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“Hm. They’re gone.”
“A good observation, boss.” Kisame chirps
Obito sighs, “Kisame, this isn’t a good thing.”
“Ah, of course not, Boss. Samehada and I are pretty upset too, but they didn’t get off far I’m sure.”
Obito just hums in response walking toward the little alcove that leads out to a large lake. Beyond it is the ocean, and the freshwater and saltwater clash to form a delta not too far off from here. They’ve been trying to track down these bounties for days now and Obito has had a hard time just being around another person for that long, not to mention losing their prey to something as far reaching as the ocean is just plain aggravating.
And Kisame is... something, Obito ponders. A glance behind him shows the shark man is two steps to his left per normal till Obito comes to a stop. He comes around then and crouches down with a hand to the sand.
“We looking for something, boss?” Kisame asks cheerfully.
“Yes.” Obito sighs. Kisame hasn’t known his true identity for more than a week, and yet...
“We’ll need something to track them with. Through the water.” He says instead. Kisame isn’t what he should be focusing on. The bounties however...
Kisame grins, large and feral, sharpened teeth poking out behind his gums.
“My sharks are probably over kill, but I’ve got something else, boss.”
Obito frowns, “sharks can track blood, can’t they? They would be perfect for this.”
“Oh sure, but those were people were from Uzushio boss, better start with something more discreet.”
Obito carefully does not let himself think of Kushina nor her fellow islanders that their tracking down. Their bounties, and Akatsuki needs the money, less Kakuzu guts them all for their own bounties. Obito is strong, but Kakuzu has age and wisdom on his old man side. Obito doesn’t think he’d lose, but…
“Alright then.” Obito nods to Kisame. He might be a little miffed that he didn’t know the other man had a second summing contract, but he hides behind some mask and black clothes so really, he doesn’t get to talk.
Kisame stares at him a moment longer as if he could read his thoughts as they appeared but ultimately doesn’t respond. Instead he bites his thumb and performs the summoning jutsu straight into the water.
Obito amusedly watches sand and silt clear way around Kisame’s hand before blinking once, twice—
“Kisame?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Are those shrimp?” Obito asks incredulously
Kisame turns his head, hand still suspended in the water and grins, “Don’t like em?”
Obito wonders how he’s supposed to answer that. Shrimp aren’t usually something one has any defined opinion on, that is, unless they’ve been turned into a food for consumption.
“Uh, well, I’m sure their—“Obito stutters but before he can finishes, Kisame laughs and says, “No worries, boss, nobody knows what to think when they first see them.”
Obito lets himself relax again. He has no reason to be tense around Kisame, but after so many years alone, after Madara, and Zetsu whos still around...
“They’ll go and find em boss no worries.” Kisame says, breaking him out of his thoughts.
Obito nods, watching them dance around Kisame’s fingers. Quick, he notes curiously, and small in all sorts of colors.
“The bright ones are cherry shrimp.” Kisame murmurs, “they’re probably the only ones that could get away with that bright color trying to track someone, since they’re so small.”
Obito hums, interested, whether that’s because he actually interested in shrimp or because Kisame looks very... gentle to be cradling shrimp in the shallow water, well, Obito doesn’t think about it so hard.
Kisame just chuckles to himself and sends the shrimp off.
Obito nearly misses the way they suddenly disappear like they weren’t there at all. He only just catches one of the cherry shrimp pause on a rock two feet from Kisame’s hand before shooting off again.
“Impressed?” Kisame teases, “they’re fast swimmers, giving the impression of teleporting. Nearly reminds me someone else I know...”
Obito snorts, unflattering to be compared to shrimp, but at this stage of his life he hardly cares about that.
“We need to wait?” Obito asks
“Nah.” Kisame appeases, “there was a dango shop not too far back on the trail though.”
Obito nods, letting Kisame lead back towards the trail.
He wonders though, just briefly, what kind of man Kisame would be if he didn’t have to serve Obito and his selfish plans. Let’s himself believe maybe it wouldn’t matter and Kisame would be his friend anyways.
He wonders, and let’s one moment of tranquility in his short miserable life rule over the sorrows etched into his skin.