Kisame raised his head, and even from a distance, he could clearly see Chiga's purple Rinnegan gleaming under the moonlight.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
Another pair of Rinnegan—in Konoha?
He was still frozen in disbelief when he realized someone was standing beside him. It was Itachi, who had returned without making a sound.
Itachi gave him a small, helpless pat on the shoulder.
"Kisame… didn't I tell you not to act without thinking? Why did you rush in here?"
Kisame blinked, jolted out of his thoughts. Seeing Itachi unharmed, his initial panic faded into relief. Then, his face turned serious.
"Itachi san, that Uchiha—Chiga… He has the same eyes as the Leader. This situation is far worse than we imagined."
"I already know that," Itachi said calmly. "Actually—"
Before he could finish, Chiga, still suspended midair, turned his gaze toward them. The moment Kisame felt the weight of that Rinnegan gaze settle on him, a cold dread crept up his spine. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't move.
Still, Kisame was never one to freeze in fear. He grabbed Itachi and quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
A vortex of water rose around them, forming a protective prison that trapped both Kisame and Itachi inside.
Chiga raised an eyebrow.
Was this man seriously trying to commit suicide? And dragging Itachi with him?
He vanished from his position and reappeared in front of the water prison with blinding speed. Kisame, now face-to-face with those eerie eyes, instinctively swallowed hard.
Suppressing the unease building in his chest, he turned to Itachi and muttered, "Itachi san, this jutsu won't hold for long… If things go wrong, I'll hold him off. You take the intel back to the Akatsuki. No hesitation."
Itachi paused, his face conflicted.
He couldn't help but reflect—both of his Akatsuki partners had been people of principle. First Juzo Biwa, now Kisame. Cold on the outside, but unwavering in their beliefs.
Chiga silently admired Kisame as well. Despite everything, Kisame was a true ninja. Loyal, disciplined, prepared to die for his mission. In the original story, Kisame even bit off his tongue to resist genjutsu and fed himself to sharks to protect classified intel.
A man of brutal conviction.
Chiga didn't want that ending for him.
He raised one hand toward the water prison. Instantly, the swirling vortex was drawn into his palm, absorbed completely.
Kisame's eyes widened in shock. He shoved Itachi backward and shouted, "Not good! Itachi san, run!"
He began forming seals again.
"Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
From behind Kisame, a giant shark surged forward, its form crackling with chakra as it charged toward Chiga.
But against the Preta Path of the Rinnegan, jutsu like these were useless.
Before it reached its target, the shark was absorbed into Chiga's palm, vanishing like mist in the wind.
Kisame had already predicted this. At the moment of absorption, he closed the distance, reappearing right in front of Chiga and swinging Samehada down with full force.
Chiga didn't flinch. He merely tilted his head slightly, allowing the blade to strike his shoulder.
Clang!
Samehada shuddered violently, the impact resonating like steel meeting steel. The living blade let out a low groan, recoiling from the strike.
Kisame froze.
He'd never seen anyone take a direct hit from Samehada—on bare flesh—and remain completely unfazed. Was this man even human?
Staggering, Kisame began to doubt everything.
As he stood there stunned, Itachi stepped forward and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
Kisame turned, confused.
Itachi looked him in the eyes and said quietly, "Kisame, it's over. You're no match for Chiga sama."
"Chiga… sama?"
Kisame blinked.
That title didn't make sense.
Itachi explained everything—his secret mission, his return to Konoha, and Chiga's position as Hokage. With every word, Kisame's expression darkened. Shock gave way to numb disbelief.
So this was what Itachi meant when he said they were different.
Kisame lowered his head, voice hollow. "So… I was just being sentimental, huh?"
He chuckled bitterly.
All this time, he thought he was rescuing a fallen comrade. But Itachi didn't need saving. He was never lost. He had already chosen his path… and that path led away from the Akatsuki.
Itachi felt the weight of Kisame's pain. He had always known Kisame was someone who buried emotion under duty. This betrayal—though unintentional—had cut deep.
Placing both hands on Kisame's shoulders, Itachi looked him in the eyes and said firmly, "Kisame… I want you to know, you've always been my comrade."
Kisame stood frozen, repeating the word under his breath. "Comrade…"
Just then, Konoha's ninja appeared, surrounding the area. Each of them knelt behind Chiga.
"Chiga sama!" they shouted in unison.
Kisame turned to look at them, then sighed.
"I guess… this is the end of the road for me."
He turned back to Itachi with a soft expression.
"Itachi san… you've finally found your home. I'm happy for you. Goodbye."
Raising Samehada, he moved to cut across his neck in a swift motion—
But the blade never landed.
A powerful force pulled Samehada out of his grip.
Crack!
Chiga now held the massive blade casually in one hand. Samehada squirmed in protest, sensing the overwhelming chakra within its new wielder—an abyss so deep it trembled just sensing it.
Within Chiga, a monstrous presence stirred. Even Samehada, which fed off chakra, had no desire to absorb anything from him.
Instead, it wanted to escape. To return to Kisame.
Chiga twirled the blade once and exhaled. Though powerful, the sword felt clumsy in his hands. Not his style.
He tossed Samehada back to its owner.
Kisame caught it, stunned. "Why… did you stop me?"
Chiga gave a small smile.
"It'd be a waste for a ninja like you to die here. Live, Kisame. If you still want to die later, be my guest."
____
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