The lighting was dim.
The soldier stood trembling, staring at the three men before him, his body quivering with fear. He wanted to be brave, to grit his teeth and say nothing.
But with the way things were looking… he'd probably get beaten to death before he could prove a point.
And with the way Spandine was? His family probably wouldn't even get compensation.
In the end, he decided to be wise and live another day.
Swallowing his pride, he spilled everything—Spandine's orders, the plan—right down to the last detail. Then he looked to Kisame with pleading eyes.
"So Spandine plans to make his move right after 'Tom' finishes building the Sea Train?" Kisame asked coolly.
"Y-yes! Rob Lucci and the others are the ones assigned to carry it out!" the soldier blurted out.
Kisame's eyes darkened. His hand gripped Samehada.
Then he turned to Hidan.
"He's all yours."
"No, please—don't! I swear, I won't tell a soul!" the soldier shrieked, watching in panic as Kisame turned his back on him.
"Hehehe… Brother, how would you like to join the Church of Jashin?" Hidan grinned, brandishing his crimson scythe.
"N-no, no thank you—!"
"What's this? You look down on Lord Jashin?" Hidan's grin widened in delight.
"Then allow me to show you the might of our glorious deity!"
"A precious soul from another world… Lord Jashin will love this one… hahaha…"
As the grinning madman drew near, the soldier shrieked and scrambled backward, yelling, "Don't come any closer!"
Neither Kisame nor Kakuzu paid much attention to the screaming and the laughter in the background.
Kisame walked over to a stack of liquor crates, casually pulled out a bottle, and took a sip.
This world… had its upsides. The alcohol wasn't bad.
"Pass me one."
Kakuzu had strolled over beside him. Kisame, generous today, grabbed another bottle and tossed it to him.
"You've changed," Kakuzu muttered, catching the bottle. He glanced at the label, opened it, took a swig—and then did a double take at the packaging.
"You're building Pluton, aren't you?"
Kisame raised an eyebrow. "What else would I be building?"
"Can you explain what Pluton is?" Kakuzu asked, pulling down his mask, his face lit with curiosity.
"How should I put it…"
"You could think of it as this world's version of a Tailed Beast—but more terrifying than anything we had back home."
"Of course, it hasn't been completed yet, so who knows how powerful it really is?"
"But with a name like that, it's not gonna disappoint."
"That kind of thing actually exists here?"
"It used to—probably. Whether it still does, I'm not sure. But…" Kisame smirked, taking another sip. "It will exist in the future."
Kakuzu stared at him—the unshakable confidence, the spark in his eyes.
This Kisame was different.
Different from the one he remembered from the ninja world.
And with that realization came a new wave of curiosity—not just about Kisame, but about this entire world.
What kind of world was this, exactly—one that could change a man this much?
In that moment, he felt the urge to go out and take a look, Mostly because… he could finally start making money again!
"What do you need me to do?" Kakuzu asked.
"Make money," Kisame replied coolly, barely glancing at him.
"Bastard, what kind of look was that?"
Kakuzu flared up, not quite able to stomach Kisame's gaze.
"Besides making money, is there anything else you'd be willing to do?" Kisame asked flatly.
"…Fair point," Kakuzu muttered, begrudgingly impressed. "Once Hidan's finished, we'll head out."
"Hold up—not so fast."
Kisame nodded toward the mangled remains of the sacrificial soldier and casually tossed another bottle of booze to Hidan.
"Before we go, clean out the flies at the port."
"Can't have our shipwright being bothered."
"What about you?" Kakuzu asked, frowning slightly.
"I was planning to visit Fishman Island," Kisame said with a shrug. "But now… looks like I'll have to head to Navy HQ first."
"You actually want to become a marine?"
"Heh," Kisame chuckled. "If the gods chose to give me a second life, I figure I ought to have a proper identity this time."
"I spent my whole life as a villain—might be nice to see what this so-called justice is all about."
Kakuzu's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.
You live a life of evil…And now you want to try being the good guy?
Why did that somehow sound… completely unreliable coming from this guy?
