(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
****************
"Boss, except for Deidara and Sasori, none of us are nearby," Hidan spoke up.
He was interested in fighting against Colt, but he and Kakuzu were very far away, actually close to Kumogakure.
Konan remained silent as she approached.
"There is a jutsu that that can solve that problem…" Pain said calmly.
He explained the workings of the jutsu and that it needed living sacrifices for it to work.
The fate of two Jonins was so easily decided that way.
At this point, Kisame, who had been quiet for a while, smiled.
"Itachi-san, are you interested in meeting with Kamiyo Colt for a bit? Speaking of which, he's considered an old acquaintance of ours."
"As you wish," Itachi didn't refuse, seemingly content with the idea.
Seeing that there were already volunteers, Pain instructed the two on how to launch the jutsu.
"Remember, be sure to buy us enough time."
**********
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rivers, Colt and the others were still moving quickly.
Temari's physical skills were slightly weaker, so Colt supported her to conserve her energy.
"I'm sorry, I'm not here to help at all. I'm just slowing you down," Temari said guiltily, realizing how fast the other three were.
"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't ask you to fight; you just need to watch how I bring Gaara back," Colt smiled softly.
This was why he had agreed to let Temari come. If she didn't see Gaara first-hand, she would be very worried.
Temari gazed softly at Colt, a smile adorning her face.
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
He hadn't expected to be force-fed the single ticket even on a mission.
When he got back, he'd have to read the latest version of "Icha Icha Paradise" to heal his wounded heart.
Suddenly, Colt's face turned stern.
"Someone's coming."
The four landed on the road and looked ahead.
Soon, the ground began to shake slightly.
"Kamiyo Colt-san, Kakashi-san, please stop for a moment!" Kisame's voice rang out, followed immediately by his jutsu.
[Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave]
A huge wave appeared not far away, like a turbulent river, instantly submerging the original path.
In the blink of an eye, it became the perfect battlefield for Water Style users.
"What terrifying chakra..." Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, staring at the two figures standing on a rock.
"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame."
"Kisame, don't get too close or we'll be killed," Itachi warned.
He knew some of Colt's abilities, including the [Flying Thunder God Technique] and his extreme swordsmanship.
Colt excelled at close combat.
"No problem, I already have a plan for that," Kisame grinned.
Surging chakra poured out of his body.
[Water Style: Great Shark Bomb]
As his palms clapped on the water, chakra sharks quickly formed, swimming and rushing towards the Konoha group.
Colt's mouth twitched.
What was Kisame doing, being so serious?
"Are you ready?" he asked casually, already activating a jutsu.
[Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet]
A huge wave rose under the four's feet, carrying them quickly towards Kisame and Itachi.
"Nice move, Colt!" Kakashi exclaimed, his Sharingan locked on Itachi.
Itachi's mouth twitched, feeling that Kisame had put him in a difficult position.
How was he supposed to use Fire Style in this environment?
[Wind Style: Casting Net] Temari made the first move, channeling her anger towards the Akatsuki.
'Why did they have to capture her brother?'
The howling storm was mixed with countless vacuum blades, forcing Itachi and Kisame to separate and cut the battlefield in two.
"Naruto, you and Temari provide support from a distance. Don't rush in," Colt instructed as he and Kakashi engaged their opponents one-on-one.
A vortex appeared under Kisame's feet, dragging him and Colt into the water.
[Tsukuyomi]
The consciousness of the two entered the Genjutsu space, and Kisame lowered his head slightly.
"Colt-san, it's been a while."
For those he respected, Kisame often used honorifics.
Colt had shown him the truth of the world, so Kisame naturally had to work for him.
"Colt-san, I would have thought you'd forgotten about me since you hadn't contacted me for so long," Kisame said, his tone slightly resentful.
Colt felt goosebumps rise on his skin.
"Hey, be normal."
"I didn't look for you because there was nothing I needed you to do."
Kisame was stunned.
"Then why did you recruit me?"
"I just knew about your experiences and thought you were worth it to know the truth of the matter," Colt said matter-of-factly.
He really had thought so at the beginning, and it was a way to learn about the inner workings of the Akatsuki organization.
They hadn't started capturing the tailed beasts in the past few years, so he naturally hadn't needed Kisame.
Kisame burst into laughter, not expecting that his actions would one day be recognized.
He felt even more respectful to Colt.
"Alright, since you're here, there are just two things I need you to do this time," Colt said.
"First, send some White Zetsus if you can to Orochimaru. I want to see what he can research from them. Second, keep me informed about the Akatsuki's capture of the tailed beasts. That's all."
Kisame nodded.
"Are you also interested in the Ten-Tails?"
After Colt's explanations in the past, Kisame now knew the true identity of the Ten-Tails.
"No, I just don't want things outside my control to happen," Colt waved his hand.
"Okay, that's enough for now. I have to rush in to save my brother-in-law."
After he finished speaking, he released the Genjutsu.
He then smashed the Kisame in front of him with a punch and rushed out of the water.
Meanwhile, Itachi was competing with Kakashi in Genjutsu.
The Sharingan's abilities couldn't be fully demonstrated in this environment, and Kakashi had improved significantly over the past few years, so the two were somewhat evenly matched.
A flying kunai shot out, and Colt used the [Flying Thunder God Technique] to strike at Itachi like lightning.
Boom!
Itachi's body burst into a cloud of smoke.
It was a Shadow Clone.
His real body slowly floated up from the water in the distance.
"Well, my chakra is exhausted. It appears this all that I can do…" he said.
As he finished speaking, his body and appearance changed, turning into another person.
"Yura!" Temari exclaimed, recognizing the face.