Ever since arriving in the Land of Sea to perform his mission, Kisame Hoshigaki had felt a sense of unease.
In Kirigakure, almost all Ninjas considered Kisame Hoshigaki a standard, cold-blooded Kirigakure Ninja, and Kisame's performance perfectly reflected this.
He was ruthless, indifferent, and did everything for the mission—everything could be sacrificed... But in reality, Kisame Hoshigaki was somewhat different from his peers. If other Kirigakure Ninjas were merely brainwashed, numbed in character, or driven mad by their environment into cold-blooded killers, then Kisame, who often felt lost inside, believed more that he was indeed guarding the interests of Kirigakure.
This was precisely why this honest man would later suddenly explode in the original story and kill Suikazan Fuguki. Damn it, you preached to me about how intelligence is life and had me hacking down my comrades after finishing off enemies every day, only to turn around and sell the intelligence yourself? Then what was the point of all those sacrifices and everything I did?
If Kisame hadn't believed in Suikazan Fuguki's rhetoric at all, his ideals wouldn't have been so shattered. Perhaps Suikazan Fuguki himself never imagined that his subordinate was so simple and honest that he actually believed the things he said!
"Where on earth did Lord Suikazan go? This mission was mainly just for investigation, and Sea Ninja Village is just a newly established Ninja village..."
It was supposed to be a secret investigation, but looking at Suikazan Fuguki's physique, it was clear this guy was definitely not an investigation-type Ninja.
Furthermore, what kind of secret could a newly established small Ninja village have that would warrant the Leader of the Seven Swordsmen taking action alone?
Knowing he shouldn't overthink it, Kisame couldn't help but feel suspicious. After all, Suikazan Fuguki's actions were far too strange. Most importantly, because Suikazan Fuguki had undergone various modification experiments after being defeated, too much time had been delayed.
Occasionally disappearing for half a day could be understood as meeting with undercover contacts in the Land of Sea, but disappearing for more than three days all at once meant something was wrong.
"Lord Kisame! There is new intelligence!"
While Kisame Hoshigaki was still quietly reflecting, he suddenly heard the voice of his subordinate. He turned his head and looked at the Ninja appearing before him: "Hmm? Let me see!"
The Ninja handed over a scroll. Kisame glanced at it twice, then frowned.
"Is what's written here true? The traces of Lord Suikazan's battle finally vanished? Can the reason be determined?"
"According to the observations of the Reconnaissance Squad, the greatest possibility is... that Lord Suikazan... was captured!"
The Ninja finished speaking with some trepidation, and Kisame Hoshigaki's expression changed: "How is that possible?! Just by Sea Ninja Village?"
The origin of Sea Ninja Village had long been turned inside out by those Kirigakure Ninjas during this period. In terms of intelligence gathering and protection, the gap between Sea Ninja Village Ninjas and Kirigakure was too large.
Although the strength of the Ninjas under Vegapunk had grown significantly, what grew was their combat power. They hadn't made much progress in many areas such as intelligence searching and confidentiality.
So now, Kisame Hoshigaki already knew the origins of Sea Ninja. Initially, it was just the Snow Ninja from the Land of Snow who initiated an alliance. Kisame Hoshigaki also knew about these Snow Ninja; they were fellows who used Ice Release by relying on the terrain.
Regarding this, Kirigakure had always been dismissive. After all, true Ice Release users came from Kirigakure. How could those fake knock-offs be taken seriously by true Kirigakure Ninjas?
Even in Kisame's heart, a hint of contempt for Sea Ninja Village had secretly risen, which was why he was so surprised to see this intelligence.
One must know that Suikazan Fuguki was already beneath only one person and above ten thousand in Kirigakure, holding a position equivalent to the head of the Anbu. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a Jonin subordinate like Kisame. In terms of strength, Suikazan Fuguki, wielding the Great Sword Samehada, was now second only to the Mizukage and the Jinchuriki, ranking at least in the top five of all Kirigakure.
A Ninja of this strength might be repelled by Sea Ninja Village through sheer numbers, but wanting to capture him was almost impossible!
Repelling an opponent, defeating an opponent, killing an opponent, and capturing an opponent—the difficulty levels involved were completely different things. Even if the Mizukage were called over, while killing Suikazan Fuguki might not be too difficult, there would be less than a fifty percent chance of capturing him.
Looking at the terrified expression of his subordinate Ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki took a long breath. Although he displayed a cold personality and was ruthless in his actions, Kisame was not a truly tyrannical fellow, nor would he vent his anger on ordinary Ninjas for no reason.
"Is there more specific intelligence? Who exactly took action? Was Lord Suikazan besieged?"
The Chunin breathed a slight sigh of relief and then spoke: "Lord Suikazan was indeed besieged. Based on the traces at the scene, there should have been five attackers. Among them, there should be someone proficient in underwater combat and an expert in Earth Release."
"Additionally, we collected some blood and body tissues there. Preliminary judgment suggests that Lord Suikazan Fuguki was likely poisoned, so the opponent should also have a Ninja skilled in using poison."
"Based on the assessment, four of them have the strength of a Special Jōnin, and there should be an elite among Jonin overseeing the situation..."
It had to be said that these Great Ninja Villages really had a knack for intelligence; their analysis was almost entirely close to reality.
Except for the Golden Eagle ability user who possessed flight capabilities and left no traces on the ground—thus going unnoticed by this group—they had obtained a rough idea of the intelligence regarding the other Animal Ability Users.
After hearing these analyses, Kisame frowned deeply. Did this fledgling Sea Ninja Village actually have so many elites?
And to be able to directly capture Suikazan Fuguki, his superior, relying solely on these Ninjas might still be a bit of a stretch. Although anything can happen in a battle between Ninjas, Kisame was more inclined to believe the opponent had prepared long ago, leading to his old superior suffering such a major setback.
Kisame was still frowning and reflecting when the Chunin spoke up again: "Lord Kisame, what should we do next? Are we going to rescue Lord Suikazan Fuguki?"
Kisame Hoshigaki opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. As a tool, a Ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki was undoubtedly excellent, even possessing what could be called the most Ninja-like demeanor in the entire Naruto World. But having him make his own decisions was somewhat difficult.
Whether in Kirigakure or later in the Akatsuki Organization, Kisame existed as a tool. Making plans and deciding on matters simply had nothing to do with him.