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Shades of Crimson	By : Onileo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2074 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My fanfiction is for entertainment only and is not intended for financial gain.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapter 17
          As Kisame landed at the top of the ravine, he took off at a dead run. Precious seconds had been wasted rousing Kisho, and as a result, the eight-tails was pulling ahead. Samehada wiggled furiously in his grasp, excited by the close proximity of their target. But the big sword was slowing his pace, so Kisame strapped him to his back as he ran, and pushed chakra into his legs to close the widening gap between them. It wasn't easy going, the low lighting of dawn and the rocky terrain threatened to trip him up every couple of feet. But he wasn't about to let a few loose stones and ruts keep him from his goal, so he plowed through without slowing up. Kisho's chakra flared up behind him. It was about damn time he caught up. At the rate he had been going, the battle would be over before he even got there.
          A mile away from the ravine, Kisame grinned in triumph. He was closing in fast now. So fast that it almost seemed as if the eight-tails had suddenly stopped. Focusing on his target, Kisame's grin faded. He had stopped. Suddenly wary, the shark nin slowed his pursuit. Was he turning to fight? Or maybe he was setting up some sort of trap? Reaching up to grasp Samehada's hilt, Kisame stopped as well, and signaled Kisho to join him. The redhead dropped to a crouch, panting hard.
          Normally, they would have charged right in, but this jinchuriki was not an opponent to take lightly. If Suigetsu's wildly exaggerated stories were to be believed, then he nearly took out Sasuke's entire team at the same time. Kisame's grin returned as adrenaline started pumping through his body in response to the tension, sharpening his senses and making his heart beat a little faster. He was really going to enjoy this.
          Drawing his sword, Kisame silently started forward again. Kisho drew a kunai from his weapons pouch and followed. Rounding a large section of rock, they could see their target, standing amid a grove of stunted trees and boulders. He was standing in profile to them, and he had something in his hand. His other hand was raised in the air, a smaller object in his grip. Moving closer, Kisame was surprised to discover that he was holding a book and pencil. After a moment, he began writing in a flurry across the pages...and was he singing to himself? For someone who knew he was being pursued, he sure was calm. Kisame was nearly upon him when the jinchuriki turned and faced him.
          "Ya fools just don't quit, have ya lost yo' wit? The last bunch of ya I sent packin', leave me alone, o' we'll be scrappin'." he said, waving his hand as if to shoo them off.
          Kisame laughed. "The trick with the tentacle was pretty funny, but you'll find that I'm not so easily fooled. Surrender, Hachibi, you're coming with us."
          With a savage grin, Killer Bee put away his book and drew two of his swords, holding them both in one hand. "I gave ya a chance to save yo' skins, but if ya wanna dance, let's begin!"
          Fingers in the shape of bullhorns, Killer Bee lifted his free hand in the air and let out a long battle cry. He charged forward, heading straight for Kisame. The shark nin smirked and swung Samehada in a wide arc before launching himself at the eight-tails. Kisho watched as the two clashed with a violent ringing of metal. Time stopped for several moments as they stood locked together, each one trying to knock their opponent back. Then, just as quickly as they stilled, there was a flurry of movement as they began a furious bout of swordplay. Dawn was upon them now, and the early morning sunlight gleamed off their blades in blinding flashes as they twisted and turned, each trying to outmaneuver the other.
          Not wanting to just stand idly by, Kisho began forming hand seals. When he was finished, he quietly crouched down and laid both hands on the ground, pouring his chakra into the earth. His dark red hair fell into his eyes, blocking his view of the combatants. But as large as their chakras were, he didn't need to see to know exactly where they were. The ground began rumbling slightly as his jutsu took effect. Four boulders began emerging around him, taking on the shape of lions as they rose. A smug grin crossed his lips. He was very proud of the adaptations he developed to his Stone Lion Summons. Now, instead of going through a three step process, he could get the job done in one. He might not have liked the idea of joining the Akatsuki at first, but there were definitely some advantages to training with some of the best shinobi in the world. He stood back up as his lions came to his side and waited for an opportunity to join the fight.
