Two months later.
Konohagakure Ninja Academy.
Might Guy sat cross-legged on the ground, a faint layer of lightning flickering across his body. His thick black eyebrows were tightly furrowed without him even realizing it.
The process of tempering the body with lightning… was not pleasant.
Not far away, Kisame silently watched Guy.
Over these past days, although Kisame and Guy hadn't spoken much, they had at least exchanged names. When they met, they could greet each other.
At first, Kisame had thought Guy was picking a fight with him—after all, he always forgot his face and name…
Later, after Obito kindly explained things, Kisame learned that Guy was simply that kind of person, not targeting him on purpose.
From that point on, Kisame began to pay attention to Guy.
Although this "rare beast" dressed terribly, he was someone who trained with extreme seriousness and diligence—a fellow ascetic, just like him.
Take Guy's Lightning Release chakra mode, for example…
Kisame had watched with his own eyes how Guy—who had Lightning-nature chakra but little natural talent—relied on the method of "letting Kakashi electrocute him" to sharpen his perception of lightning chakra, step by step, until he mastered this taijutsu-based technique.
And every morning, during his own training, Kisame would always see Guy running laps…
Kisame secretly competed with him, but to his surprise, even with chakra and stamina that were considered unmatched among his peers in Kirigakure, he found himself struggling to keep up with Guy's physical endurance…
Guy might get tired—might even collapse from exhaustion.
But with his father's encouragement, he would stand up again and again, pushing past his limits.
Kisame quietly took all of this in.
Despite his fierce appearance, Kisame was regarded in Kirigakure as an honest and rigid person—someone who preferred quiet training and steady work.
And in Kisame's eyes, Guy was someone of the same nature.
'…Feels like we're the same kind of person.'
'…For the first time in a long while, I want to make a friend.'
After Guy finished training and was catching his breath—Kisame silently walked over and sat down beside him.
"Hey, you remember my name, right?" Kisame asked, flashing a grin full of shark-like teeth.
"Hm?" Guy's brows twitched as he stared at Kisame's face for quite a while.
Then suddenly, he revealed a gleaming white smile and gave him a thumbs-up: "Oh—!"
"You're the Blood-Mist Giant Shark of Kirigakure, my eternal rival in morning runs, Kisame!"
Kisame's mouth twitched.
What kind of ridiculous name was that?
Though… it did sound kind of cool.
"If you're giving me a nickname like that, what about yours?"
"I used to be called the Soaring Sky Azure Beast of Konoha's Heaven-Splitting Blue Flash—it was given to me by Minato-senpai, but Kushina-senpai criticized it!"
Guy shook his head regretfully.
"So I simplified it to the Azure Beast of Konoha!"
This had originally been a task assigned by Hiruzen after he discovered Might Duy's hidden talent—he asked Minato to lend a hand to Guy, this hardworking genius.
Minato naturally complied, but his personal quirks and naming habits inevitably rubbed off on Guy…
And somewhere between youthfulness and chūnibyō, a strange chemical reaction occurred.
"…Fine, whatever you want to call it." Kisame chuckled, shaking his head.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If someone like Guy existed in Kirigakure… what would happen?
Weird clothing, always giving thumbs-ups, shouting slogans…
Kisame's expression darkened.
He probably wouldn't survive.
He wouldn't have the chance to slowly break through his limits, growing stronger day by day.
A faint realization surfaced in Kisame's mind.
A village… should allow all kinds of people to live with at least some dignity.
Not force everyone to stay on constant guard, unable to trust even their comrades.
"Hey…"
"Why do you train so hard? Can you tell me?" Kisame asked softly.
"Because only by becoming strong can you protect the things that matter most."
Guy's expression turned serious.
"So I have to become stronger than anyone else!"
"Protect…?" Kisame was stunned—he hadn't expected that answer.
After all, "protection" was something rare in Kirigakure.
But after thinking about it, Kisame nodded.
"The most important thing… that should be the Hokage, right?"
Guy thought for a moment, then nodded—and shook his head.
"The Hokage-sama is of course the most important person in the village, someone I must protect!"
"But my comrades are too—Seisui-nii, Kakashi, Obito…"
Guy counted on his fingers, then spread his arms wide, as if embracing everything: "Everyone in the village is someone I want to protect!"
"Not just people—I want to protect everything in Konoha! The cafeteria, Ichiraku Ramen, the flower shop, the training grounds…"
Kisame shook his head irritably.
Comrades… worth protecting?
In Kirigakure, that was a sensitive topic.
In theory, yes.
But the problem was—you could never know if today's comrade would become tomorrow's enemy of the Mizukage…
If a comrade was labeled a dissenter, then you too might be taken away by the ANBU for investigation.
You might not die—but you'd definitely suffer.
So the best approach was not to form personal bonds at all—everyone remained independent.
That was the method devised by the Third Mizukage.
Through strict collective punishment, everyone lived in fear.
Opposition forces would struggle to organize, remaining fragmented and easy to eliminate…
It was effective.
But it also bred hatred among Kirigakure's ninja.
Because the Mizukage rarely killed personally—he stirred conflict between factions so that no one would unite against him.
Kisame recalled his life in Kirigakure.
Though he hadn't killed a comrade himself, he had witnessed such things.
Those jōnin had told him—it was all for a greater Kirigakure. Everything would get better…
"Guy…"
Kisame spoke slowly.
"Do you think killing a comrade is always wrong?"
"Kisame, what are you talking about?"
Guy looked confused—something rare for him.
"Why would you kill a comrade?"
"Because they oppose the Mizukage! In Konoha, if someone opposed the Hokage, wouldn't you kill them too?"
Kisame's voice grew slightly agitated.
