[Predictably, that hesitation is noticed: they can both be read in their silences, years of practice aiding the art of subtle communication. They are not men of many genuine words. Kisame may speak more, but what he says is not often what he means, a passive speaking-past the point that matters, sidestepping the root of truth in order to stand on its outskirts and gather more information. It's a tactic that has served them well before. A strategy that gives nothing of his real mind away; one that makes it difficult, now, to know what he's thinking.

Intuiting these smaller details—the hesitations—are perhaps one of the only ways he can understand Kisame. It feels like reaching both hands into deep, brackish water, searching for slippery hints to grasp hold and pull out. So he always pays attention.]

I see. Sapphire suits you. Its innate water alignment may bolster your own natural abilities.

[He doesn't ask to be shown the gem. And whatever Kisame may be withholding, whether his own personal thoughts about their situation or something else, he will not corner him or make him confess. Better to leave it alone. Itachi's eyes drift to the ground, body shifting slightly away as his hips lean against the counter.]

Have you learned of Synchrony, and how it is used here to generate Manna? It seems to be the primary energy source of this dimension.