          Kisame's smirk deepened as he felt another dose of the jinchuriki's chakra enter his body. Every time their swords met, he had Samehada drain a little chakra from the eight-tails and transfer it to him. Not enough to really be noticeable, but it would slowly weaken him until he tired himself out. But it was getting harder to keep Samehada from taking too much. With every draw, the sword was trying to drain more and more. Finally his control slipped, and Killer Bee jumped back, a surprised look on his face. "How'd you just drain my chakra, you bastard!?"
          A sinister laugh rumbled up from Kisame's chest. He was feeling so good from the extra power coursing through him and the excitement of the battle that he couldn't be upset that his technique was found out. Leaning forward as a predatory gleam came to his eyes, he answered in an almost conspiratorial tone. "My Samehada is no ordinary sword. It loves the taste of powerful chakra, and yours is the best we've found yet."
          Killer Bee glanced from the Mist nin to the sword and back again. Regaining his composure, he adjusted his sunglasses and drew two more swords. His chakra flared and raced down the blades in his hands. The tips sparked and crackled with lightning energy. "Ya trifled with the best, now yo' gonna see, you oughtn' have messed with the Killer Bee!" he yelled angrily.
          Racing forward again, Killer Bee charged. Kisame waited, ready for him. But as he ran, the eight-tails' outline began to waver and blur, until it looked like he was rolling forward. Kisame caught the gleam of metal just before a sword was launched at him. It was moving so fast that as he tried to dodge it, his shoulder was grazed. The lightning chakra stung him, blistering his skin, and he felt blood begin to trickle down his arm. All this barely had time to register before another sword was launched at him. He managed to dodge it, but Killer Bee had reached him, and he brought Samehada up just in time to keep from being skewered in the chest. Using his massive strength, Kisame pushed the eight-tails back.
          Kisame narrowed his eyes as he felt the need to kill ride him hard. He had to keep reminding himself that this was not the battle to go all out on. So he ignored the pain that triggered his bloodlust and attacked. He had to admit, the jinchuriki was strong. Nearly as strong as he was. The only problem was, he was fast too, which left Kisame at something of a disadvantage. Well, he was fast too, just not on land. In the water he was unrivaled. Which gave him a really good idea. But Samehada would need more chakra first. As he came upon Killer Bee, he swung his sword in a wide arc. His blow wouldn't actually land, but it would be close enough for his needs. As intended, he felt Samehada expand with his opponent's chakra. Its blades were beginning to poke through the bandaging, straining for freedom, and it was practically undulating with delight. A couple more times like that, and he would be ready.
          Killer Bee jumped back out of range. Kisame watched as his chakra flared and changed, glowing a bright blue. It began surrounding him, large chakra tails forming behind him. As they emerged, Kisame counted them up. There were eight in all. This was definitely the hachibi's demon chakra cloak. So, he was getting serious, eh. Good, the biju's chakra would be even better for his plan. Kisame stood there calmly as Killer Bee shouted loudly and charged him once more. He held still until the very last minute before bringing Samehada up to defend himself. The chakra drain this time was immense, and Kisame felt the sword grow heavy. It was now longer than he was, and as it tore through its bandages, he could see the emergence of its large mouth at the tip. It was time. And a good thing too, because the jinchuriki hadn't missed, even though Samehada had been between them. His arm was lacerated and bleeding heavily. The wound spread to his chest, but it was far from fatal.
          But the fact that he hadn't been taken down by the attack seemed to really irritate Killer Bee. As Kisame turned to face him, he was surprised to see him growing in size, his body morphing into that of the eight-tailed ox. It was impressive to watch the writing mass of tentacles and horns emerge, the raw power transforming an ordinary human into something formidable. The fully transformed host let out a passionate howl before towering over Kisame. The chakra pressure he was emitting now was incredible, nearly driving Kisho to his knees, and making Kisame break a sweat. The air grew heavy and still, as if the very earth knew it was in the presence of one of the world's most powerful creatures. Killer Bee's voice boomed as he laid down yet another taunting rhyme. He certainly loved to do that.
