Uchiha Itachi stood motionless, quietly observing Kisame's clash with Killer Bee.
Though Pain had ordered him to capture the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Itachi was never truly loyal to Akatsuki. Whether this mission succeeded or failed hardly mattered to him.
The only thing he truly cared about—was his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
That was why conserving chakra was his priority. The longer he lasted, the more cards he could still play when the time came. And besides, Kisame was no weakling. Wielding Samehada—an infamous blade that could devour chakra, especially that of tailed beasts—he could certainly hold his own.
Even if capturing the Eight-Tails outright was difficult, stalling for time until Senju Haruto and the others arrived should not be a problem.
"Mm. I'll leave it to Kisame."
Itachi murmured this silently to himself and deliberately held back, allowing the battle to unfold.
Kisame, meanwhile, pressed the advantage. Samehada's scales hungrily absorbed the leaking chakra of the Eight-Tails, feeding Kisame's strength. Even Killer Bee's devastating Lariat strike had failed to overpower him. Instead, their fight settled into a deadlocked stalemate.
"...My chakra's being drained?"
Killer Bee frowned as he noticed his partially transformed arm reverting back to normal flesh.
Without hesitation, Kisame lunged forward. His massive hand clamped over Bee's face, fingers tightening with crushing force, as if he meant to choke him unconscious.
Though his earlier Great Shark Bullet technique had failed to inflict serious damage, the aquatic terrain of Yūnraikyō Canyon gave Kisame a distinct advantage.
"Bee—let me handle this!"
Inside Killer Bee's consciousness, the Eight-Tails—Gyūki—spoke up, sensing the danger.
Even with Samehada's chakra absorption, Gyūki knew Kisame had his limits. Against a full manifestation of the Eight-Tails, Kisame would be overwhelmed.
Bee nodded. He relaxed completely, surrendering his body to his partner.
His flesh swelled, warping and expanding. A massive octopus tentacle burst forth and wrapped tightly around Kisame's waist.
"What—?!" Kisame's eyes widened. His grip slipped from Bee's face, as the crushing force of Gyūki's tentacle nearly snapped his spine. His organs felt as though they were being squeezed flat.
Khkk!
Kisame coughed up a mouthful of blood into the water. The tide was turning against him.
"So this is the power of a perfect jinchūriki, huh? Impressive…" Kisame's lips twisted into a grin despite the blood staining his teeth. He urged Samehada to drink even more furiously, siphoning the Eight-Tails' chakra.
But this time, the tactic failed.
Bee did not revert to human form.
"It's useless," Gyūki's voice rumbled like thunder. "You can only drain chakra. But this is my true body. No matter how much you steal, I won't revert to Killer Bee."
The octopus tentacle tightened, squeezing Kisame's ribs until they creaked.
Gyūki's chakra was vast—second only to Kurama, the Nine-Tails. Even with Samehada gorging itself, there was simply too much to consume.
And as the pressure increased, Kisame's face contorted with pain. His concentration wavered, his breathing ragged.
"Yo yo! Now you see my might! Octopus eats shark, that's right, fool—ya fool!"
Bee's voice echoed in their shared mindscape, rapping with glee as Gyūki crushed his opponent.
Gyūki ignored him, too focused on dismantling Kisame's body while also keeping a wary eye on Uchiha Itachi.
Strangely, Itachi hadn't moved since the battle began. He had only unleashed a single genjutsu, nothing more.
If Kisame were truly strong enough to match Gyūki, that detachment would make sense. But now Kisame was losing, his life in jeopardy—yet Itachi remained calm, watching in silence.
Isn't Kisame his comrade? Then why… why is he so composed?
"Five Shark Frenzy!"
Kisame did not call out for help. Instead, bloodied but defiant, he forced his hands into seals. With a violent thrust forward, five massive sharks erupted from the water.
Empowered by the Eight-Tails' chakra that Samehada had stolen, these sharks were four, five times larger than usual.
And so long as Kisame's palms remained connected to the water, the sharks could regenerate endlessly, no matter how they were destroyed.
Much like Kisame himself—unyielding, reborn through endless suffering.
"Sorry," Kisame sneered, "but my sharks happen to feed on octopus."
The pack of chakra-hungry sharks launched themselves at Gyūki, ripping and tearing at his tentacles.
Though Gyūki had more limbs than there were sharks, each tentacle he crushed or shredded simply gave way to another regenerated predator.
It wasn't lethal, but it was maddeningly relentless.
Gyūki couldn't concentrate all his strength on Kisame anymore. The suffocating grip on Kisame's body loosened slightly, allowing him to suck in a sharp, ragged breath.
"…So, a war of attrition, is it?" Kisame muttered under his breath.
"A war of attrition, huh…" Gyūki's eyes narrowed. Then he shifted tactics.
Instead of destroying the sharks, he ensnared them. With his numerical advantage in tentacles, he coiled around all five, binding them tightly so they couldn't regenerate freely.
At the same time, Gyūki thrust forward another tentacle, dragging Kisame to arm's length. His colossal maw opened wide, chakra swirling and compressing within.
The water trembled. A Tailed Beast Bomb began to form.
Kisame's eyes widened. He started weaving signs again—but before he could finish, a tentacle lashed upward, locking down one of his arms, interrupting the jutsu.
One tentacle sacrificed for a clean shot. I'll crush Kisame here, then deal with Itachi after.
That was Gyūki's plan.
But at the very moment his strategy reached its peak, the silent observer finally moved.
Itachi's Sharingan spun violently, three tomoe twisting into the shape of a pinwheel.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Blood dripped from the corner of his eye.
And then—black flames erupted within the Great Shark Bullet's waters.
Amaterasu.
The inextinguishable fire clung to Gyūki's tentacle, spreading hungrily across his flesh.
"AAAGHHHHHH!"
Gyūki bellowed in agony, forced to cancel the Tailed Beast Bomb. He released Kisame and thrashed violently, tearing free from the water jutsu in desperation.