Not long after Zou Hyuga left, another figure arrived in the interrogation room.
Still a little muddled from drinking, Shinnō frowned at Kisame as he walked in.
"Didn't you just leave? Why are you back already?" Before Shinnō could make sense of it, cold water poured over his head, its salt content making his wounds burn.
Only after taking several lashes did Shinnō realize that this was the real Kisame-the unremarkable-looking Kirigakure ANBU Commander, a ruthless man of few words.
When did they switch? Shinnō wondered, then said quietly to Kisame, "Kisame, we're on the same side now. You could go a little easier on me..."
Before, he had been prepared to die, so pain and torture had meant nothing to him.
But now they were on the same side, and they knew each other. Why torture him so brutally?
"This is the President's plan. You'll fake your death!" Kisame offered only that one reply before becoming an expressionless tool again.
Shinnō nodded and asked through the pain, "Does he have any other plans?"
Kisame replied, "No plans concerning you for now. But he wants me to become Kirigakure's Fifth Mizukage."
"The Fifth Mizukage? A missing-nin taking the position? He really does dream big!"
Someone of Shinnō's strength had little reverence for leaders such as the Five Kage or shinobi village leaders, but even he had to admit how difficult it was to become one of the Five Kage. Having once been a missing-nin made it harder still.
Still, Kisame, with that shark face of his, certainly had the strength to qualify as Mizukage.
A few days later, Zou Hyuga appeared at a training ground in Kirigakure, training a group of Kirigakure genin in his capacity as a special jōnin.
Quite a few of these genin had the strength