The ocean lay restless after the devastating clash. The surface heaved with waves that still carried the echoes of the Eight-Tails' roars and Kisame's sharklike laughter. Now, the water had grown quiet again, rippling only from the weight of what had just transpired.
Kisame stood upon the waves, chest rising and falling in deliberate rhythm. The dome of the Water Prison Shark Dance Technique slowly collapsed, its immense chakra cage dissolving into harmless foam. He had forced the Eight-Tails into submission—or so he thought.
Samehada slipped free of his fused body, returning to its usual, bandaged form. Kisame wrapped a clawed hand around the hilt, smirking as he stepped toward the hunched form of Killer B, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
B was on one knee, chest heaving. The bulk of Gyūki's chakra had been devoured, leaving his body weakened and sluggish. Even so, his sharp eyes tracked Kisame's movements. His legs itched to run, but his body refused to respond with its usual speed. The weight of exhaustion dragged at him.
"End of the line, Eight-Tails," Kisame muttered, voice low and predatory. He broke into a sprint, water exploding beneath each stride as he rushed in for the capture.
B's instincts screamed. He forced chakra into his legs and bolted, octopus-like movements, quick but unsteady. He didn't care about pride—he needed distance. But the drain of battle weighed heavily, slowing him down.
And then—
"Ohhh, what a show," a casual voice cut through the crashing waves.
Both men froze. Kisame's eyes narrowed immediately, muscles coiling. B's head snapped toward the sound, confusion flashing across his tired face. Neither had sensed another presence during their battle. If that voice belonged to an enemy… both their lives could have ended without warning.
From the shade of a half-splintered tree, a figure emerged. Blond hair caught the sea breeze, and blue eyes gleamed with amusement.
Naruto Uzumaki stepped into view.
B blinked, not recognizing him. But Kisame stiffened, every scale-patterned muscle going taut. His grin faltered.
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki…" he said slowly, voice dark with disbelief. "Konoha was careless enough to let you wander free?"
Naruto tilted his head, lips curling into a smirk. "Konoha didn't 'let me' do anything. And you—shark-face—you really think you can take me down?"
His tone dripped with disdain.
Kisame's brows drew together. B, meanwhile, recovered just enough breath to blurt, "Oh yeah! You think I lost to this fish face? Nah, man—I was just… letting him have his turn."
His words carried no shame, only his usual swagger.
Naruto chuckled, not buying it. "You got torn up pretty badly for someone who was just 'letting him win.' Maybe practice a little more when you get back."
B scowled, about to retort, but Kisame's patience snapped. He shifted his gaze between them—two jinchūriki standing side by side. Capturing one had already pushed his limits. Two would be madness. Still… the chakra surging in his body, stolen from Gyūki, gave him dangerous confidence.
"Perfect," Kisame hissed. "One stop. Two catches."
But before he could move, Samehada twitched.
Kisame felt it instantly. The sword's scales bristled, spikes digging into his palm. He grimaced as they pierced flesh, drawing blood.
"What—Samehada?"
The blade shuddered violently, then slipped free of his grip. It crashed into the sea and swam—not toward him, but toward B.
"What the hell?!" Kisame snarled, blood dripping from his hand.
B instinctively raised his guard, expecting betrayal. But when Samehada reached him, the bandages loosened, and warmth spread into his body. Chakra flooded back into his system—his own chakra, the reserves that Samehada had stolen.
B blinked, eyes widening. "Yo… you're feedin' me?!"
Samehada pulsed, humming against his side like a pleased animal. B felt his strength returning in waves. The exhaustion that had weighed down his limbs melted away, replaced by sharp, wild energy.
"Oh yeah!" He grinned, flexing his shoulders. "Back in business, fool ya fool!"
Kisame's teeth ground together audibly. His most trusted partner, the sword that had never left his side, had betrayed him. And worse, it had chosen to side with his prey.
"Samehada… you dare betray me?" His voice shook with fury.
