The border of the Land of Rain.
A river cut through the dense forest, swollen and turbulent from the ceaseless rain.
Konan stood on the riverbank, her black cloak damp with moisture. Uehara Naraku stood beside her, looking bored as he kicked a pebble into the rushing water.
"Teacher, is he late?" Uehara asked, checking the position of the sun hidden behind the grey clouds.
"A rogue ninja is always cautious," Konan replied calmly. "Patience."
Uehara yawned. He had spent the entire night stacking his Tear of the Goddess. His current maximum chakra had increased by another 600 points. He was tired, but his energy reserves were buzzing.
Suddenly, the water in the river began to bubble.
A massive, shark-like figure emerged slowly from the depths. He stood on the water's surface, carrying a massive sword wrapped in bandages on his back. His skin was shark-blue, and he had gills on his cheeks.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Oh?" Kisame looked at the duo on the bank, his small eyes narrowing. He revealed a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth in a mocking grin. "I thought the Akatsuki was a mysterious organization. To think they would send a woman and a child to recruit me... Is this a joke?"
His voice was rasping and polite, yet filled with an underlying threat.
Konan stepped forward. "I am the Angel of the Akatsuki. We know of your betrayal of the Hidden Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki. The world is a lie. Join us, and we will show you the truth."
Kisame chuckled, reaching for the hilt of his sword. "The truth? The only truth I know is that the weak get eaten. Before we talk business, let me see if you are worth my time."
He didn't draw his sword fully. He just unleashed his Killing Intent.
The air grew heavy. The smell of blood seemed to permeate the rain.
[Ding!]
[Side Mission Triggered: The Shark's Test.]
Description: Kisame Hoshigaki respects strength. Survive his probing attack.
Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
Uehara's eyes lit up. Money is here.
He immediately stepped in front of Konan, spreading his arms wide.
"Don't you dare look down on my Teacher!" Uehara shouted, his voice cracking with 'righteous anger'. "If you want to fight her, you have to get past me first!"
Konan frowned. "Naraku, step back. He is dangerous."
"I'm not afraid of a grilled fish!" Uehara declared.
Kisame blinked. Grilled fish?
"Heh. An interesting brat," Kisame smirked. "You have guts. Let's see if you have the skills to match."
Kisame flickered.
He moved with terrifying speed across the water. He didn't use ninjutsu; he simply swung the massive bandaged sword, Samehada, straight at Uehara.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!"
Kisame didn't actually use the jutsu yet; he just swung the sword with brute force, creating a shockwave of water pressure.
Uehara didn't dodge. He knew this was a test. If he ran, he failed.
"Destiny!"
Three cards appeared instantly.
"Gold Card!"
Uehara locked the yellow card. He needed the stun. Even if Kisame was a tank, a stun was a stun.
He threw the Gold Card at the incoming sword strike.
Clang!
The card hit the bandages of Samehada.
Kisame expected the card to be sliced in half. Instead, a metallic ringing sound echoed.
For one second, Kisame froze.
His muscles locked up. His momentum halted completely in mid-air, defying the laws of physics.
"What?" Kisame's eyes widened. I can't move?
But Uehara wasn't done. He knew a one-second stun wasn't enough to kill Kisame. He needed to make an impression.
"Blue Card!"
He threw a second card immediately after the first.
The Blue Card hit Samehada.
However, this time, something unexpected happened.
The Blue Card, which was supposed to deal damage and return mana, dissolved into blue energy upon impact. But instead of returning to Uehara...
Crunch.
The bandages on Samehada tore open. A mouth full of spikes emerged from the sword and swallowed the blue energy.
"Giiiii!"
Samehada let out a strange, high-pitched squeal of delight. It began to squirm violently in Kisame's hands (who had just regained movement). The sword vibrated with ecstasy, the spikes on its handle extending to prick Kisame's hand.
"What the..." Kisame struggled to hold his weapon. "Samehada? What's wrong with you?"
The sword was pulling Kisame toward Uehara. It wanted more. The chakra contained in the Blue Card—system-generated, pure mana—was apparently the most delicious thing Samehada had ever tasted.
Uehara stood on the bank, confused. "Did... did his sword just eat my mana restore?"
[System Alert: Your skill was absorbed.]
[Mana Refund failed.]
Kisame finally wrestled Samehada back into submission, though the sword was still trembling and reaching out toward Uehara like a hungry puppy.
Kisame looked at Uehara with a new expression. The contempt was gone, replaced by curiosity.
"Kid," Kisame said, patting his unruly sword. "What kind of chakra do you have? My Samehada is a picky eater, usually only liking Tailed Beast chakra. But it went crazy for your jutsu just now."
"It's my special talent," Uehara said, taking a step back cautiously. "I have... very high quality chakra."
"High quality indeed," Kisame grinned, revealing all his teeth. "And that freezing technique... scary. Very scary."
He sheathed the sword on his back.
"Fine. You passed."
Kisame looked at Konan. "If a mere child in your organization is this interesting, then perhaps your 'truth' is worth listening to. I accept your invitation."
Konan let out a breath she was holding. She stepped forward. "A wise choice. Welcome to the Akatsuki, Kisame."
"But," Kisame pointed a finger at Uehara. "I want this kid on my team for the first mission. Samehada seems to like him."
Uehara's face went pale. Teaming up with Kisame? Samehada will try to eat me dry!
"Teacher!" Uehara looked at Konan with pleading eyes. "He looks scary! I don't want to go with him!"
"It is a good opportunity," Konan said, ignoring his plea. She saw the tactical value. If Samehada liked Naraku's chakra, Kisame wouldn't kill him. "Naraku, you will accompany Kisame to the base. I have to report to Pain."
[Side Mission Complete: The Shark's Test.]
Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
Uehara slumped his shoulders.
"Fine," he grumbled.
Kisame walked onto the shore, towering over the boy. He leaned down.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Uehara Naraku."
"Naraku..." Kisame chuckled. "Well then, Naraku-kun. Do you have any more of those blue cards? My sword is getting hungry again."
"No!" Uehara crossed his arms. "That costs chakra!"
"I thought you had high quality chakra?"
"It's high quality, not infinite!" (A lie).
As they walked toward the interior of the Rain Country, Uehara checked his inventory.
He had unlocked a new achievement in his mind.
[Achievement: Feeding the Beast.]
Description: Feed Samehada with your skill.
Reward: 50 Gold Coins.
"Great," Uehara thought sarcastically. "Now I'm a walking shark snack."
But as he looked at Kisame's broad back, a plan formed. Kisame was one of the most loyal members of the Akatsuki in the canon. If Uehara could befriend him (or bribe his sword), he would have a powerful ally against Obito's manipulation later on.
"Hey, Shark-face," Uehara called out.
"It's Kisame," the swordsman corrected, though not angrily.
"If I give your sword a snack," Uehara negotiated, "Will you teach me a Water Style jutsu?"
Kisame stopped. He looked back, amused.
"You want to trade?"
"Equivalent exchange," Uehara held up a finger. "One Blue Card for one C-Rank Jutsu."
Kisame laughed loud and harsh, a sound like grating metal.
"You're a bold brat. Deal. But if you run out of chakra and faint, I'm leaving you in the mud."
"Deal."
Uehara grinned. Joke's on you. With the Tear of the Goddess, I can feed that sword until it bursts.