A Pitiful Three Choices? I'm Tired, Let It Be Destroyed!

"Teacher Kisame, have some meat."

On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of the Drizzle, Kazama Kaguya solicitously served cooked meat chunks and handed them to Kisame Hoshigaki with a smile.

Ninja extracted chakra by squeezing their cells, which consumed an extreme amount of energy, and Kisame Hoshigaki was already starving.

But he didn't reach for the food at that moment. Instead, he warily eyed Kazama Kaguya. "Unsolicited kindness means treachery or theft. What bad idea are you brewing now?"

"Uh... is it that obvious?"

Kazama Kaguya frowned, rubbing his cheeks. "Sorry, Teacher Kisame. My current body has a bit too much collagen in my face, unlike my previous bony self. It's a bit hard to control. I'll be careful next time."

"..."

Kisame Hoshigaki rolled his eyes, his forehead throbbing. "Stop with the nonsense. If you have something to say, spit it out."

"Alright."

Kazama Kaguya seized the opportunity and immediately said, "Teacher Kisame, what are your plans next?"

"Plans? No particular plans. I'm just going to keep an eye on you for three months, then take your head back to Kirigakure." Kisame Hoshigaki hadn't forgotten his objective.

"Is that so..."

Kazama Kaguya nodded, completely unfazed. He continued, "Then when do you plan to pay the price for the information you obtained about the Sharingan?"

Hearing this, Kisame Hoshigaki knew the young man before him was definitely up to no good.

His body stiffened for a moment, and he defensively said, "Don't think you can trick me. I told you I could choose one of three options."

"One of three options, of course, no problem."

Kazama Kaguya readily agreed, then quickly took out a scroll from his ninja pouch and handed it over. "My demands are all recorded in here. Teacher Kisame, just consider it at your discretion."

"You've already planned it all out again?"

Kisame Hoshigaki reluctantly took the scroll and his expression worsened as he read it.

"Kirigakure's barrier deployment map? A list of high-ranking officials and their weaknesses? The Summoning Jutsu for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"

He read the contents of the scroll word by word. After finishing, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and suppressed rage and killing intent surged within him.

"Kazama Kaguya! How dare you?"

He gritted his teeth and couldn't help but instantly appear before him to teach the ignorant brat a lesson, but he was forced back by the sharp bone spikes erupting from Kazama Kaguya's body.

Kazama Kaguya was no longer the sickly weakling he was at the beginning; he now had plenty of strength and means.

Did Kisame Hoshigaki think he could still grab him by the neck like before?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Kisame Hoshigaki also belatedly realized this problem.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart. "You want information about Kirigakure from me? I advise you to give up on that idea. I'm part of the Intelligence Protection Force, and I would never give you information."

"Eh? Kirigakure information? Why is this here?"

Kazama Kaguya was taken aback and quickly took the scroll back. "My apologies, I grabbed the wrong one. I know about your professional integrity, Teacher Kisame, how could I make such a joke? This was just a demand I prepared for a future transaction with Suikazan Fuguki. You don't need to worry about it, just pretend you didn't see it."

Don't worry about it? Pretend you didn't see it?

Kisame Hoshigaki could hardly believe his ears.

Look what he had discovered today.

A rogue ninja from Kirigakure, right in front of him, a member of the Intelligence Protection Force, was talking about preparing to trade village information with his superior, Suikazan Fuguki?

What was the difference between this move and a direct assault?

"Kazama Kaguya! You're seeking death!" Kisame Hoshigaki's rage exploded, his sharp shark-like teeth grinding sparks.

He pulled out a kunai and instantly attacked.

Clink, clink, clink...

After a series of crisp sounds, Kazama Kaguya, relying on the defense of the Shikotsumyaku, barely kept up.

His entire body was now covered in twenty to thirty-centimeter bone spikes, making him look like a hedgehog, forcing Kisame Hoshigaki to abandon close-quarters combat.

Seeing Kisame preparing to form hand seals, Kazama Kaguya quickly took out another scroll. "Teacher Kisame, I really grabbed the wrong one. This is the one. Take a good look."

"..."

Kisame Hoshigaki silently took the scroll, quickly opened it, and finished reading.

This time, he wasn't angry. Instead, he wore a look of utter despair.

His brows were deeply furrowed, creating deep lines that looked like they could trap flies.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Pay one of the forbidden jutsu from Konoha's Scroll of Seals? Pay information about the Uzumaki clan's core sealing technique, the Eight Trigrams Seal? Or teach you diligently for three months, including exclusive Water Release ninjutsu and Taijutsu training?"

Kisame Hoshigaki read the contents of the scroll in a low voice, then exhaled, regretting, "I really shouldn't have had any thoughts about your information."

"You scoundrel, you've been plotting against me all along, and now you want to drain me dry."

Look at those three options, what kind of choices were those?

The forbidden jutsu in the Scroll of Seals? The Uzumaki clan's Eight Trigrams Seal? This is Konoha's most classified secret, how could a ninja from Kirigakure possibly know about it?

The options presented clearly forced him to choose the last one.

"I'm tired, let's just destroy it."

Kisame Hoshigaki leaned against a tree, utterly defeated, the light in his eyes dimming.

He couldn't understand how he had ended up in such a state.

He looked up at the sky, gazing at the shifting white clouds, and said weakly, "I just wanted to protect my village, what did I do wrong?"

Kazama Kaguya remained silent, waiting patiently, giving Kisame Hoshigaki ample time to compose himself.

When the moment felt right, he looked at the still dispirited Kisame and probed, "Teacher Kisame, information about the Mangekyo is no less valuable than these things. How about I give you that scroll from earlier? Anyway, you can pay for that information right now."

"Get lost!"

Kisame Hoshigaki grabbed a stone and threw it, shouting, "Get lost, get lost, get lost. Don't let me see you today."

Kazama Kaguya raised an eyebrow, knowing the matter was settled, and turned to leave.

"Then have a good rest today, Teacher Kisame. I'll come see you again tomorrow morning when the first ray of sunlight appears."

Kisame Hoshigaki made no sound.

His eyes were hollow as he watched the clouds in the sky.

Under the influence of updrafts, those white clouds would sometimes form a dog, sometimes an eagle, and sometimes turn into wave-like patterns.

No one knew what they would become next.

He felt that his experiences since leaving Kirigakure were just like those clouds in the sky.

He never had control over his next step.

"Acquiring information never comes without a price! Is this the price I have to pay?"

Kisame Hoshigaki recalled the creed he had upheld his entire life, and the dim light in his eyes gradually sharpened.

The ruthless monster of Kirigakure was back online.

He turned to look at the retreating figure of the young man in the distance, grinning with his sharp, shark-like teeth, a cold glint flashing intermittently:

"Heh, Kazama Kaguya, you truly are my good student. Since I didn't train you properly back then, I'll take this opportunity to make up for it."

"You've been tricking me all along, and now you want to learn my unique Water Release? Then let's see if you have what it takes to stick with it."

"Giving it my all? Don't worry, I guarantee it!"