Before dawn, Naruto and Yugito stealthily approached the inn at the center of the town. The morning air was sharp and cold, and the darkness so thick that one could barely see their own hand.
"Which room is he in?" Naruto lowered his voice and turned to ask Yugito.
The two of them were standing not far from each other, one at the front and one behind. Upon hearing what he said, the Yugito first looked up at him, then silently pointed toward a particular room.
'Very good.' Naruto was very satisfied, thinking there was a clear difference when working with a professional. As he wiped his nose, ready to sneak in and make a move, he found that Yugito's hand moved again.
She pointed from one room to another, and within a second, it changed again. This time, it was Naruto's turn to be dumbfounded.
"I…don't actually know which room. If I got too close, he might've noticed." Yugito admitted, somewhat embarrassed, with a rare hint of shyness appearing on her face.
Hearing this, Naruto felt a chill run through him and barely resisted the urge to kick her ass. He consoled himself by thinking that Kisame was very sensitive to her scent and not getting close to him was the right choice.
Meanwhile, Yugito was feeling a little nervous, wondering if she should explain a little, 'What if he thinks I'm incompetent?'
She hadn't approached out of fear of startling Kisame. After all, Kisame's awareness was absurdly sharp. If she got too close, many of her tracking methods would have been rendered useless.
But if she explained, it might sound like an excuse. And if she didn't, she might be looked down upon. She suddenly found herself trapped in a cycle of doubt.
"Um… I…"
"No need say anything, it's fine." Naruto waved her off casually, and said, "Hoshigaki Kisame isn't easy to track. If you got too close and he noticed, it'd be a pain."
"Yeah." Yugito found herself reevaluating Naruto slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a little touched, 'Maybe not all people in this world are completely heartless.'
"Besides, I chose you for this job. No matter how useless you are, I have to make it work." He added.
Yugito: "…"
Not finding the exact room was no problem for Naruto's genius brain. He simply walked up to the front desk, put on a friendly face, and asked.
And just like that, he got Kisame's room number.
This inn was not very big, with only three floors in total. Naruto took two steps of the stairs at a time, heading straight up.
Meanwhile, Yugito positioned herself on a nearby rooftop, keeping watch in case Kisame tried to escape.
Knock, knock, knock!!!
A rapid series of knocks echoed through the early morning silence, and then the door was opened with a bang.
Kisame grinned savagely. His cement-gray skin, combined with his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, made him look extremely scary. His small black pupils contracted, then dilated as he locked eyes with the blond man standing at his door.
Dust swirled in the dim hallway, the faint morning light clashing with the shadows. There was barely half a meter between them. The killing intent flared instantly.
Naruto grinned back just as viciously, without an ounce of fear in his expression.
"Long time no see, you damn Itachi simp. Is Uchiha Itachi dead yet?"
"Itachi-san isn't someone a brat like you is worthy to mention! " Kisame snarled, then swung his Samehada. The bandages unraveled in an instant, and a powerful gust of wind blasted outward.
"Yeah? And you are worthy?" Naruto scoffed, then summoned the Kusanagi Sword in his hand.
"Showing up with a big-ass kitchen knife and acting like a pro? Kisame, you're just as much of a joke as Itachi!"
…
Outside, Yugito were standing on the rooftop, keeping an eye on the inn below.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the section of the southern part of the building exploded, debris scattering in all directions.
A massive, blood-red spectral arm shot out from the shattered window, and Kisame's body was sent flying like a broken bead on a string.
With a loud bang, he slammed into the ground, carving out a crater in the middle of the street.
Yugito's eyes widened slightly. She knew exactly how strong Kisame was. There were not many people who could make her feel afraid, and this weirdo was definitely one of them.
This Missing-nin had survived the Bloody Mist Village. He was wanted for so many years, but was still safe and sound and even joined the Missing-nin organization, Akatsuki. Although she didn't know that Akatsuki no longer existed, it didn't stop her from being shocked.
Yet this monster had just been swatted away like a punching bag.
He landed on the ground with a bang, leaving a big hole. At that moment, Yugito suddenly felt grateful that she was on this side in this battle.
Kisame, who was lying in the deep crater in the street, didn't expect that the Kyubi's Jinchuriki of Konoha was so unsportsmanlike.
Naruto clearly took out the Kusanagi Sword, but he had switched up his attack at the last second, hammering him with something else and sending him flying.
Fortunately, he had reacted fast. If he had been even a moment slower, he would've been crushed on the spot.
Gritting his teeth, Kisame flipped to his feet, crouching in the pit as he glared up at the shattered remains of his inn room. Naruto's figure emerged from the wreckage.
After a moment, Kisame turned around and ran away.
Live today, fight another day.
There were too many freaks in this world. And he knew sticking around was a bad idea. After all, he had just watched Naruto punch through an entire building.
Would a madman like him really be afraid of collateral damage? Hoshigaki thought he might be, but he didn't dare to bet on it.
In his eyes, the lives of the people in this town weren't worth as much as his own.
Having made up his mind, Kisame immediately retreated. Seeing this, Yugito, who had been waiting for her chance, leaped forward with incredible agility and swiftly chased after him.
Nibi, Matatabi, is a Bakeneko, which gives Yugito a light and nimble body. Naruto didn't see where she was stepping for leverage, yet somehow, he saw her tap her toes in the air a few times and dash forward.
Shaking his head, he quickly followed suit.
He had no intention of fighting in this town, and his earlier strike had only broken a wall, nothing more.
Killing Kisame was already set in stone, and there was no way he could escape.
There was no need to rush things, nor to endanger civilians by fighting Kisame here. First, it would be meaningless, and second, it would limit his ability to use his full strength.