Uchiha Itachi's decisions had always been ones Kisame Hoshigaki approved of, and this time was no different.
Of course, Kisame Hoshigaki still had no idea that Uchiha Itachi was planning to betray the Akatsuki Organization.
Kisame Hoshigaki had once been on Obito's side. His main purpose in teaming up with Uchiha Itachi had been to keep an eye on him.
But after spending time with Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki had gradually come to join his side.
Of course, it wasn't that Kisame Hoshigaki was Uchiha Itachi's subordinate. What they shared was a genuine friendship.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi had similar pasts. To protect important information, Kisame had chosen to kill his comrades and superior.
After turning his blade against his own people, Kisame had comforted himself by thinking of himself as a walking corpse. He'd rationalized being ordered to slaughter his teammates and killing his superior to survive as sharks devouring one another, everyone at the mercy of a cruel fate.
But Uchiha Itachi had told him, "We're human beings, not sharks."
That simple sentence had completely changed how Kisame Hoshigaki saw Itachi. It had also marked the beginning of their friendship.
Still, even friendship sometimes had things that couldn't be reconciled.
For example, Kisame Hoshigaki firmly believed in the Moon Eye Plan that Obito had shown him. He, too, wanted to transform the world into a place free of hatred and killing, where peace reigned completely. That was the dream Kisame had held on to.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi left the Akatsuki Organization's base. After traveling for about half an hour, Kisame, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly darted ahead of Itachi and stopped.
"Mr. Itachi, you're acting strange today."
Kisame Hoshigaki looked at Uchiha Itachi as he spoke.
After stopping, Uchiha Itachi showed no