"…Are you planning something?" he asked suspiciously.
"Planning?"
"Not really. Just got some thoughts in my head, that's all."
"Still not fully formed," Kisame admitted, raising his head to gaze at the dim chandelier above. "Figured I'd explore this world a bit first."
His mind ran through scattered thoughts and half-baked ideas, giving him a mild headache.
---
Midnight.
A light rain began to fall.
The three of them spent the night holed up in the bar.
---
Morning.
The rain stopped.
And that old saying proved true once again:
After rain comes clear skies.
The stormy gloom gave way to the gentle glow of dawn.
As if the world itself was whispering to them, Y+our new lives begin now.
Leaving the bloodied corpse behind in the bar, the trio pushed open the door and stepped outside.
Kisame and Kakuzu, without a hint of shame, pulled out storage scrolls and swept up every last bottle of liquor in the bar.
It wasn't that they needed the booze.
They just felt like free alcohol tasted better than the kind you paid for.
The light of dawn was still faint.
The sky slowly brightened, the city bathed in soft, drowsy mist.
The streets lay quiet.
A single beam of morning light cut through the fog, falling across the three figures.
Like a sign, A promise...That the light of a new dawn had truly arrived.
Last night,
Kakuzu had asked Kisame:
"If we were to start our own organization… what would you call it?"
Kisame thought about it for a moment.
And in the end, decided "Akatsuki" wasn't half bad.
No need to change something that already worked.
———
Now, come morning, the three of them split into two teams.
Kisame headed off to the abandoned shipyard.
Kakuzu and Hidan made their way to the docks.
———
"You're so slow, Kakuzu…"
"All that time you wasted on those useless flyers—I didn't even get to pray to Lord Jashin properly!"
"Shut it, moron. Those weren't flyers—they were bounty posters."
"No matter what world we're in, we still need money."
"Pfft. Money, money, money. How 'bout we go recruit some believers for Lord Jashin instead?"
"C'mon, let me see if I can spot a future disciple…"
"Oho, that guy over there looks promising—"
"QUIET!"
Kakuzu snapped, eyes scanning the bounty posters as they approached the port.
Just like Kisame had said, this world didn't mess around—The bounties here all started at tens of millions.
Some even climbed past the hundred million mark.
If that minotaur guy they'd fought earlier was worth three billion…
Then these small fry with mere tens of millions on their heads had to be a joke.
By that logic…This world was practically made for making money.
Though, hitting 50 billion wouldn't be a walk in the park.
———
Soon, the two arrived at the port.
Two large warships bearing the World Government's flag sat docked.
"So this is that World Government Kisame was talking about?" Kakuzu muttered.
"Hahaha! Lord Jashin has waited long enough!"
"Let's get started!"
Hidan, eyes shining, looked ready to launch a crusade on the spot.
"Don't waste time on guys without bounties," Kakuzu said, eyeing the warships. "Just draw their attention so we can set sail."
He clearly had zero interest in anything that didn't involve a payout.
But just because he didn't care didn't mean Hidan felt the same.
Hidan's gaze was locked on the ships—pure excitement on his face.
"Hahaha… let us pray to Lord Jashin together!"
And with that, he raised his massive scythe, kicked off the ground, and sprinted toward the warships like a madman.
"…That idiot…"
Kakuzu opened his mouth to stop him, then sighed, gave up, and turned back to his bounty posters.
In his world, nothing was more important than money.
"Who goes there?!"
On the deck of the warship, a CP agent noticed the rapidly approaching figure—cloaked in black, clouds of red on his coat—and instantly tensed.
Then, as they watched, the man burst into wild laughter, and with an explosive leap, soared through the air—
straight toward the warship.
"HAHAHA! Accept the cleansing of Lord Jashin!!"
"Enemy attack!!"
The CP agents didn't hesitate—they drew their guns on instinct.
Bang! Bang!
(End of Chapter)
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Sorry nakamas for the late uploads as it's UCL nightt, both the matches were so fire, Its been a great season so far with all the teams looking evenly matched, what's your predictions and thoughts let me know in the comments
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