Amidst the thick mist, a scream suddenly pierced through.
The stench of blood filled the air, even staining the fog with a reddish hue.
"What a joke? If even Seiki Shimaseki couldn't kill me, how could I end up dying at the hands of someone like you?" Fuguki Suikazan stared in disbelief at the man who had once been his subordinate.
Kisame remained silent. He wondered if this was the first time he'd realized his old captain had such a dark sense of humor.
"Why did you betray Mist and contact the rebels, along with those Konoha shinobi?"
"I'm saving Mist! That man will inevitably lead Mist into ruin!"
Kisame twisted the handle of his blade. "Save those words for Hell."
Fuguki let out a muffled grunt before his breathing finally weakened.
Kisame withdrew the blade, sheathed it at his waist, and then picked up Fuguki's weapon. "So this is Kubikiribōchō?"
Sensing the immense chakra within Kisame, Samehada squirmed slightly, affectionately rubbing against his palm.
"Even the weapon betrays now?" Kisame sighed inwardly before coldly turning his head. "The rebels might have already noticed. We must return to the village immediately!"
Though Kisame had saved them before, the Cypher Division shinobi hesitated nervously, keeping their distance from his inhuman face.
Only a smiling kunoichi approached him.
"Thank you again for saving us, Mr. Gōki!"
"You Cypher Division shinobi possess vital intelligence. I couldn't allow you to fall into enemy hands. I was simply fulfilling my duty!"
After speaking, his expression suddenly turned icy cold.
"They're coming. Move!"
As Kisame leapt onto a tree branch, others hastily followed.
However, being mostly support personnel from the Cypher Division, how could they keep up with Kisame's speed? They soon fell far behind.
Behind them, the radical Mist shinobi were already in pursuit.
The last few Cypher Division members cried out in panic, "Kisame, help us!"
"You're supposed to protect us! You should stay behind and hold them off!"
Kisame slightly furrowed his brows but stopped and turned back.
Seeing Kisame return, they instantly relaxed.
"You staying here, we'll report your deed to the Mizukage-sama..."
"Move!"
"Don't think about escaping!"
In the meantime, dozens of Mist shinobi closed in.
"It's her—Mei Terumi!" Recognizing the leading rebel kunoichi, Kisame immediately composed himself.
"This could get ugly!"
Mei, a prodigy who had developed both Boil Release and Lava Release, powerful Kekkei Genkai bloodline abilities, was already difficult to handle alone, not to mention the elite Mist shinobi accompanying her.
Seeing the enemies approaching, the stragglers fled desperately.
Without needing to be told, enemies immediately gave chase.
"Don't think you can break through!" Kisame swung Samehada fiercely toward them.
"It's you who can't stop us!" Mei pursed her lips and spat out [Lava Release Jutsu] at Kisame.
Kisame knew how powerful Mei Terumi's Lava Release was and couldn't afford to ignore it, but the moment he hesitated slightly, the enemy broke through his defenses.
"Damn it, I need to make a decision quickly!" Kisame spun around, leaping into the air while forming hand seals.
The hand seals were complex, and with the chaos around him, he'd already been struck by several enemy jutsu by the time he finished.
Fortunately, he had finally completed his technique.
[Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!]
A lake instantly exploded into existence, covering nearly half the forest!
For Mist ninja who had grown up near the sea, water was naturally not a problem, though their forward speed was still affected.
Ignoring his wounds, Kisame bolted forward at full speed.
Several Cipher Division members who had fallen behind were caught by the enemies and suffered serious injuries within a short time.
After Kisame arrived, he quickly eliminated those rebel ninja.
The Cipher Division member breathed a sigh of relief. "Quickly, take me awa—"
Before the sentence finished, Kisame drew his tanto and slashed their throats like lightning.
Clutching their throats, their eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Why... We're... comrades, right?"
"There are too many enemies. I can't guarantee protecting everyone. Besides, my mission is to protect intelligence, not protect you!"
After dealing with them, Kisame rejoined the group, but this time he stayed at the very back to monitor the others. Anyone who showed signs of falling behind due to exhaustion would immediately be eliminated by him as a potential threat.
By the time they escaped to the forest's edge, only two members of the Cipher Division remained.
And because Kisame had been at the rear, he attracted all enemy attacks, his entire body now soaked in blood.
Looking at the turbulent river ahead, one ninja nervously asked, "What should we do now?"
For this ninja, who was just a desk worker, walking normally on water was manageable, but crossing such a rushing river's surface was extremely difficult!
"I'm sorry!"
"What do you mean, sorry—"
The Cipher Division ninja stared in disbelief, looking down at the blade piercing through his chest. "You bastard..."
Kisame ignored the hatred in his eyes and turned to face the last remaining person.
The last survivor was exactly that one female ninja, Reina, who had never feared him, and who had even thanked him.
Perhaps fearing he might hesitate, Kisame didn't even give Reina a chance to speak. He struck quickly and accurately, decisively plunging his blade into Reina.
Unexpectedly, in Reina's eyes, Kisame saw not hatred, but sympathy and compassion.
Looking into Reina's eyes, Kisame felt confused. "You don't hate me?"
He could completely understand the hatred and resentment in the eyes of those comrades he had personally killed. But Reina—he just couldn't figure her out.
Blood trickled from Reina's lips as she smiled and shook her head. "I just think... this kind of life must be really hard, Mr. Gōki."
With these words, she closed her eyes forever.
Looking at the dead Reina and his own bloodstained hands, for the first time in his life, Kisame doubted himself. "Is this really the right world?"
Before he could dwell on his confusion, the pursuing forces caught up once again.
Mei Terumi looked at the two fallen bodies and shook her head slightly. "To actually choose to kill your own comrades... indeed, quite ruthless!"
"A ninja is a tool to complete missions; I'm just doing my job!" Kisame said, as he leapt backward. "If you want my life, come and get it!"
As Kisame jumped into the river, one of the Mist shinobi called out, "Lady Mei Terumi, should we pursue him?"
After a moment of contemplation, Mei Terumi slightly shook her head. "His Water Release abilities are incredibly strong. Fighting him in the water puts us at a disadvantage. Besides, he's already killed everyone from the Cipher Division. Pursuing further would be pointless. Let's return and check if anyone else is still alive."
After everyone had left, a tall figure stepped out of the woods.
Looking at Reina, Aizen mused, "This is truly rare!"
Even with Kisame's monstrous appearance, someone could still have feelings for him—dying at his hands without resentment... that's definitely true love!
Aizen snapped his fingers lightly, and specks of emerald luminescence rained down gently upon Reina.
"I'm just curious... can you be the chain that tames this shark?"
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