It was already late at night when Uzumaki Raiden brought the Mist Ninja girl back to their camp. The sound of their footsteps alerted Hatake Kakashi, who was on duty that night.
Seeing Raiden's figure emerging from the dark forest, Kakashi smiled in relief.
"Master Raiden, you're back!" Kakashi spoke in a low voice, careful not to wake Uchiha Itachi and the others who had just fallen asleep.
"This is…?" Kakashi's gaze shifted to the girl following Raiden. Her expression remained confused—she had been brought here by Raiden unexpectedly. However, she felt some relief knowing he hadn't questioned her about Mist Ninja Village, which put her more at ease.
Kakashi's curiosity about the girl stemmed mainly from the forehead protector she wore—clearly marking her as a Mist Ninja. This village held deep animosity toward Konoha and himself personally.
If Raiden hadn't arrived in time, Rin might have already died at his hands.
Kakashi had no reason to be friendly toward a Mist Ninja.
"As you can see, she's from Mist Ninja. Speaking of which… what's your name?"
Raiden only now realized he didn't know her name, so he turned and asked.
The girl pursed her lips lightly, lifted her head to glance at Raiden, then looked down again without responding. As an Anbu, she knew that interrogations often began by breaking a captive's psychological defenses—starting with their name.
Raiden's question immediately put her on high alert.
"Don't overthink it. I'm just asking for convenience. It has nothing to do with your village's secrets, so there's no need to be so wary."
"To be honest, I have no personal interest in you or the information you possess."
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to answer. It's already late—get some rest. I'll take you back to Mist Ninja tomorrow."
Raiden looked up at the sky. Through the sparse leaves, he could see the position of the moon. Judging by the season, it was around one in the morning—just a few hours until dawn.
He had already decided to return the girl to Mist Ninja, possibly even handing her over to Kisame himself. He figured he might as well have a chat with Kisame while at it.
Meanwhile, the Mist Ninja known as Kisame Hoshigaki, who had jumped off the cliff, had been carried by the river's current to the coastline.
He had taken a gamble—and won. There was a deep river at the base of the cliff, allowing him to survive the fall. The rushing current carried him away from the ambush site, eventually leading him to the outskirts of the island.
"Damn it… who betrayed us?"
"I killed everyone involved. The looks on their faces before they died told me they weren't the traitors."
"If that's the case… then there's only one possible spy!"
Blood dripped from the corner of Kisame's mouth as he dragged himself onto the shore, panting heavily. Though the river had saved his life, the shock from such a high fall had still left him with internal injuries. Fortunately, his strong physique had kept the damage minor, but he still needed time to recover before he could move again.
Now that things had settled, Kisame's mind raced. The thought of an informant troubled him. From the moment they crossed the border, their team had been discovered by Konoha's ninja. The efficiency of the enemy's intelligence-gathering was too high.
Moreover, Kisame had noticed that the Konoha ninja dispatched were all at least Chunin-level. Such a force was clearly meant for a targeted mission. A standard border patrol wouldn't consist of so many Chunin. Even a powerful village like Konoha wouldn't deploy Chunin so casually.
From these details, Kisame was certain—there was a spy in their ranks. However, during the battle, he hadn't seen any Konoha ninja show favoritism toward any Mist Ninja. Combined with the fact that his comrades had died fighting, Kisame concluded that the spy wasn't in his team.
Since the ones carrying out the mission weren't traitors, the answer was obvious.
Only those who created and authorized the mission would have known its details.
Realizing this, Kisame's eyes turned bloodshot, and rage surged within him.
"Was it you?!"
Kisame muttered under his breath, took a deep breath to calm himself, then dove into the sea, heading back toward Mist Ninja Village.
Though injured, Kisame pushed forward. By dawn, he finally reached land. The overnight journey had drained a significant amount of his chakra, but he didn't stop to rest. He continued on his way.
Days later, Kisame finally returned to Mist Ninja Village. However, instead of reporting to his superior, Kisame avoided the guards and sneaked into the village.
As an Anbu member, he was well-versed in Mist Ninja's security measures. It wasn't difficult for him to slip inside unnoticed.
After taking a day to recover in a secret hideout, Kisame, now at his peak condition, returned to the Anbu headquarters under the cover of a dark, windy night.
He moved unseen, eventually arriving at the office of Fuguki Suikazan. He knocked on the door.
Fuguki Suikazan was a diligent leader with no family of his own. His office and bedroom were connected, and he often stayed up working late.
The knocking roused him from his sleep. Quickly dressing, he walked to the door and opened it.
Kneeling outside was Kisame, his expression respectful.
Seeing Kisame, Fuguki Suikazan's tense expression eased slightly.
"Kisame, back so soon?"
"Did you complete the mission?" he asked, his eyes flickering.
"Reporting—there was an accident. We were discovered by Konoha's ninja. The Anbu who were compromised… I executed them myself."
"The mission… failed."
Kisame's expression darkened, guilt flashing in his eyes. Fuguki Suikazan secretly nodded—this young man took his tasks seriously. He was still worth using.
