Early the next morning, Kumogakure's search party followed the intelligence they had gathered along the way and found the site of Killer B's battle with Kisame.
A Kumogakure Anbu reported, "There are plenty of marks left by ninja blades here. It was definitely Lord B. There's another blade, too. Judging by the cuts, it was Kirigakure's great sword, Samehada!"
The Raikage said, "Hmph! Kisame Hoshigaki. So it really was the Akatsuki!!!"
The Anbu continued, "The battle marks are fresh. We estimate the fight took place last night. Lord B didn't use a Tailed Beast Bomb, or this whole area would have been leveled!"
Indeed, before encountering Kisame, Killer B had been learning enka from his teacher, A San. A Tailed Beast Bomb would inevitably have caught him in the blast, so Killer B hadn't exactly fought at full strength.
The Raikage demanded, "Where's B? Can you find him?!"
The Anbu said, "The ground here is damp, with a great deal of water left behind. Its reaction indicates a large-scale Water Release technique created with chakra. If the caster had been killed, this water should have vanished quickly. The fact that it's still here means the caster is alive!"
"Lord B isn't proficient in Water Release techniques of this scale, so we believe this was the enemy's doing. Which means Lord B must have... lost!"
"Damn the Akatsuki!!!!!"
Enraged, the Raikage punched straight through a large tree!
"The fight happened last night! He can't have gotten far carrying B!!! After him!! There's no way he fought B and came out unscathed. He must have left some trace!! Find that Akatsuki scum. I'll twist his head off!!!"
And so Kumogakure launched an all-out pursuit of Kisame!
Noon.
Only ten li remained to the village they had agreed upon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out from the woods behind him.
Kisame stopped and looked back.
"The traps I set are being triggered one after another. Clearly, they know the traps are there and are choosing to charge straight through anyway. That way of doing things..."
He glanced at Killer B, who was still unconscious.
"Your dear big brother has come to save you..."
Knowing a major battle was inevitable, Kisame simply took out a chain and secured Killer B firmly to his back. Gripping Samehada, he turned to face the woods behind him!
Lightning raced through the trees. The Raikage led the charge, followed by the elite Jōnin Darui and C, along with a large contingent of Kumogakure Anbu!
Without a trace of fear, Kisame said, "Raikage, your brother is right here on my back. If you want to save him, you'll have to turn me into a corpse!"
The Raikage roared, "I'll grant your wish! Darui, none of you are to interfere. I'll kill this Akatsuki scum with my own hands!!!"
Crackle!
Clad in lightning armor, the Raikage landed, bent his knees, and launched himself forward!
He crossed a hundred meters in an instant, driving straight in with an elbow charged with Lightning Release chakra!
Lariat!
It was the very move that had knocked Jugo out of his third-stage Cursed Seal form!!
Kisame raised his great sword to block. With a dull thud, the Raikage's elbow slammed into the flat of Samehada!
"!" Unable to withstand the force, Kisame slid backward. He hurriedly braced the back of the blade with his free hand and brought his monstrous strength to bear, yet he still kept retreating.
Boom! The Raikage drove more force into his elbow, sending Kisame flying backward. As he flew, Kisame plunged Samehada into the ground and skidded several dozen meters before finally stopping, leaving a swath of broken trees on either side.
Feeling his arms throb with numbness, Kisame spoke with genuine admiration. "What a terrifying monster. Your strength is even greater than your brother's humanoid Tailed Beast Transformation..."
"Hmph!" The Raikage snorted, rolling his neck-nearly as thick as his shoulders-with an audible crack!
"It's too late to be scared now..."
He launched another assault.
Kisame dared not let his guard down.
Samehada: Flying Chain Slash!
Samehada's handle extended more than ten meters, bending like a chain as the blade whipped toward the Raikage along a winding path!
Crack! Snap!
The Raikage shifted his position mid-charge, and the Flying Chain Slash missed...