          "I'm through being gentle, ya fishy fool. Now it's time for da eighth ta rule!"
          Turning to look at his partner, Kisame smirked. "Keep him busy, Kisho. We're about to wrap this up." Nodding, the Stone shinobi warily stepped up, sending two of his lions circling on either side of Killer Bee. Without a visible signal, they attacked in tandem, one sinking its teeth in a massive arm while the other went straight for his chest. One tentacle grabbed the second lion in a crushing grip while Killer Bee shook his arm wildly, trying to dislodge the first.
         Kisame quickly picked the last bits of bandage from Samehada's blades before he held it out at arm’s length and began merging with it. First he felt the massive wave of chakra enter his body, healing his wounds and filling him with a heady sense of power. The physical changes came slower. His face rounded and his head was drawn downward. He could feel his neck and spine elongate, and his aquatic tail emerged along with his dorsal fin. His fingernails and toenails lengthened into claws and webs appeared between his digits. Two more fins appeared behind his elbows, but these were harder and more for fighting than mobility. His skin thickened and smoothed out, making him look more like a shark than ever. The whole process was more than a little painful, he could feel every crack and pop as his bones contorted and his muscles adjusted to their new shape. But it would be worth it. With Samehada protecting him, he was practically invincible. As soon as the merge was complete, he took a second to stretch his muscles before beginning the set of hand seals for his largest water prison.
          "Suiton: Suiro Same Odori no Jutsu!" he cried as he finished the last one. Opening his mouth, he let the swelling chakra rush from him as a flood of water. It sloshed over the ground, pooling around the three combatants until it formed a circle in the grove. Then the water level began to rise so fast that it was only moments before it was complete. The hachibi had been too busy dealing with Kisho's lions to avoid it before it was too late. Kisame smirked. Now he was trapped, and there was little he could do about it. The battle had just turned in the shark's favor.
          Swimming towards where Kisho was treading water, Kisame signaled for him to get back. The redhead complied, heading to the opposite wall. His stone lions were too heavy to stay afloat, and as soon as the hachibi freed himself, they sank to the bottom, where they prowled as they waited to be loosed. Now that Kisho was out of the way, Kisame faced Killer Bee, who was complacently hovering in the middle, his tentacles keeping him balanced and aloft in the water. Back in his favorite element, Kisame swam in several tight circles, relishing in the weightless freedom. Kicking his feet out behind him, he rushed forward, intent on tackling the eight-tails. The octopus-bull met him halfway. Kisame slammed into him hard as he felt several tentacles wrap around his arms and legs. The forward motion moved the water prison with him, and Kisho suddenly found himself in open air, hovering a moment before plummeting towards the ground.
          Finding his feet, he landed in the dirt with a dull thud, sinking through his knees to absorb the force of the impact. The two lions he hadn't used yet immediately came to his side. Now that he was on the outside, Kisho could fully appreciate the effect of Kisame's jutsu. The water bubble was massive. It rose several stories in the air, and had a diameter of at least a quarter of a mile. He was sure that if he could get up into the air to look at it, it would remind him of a water globe sitting in the middle of a miniature landscape. The liquid was clear, and he could easily see Kisame and Killer Bee as they fought with each other. For the most part, they looked like a massive tangle of arms, legs, and tentacles. The eight-tails dwarfed his partner in size, but from what he could tell of their chakra levels, they were just about even in strength. They suddenly separated, and Kisame was thrown back towards him. The water moved with him, and Kisho had to retreat to keep from being sucked back in again.
          Killer Bee had created a thick cloud of ink, and Kisame charged right into it, determined to take his opponent down. As he disappeared into the darkness, Kisho felt a little shudder of fear run down his spine. Even though he had been around Kisame for a while now, it was hard thinking of him as human when he was in his current state. He looked more like a beastly monster than a man, and his predatory nature only added to the effect. It was a good thing they were on the same side, because he could easily imagine what it would be like to face that massive hunk of chakra and teeth. It wasn't a pretty thought. As he turned his attention back to the murky sphere in front of him he noticed that something was happening. There was a dim blue glow coming from inside. The whole thing begin trembling, and as Kisho watched in horror, the water prison burst.

