Chapter 134: Kisame and Guy; The Will of Fire Examination
Two months later. Konoha Ninja Academy.
Might Guy sat cross-legged on the dirt, a faint, rhythmic current of electricity
dancing across his skin. His thick, bushy eyebrows were knitted together in a
look of intense concentration.
The sensation of the Lightning Style Chakra Mode was not pleasant. It felt like
ten thousand needles were simultaneously stitching and tearing at his muscle
fibers to force them into a state of permanent "activation."
A short distance away, Kisame Hoshigaki watched him in silence.
Over the last few months, though they hadn't spoken much, the two had exchanged
names and established a baseline of professional respect. At first, Kisame had
assumed Guy was mocking him because the boy constantly forgot his name and face.
But after Obito helpfully explained that Guy was just "like that" to everyone,
Kisame had begun to observe the "Leaf's Beast" with interest.
Guy was a fanatic. He was a "hard-labor" shinobi—a monk of the physical arts,
just like Kisame himself.
Kisame had watched as Guy, who possessed a Lightning affinity but almost zero
"natural" talent for Ninjutsu, mastered the Lightning Mode through sheer,
masochistic repetition. Guy would have Kakashi shock him for hours just to
"memorize the feeling of the current," slowly building the neurological pathways
required to maintain the cloak.
Every morning at 4:00 AM, Kisame would find Guy already finishing his first
hundred laps around the Academy. Kisame had tried to compete with him, but he
was shocked to find that despite his own massive, shark-like chakra reserves and
monstrous stamina, he struggled to keep up with Guy's raw physical "Will."
Guy would get tired. He would collapse. But then, encouraged by his father (who
was now a Special Jonin), he would stand back up and break his own limits again.
In the Bloody Mist, Kisame was known as a "Dull Machine"—an honest, rigid
soldier who preferred silent cultivation and executing orders. In his eyes, Guy
was a kindred spirit.
He's like me, Kisame thought. A fish that refuses to stop swimming.
"Hey. Do you remember my name yet?" Kisame asked, revealing a row of serrated,
shark-like teeth as he sat down beside the resting Guy.
Guy blinked, his eyebrows twitching as he studied the boy's blue-grey skin.
Suddenly, he flashed a blindingly white grin and a thumbs-up. "OF COURSE!"
"You're my Eternal Morning-Grind Rival! Kisame, the Crimson Great Shark of the
Mist!"
Kisame's lip twitched. Where did 'Crimson' come from? And why 'Great Shark'?
"That's a ridiculous title. What about yours?"
"Minato-sensei originally called me the 'Azure Sky-Splitting Lightning Beast of
the Hidden Leaf,' but Kushina-sama said it was 'Cringe'!" Guy shook his head
with a look of profound regret. "So we simplified it to the 'Blue Beast of the
Leaf'!"
This had been a task Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned to Minato: Groom the boy's
talent, but please, for the sake of the village's reputation, fix his naming
sense.
Minato had tried his best, but his own "uniquely fractured" naming habits had
inevitably bled into Guy's persona. It was a chemical reaction of "Youth" and
"Chuunibyou."
"Hmph. Call yourself whatever you like," Kisame said with a rare, dry chuckle.
What would a man like Guy be in the Mist? Kisame wondered. A freak in a
jumpsuit, shouting about 'Youth' and giving thumbs-ups to strangers?
He'd be dead in a week. He'd never get the chance to grow. No one would mentor
him. They'd just kill him for being an 'unstable variable.'
Kisame felt a nagging sense of unease. A village was supposed to be a place
where different kinds of flowers could grow. But in the Mist, everyone was
forced to be a weed just to survive.
"Guy," Kisame asked softly. "Why do you train this hard? What is the point of
all this pain?"
"Because only through strength can you protect the things that matter most!" Guy
replied instantly, his voice full of fire. "I must become stronger than anyone
so I can be the ultimate shield!"
"Protect?" The word felt foreign to Kisame. In the Mist, protection was a luxury
for the high-tier bloodline clans.
"I assume you mean protecting the Hokage?" Kisame guessed.
Guy nodded, then shook his head. "Lord Hiruzen is the most important person in
the village, yes! He is the one I want to protect!"
"But he isn't the only one! Seisui-nii, Kakashi, Obito, Rin..." Guy began
counting his friends on his fingers before throwing his arms wide as if trying
to hug the entire horizon. "Every comrade in this village is my responsibility!
I want to protect the whole Leaf! The cafeteria! The ramen shop! The flower
boutiques! The stadium!"
Kisame looked away, irritated. Comrades are a liability, he reminded himself.
In the Mist, your teammate today could be a "traitor" tomorrow. If they were
purged, and you were close to them, the Anbu would come for you next. The
"Naturally Evil" system of collective punishment devised by the Third Mizukage
ensured that everyone stayed isolated. No bonds, no risk.
It was effective. It kept the "pus" from spreading. But it also meant that the
Mist ninjas hated each other almost as much as they hated their enemies.