Kisame frowned. "So your speed is even more troublesome than your strength..."
He released Samehada and rapidly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!
With a rush of water, an immense quantity of chakra condensed into a shark-shaped water bullet and hurtled forward at tremendous speed!
"Hmph! A cheap trick!"
The Raikage snorted and neither dodged nor ducked, smashing straight through the water shark with his body!
But the water's resistance still slowed him for a split second.
Kisame seized that opening to retrieve Samehada and move aside.
"Ordinary Water Release is meaningless against that body of his. I'll go straight to that technique..."
His hands flashed through hand seals, and his chest swelled.
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!
Whoosh!!!
Water erupted from his mouth in a raging tidal wave, instantly forming an enormous ellipsoidal water prison. Viewed from above, a vast stretch of woodland had been submerged!
Darui and the others, who had been standing by behind the Raikage, quickly retreated farther away. They stared in awe at the absurdly large sphere of water.
"Only a monster could use a technique like that. This must be what left all that water at the previous battlefield, right?"
"Fighting inside the enemy's domain puts the boss at a disadvantage!"
With a rasp, Darui drew his ninja blade. "Get ready to support the boss!"
By the time the Raikage realized what had happened, he was already inside a boundless world of water. Not only was his vision impaired, but the water's tension pressed in from every direction, restricting his movements. More lethal still, he couldn't breathe...!
Why couldn't the water conduct electricity? Because the Lightning Release chakra that could conduct it was being absorbed by the water at the same time.
Swish, swish, swish!
On the other side of the water world, Kisame had already fused with Samehada, taking on a half-human, half-shark form.
In this state, Kisame could breathe and swim freely underwater, and he possessed the ability to devour and sense chakra!
"Now you can't make use of your greatest advantage-your speed. That lightning around your body is made of chakra, so it can't escape being absorbed. And I'll speed up that process myself..."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kisame darted through the water, slamming into the Raikage's body again and again...
Fused with Samehada, Kisame was effectively the blade itself. Every collision absorbed a massive amount of chakra...
The lightning cloak around the Raikage weakened. He closed his eyes and tucked his face down.
Kisame said, "Losing chakra and unable to breathe... painful, isn't it? Don't worry. It'll all be over soon...!"
Outside, Darui asked anxiously, "What's happening in there?!"
C activated his sensory ability and said, "The boss isn't moving at all..."
"So he can't do it after all?!" Blade in hand, Darui prepared to charge.
C said, "Wait... the boss's chakra isn't falling. It's rising!"
Darui stopped and sheathed his blade. "Looks like the boss is going to use that again. Does that mean he doesn't need our support? He's so stubborn. We could overwhelm the guy together, but he insists on fighting one-on-one!"
Crackle! Crackle!
Underwater, the lightning erupted even more violently, and the Raikage's hair stiffened into upright spikes!
Lightning Release Chakra Mode: Full Release!
Whoosh!
Kisame swooped down once more, only to strike empty water!
"What? He resisted the water pressure and dodged my attack? And his chakra swelled to rival a Tailed Beast's in an instant. What's going on?!"
Bubbles burbled through the water...
Holding his breath, the Raikage surged forward to attack!
Kisame immediately changed tactics and sped away from the Raikage. This water prison moved with his body at its center, so as long as he kept his distance, the Raikage would never be able to reach its boundary.
With his chakra draining and his suffocation continuing, even the Raikage couldn't hold out for long!
The Raikage also realized what Kisame intended and pursued him even harder. Unfortunately, fast as he was, the water prison still restricted his movements. Besides, this was Kisame's domain, and the Raikage couldn't sense his chakra.
Gradually... he began to falter!
"Damn it! Every one of these Akatsuki bastards has a more disgusting ability than the last!"
Keeping all his senses focused on the Raikage, Kisame said with relief, "Now it's only a matter of time..."
"The eighth blade."
But just then, Killer B, tightly chained to his back, murmured those words...