"Mission failed? Are you injured?" he asked with concern.
Instead of relief, Kisame's expression froze. He quickly lowered his head to conceal the murderous look in his eyes.
Fuguki Suikazan was not known for kindness—only for ruthless punishment. Never had Kisame seen him show concern for a ninja who failed a mission.
The strangeness of it all confirmed Kisame's suspicions.
The traitor was none other than his own superior— Fuguki Suikazan.
Taking a deep breath, Kisame forced himself to remain calm. He bowed slightly.
"Thank you for your concern, sir."
Despite his words, Kisame suddenly lunged, a kunai hidden in his sleeve stabbing straight for his superior's abdomen.
Caught off guard, Fuguki Suikazan couldn't react in time. Deep red blood gushed from the wound.
"You… what are you doing?!" he shouted, clutching his injury.
Before he could grab his sword, chains of kunai shot from hidden mechanisms in the room, piercing his body. The heavy scent of blood filled the air.
"You…" Fuguki Suikazan tried to speak, but blood choked his words.
At this moment, Kisame's pupils lacked focus, his eyes clouded with confusion. He seemed unable to find meaning in his existence. Looking back on the first half of his life, he suddenly realized how foolish his actions had been.
Now, not only had he lost his sense of purpose, but he also had no place to call home.
Who would have thought that the ruthless Kisame was such a conflicted man?
Tap… Tap…
Footsteps echoed outside the door as the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, slowly stepped inside. He didn't spare a glance at the corpse of the Watermelon Mountain Puffer Ghost, instead staring blankly ahead.
"Thank you, Kisame."
The sudden words put Kisame on high alert. His right hand instinctively tightened around the handle of his sword as he turned toward the bedroom entrance.
"From now on, you are the new wielder of Samehada."
"From now on, you will be my subordinate."
Yagura walked forward, addressing Kisame in a calm tone.
Kisame smirked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Until you decide to get rid of me, Fourth Mizukage-sama?"
"Men like you are worthy of trust. For the sake of the village and the nation, you've carried out countless dirty tasks."
"Because of that, you should understand better than anyone—this world is full of lies."
Yagura's gaze sharpened as he looked at Kisame.
"This truth… I understood it the first time I killed my own comrade."
Kisame's expression darkened. He recalled a certain spirited girl—the one he had been forced to kill with his own hands. The thought weighed heavily on him, his bloodshot eyes filled with sorrow.
"Then let me free you from this false pain."
"I will give you a place to belong."
A heavy voice echoed from behind Yagura. From the shadows, a dark figure emerged, the dim light obscuring his features. Kisame tensed, gripping Samehada tightly as his nerves went on high alert.
"Who's there?" he demanded coldly.
In the darkness, the first thing to become visible was a glimmer of crimson—the unmistakable glow of the Sharingan. A sinister chakra radiated from the figure, one that Kisame instinctively recognized.
"Those eyes shining in the dark… I see."
"So, the Fourth Mizukage I've been looking at all this time was actually you?"
"You've been controlling the Mizukage with the Sharingan… Hah."
"As expected, this world is nothing but lies!"
"But to possess the power to manipulate a Kage with your eyes… Who are you?"
Kisame smirked, but his voice was laced with bitterness. Even the highest authority in Mist Ninja Village had been reduced to a mere puppet. If even his nation's leader wasn't in control of his own will, then what in this world was real?
At the same time, he was deeply shaken by the sheer strength of the person before him. To control a Kage with Sharingan… such power was unheard of.
"Uchiha Madara."
A deep voice echoed from the darkness before a young face stepped into view.
Kisame's pupils contracted sharply in disbelief.
Uchiha Madara—the legendary man who had once founded Konoha alongside Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage. Of course, Kisame knew that name. But how could this young man before him be the same person?
It didn't make sense.
Yet, strangely enough… the hairstyle did resemble the statue at the Valley of the End.
"From the moment you set foot in this country, you've been slaughtering your own people."
"But from now on, you will fight alongside me as my companion."
"Together, we will create a world free of lies."
The young man in the dark spoke slowly, but his words did not immediately move Kisame.
"You speak as if you trust me already."
"And as for your identity…"
"The real Madara died a long time ago. I have no reason to believe you."
Kisame shook his head slightly, his smirk unwavering.
"Whether you believe me or not, the choice is yours," the man replied softly, his voice eerily calm.
His words sent Kisame into deep thought.
Did it matter whether this person was truly Uchiha Madara? Perhaps it did, perhaps it didn't. Regardless of who he was, the power of his Sharingan was undeniable. And if he truly intended to create a world free of deception… then maybe—just maybe—that world was worth seeing.
"To be honest… the world you describe does sound tempting."
After a long silence, Kisame finally spoke.
The young man in the shadows smiled. He had expected this outcome. Kisame had agreed.
Just as he thought everything was settled, a quiet sigh echoed through the stone chamber.
"ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh…"
"Is the man I like really this naïve?"
(End of this chapter)