"Guy," Kisame said slowly. "Is it always a mistake to kill a comrade?"
"What kind of question is that, Kisame-kun?" Guy looked genuinely confused. "Why
would you ever kill a comrade?"
"Because the Mizukage ordered it! Because they were 'disobedient'! In Konoha, if
someone defied the Hokage, would you not execute them to maintain order?"
Kisame's voice rose, his shark-like eyes searching for a crack in Guy's
idealism.
"No way!" Guy shouted back. "Why would they be 'disobedient' in the first
place?"
"Because—!" Kisame stopped. He realized he didn't actually know why so many Mist
ninjas were rebelling.
To a man like Kisame, "Obedience" was a spiritual brand. You didn't ask "Why,"
you just followed the tool-logic.
"Maybe the Mizukage made a mistake?" Guy mused, rubbing his chin. "My dad says
being a man means owning your errors. He told me the Hokage once made a mistake,
and he apologized to the whole village in a public bulletin! He even signed a
'Letter of Guarantee' to the people!"
This was a reference to Hiruzen's "Security Ownership" speech after the Kushina
incident.
"Look at the village now! It's overflowing with Youth! Everyone loves the Hokage
because they know he'll fix what he breaks!" Guy's eyes welled with tears of
inspiration. "The right path is the one that the majority wants to follow,
Kisame! It's the path of self-correction!"
"You should tell your Mizukage to apologize! Maybe everyone would stop being
'disobedient' then!"
Kisame stared at his hands. The Mizukage... apologizing? To us? To the tools?
The concept was so absurd it was almost funny. But looking at Guy—the most
"honest" person he'd ever met—Kisame felt a flicker of doubt.
"You two... did you skip the 'Current Affairs' seminar at the information boards
again?"
Kakashi Hatake walked up, looking like the ultimate "Elite Junior Scholar."
"First of all," Kakashi lectured, looking at the two "academic failures" with a
hint of disdain. "The Hokage doesn't 'make mistakes.' He adapts."
"And if you have a grievance, there is a Protocol. You report it to your
assigned Jonin. If they can't solve it, it goes to a High Commissioner. If the
Commission can't reach a consensus, only then does it reach the Hokage's desk."
"The administration's decisions are posted in the public ring every Monday. If a
Commissioner is found to be ignoring the people, they are audited by Lord
Danzo's internal affairs division."
Kakashi adjusted his mask, sounding every bit like his father's son. "The Leaf
is better than the Mist because our system allows for feedback. We don't need a
rebellion to be heard."
Guy pumped his fist. "As expected of my Eternal Rival! Such logic! Such
brain-power!"
Kakashi ignored him, but his chest puffed out slightly. He had been reading the
new "Leaf Governance" manuals Hiruzen had sent to the Academy.
Kisame felt a headache coming on. Feedback? Audits? Commissions? It was the
exact opposite of the Mist's "Absolute Rule."
"So Konoha is a democracy?" Kisame whispered, his brain struggling to reconcile
"Ninja" with "Voter."
"It's a Meritocracy of the Will," Kakashi corrected. "Power is shared among
those who have the talent and the loyalty to use it for the village. That's why
we're winning."
While the "Commoner" kids were debating politics, the other Mist students were
having a different experience.
Nakamaro Kaguya sat near Seisui Uchiha (Tobirama), looking surprisingly calm.
"Seisui-nii... ever since I got here, I've been sleeping better. The air in
Konoha... it tastes sweet. Is that a Genjutsu?"
Tobirama smiled. No, lad. It's just the smell of a functional civilization.
"It's just the environment, Nakamaro," Seisui said. "I believe the Mist will
improve one day, too. Our clans are cousins, after all. You should write to your
elders and tell them about the 'Standard of Living' here."
Nakamaro nodded. He was already planning to talk to "Grand-Uncle Tenzo." He
didn't want to go back to a place where he had to kill his classmates just to
get a promotion.
Terumi Mei and Yuki were also nearby, chatting with Rin and Obito. They were
laughing. They were human.
Tobirama watched them and felt a surge of pride in his student.
Hiruzen, you're a genius, Tobirama thought. You aren't fighting them with
swords. You're fighting them with seafood ramen and dental insurance. Comparison
is the ultimate weapon of subversion.
If they see the light, they will never be content in the dark again.
A few hours later.
The Academy bell rang, signaling the start of the "Will of Fire Mid-Term
Examination."
Tobirama sat at his desk, pen in hand. He looked at the prompt:
[Question 4: Analyze the role of 'Internal Security' in the preservation of the
village. How should a leader handle the 'Shadows' of the Leaf?]
Tobirama smirked. His Sharingan flickered as he began to write.
He was no longer just answering a test. He was loading a "Linguistic Cannon"
aimed directly at Danzo Shimura.
Time to teach the Assistant the difference between a 'Root' and a 'Tumor',
Tobirama thought.
The Psychological War for Konoha's soul was about to enter its most public
phase.
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