At dawn the m, Kumogakure's search team finally arrived at the site where Killer Bee and Kisame had fought.

  Kumogakure ANBU: "There are numerous traces left by swords here. It's definitely Bee-sama, and there's another bde—judging by the cuts, it’s the Mist Vilge’s great sword, Samehada!"

  Raikage: "Hmph! Hoshigaki Kisame—it’s Akatsuki, no doubt!!!"

  ANBU: "The battle marks are fresh. The fight likely occurred st night. Bee-sama didn’t use a Tailed Beast Bomb; otherwise, this entire area would have been leveled."

  Indeed, before entering Kisame, Killer Bee had been training in enka with his mentor, Sabu. Using a Tailed Beast Bomb would have risked harming his teacher, so Killer Bee hadn’t gone all out.

  Raikage: "What about Bee? you find him?"

  ANBU: "The ground here is damp, with signifit water residue. Judging by the chakra traces, this was caused by a rge-scale Water Release jutsu. If the caster had beeed, the water would have dissipated quickly. Si’s still here, it suggests the caster is alive!"

  "Bee-sama isn’t skilled in such rge-scale Water Release teiques. Therefore, we deduce that this is the enemy’s doing, which means Bee-sama has likely… beeed!"

  "Damned Akatsuki!!!!!!"

  In a fit e, the Raikage punched a massive tree, shattering it in one blow.

  "The fight happe night! He ’t have gotten far with Bee in tow!!! Search every inch of this area! There’s no way he escaped unscathed after fighting Bee. He must have left some trace! Track down that Akatsuki scum—I’ll rip his head off myself!!!"

  With that, Kumogakure unched a full-scale pursuit of Kisame.

  ---

  By noon.

  Kisame was only ten kilometers away from the designated vilge.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  A series of explosions echoed from the forest behind him.

  Kisame stopped and turo look back.

  "The traps I set are being triggered oer another. Clearly, the pursuers know the traps are there and are charging through them anyway. This kind of reckless behavior..."

  He g the still-unscious Killer Bee.

  "Must be y brother, ing to save you…"

  Knowing that a fierce battle was iable, Kisame took out an iron and securely bound Killer Bee to his back. Gripping Samehada tightly, he faced the forest behind him.

  From the distance, lightning crackled as the Raikage led the charge, followed by Darui, Cee, and a squad of Kumogakure ANBU.

  Unfazed, Kisame decred, "Raikage, your brother is right here on my back. If you want to save him, you’ll have to turo a corpse first!"

  The Raikage roared, "As you wish! Darui, the rest of you—stay out of this! I’ll deal with this Akatsuki scum myself!!!"

  Crackle! Crackle!

  Encased in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Raikage crouched after nding, then unched himself forward with explosive speed!

  The hundred-meter distance was covered in an instant as he drove his lightning-charged elbow straight toward Kisame!

  —*Liger Bomb!*

  This was the same teique that had once reverted Jūgo from his Cursed Seal Level Three state back to normal!

  Kisame raised Samehada to blo front of him. With a heavy thud, the Raikage’s elbow struck the bde head-on!

  "!" Kisame gritted his teeth, struggling to hold his ground as he was forced to retreat. He quickly braced the back of the bde with his free hand, eling his monstrous strength to resist. Even so, he ushed back repeatedly.

  Boom! With a sed surge of force from the Raikage’s elbow, Kisame was sent flying backward. As he soared through the air, he drove Samehada into the ground, skidding dozens of meters before ing to a stop. The trees oher side of his path had been shattered in the process.

  Feeling the numbness in his arms, Kisame muttered with genuine admiration, "What a terrifying monster. Your strength surpasses even your brother’s pseudo-Tailed Beast transformation..."

  "Hmph!" The Raikage snorted, crag his thieck with an audible pop.

  "Now that you uand fear, it’s already too te…"

  He unched another assault.

  Kisame didn’t dare uimate him.

  —*Samehada: Flying Ssh!*

  The hilt of Samehada extended over teers, twisting like a as the bde sshed toward the Raikage!

  Crackle! Crackle!

  The Raikage shifted his position mid-charge, dodging the attack.

  Kisame frowned. "Even more troublesome than your strength is your speed…"

  He let go of Samehada and rapidly formed hand seals.

