That line—"You, the kid called Kisame Hoshigaki. Come here."—was like a stone tossed into a stagnant pond, sending out silent ripples.
Inside and outside the plaza, all the Kirigakure Ninja kneeling on the ground instinctively looked in the direction of that pointing finger.
Countless gazes, mingled with fear, confusion, and jealousy, instantly converged on the shark-faced youth in the corner.
Every muscle in Kisame Hoshigaki's body tensed. His small, sharp eyes roiled like a raging sea.
Him?
After wiping out the Mizukage and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with a single move, this man who called himself a "god" had singled him out?
Why?
He was just a nobody in the Anbu's disposal unit, a "cleaner" tasked with disposing of his comrades' corpses to prevent intelligence leaks.
There were countless jōnin and elite ninja present who were stronger and more renowned than him.
"Kisame, you..."
A Kirigakure Ninja kneeling beside him stammered, trying to say something. But the moment he met Kisame's fierce gaze, he swallowed his words.
Under everyone's complicated stares, Kisame silently rose to his feet.
He paid no attention to his comrades' shocked and fearful reactions. He simply set off, step by step, crossing the kneeling crowd and walking toward the terrifying forest grown from Wood Release.
Every step felt as though it landed on the hearts of all the Kirigakure Ninja.
At that moment, it was as if an invisible chasm had opened between him and his kneeling comrades.
The members of the Akatsuki watched with interest, too.
"Oh? This kid has an impressive amount of Chakra." Kakuzu looked Kisame over with his distinctive stitched eyes. "He'd make a good ally."
Sasori of the Red Sands said nothing. He merely thought the shark-faced youth had an unusual build and might make a fine Human Puppet.
Yahiko clenched his fists tighter. Looking at the malice on Kisame's face, he felt a sense of helplessness rising within him.
The chosen man clearly wasn't a good person.
What exactly did that man intend to turn Kirigakure—and the whole world—into?
Only Nagato's Rinnegan remained unperturbed. It seemed he saw something familiar in Kisame: a yearning for power after being betrayed by the world.
At last, Kisame reached Lin Feng and stopped before him.
He didn't kneel. He only lowered his head slightly, looking at the man before him with a gaze that mingled reverence with scrutiny.
"Lord Madara, you wanted to see me?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.
Lin Feng didn't answer. Instead, he studied Kisame with interest, as though admiring an intriguing tool.
"You have good eyes."
Lin Feng spoke in a calm voice. "Full of murderous intent, and also... confusion."
"Are you suffering because you've killed your comrades?"
Kisame's body jolted. A terrifying gleam flashed in his small eyes.
That was the secret buried deepest in his heart!
As a member of the Anbu's disposal unit, his mission was to ensure that no intelligence fell into enemy hands. For that purpose, he had personally killed countless comrades who'd been surrounded by the enemy and couldn't escape.
Every swing of his blade felt like it was torturing his soul.
He hated the village that forced him to turn his blade against his comrades. He hated this hypocritical world.
"Looks like I was right." Lin Feng chuckled.
He turned and waved his hand.
The vines binding the Third Mizukage instantly loosened, flinging the ashen-faced man down in front of Kisame.
The Third Mizukage hit the ground and coughed miserably. He looked at Kisame with pleading, fearful eyes.
"Kisame... you..."
"Kill him."
Lin Feng's indifferent voice cut him off.
The entire plaza fell utterly silent.
Everyone was stunned by the simple yet unimaginably cruel command.
An Anbu was being ordered to kill the village's Kage?
It was... unheard-of madness!
The Third Mizukage's face turned deathly pale. He struggled backward, his voice trembling. "Kisame! I'm the Mizukage! You can't do this! It's treason!"
Kisame stood motionless.
His chest heaved as if he were locked in a battle with himself.
"Treason?"
Lin Feng scoffed again, his voice full of contempt.
"What right does a Kage who sends his subordinates to slaughter their comrades in the name of protecting 'intelligence' have to talk about treason?"
