The old woman cackled. "The Hoshigaki were born from the sea, sonny! Don't expect anything less than from us than you would from the sea itself."

Kisame, walking beside Haku, laughed a little more softly. "We don't hide, but few think to look past the surface, and view what's really going on beneath."

The tunnel itself only had one outlet, and that outlet was a tight spiral staircase with no railings. To get off one simply needed to jump onto one of the floors. The old woman was clearly more nimble than her age suggested and made the jump without any trouble.

Kisame dipped his head. "After you, Haku-kun."

The floor, with a few well dimmed lights, had an almost underwater ambiance, even though they were now in the glass and steel tower rising above the lake. The outsides of the tower were a combination of tinted and frosted, and all the inner walls were clear glass. Stationed around the room were comfortable chairs and several Hoshigaki of similar age to the woman. Two were playing go, and one was working her way through sharpening an impressive collection of various sized hooks on chains.

The old woman seated herself, tapping her cane on the blue-tinted glass floor. "Now what have you brought us, Kisame?"

Kisame just stepped aside. "I think it's best if he introduces himself, eh?"