  —*Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Teique!*

  Whoosh! A massive amount of chakra densed into a shark-shaped water projectile, hurtling forward at incredible speed!

  "Hmph! A mere trick!"

  The Raikage scoffed, charging straight through the Water Shark Bullet with his body.

  However, the water’s resistance slowed him down slightly.

  Kisame seized the moment to retrieve Samehada and reposition himself.

  "Ordinary Water Release teiques are meaningless against a body like his. I’ll have to use that move…"

  He rapidly formed more hand seals, his chest swelling as he inhaled deeply.

  —*Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!*

  Whoosh!!!

  A massive wave erupted from Kisame’s mouth, f a colossal, ellipsoid water prison. From above, the surrounding forest could be seen submerged uhe vast sphere of water.

  Darui and the others, who were from a distance, quickly retreated further back, marveling at the sheer scale of the teique.

  "What a monstrous jutsu. The water left behind at the previous battlefield must have been from this teique, right?"

  "Fighting in the enemy’s domain puts the boss at a disadvantage!"

  Shing! Darui uhed his bde. "Prepare to assist the boss if needed!"

  Ihe water prison, the Raikage, now fully submerged, struggled against the overwhelming pressure. His vision was obscured, his movements hindered by the water’s tension, and most critically, he couldn’t breathe.

  You might wonder why lightning doesn’t duct through water here. That’s because the Lightning Release chakra would be absorbed by the water.

  Rustle, rustle, rustle!

  Oher side of the water prison, Kisame had fused with Samehada, transf into a half-man, half-shark form.

  In this state, Kisame could breathe and move freely uer, while also gaining the abilities to absorb chakra and sense chakra signatures.

  "Yreatest advantage—your speed—is now nullified. That yer of lightning around your body is made of chakra, which means it’s destio be absorbed. And I’ll make sure to expedite that process…"

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Kisame darted through the water at high speed, repeatedly smming into the Raikage’s body.

  Fused with Samehada, Kisame himself acted as the bde. Each collision drained a signifit amount of the Raikage’s chakra.

  The lightning armor surrounding the Raikage began to flicker and fade. He closed his eyes, burying his face deeper into his chest.

  Kisame taunted, "Losing chakra and uo breathe—painful, isn’t it? Don’t worry, your suffering will end soon…"

  Outside, Darui anxiously asked, "What’s the situation?!"

  Cee activated his sensory abilities. "The boss isn’t moving right now…"

  "Damn it! Is it still not enough?!" Darui prepared to charge in.

  "Wait… the boss’s chakra—it’s not decreasing. It’s increasing!"

  Darui stopped, sheathing his bde. "Looks like the boss is about to use *that*. It’s his way of saying he doesn’t need our help. What a stubbuy—he could’ve just let us gang up on the enemy, but no, he insists on a one-on-one fight!"

  Crackle! Crackle!

  Ihe water prison, the Raikage’s lightning surged even more violently. His hair stood on end, transf into sharp, hardened spikes.

  —*Lightning Release Chakra Mode: Full Power!*

  Swoosh!

  Kisame darted toward the Raikage again, only to find his target had vanished!

  "What?! He’s resisting the water pressure and dodging my attacks? And his chakra—it’s suddenly surged to a level parable to a Tailed Beast’s! What’s going on?!"

  Bubbles rose as the Raikage held his breath and charged forward!

  Realizing the danger, Kisame immediately switched tactics, retreating rapidly. The water prison moved with him, as it was tered around his body. By maintaining distance, he aimed to keep the Raikage trapped withier prison’s boundaries.

  With tinuous chakra loss and suffocation, even the Raikage couldn’t hold out for long!

  The Raikage, aware of Kisame’s strategy, pushed himself even harder to close the gap. However, despite his speed, the water prison still restricted his movements. Moreover, this was Kisame’s domain, and the Raikage couldn’t sense his chakra.

  Gradually, the Raikage began to falter.

  "Damn it! These Akatsuki bastards—every one of them has such disgusting abilities!"

  Fog all his senses on the Raikage, Kisame thought with relief, "Now, it’s just a matter of time…"

  "The eighth bde."

  But at that moment, a low murmur escaped from Killer Bee, who was still bound tightly behind Kisame…

  Annou

  Happy New Year everyone!