Chapter 39: Kisame's Return

"Is that so?"

As soon as Uehara Soma finished speaking, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Soma. Juzo-senpai!"

Hoshigaki Kisame excitedly jogged over.

He was slightly surprised to see Biwa Juzo.

Hoshigaki Kisame didn't know that Biwa Juzo was the guard arranged by the Third Mizukage for the Forging Island.

After confirming Hoshigaki Kisame's identity, a team of ANBU ninjas withdrew their gaze.

Currently, Forging Island's defenses consist of two lines.

One is Biwa Juzo, the official guard of Forging Island.

The other is a team of ANBU ninjas stationed outside Forging Island, hidden from sight.

"Kisame, congratulations."

Hoshigaki Kisame paused for a moment.

"Soma, you already knew?"

"But it's not worth congratulating. My fight with Kakashi hasn't truly determined a winner."

Hoshigaki Kisame expressed some regret.

Biwa Juzo glanced at Hoshigaki Kisame.

"Among the younger generation, Hatake Kakashi is the top talent of Konoha. In the entire ninja world, he ranks among the best. Kisame, being able to defeat Hatake Kakashi is quite an achievement."

"The villagers already see you, Kisame, as the hope for the future of the Hidden Mist Village."

"At this time, Kisame, you shouldn't underestimate yourself."

Hoshigaki Kisame's expression turned serious.

"Yes, Juzo-senpai."

Then, Hoshigaki Kisame looked at Uehara Soma again.

"But it's thanks to Soma and Kiriichimonji that I was able to achieve this."

"Without Kiriichimonji, I might not have been able to match Kakashi."

"The power of Kiriichimonji is truly formidable."

"And it complements my Ninjutsu very well."

In Hoshigaki Kisame's view, the ability of Kiriichimonji, combined with his Chakra Absorption Technique, was simply perfect. If he could master using Chakra Absorption Technique with long-range Water Release, it would be even more perfect.

Hearing this, Uehara Soma basically confirmed that the sudden increase in reputation earlier came from Hoshigaki Kisame.

"Kisame, could you tell me about the process of the mission in detail?"

"No problem."

Now that the mission was over, there was no need for secrecy.

Moreover, Hoshigaki Kisame also wanted to share with Uehara Soma.

Uehara Soma didn't have many friends, only Hoshigaki Kisame.

Hoshigaki Kisame also had only one friend, Uehara Soma.

"Mizukage-sama gave Zabuza and me a mission, which was to defeat Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma from Konoha."

"When Zabuza and I arrived at the battlefield, the ANBU ninjas had already set the stage for us."

"I faced off against Sarutobi Asuma first. I quickly gained the upper hand. But Zabuza lost to Hatake Kakashi."

"Zabuza and I then switched opponents."

"Compared to Sarutobi Asuma, Hatake Kakashi's strength is much greater. I only gained the advantage by exchanging injuries, relying on Kiriichimonji."

"But unfortunately, when Sarutobi Asuma was cornered, a Konoha ninja who was secretly protecting him intervened, using an Explosive Tag to separate the battlefield."

"Our battle ended without any conclusion."

Hoshigaki Kisame paused for a moment.

"To be honest, I'm somewhat disappointed in Sarutobi Asuma."

"Before the mission, I had read information about Sarutobi Asuma. I thought that while he might not be as strong as Hatake Kakashi, he is, after all, the Hokage's son."

"But when we truly clashed, I found that, while Sarutobi Asuma's strength isn't lacking, his mentality is far from that of an Eligible Ninja, lacking too much."

"Moreover, they said that the Konoha ninja who intervened secretly was deliberately arranged by the Hokage."

"This made my impression of Sarutobi Asuma even worse."

"The situation in Konoha is not much better than ours in the Hidden Mist Village. Facing multiple enemies, yet they specifically assign a ninja with such strong abilities to secretly protect Sarutobi Asuma."

"It's such a waste."

"If you're so afraid of danger, why even go to the battlefield?"

Ninjas who come from the Bloody Mist look down upon such behavior even more than regular ninjas.

As a ninja, why fear death?

Bleeding, fighting, dying... Aren't these just normal occurrences?

If you're afraid of even that, what kind of ninja are you?

If you fear death so much, just live as an ordinary person.

Hoshigaki Kisame couldn't understand.

Uehara Soma's eyebrows twitched slightly.

In the original storyline, there was no mention of Asuma in this context.

But Uehara Soma remembered that Asuma had gone to the capital of the Land of Fire early on, serving as one of the guardian ninjas for the Land of Fire Daimyo.

Hearing Hoshigaki Kisame's words now, Uehara Soma felt that there might be some connection to this.

"The Hokage is somewhat selfish. Mizukage-sama wouldn't do this."

The Third Mizukage proposed policies for the Bloody Mist that led to a lot of bloodshed and unnecessary casualties.

However, one thing the Third Mizukage did well was not to double standard.

The Third Mizukage's attitude towards young ninjas in the village was the same.

Even his own clan members and juniors had to undergo the selection of the Bloody Mist to become Eligible Ninjas; shortcuts were not provided for them.

This is why many people in the Hidden Mist Village are dissatisfied with the Bloody Mist Policy, but the questioning of the Third Mizukage is not very strong, which is a very important reason.

Biwa Juzo said, "Previously, Sarutobi Shinnosuke also had Konoha ANBU ninjas secretly protecting him."

"That Hokage was indeed good to his own children."

Hoshigaki Kisame suddenly remembered something.

"That's right, on the way back, I also saw Thunder Swords. I thought it was Kurosuki Raiga Senpai, but it turned out that the one using Thunder Swords was Kaguya Clan's Kaguya Hikari Senpai."

"Juzo-senpai, is Raiga Senpai alright?"

Hoshigaki Kisame held great respect for the Mist Seven.

Even after their disastrous defeat, this remained unchanged.

Unlike others in the village who mocked, ridiculed, and looked down upon the Mist Seven after their failure, Hoshigaki Kisame still held them in reverence.

He continued to show respect towards the members of the Mist Seven.

Biwa Juzo fell silent for a moment.

"I don't know. It's been a long time since I last saw Raiga."

"But Kaguya Hikari isn't a good person. Kisame, it's better to keep your distance if you encounter members of the Kaguya Clan in the future. Last time, Kaguya Hikari caused trouble on Forging Island."

"They only left when the ANBU ninjas sent by Mizukage-sama arrived."

Hoshigaki Kisame's pupils contracted, and instinctively, he reached for the handle of Kiriichimonji.

Biwa Juzo noticed Kisame's movement and nodded slightly.

Looking back at Hoshigaki Kisame, the expression in his eyes changed.

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