          Inside, Kisame glanced behind him in time to see Kisho leave the water prison. That was good, now he wouldn't have to worry about him drowning. He had almost killed Itachi like that once. He had overestimated his ability to hold his breath, and the Uchiha had nearly died in a battle against a cell of Mist bounty hunters that had come after them. Turning back to his current target, he concentrated on weakening him further. He was slowly working on his chakra, but his physical strength was still formidable. Unfortunately, Kisame couldn't do much but suck chakra at the moment. His arms and legs were caught in Killer Bee's tentacles, so he didn't have much movement. But he was far from defeated. Using the added strength in his back, he reared back to head butt him in the face. The blow made contact, and the force of it sent them both spinning through the water. The tentacles' grip loosened, and pulling an arm free, Kisame began mercilessly punching the hachibi in the chest and head. The battle turned into a knock-down drag-out fist fight, with both sides taking their share of devastating blows.
          Little trails of blood swirled in the water as Killer Bee finally ran out of the chakra he needed to maintain his transformation. He began shrinking in size, until only the demon cloak remained around his human form. But reverting forms gave him a little of his original strength back. With a vicious kick, Kisame was knocked backwards, and Killer Bee opened his mouth. Instead of a rhyme, black ink spewed out. The water clouded quickly, and if it hadn't been for his merge with Samehada, the hachibi would have disappeared from sight. But with his enhanced sight, he knew exactly where he was at, and sensing that his opponent was waning fast, charged right at him. He sped through the murky water, and reached the eight-tails just in time to see him start a set of hand seals. His stamina had to be running low, so this was probably a last ditch effort to escape.
          The water around him swirled as if drawn by a current, and he watched as a blue glow began emanating from Killer Bee. Kisame's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he wasn't about to use a lightning jutsu in the water. They would both be fried. But he was evidently serious, because the first hint of sparks jumped around him, crackling lightly in the water. Survival instinct overrode his desire to fight, and Kisame brought his hands together, dispelling his water prison as quickly as he could. The liquid began swirling in agitation as the chakra holding it together was released. Exploding under the sudden lack of pressure, the water bubble burst, flooding what remained of the grove and heading downhill towards the ravine. Losing altitude quickly, the shinobi hit the soggy ground with a muted thud. Kisame glanced behind him just in time to see his partner emerging from a nearby tree that he had jumped into to escape the wave of water.
          Kisame and Killer Bee both dropped to their knees, one from lack of chakra, and the other from suddenly being on land again. As soon as the water was safely out of the way, Kisho stepped in, sending his stone lions after Killer Bee before heading in himself, kunai in hand. Kisame took the opportunity to separate himself from Samehada. The merge was perfect in the water, but he fought better on land in his original form. The chakra used for the merge and the water prison reduced the sword to its original size, so after he retrieved his cloak and harness, Kisame strapped Samehada to his back and watched his partner as he fought. He would step in if things got out of hand, but he had a feeling that the eight-tails was all but spent. He had to admit, the kid had improved greatly. He was holding his own, and even though the hachibi was weakened, if Kisho was still at the level he was when he first joined Akatsuki, Killer Bee would have mopped the floor with him without breaking a sweat.
          After about twenty minutes of rest, a chakra signature to his right caught his attention. It was either Hidan or Sakura, and he smirked when he saw a flash of pink heading his way. He was pleased that she made it through her battle whole, though where Hidan was, he didn't know. When she reached his side, he greeted her. "Hey, Zombie Chick! I'm glad you're here, Cat Boy will probably need some help once he gets done playing over there."
          As her gaze followed to where he was pointing, Kisame took in her physical state. She was soaked and muddy, her cloak had several long gashes in it, and she looked like she had just been crying. In fact, he knew she was; he could smell the salty tears that were still streaked on her face. His smile faded and he shook his head. "You look like hell, girl." he said quietly.