Naruto watched it all unfold, eyes narrowing. He remembered this from the original timeline. Samehada had always had a will of its own, gravitating toward the stronger chakra source. Kisame's reliance on it had been both his strength and his downfall.
But still… Naruto knew Kisame wasn't the type to collapse so easily. The shark-man was cunning enough to prepare contingencies. This wasn't over.
B cracked his knuckles, octopus chakra tails sprouting once again. "This is my rematch, blondie. Don't butt in. I'll handle this fish freak myself."
Naruto didn't answer. He simply smirked, eyes calm.
Inside, though, his thoughts sharpened. Interesting. Gyūki's host is perceptive—he already tried probing me earlier. But he couldn't sense Kurama, could he?
Sure enough, in B's inner world, Gyūki rumbled, uneasy. "Bi, that kid… he's no jinchūriki."
"What do you mean, hachi-bro? Konoha says he's the Nine-Tails' host!"
"If he were, I'd feel the fox immediately. But there's nothing. Not even a trace. That boy isn't carrying Kurama."
B faltered, startled. A jinchūriki without their beast was impossible. Unless…
But he didn't have time to question further. Kisame had recovered his composure.
"Two jinchūriki against me, huh?" Kisame sneered. "Even without Samehada, I'll drown you both." His hands blurred through seals. "Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
Chakra surged, shaping into a colossal shark of condensed water. Its jaws opened wide, rushing toward them. Bellowedd, crimson chakra boiling from his skin. He gathered it into a Tailed Beast Bomb, compacting the volatile sphere between his jaws.
The two attacks met midair.
The sea exploded. Spray erupted into the sky as shockwaves tore across the battlefield. The clash rattled the heavens, sending waves racing to distant shores.
Naruto's cloak flared in the storm of chakra, but he stood unmoved. His hand rested on his chin, watching as if the chaos were a stage play. "Endless back and forth," he muttered. "How boring."
As Kisame prepared a second sequence of seals, Naruto's decision was already made. He closed his eyes, drawing on the wellspring within him—not Kurama's chakra, but his own mastery, honed through reincarnation and training. Nature's energy surged, blending seamlessly with his own. His body shifted into Sage Mode, power rolling off him in waves that even Gyūki flinched at.
Then he moved.
To B and Kisame, it was instant. One moment Naruto was observing, the next he appeared behind Kisame, golden aura flickering with dangerous serenity.
Kisame's eyes widened. He hadn't sensed the movement at all. His hands froze mid-seal.
"Too slow," Naruto whispered.
A Rasengan slammed into Kisame's back.
The shark-man roared in pain, water exploding around him. His body lurched forward from the force. Before he could recover, Naruto's fists blurred—striking again and again, each blow cracking bone and spraying blood.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The sound was merciless, echoing across the waves. Naruto's strikes caved in Kisame's face, blood spraying like mist. B, usually fearless, felt his chest tighten at the brutality. He had never seen someone beaten so thoroughly, so deliberately.
Kisame tried to curse, but his jaw barely moved under the barrage.
Naruto didn't stop. He lifted his palm once more, chakra spiraling violently into a massive sphere.
"Senjutsu: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan."
He brought it down without hesitation.
The sphere engulfed Kisame's mangled body, detonating in a blinding explosion. Spray towered into the sky, and the sea itself seemed to groan under the impact.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained of Kisame but fragments of flesh drifting in the foam.
B dropped his transformed state, breathing heavily. He picked up Samehada, staring at the bloodied water. "Damn… cruel way to go," he muttered. Then his gaze flicked to Naruto. "But hey, blondie… why does Konoha say you're the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki? Hachi can't sense it at all."
Naruto smirked knowingly. "So that was your probe earlier. Figures."
B stiffened. He hadn't expected the boy to notice.
"You've got sharp senses, I'll give you that," Naruto continued. "But whether Kurama's with me or not… does it matter? All you need to know is this—" his blue eyes hardened, voice lowering into steel, "—I don't fall to Akatsuki."
The sea wind howled between them. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled, echoing the tension that lingered even after Kisame's demise.
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