' own makeshift one, Sasori was the first to address the lone swordsman on the vessel.

"Greetings", he said simply. It was time to test the waters.

"Good evening.", the polite reply couldn't quite hide the slight tinge of suspicion in the young samurai's voice.

"Is there anything I can help you with?", Sasori asked equally politely.

"Oh no, I was just passing by. I don't usually see someone in this part of the sea so I thought I'd drop by."

"Ah, yes. It's my first time around here. You must come here a lot to notice. How nice."

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for here then?"

The tone of the swordsman became flatter the longer they talked. How interesting. Obviously, he suspected something was wrong. He was a paranoid one, that's for sure. Sasori wondered at the cause. Was it because there was something here the man didn't want anyone to find?

"Nothing in particular, no."

"I see."

The swordsman obviously didn't believe a word he was saying. How irritating.

"In that case, may I ask why you are here? You haven't been moving for the last hour at least."

"Aa, honestly… in the kind of boat I'm currently in I wouldn't get very far anyhow."

"That's not an answer", eyes narrowed, he practically growled.

"I was not aware I owed you one", Sasori couldn't help himself but quip back. Okay, so maybe he wasn't the most democratic of ninja, sue him.

'Well', Mihawk mused defensively, 'I did try playing nice.'

He observed the lone hunch-backed man on his quite frankly insulting excuse of a boat. He would be quite tall if he was straight-backed. He was wearing a long cloak that covered his whole body but the face, which in turn was half-hidden by a piece of fabric tied around the nose, kind of like a bandit's. His skin was tanned, his hair a dark grey shaved bare except for 5 single dreadlocks spread evenly over his skill. His eyes quite sunken, half-covered by his brows. The irises were small and beady. He couldn't read anything from those eyes. They almost seemed… dead.

He shuddered slightly at the thought.

"I'll ask one more time.", he finally stated, "What is your business here?"

Should he answer? Sasori wasn't sure. Perhaps a half-truth would do.

"Like I said, nothing in particular. Honestly, I'm just lost."

'A lie', the samurai concluded. The dark-skinned man seemed way too relaxed for someone lost at sea. He didn't even have any supplies in that ramshackle 'boat' of his. In all truth, he should be begging him for help. No, this was way too fishy.

Honestly, Mihawk wouldn't even bother with the man if they hadn't met at this particular location.

"I see. You leave me no choice then.", he muttered.

Mihawk drew his Katana and attacked without another word.

His blade flashed, the man narrowed his eyes and dodged, leaping over the slash and onto Mihawk's own boat. He was surprisingly agile and fast. Mihawk had aimed to split him in half.

Instead, only the 'boat' of the man had met said fate.

"Oi, oi, that wasn't very nice.", the man admonished.

Mihawk didn't honor that with a reply and attacked once more instead. This time, his opponent didn't dodge.

Sasori deflected the blade using the tail of his puppet.

Taking advantage of the momentary surprise of the swordsman, he controlled it once more to lash out at the man, aiming to take off his sword arm.

The samurai evaded.

Their exchange of blows continued, each testing the other out.

Mihawk noticed the tail-like weapon of his opponent was getting chipped by his own blows. The other obviously wasn't a swordsman and only used the appendage like a club.

'Crude but effective… to a degree'

Mihawk decided to get a little more serious. It wouldn't do if his own boat was destroyed as well after all. His blows became faster and more vicious. His opponent seemed to match up well for a while but then misjudged a jump and plunged overboard and into the tea. Or so Mihawk thought.

'Wait'

There was no splash.

And the man was back, attacking him from the side this time. His tail swept at Mihawk in an arc, forcing him to parry it as the man got closer. He raised his right hand for the first time in the fight. It was made of metal.

'Shit.', Mihawk realized. 'A cyborg.'

He forcefully pushed at the tail and jumped, successfully evading a barrage of needles that would have rendered him a pincushion. Not from the arm as he had expected though, but from the man's mouth.

Gross.

Mihawk landed sideways on the walls of his cabin and pushed off, propelling him back at his opponent. Sadly, he wasn't yet skilled enough to perform a 'flying' slash continuously, or the man's irritating tail would be history by now.

His opponent dodged and came up behind him, trying for a blow to the back. Mihawk had expected this though and launched the other away and off the boat with a well-timed spinning kick.

He huffed.

That had felt like kicking a block of steel.

'It most likely was', Mihawk mused. The man was a cyborg after all.

This time, he hadn't taken his eyes off his opponent when he left his boat. No telling if the man was faking again after all.

The man soon caught himself landed on top of the water… as if it was dry land.

Mihawk sucked in a sharp breath.

It couldn't be…

A ninja!?

He didn't have time to recover from his shock before his opponent was once more upon him.

Yet, Mihawk's goal now changed. He went from aiming to kill to aiming to defend and incapacitate. He started observing his opponent more carefully during the fight. Something his opponent had obviously noticed if his own change in fighting was anything to go by.

Honestly, if it wasn't for their need of information, Sasori wouldn't have cared that his opponent wasn't aiming to kill anymore. He would've just finished the presumptuous bastard off for raising his sword against him in the first place. And destroying another one of his turtle shells. Seriously, it was the 2nd one already!

After yet another clash, Mihawk carefully lowered his blade, indicating his intentions for a truce.

Luckily, his opponent seemed to be in an indulgent mood.

"Found what you were looking for?", the dark-skinned man asked him gruffly.

Mihawk just nodded silently.

"You… you're a ninja, aren't you?", he asked.

"Oh? Indeed, little samurai. What gave me away?", Sasori asked drily.

"That means… you are from the Elemental Nations." It was a statement rather than a question.

Sasori narrowed his eyes at the emotion in the young swordsman's voice. It seemed that ninja weren't that common here after all. He had involuntarily given away information. That… kind of stung. His pride as a spymaster, that is.

"Please", the samurai suddenly said, his tone sounding raw with emotion. He fell onto his knees and performed a dogeza.

"Please take me back with you!"