          Then she looked at him and gave him that infamous glare that would drop lesser men in their tracks from fear. She wiped her soggy hair out of her eyes. "Kisame-san, you have no idea how much you fucking suck right now." she told him.
          That's right. The water from his jutsu had headed right her way. But in the chaos of battle, he never even thought of it affecting them. But it wasn't like there was much he could do to stop it anyway. Giving her an apologetic smile, he leaned down and wiped a smudge of mud from her cheek. "Sorry about that, Sakura-san. It couldn't be helped. That damn jinchuriki has been giving us hell."
          Speaking of, he suddenly felt the hachibi's chakra waver, and he turned to find Kisho still battling him, using all four of his lions. The two that had been in the water prison had evidently survived being washed downstream. Both shinobi were bleeding heavily, and it was hard to decide who was actually winning. Then in a quick move, Kisho scored a deep blow with his kunai in Killer Bee's torso. Frowning, Kisame called out to his partner. "Hey kid! We're supposed to catch him, not kill him! Drop the weapon!"
          Kisho gave his partner a glare to rival Sakura's but did as he was told. Instead of directly attacking, he had his stone lions pin him down, using their massive weight to prevent his escape. Kisame and Sakura watched as the Stone nin calmly walked over to him, leaned down and lay a hand on the jinchuriki's forehead. His long red and black hair swirled around his face as his chakra signature gained in strength. As he drained Killer Bee's energy, his constructs showed the effects as well. The lions grew larger, their stone bodies hardening until the minerals within the rock rose to the surface, giving them a brindled effect. After a few moments, Kisho stood and pulled his cloak off, wrapping it around the now unconscious body of the hachibi.
          Kisame and Sakura approached him, and as he turned and looked at him, Sakura was surprised to see that his gold eyes had darkened, and were glowing almost black with the added chakra. When he turned and spoke to Kisame, his voice sounded normal, except that it had a rumbling quality that wasn't there before. "There, I didn't kill him." he said sulkily. Then he turned to her, noticing the expression on her face. "Is something wrong, Sakura-san?" She wasn't sure what to say to him, so she just shook her head. Thankfully, she was saved by the sound of a voice emerging from the trees behind them.
          "Well done!"
          "If you are finished here, we will take the hachibi to the sealing cave." Zetsu said as he came up behind them.
          Sakura stared at him in shock. When did he get here? He returned her stare with an aloof look before walking over to the prone body of Killer Bee. He stood still for a long moment, transfixed by the rivulet of blood running down his torso. Then he seemed to snap out of it, and leaning down, picked the body up as if it weighed nothing. Then he turned and looked at the shinobi. "Where is Hidan?"
          Kisame shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?"
          "He'll be here as soon as he gets finished with the Cloud ANBU." Sakura stated.
          "Very good. I'm sure Leader-sama will want you all together when it is time for the sealing to begin." Zetsu said.
          Nodding, Kisame and Kisho turned and headed towards the ravine, the four stone lions padding noisily alongside. Sakura reluctantly followed behind. As she walked, she could hear the bi-colored shinobi muttering to himself.
          "How exciting, he looks tasty."
          "Behave yourself; you know we can't have him."
          "That's unfair."
          "Don't sulk. We get more than our fair share with this job. Letting one or two go won't kill us. Besides, we'll have another chance later."
          "Fine, let's just get this over with."
          Just as soon as she had turned around to look, Zetsu was gone, along with the eight-tails. A shiver went down Sakura's spine. Surely he didn't mean that he thought the eight-tails was literally tasty. That would just be creepy. But then again, this was Zetsu, so it very well could be in the realm of possibility. Not wanting to think any more on it, she hurried to catch up to the other two, who had somehow gotten ahead of her. They were nearly halfway back to the ravine when she spotted movement ahead. It took her several moments to realize that the charred figure she was looking at was Hidan. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she recognized him. Breaking into a dead run, she reached his side in a matter of seconds, despite her tiredness. He was nearly naked, most of his clothes either burned or torn away. He had his scythe and pike, and his rosary still hung around his neck, although Sakura could tell that it had at one point been buried in the damaged flesh beneath.