"That's not…"
"Why would anyone oppose the Hokage?" Guy tilted his head, a giant question mark practically appearing above him.
"Because… because they're disobedient!" Kisame grew frustrated, unable to explain.
In truth, he didn't understand it either.
Why were so many ninja in Kirigakure opposing the Mizukage…?
The ninja code's demand for obedience was like an imprint burned into one's mind.
Unless pushed to the brink, someone like Kisame—honest and rigid—would never question it.
Someone like Kakuzu, who killed his village's leadership after being betrayed… was truly exceptional.
"So there are a lot of disobedient people in Kirigakure?" Guy asked.
Kisame hesitated, then nodded.
"Then maybe the Mizukage made a mistake, and that's why so many people oppose him…"
Guy stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"My dad told me—admitting your mistakes and correcting them is what makes a man! He said Hokage-sama also made mistakes before, but he apologized and made promises…"
This referred to Hiruzen's vow to avenge the Kushina incident.
"Look at the village now! It's full of youth and energy—everyone respects and admires the Hokage!"
Guy's eyes filled with tears of youth: "True youth won't be rejected by the majority! If you're wrong, you fix it!"
"Kisame! To make Kirigakure better, go back and tell the Mizukage to admit his mistakes!"
Kisame rubbed his face hard with both hands.
If the majority opposes something… then it isn't right?
And even for someone as straightforward as Kisame, he could read the room.
Telling the Mizukage to admit fault… didn't seem realistic.
"You say the Mizukage should admit fault… but what if the Hokage makes a mistake? What would you do then?" Kisame asked, trying to defend his village.
Guy fell into thought.
At that moment, a cool voice spoke from the side.
"You two didn't seriously read the notice board, did you?"
Kakashi walked over calmly.
"First of all, the Hokage almost never makes mistakes. But if you do find a problem in the village…"
"Report it to the jōnin assigned to your ninja ID—they'll handle it."
"If they can't, it gets reported to the Konoha Council."
"If the Council can't resolve it, only then does it go to the Hokage."
"All decisions are made public. If issues arise during execution, the Council can request a meeting to discuss them…"
Kakashi continued calmly: "Of course, if you think the Council is deliberately ignoring the issue, you can go directly to the Hokage—but if it's judged as a false accusation, you'll be investigated under Danzō's authority."
Top student Kakashi gave a flawless explanation, casting a look of disdain at the two underachievers.
"As expected of my lifelong rival…" Guy clenched his fists.
Kakashi shot him an annoyed glance.
He had heard Guy call Kisame his "eternal rival" earlier.
So this title was being mass-produced now?
Kisame, meanwhile, sank into deep thought.
His head hurt.
Konoha's council system… wasn't that essentially distributing power among clans and core ninja?
Wasn't that the opposite of Kirigakure?
"Konoha is better than Kirigakure, but its system is the opposite…"
Kisame's hands trembled slightly.
"Why…?"
"You already said it yourself," Kakashi replied flatly.
"Because Konoha's system is better, and the Hokage is stronger—so Konoha is better."
"That's not true!" Kisame suddenly flared up.
"The Mizukage is trying to make Kirigakure better! In a year, when I return, the village will definitely be different!"
"Konoha may be good, but Kirigakure's system isn't necessarily bad!"
Kakashi shrugged.
"Maybe."
"When you go back, write to us. You can also visit Konoha during missions."
Kisame lowered his head and sighed.
Once he returned… he might never be able to leave again.
But then he thought—once Kirigakure improved, its isolation would end.
Holding onto that belief, he nodded.
"Alright. It's a deal."
"If we're still allies in the future, I'll tell you about the changes in my village…"
"I like Konoha—but Kirigakure will become better in its own way! The Will of Fire isn't the only answer in the ninja world—the Bloody Mist Village is too!"
Kakashi and Guy nodded, not taking it too seriously.
They believed in the Will of Fire—but they wouldn't force it on others.
Among the Kirigakure exchange students, compared to Kisame—
Nakamaro, Terumī Mei, and Snow had more complex reactions.
Nakamaro followed Senju Tobirama, speaking casually: "Seisui-nii, ever since coming to Konoha, I've been sleeping more peacefully. Even the air feels sweeter…"
"Do you think that's just my imagination?"
Nakamaro admired "Seisui"—someone who could easily defeat him but wouldn't take his life.
Unlike Kirigakure, where fights were both about victory and survival, Konoha allowed proper sparring…
You didn't have to kill your opponent.
Tobirama smiled slightly.
"Probably just your imagination."
"I believe that under the Mizukage's leadership, Kirigakure will also improve."
"The Kaguya clan is a bridge between the two villages—write to me when you return."
At the thought of going back—
Nakamaro's expression darkened.
Unlike Kisame, who still held hope for Kirigakure, the longer Nakamaro stayed in Konoha, the less optimistic he became about its future.
Not just Kirigakure—even the future of the Kaguya clan worried him…
Ever since that strike from Uchiha En, something in Nakamaro's latent intelligence seemed to awaken.
"…Yeah, I will."
He lowered his head, already thinking: 'I need to find a chance to talk to Tenzō-ojisan…'
Tobirama took in his reaction.
Then he glanced at Mei chatting with Rin and Obito in the distance, and Snow sparring with other students.
He smiled faintly.
These were all seeds Hiruzen had planted in Kirigakure…
Nothing is more powerful than contrast.
If you've never seen light, you can convince yourself that darkness is normal.
But once you've seen light—returning to darkness becomes unbearable.
'Well played, Hiruzen…' Tobirama praised quietly in his mind.
And a few hours later—during the Will of Fire examination—Senju Tobirama, sitting at his desk, began fiercely criticizing another of his disciples…
He was about to fire at Danzō.
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