Suteta - (Akatsuki fanfic)

Part 21

Back at the hidden entrance to the base the atmosphere was not so still and quiet, but only due to the fact the clashing energies of Tobi, Kisame, and the plant nin were beginning to overwhelm the silence. The ground just outside warped and twisted as Zetsu fazed through it, his dark half immediately fizzing with agitation as if his personal mode of teleportation hadn't saved nearly enough time. Of course, that didn't mean his white half was much calmer. He could sense that foreign chakra somewhere in the near distance, but he couldn't pinpoint Hanaki anywhere.

It wasn't possible for the forest to be hiding her in this cold. Even if they could, the trees and plants out here wouldn't know her well enough to be so annoyingly possessive like the garden. So that really only left one alarming question as he waited for the other two to catch up.

Where in god's name is she?! His other half was wondering the same thing, and didn't bother repeating himself. And as he stepped out of the warped earth to solid ground, Kisame came rushing through the passageway behind him sooner than expected with the masked nin closely in tow. While he came ahead to scout the immediate area he thought they were going to search the areas of the base that were 'toddler-accessible.' But it seemed the shark nin had realized much more quickly what was going on and instead ran back to snatch Tobi by the collar before following Zetsu outside through the disguised chakra wall. Just like him they were both still in their casual wear, but Kisame had managed just enough time to grab the shark skin sword along the way at least.

It was already bad enough an intruder managed to sneak past their perimeter somehow. If they were right, and Hanaki was out here too, she was in very real danger.

Coming to an abrupt stop beside him, Kisame's breath came out in a puff of clouds as he took a glance around. And the sword's scales rattled beneath its bandages. "Can you tell where they are?" he asked in a hurry. "Anywhere close by?" Evidently he was having the same problem as Zetsu, unable to pick up on Hanaki or the exact location of the intruder.

"No," Zetsu responded to both questions lowly in his aggravation. "But we have to find them quickly."

Kisame glanced his way. "How do you suggest?" Despite his record of barging ahead into a fight, he had no intention of taking that risk on an enemy he knew nothing about. For all intents and purposes, he did know better.

And that was helpful. It gave the plant nin a brief moment to think. "What does this chakra seem like from your perspective? Is it a jutsu?"

The shark nin looked back toward the woods. "If we can't locate the source then it's bizarrely reminiscent of the Hidden Mist technique. But I don't sense a jutsu having been cast. This is more like an invisible sea acting on its own will," he observed.

"Can the sharingan penetrate it?" Zetsu directed his question to Tobi this time, who promptly shook his head in a 'no' that indicated he had already tried.

"Not from this distance..." His tone bordered worry and confusion. "That's really weird, isn't it." That last comment was more of a statement than a question, as if musing to himself out loud.

Well, that definitely didn't help if they couldn't analyze the situation from a fair distance away. With that in mind it brought them down to one option. In a case like this he could only use it as a last resort, and he truly wished he didn't have to. "Alright," he started, coming to a decision as he looked toward the others. "When we go in I will create a web of chakra underground to track them down to a more precise location. Hoshigaki, I want you to focus on going after the intruder. Capture them if you can. Kill them if you have to."

Kisame didn't seem surprised by the order, but it did elicit a sudden smirk as he reached for the hilt of his sword on is back. When he latched onto it, the sentient object gave off a series of clicks in anticipation."With pleasure."