"A Mizukage who can't protect his subordinates, a Kage who relies on violence to keep the village in line—"
"What you're protecting is nothing but a system that's rotten to the core."
Those words struck Kisame's heart like a bolt of lightning.
That's right!
The man was right!
What was there to protect in a village that forced him to kill his comrades, in a system that trapped him in a life of pain and lies?
"Kisame! Don't listen to him!" the Third Mizukage cried in terror. "If you kill me, you'll be a criminal in Kirigakure! Everyone will hunt you down!"
"A criminal?" Kisame rasped a laugh. For the first time, a truly ferocious smile spread across his shark-like face.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Lin Feng. The last trace of confusion in his small eyes gave way to fervor.
"Sir, what happens after I kill him?"
"Once he's dead, his position is yours." Lin Feng's voice was alluring. "Starting today, you'll be the new Mizukage of Kirigakure."
"You'll usher in a new era for Kirigakure!"
Boom!
Those words hit harder than any technique before them.
The Mizukage!
The highest position in the village had just been promised so casually to an obscure Anbu nobody?
The Kirigakure Ninja kneeling on the ground went mad.
Jealousy, resentment, greed... All kinds of emotions sprang wildly to life in their hearts.
Why? Why should this shark-faced kid be able to rise to the top in a single step?
The Third Mizukage was utterly overcome with despair.
He knew that the moment the position of "Mizukage" was put on the table as a bargaining chip, he was already dead.
"I understand."
Kisame drew a deep breath and slowly pulled the Ninja Blade from his back.
It was a strange, bandage-wrapped greatsword.
"No..." The Third Mizukage's plea was cut short.
Slash!
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Under the horrified gazes of all the Kirigakure Ninja, Kisame brought his blade down in a clean, decisive strike, severing the Third Mizukage's head.
The head that had once represented Kirigakure's highest authority rolled across the ground, gathering dust. Its unseeing eyes stared at the subordinates who had once revered him.
Holding the blood-dripping Ninja Blade, Kisame slowly turned and knelt before Lin Feng on one knee.
"Kisame Hoshigaki is at your service, sir."
Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
He raised his hand and pointed at the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, still dangling from the vines overhead.
"Then, as the new Mizukage, go deal with these... remnants of the old era."
"Yes!"
Kisame rose and walked toward the seven legendary ninja, who were already terrified out of their wits.
"Wait!"
Suikazan Fuguki, hanging in the middle with the Greatsword Samehada in his hands, suddenly cried out in terror.
"We'll submit! We'll follow you, sir!"
He was the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—and Kisame's former superior.
Now, to save his own life, he chose to betray them without hesitation.
With him leading the way, the others also hurriedly begged for mercy.
"That's right! We'll submit!"
"Please spare our lives, sir!"
Lin Feng acted as though he hadn't heard them and simply watched Kisame.
Kisame didn't slow down at all. He walked up to Suikazan Fuguki and raised his blade.
"Kisame! You dare!" Suikazan Fuguki shouted, both shocked and enraged. "Don't forget, I'm your superior! Samehada would never accept someone like—"
Before he could finish, Kisame's blade came down.
But this time, he didn't aim for Suikazan Fuguki's neck.
Thud!
The blade sank into flesh. Kisame had plunged it into his own stomach!
Everyone froze at the sudden sight.
Even Lin Feng's eyes flashed with surprise.
"Sir."
Enduring the pain, Kisame grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.
"I don't care about the position of Mizukage."
"All I ask is... a place where I no longer have to turn my blade against my comrades."
"As for them..."
Kisame's eyes turned vicious. He yanked the Ninja Blade out of his stomach, bringing a spray of blood with it.
"These are the people who forced me to kill my comrades. Today, I'll end them with my own hands!"
With that, he paid no heed to Lin Feng's reaction. Dragging his wounded body and consumed by seething hatred, he lunged at the restrained Suikazan Fuguki.
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