Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-24142271-20150818121911/@comment-3965545-20150907215955

Kisame himself made it clear Itachi is well above him, even when Sick. He is definitely not just shy of Itachi's level, he's below it as are many Shinobi. Kisame is also not weak though. If he knew about Gai's techniques then most likely Gai would not have won.