Splash!
Uchiha Natsuki dragged the Mist kunoichi out of the water.
So, there was a pool beneath the cliff—no wonder Kisame survived.
Natsuki glanced at the wet footprints on the shore.
Looks like Kisame had already left.
He took out some fuel, spat a fireball, and lit a bonfire on the ground.
From the pile of loot he had gathered, most of the weapons had long since been tossed into the pool.
The tool pouch didn't contain much of real value either.
When Natsuki unrolled Ibiki's scroll, his brows furrowed slightly.
A Konoha sealing technique?
He tapped the surface with his hand, dispelling the seal.
After reading through it, he thoughtfully rolled the scroll back up.
…Wait, had he forgotten something?
Turning his head, he realized the Mist kunoichi was staring wide-eyed at him.
"Oh, sorry, sorry—I forgot to undo your seal."
When he'd grabbed her and leapt off the cliff, he had sealed her with a Four Symbols Seal.
And then completely forgot to release it.
Natsuki pressed his palm against her. The inky patterns of the Four Symbols technique shrank back into his hand, and the kunoichi was free again.
"Where are you planning to take me?" she asked, having already figured out this man was not with the Konoha shinobi from before.
Now without his Transformation Jutsu, Natsuki was still wearing his Wind Country attire, with a huge gray cloak and a straw hat.
He took off the hat, tossing it aside, and revealed his true face.
Although his name carried some reputation, his portrait wasn't widely circulated—so the Mist kunoichi didn't recognize him.
"Where I take you depends on you," Natsuki said, rubbing his chin.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you hate Kisame for killing you?"
Her expression shifted, as if recalling something. She hugged her knees, sitting by the fire, lost in thought.
"For ninja like us, obedience is our duty. If you hadn't saved me, I'd still be dead all the same. What's the point of blame?"
Natsuki clicked his tongue in amusement. Sometimes fate truly was strange.
That Kisame happened to encounter this kind of girl.
"I think very highly of Kisame," Natsuki said. "He's a true talent. I want him by my side. Could you help me persuade him?"
He genuinely admired Kisame. The man had spent his whole life chasing peace and beauty, only to one day summon sharks to devour himself in order to protect intel.
If possible, Natsuki wanted to change that.
"Me?" she asked in disbelief, pointing at herself.
Natsuki knew what she was thinking.
"Believe it or not," he explained, "if I hadn't saved you, your death would have haunted Kisame for life."
Her eyes widened, her face flushed, and she hastily covered it with both hands. "Impossible."
"Besides, Kisame would never betray the Mist."
Seriously, girl? He stabbed you through the heart, and you're still looking at him with puppy eyes?
Kisame-dono, huh? Next time, is it going to be 'Big Brother Kisame'?
This was the kind of bond that, in Natsuki's eyes, looked like the work of the matchmaker god welding them together with rebar.
Natsuki sighed. "You don't need to worry about that. Your Fourth Mizukage has already been placed under genjutsu. The Mist is finished."
Her blush faded instantly into shock. She leapt to her feet.
Natsuki tossed her the scroll he had just read.
She opened it and her face paled.
"This is the route map of our Cipher Corps!"
A secret mission, compromised before even leaving the Land of Water.
Natsuki shrugged. "The one leaking your intel… is the Mizukage himself."
The kunoichi was shaken to her core.
"Then the blood-mist tyranny these past years!?"
Natsuki nodded. "Exactly. All the doing of the one controlling him."
"T-Truly…?" Her voice trembled.
Natsuki grinned. "Would lying to you benefit me?"
Though shaken, she was a Cipher Corps elite. Her mind began to work.
Indeed, the Fourth Mizukage had seemed to change overnight. Suddenly he began slaughtering bloodline clans, ruling with cruelty.
Many of the Mist's elite had fled or perished. Even the infamous Zabuza had recently defected.
It seemed all too likely to be true.
Her eyes dimmed with despair. Family and friends, lost to what turned out to be a cruel deception.
"What's your name?" she asked softly.
"Kurita Kyoko," she answered after a pause, her tone heavy.
"Do you still have family?" Natsuki asked casually.
She shook her head.
The Mist, once overflowing with talent, had been bled dry by Obito's manipulation.
"Then perfect," Natsuki said with a grin. "Help me convince Kisame. You two can work under me together. You're from the same village—you'll be able to look out for each other."
He almost felt like some shady coal mine boss tricking people into illegal labor.
He had planned to experiment with Sand Coffin techniques, but now he'd picked up extra baggage. Guess that would have to wait.
Meanwhile, Kisame wandered toward the village in a daze.
His life was torment: ordered to protect his comrades, but also to kill them before they could be captured. Protector on one side, executioner on the other. His worldview was collapsing.
And Kyoko's dying words—"Your life… must have been hard."
Those words reverberated within him, shattering what was left of his heart.
This false world of shinobi… so-called excellence was nothing more than betrayal and slaughter.
He gave his life for the village, yet he could no longer find his place within it.
As he wandered, still without returning to report, someone blocked his path.
"You are Hoshigaki Kisame, retainer of Hōzuki Mangetsu."
Standing before him was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
"Mizukage-sama, I am Hoshigaki Kisame." He bowed.
Yagura, rarely seen since surviving an assassination attempt years ago, was infamous for his harsh discipline.
To encounter him here was unexpected.
"Your superior, Hōzuki Mangetsu, colluded with enemy nations and sold our intel."
"What!?" Kisame was shaken.
The very man who had ordered him to slay comrades to prevent leaks… was the one betraying them all along.
"His scheming runs deep," Yagura said coldly. "Only you can get close to him. Find the chance—and kill him."
Expressionless, Kisame bowed his head.
"As you command, Mizukage-sama."
With that order delivered, Yagura turned and left, leaving Kisame frozen in place for a long while before he finally lifted his head and walked on toward the village.
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