          "Hidan, what the hell happened? Are you okay?" she asked almost frantically.
          He gave her a pained grin. "Those stupid fuckers tried to fry my ass." Then he caught sight of Kisame standing behind her, and fury swept over his face. "I hope you fucking burn in hell, Kisame."
          The shark ninja gave him a look of mock puzzlement. "What the hell did I do?"
          "As if you didn't know, you cock-sucker! You almost drowned everyone in a five mile radius with your shitty jutsu! Now, we're both soaking wet, I lost half my sacrifices, and if Sakura gets sick, I'm sending your fishy ass straight to Jashin!"
          Kisame just shook his head. "Stop your damn whining. You're still alive."
          "No thanks to you! If it weren't for Jashin-sama's blessings, we'd both be dead!" Hidan shot back. Either he had hit his head when he was blown back, or the shark ninja was sounding a lot like Kakuzu just now.
          Kisame smirked. "So you're admitting that in a fair fight, I'd kick your ass?"
          "Like hell!"
          Kisame just kept smirking. Too tired to argue further, the bedraggled group headed to the ravine to see if any of their things had survived. Unfortunately, all they found were two empty caves. Their bedrolls had washed away with the water. Deciding that they had no time to waste looking for them, they headed back towards Amegakure. The battleground would most likely be crawling with Cloud nins soon, and they wanted to be far, far away when that happened. They kept a steady pace, but didn't hurry, and at noon they stopped to rest. Sakura healed the worst of Kisho's wounds, despite his protests that he was fine. Kisame was surprisingly unharmed. When she asked him how he managed it, he grinned at her and said he was just good like that. And of course, Hidan refused her offer of help. But his skin was healing rapidly on its own. By the time they stopped, it had gone from completely black to a dark reddish brown.
          When dusk fell they set up a makeshift camp on a bluff overlooking a section of swampland. There were a couple of large trees clinging to life in the harsh terrain, and Hidan settled against one of them, Sakura at his side. Kisame had lent him his cloak, just so he wouldn't have to stare at his ugly ass, he had said. Which had resulted in another round of tossed insults and threats. Kisame said he would stand watch again, because he was the least fatigued, but Sakura had a feeling none of them would get much rest until they were safely back at the base. Kisho hadn't said much for most of the day, and when it was time to sleep, he slumped against a tree opposite of her, his stone lions settling down around him. Straightening up, Sakura looked at them curiously. Kisho had managed to hold the jutsu all day, and she wasn't sure why he hadn't dispelled it by now.
          "Kisho, are you all right?" she asked.
          "Yeah, why?" he replied. She noted that his eyes and voice had returned to normal.
          "Well, I just figured that you would have dispelled your lion jutsu by now is all."
          Kisho looked a little sheepish. "I can't."
          "Why not?"
          "When I drained Killer Bee of his chakra, I took in more than my reserves would hold. Without the lions slowly leeching it out, the overload would kill me. I would just use a bigger jutsu to get rid of the excess, but I'd rather not draw attention to us." he explained.
          "Oh." That made sense.
          They fell silent after that, and soon Kisho was fast asleep. Sakura was feeling drowsy herself, and she subconsciously found herself snuggling closer to Hidan for warmth, despite his injuries. If it bothered him, he never complained. Kisame built a small fire, just enough to keep the chill off since they didn't have their blankets and he was without his cloak. Soon she had her head pillowed in Hidan's lap, watching the flames lick the wood as it burned. He absently ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her into relaxing further. Just as her mind started to drift, a disturbing thought entered her brain. There was only one tailed beast left for the Akatsuki to capture. The one inside Naruto. And that thought made a very bad feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. Things were about to get nasty, and she wasn't sure there was anything she could do to even slow it down. Her brow furrowed, but she was already lulled into slumber. She fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about the frog ANBU, Naruto and the mysterious redhead that was somehow connected to Pein.
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Shades of Crimson