Kisame instantly recognized the voice—it was Kazama.
Though Kisame had only met Kazama once, the memory still sent shivers down his spine. After all, Kazama had utterly crushed him back then, even snatching his prized weapon, Samehada.
So, when Kazama appeared out of nowhere, Kisame's heart skipped a beat.
At that moment, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, seized Kisame's distraction. He unleashed a wave of molten lava straight at him. By the time Kisame noticed, it was too late to dodge.
But at the critical moment, a strange flame appeared in front of Kisame. In an instant, it froze Roshi's Yoton (Lava Release) into ice, letting Kisame escape unscathed.
That flame was, of course, Kazama's Bone Spirit Cold Fire.
"Hmph! Don't think I'll thank you for saving me, brat. I still haven't forgotten how you stole my Samehada!" Kisame growled.
"Fine by me. Settle your score with me after I take down the Four-Tails," Kazama shot back.
Not only had Kazama taken his Samehada, but now he was stealing the Four-Tails too? Kisame was livid, but he knew better than to challenge Kazama head-on. He'd already tasted Kazama's strength.
So, Kisame sidled up to Itachi, who was watching from the sidelines.
"Hey, Itachi-san, this Kazama kid is ruining our Akatsuki plans again. If he takes the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, we're screwed. Why don't we sneak attack him while he's busy fighting Roshi?"
Unbeknownst to Kisame, Itachi was already in cahoots with Kazama, so Kisame's scheming was clueless at best.
"Kazama's no match for the Four-Tails. He'll be dead soon enough. No need for us to lift a finger," Itachi replied coolly.
Kisame always followed Itachi's lead, so he just nodded and stayed put, watching Kazama face off against the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
Having tapped into the Four-Tails' chakra, Roshi had gone berserk, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks on Kazama. This played right into Kazama's hands.
Kazama wanted Roshi to keep drawing on the Four-Tails' chakra until he fully transformed into the beast itself. That's when Kazama could absorb the Four-Tails' chakra, gaining the power of the Five-Tails and a new strange flame.
"Yoton: Shakugaryugan no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Burning River Rock Technique)
Roshi, now in his tailed beast state, spewed out hundreds of molten lava balls, each hot enough to vaporize anything on contact.
Too bad for him, they were useless against Kazama, whose body housed a flame even hotter than the Four-Tails' lava.
Ding! Successfully absorbed Yoton: Shakugaryugan no Jutsu. Congratulations, host, you've acquired Yoton: Kagan-iwa no Jutsu! (Lava Release: Granite Rock Technique)
"Your Yoton is impressive, Roshi, but it's nothing compared to mine!" Kazama taunted.
With that, Kazama unleashed Yoton: Kagan-iwa no Jutsu, effortlessly blocking the endless stream of lava. This technique was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki's ultimate defensive move.
Roshi's eyes widened in shock as Kazama used his own signature defense against him. But before he could process it, Kazama charged forward, still cloaked in the Yoton: Kagan-iwa no Jutsu, and knocked Roshi flat on his back.
This Granite Rock Technique wasn't just for defense—it doubled as a devastating taijutsu attack.
Seeing Kazama use his own jutsu to take him down, Roshi was humiliated and furious. Without hesitation, he cranked up his transformation, entering Tailed Beast Mode: Stage Two.
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