Itachi was so focused on chasing Sasuke that he forgot about Kisame, who was still guarding the Konoha Gate.
Kisame, being an honest man, was unaware that Itachi had already "betrayed" him, and stubbornly stayed guard at the door until the wee hours of the morning.
He simply couldn't wait any longer, not because he had lost patience, but simply because he was worried about Itachi's safety.
He muttered to himself,
"Has something happened to Itachi? But with his strength, there shouldn't be any sign of him!"
At that moment, two more Konoha Chunin came out; they were there to relieve the guards.
Upon seeing their companion lying on the ground, life or death unknown, and Kisame beside them, the two immediately realized they had been attacked and opened their mouths to scream.
However, Kisame was faster. With two loud thuds, the two Konoha Ninja were slammed against the wall and knocked unconscious.
Kisame snorted dismissively and swaggered past the two of them into Konoha.
However, without Itachi's guidance, he could only wander aimlessly around Konoha like a headless fly, and was soon discovered by a watermelon-headed man who was doing his morning exercise in the middle of the night, who blocked his way.
The man with the watermelon-shaped haircut performed several backflips upon meeting Kisame, and after coming to a stop, he pointed at Kisame and questioned him.
"You're not Konoha ninja! What brings you here!"
Kisame looked at the man opposite him with his watermelon-shaped haircut and green bodysuit, raised an eyebrow, and immediately labeled him as a lunatic, not taking him seriously.
Kisame drew Samehada from his back and charged forward, intending to knock the Kisame in his way unconscious.
The man with the watermelon-shaped haircut narrowed his eyes, then raised his leg and kicked.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Kisame was caught off guard and was kicked backward, only managing to stop himself by plunging Samehada into the ground.
He slowly raised his head, the contempt in his eyes gone. From their earlier exchange, he already knew that the person before him was far stronger than the gatekeepers.
Kisame's expression turned serious, and he asked,
"Who are you?"
The man with the watermelon-shaped haircut struck a pose, grinned, and revealed a row of gleaming teeth.
"I am the Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, Might Guy!"
Kisame shook his head and blurted out,
"Might Guy? Never heard of it."
"..."
Kai's expression froze, feeling a little embarrassed, while Kisame asked the question.
"What did you do to Mr. Itachi?"
"Mr. Itachi? Who's this? Is he one of your accomplices?"
Kisame narrowed his eyes, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. This guy named Guy was no easy opponent for him to defeat, and if the other Konoha ninjas noticed, he wouldn't be able to escape either.
Kisame remained silent for a while, Kai decided to strike first. He pushed off with his feet and charged towards Kisame.
"Konoha Violent Whirlwind!"
Kisame didn't dare to be careless this time either. He held Samehada in front of him and barely managed to block Gai's spinning kick.
Having been kicked twice in a row, Kisame was enraged. He quickly formed hand seals and let out a low shout.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Suddenly, a puddle appeared on the ground, from which a shark formed of water leaped out and lunged at Kai.
Kai dodged to the side, looking at the ground ravaged by the shark, and said...
"To use such a powerful Water Release in a place without water, this opponent is no pushover!"
The formidable opponent ignited Kai's fighting spirit; he clenched his fists, and a surge of green energy erupted from his body.
"Eight Inner Gates Formation, Sixth Gate: Gate of Wonder - Open!"
After the Gate of View opened, Kai's speed increased dramatically again. He appeared in front of Kisame almost instantly. Kisame hurriedly raised Samehada, trying to block the Samehada again, but he couldn't stop it at all and was sent flying by a punch.
Kisame was sent flying, sword and all, leaving a deep trench in the ground.
When he struggled to his feet, his clothes were torn, and several deep, bone-revealing wounds were visible on his bare upper body.
These wounds would be fatal to any ordinary ninja, but Kisame showed no sign of panic.
He glanced at the wounds on his body, then his arm jerked, and the Samehada suddenly shattered. The hilt of Samehada wriggled and reached into the sleeve, channeling Chakra into Kisame's body.
Under the influence of Chakra, Kisame's wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving Guy dumbfounded.
After recovering from his injuries, Kisame moved his body slightly, and when he looked at Guy, his eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
This was the first time he had encountered such a powerful Taijutsu ninja. At this moment, he had given up the idea of retreating and wanted to fight properly.
He leaped into the air, his hands quickly Hand Seals, and then he spewed out a large amount of water from his mouth.
"Water Release · Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Like ocean waves, the water quickly formed a semi-circular water prison, submerging half of Konoha. The sleeping Konoha were suddenly caught off guard, waking up in fright and then choking on a mouthful of water.
They tried to scream for help in terror, but they couldn't make a sound in the water. If this continued, apart from some ninjas who could temporarily control their breathing, the rest of the ordinary people would soon drown.
Kai, floating in the water, realized this as well and immediately decided to hold back.
He brought his arms to his waist and silently recited in his mind,
"Grandma Li Knocks (the Seventh Gate: Gate of Shock)..."
Before Kai could finish reading, Senga suddenly appeared in front of him.
Kai was startled by Senga's sudden appearance and instinctively opened his mouth, only to have a mouthful of water forced down his throat, choking him until his face turned red.
Hidden somewhere, Kisame saw Senga and exclaimed in surprise.
"That is..."
Senga said nothing. He activated his Rinnegan and then raised his right hand.
The surrounding water instantly flowed into Senga's palm as if it had been thrown into the sea, and in the blink of an eye, the water prison that had covered half of Konoha disappeared completely.
The surviving Konoha stared blankly up at Senga, who stood tall in the air. Someone murmured...
"It's the Hokage-sama! He saved us!"
Kai hadn't activated his Gate of Wonder yet, so he lacked the ability to stay airborne. As soon as the water prison disappeared, he fell from the sky. He looked up at Senga in the air, puzzled.
"What was that about the Hokage-sama's eyes just now? That didn't look like the Sharingan!"
Kisame landed back on the ground, looking utterly shaken, as if he had witnessed something terrifying.
"There's no mistake! That's the Rinnegan! The same Rinnegan as the leader!!!"
At that moment, several crows flew to Kisame's side and materialized into the shape of Itachi.
When Itachi saw the towering water prison from afar, he knew something was terribly wrong; he had forgotten about Kisame, that honest guy!
He looked at the destroyed houses around him, then at Senga in the sky, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.