Itachi sprinted after Sasuke and totally forgot Kisame, who was still stationed alone at Konoha's gate.
Kisame, ever dutiful, had no clue Itachi had "defected." He stubbornly kept guard past midnight, driven not by impatience but worry for his comrade's safety.
What happened to Uchiha Itachi? Someone like him wouldn't simply vanish without a trace!
Just then, two Konoha Chūnin emerged to relieve the gatekeepers. They froze at the sight: one of their own lying face‑down, motionless, and Kisame standing over them with a vicious glare. They opened their mouths to shout, but Kisame acted first. Thud, thud! They were slammed unconscious into the wall.
Kisame snorted and strode into the village. Without Itachi guiding him, he stumbled around like a headless fly until he was intercepted by a man with a watermelon bowl-cut, practicing late-night training. The man blocked his path mid-flip and pointed commandingly:
"You're not a Konoha ninja! State your purpose here!"
Kisame glared at the bizarre outfit—green jumpsuit and bright legwarmers—and silently decided the man was insane. Not delaying, he drew Samehada and charged.
The bowl-cut man squared up, then launched into a spinning kick.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
Bang! Kisame was caught off guard and thrown flying. He stopped by sinking Samehada into the ground.
He sat up slowly, contempt gone. Now he understood: this guy was no gatekeeper.
"Who… are you?"
The man struck a posture, grinning broadly. "I'm Konoha's very own 'Sublime Blue Beast', Might Guy!"
Kisame arched an eyebrow. "Might Guy? Never heard of you."
Guy's grin froze mid-beam, briefly awkward. Kisame pressed on:
"What did you do to Uchiha Itachi?"
Guy's eyes flashed. "Itachi? Your accomplice?"
Kisame held his silence. This Guy was dangerous—defeating him here meant Konoha would swarm him in seconds.
He refused an answer. Guy lunged first this time, launching himself at Kisame with ferocious speed.
"Konoha Strong Hurricane!"
Kisame barely managed to block with Samehada. After absorbing two fierce kicks, he snarled, forming seals, his voice a low growl:
"Water Style: Water Shark Missile Technique!"
A puddle appeared beneath him. Water surged upward, forming a shark that lunged at Guy. Guy dodged, studying the torn earth with respect.
"To use Water Release this strong, with no visible water source… he isn't weak," he murmured. Energized, Guy's fists crackled green.
He opened his sixth inner gate.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of Joy — Open!"
His speed exploded. He vanished near Kisame and struck with a punishing punch. Samehada couldn't fully block. Kisame and his sword crashed through earth, gashing the ground deeply.
He dragged himself up, upper body shredded, muscle and bone visible—but no panic.
The bandages over Samehada ripped and the sword's hilt dug into Kisame's sleeve, injecting chakra that accelerated his healing before Guy's startled eyes.
Fully recovered, Kisame's eyes brightened with battle hunger. He leapt upward, hands forming seals, then expelled a torrent of water from his mouth.
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive, semi‑circular water prison erupted, submerging half of Konoha. Sleeping villagers awoke choking, gasping beneath its surface, unable to scream. Only ninjas adept at chakra control could survive.
Guy struggled in mid-water but refused to relent. Preparing to strike from his sixth-gate form, he began chanting:
But stopped short as Chiga appeared.
Guy gasped as gallons of water rushed into his mouth. He coughed violently, struggling to breathe. Kisame, peeking from hidden cover, recognized the newcomer.
"That's… Chiga!"
Chiga said nothing. He activated his Rinnegan eyes, then raised his right palm. Water from all around streamed into his hand like a river being drawn to a dam. Within an instant, the entire water prison vanished.
Villagers, gasping and soaked, stared in awe at Chiga hovering above them. A voice whispered: "It's Hokage-sama—he saved us!"
Guy crashed to solid ground as the prison collapsed. Bewildered, he looked up.
"What were those eyes? That wasn't Sharingan, right?"
Kisame tumbled down, shock evident in his voice.
"No doubt… that's Rinnegan! The same as the Leader's!"
Crows descended at Kisame's side, swirling into Itachi's form.
Itachi, having sensed the water rising from miles away, realized the danger—and that he'd completely forgotten about Kisame.
He surveyed the damage—the flooded houses, the missing water barrier—and then looked up at Chiga in the night sky. Instant headache. What had just transpired?
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