Naruto: From Shikotsumyaku to Otsutsuki

After leaving the clan's territory, Kaguya Kazama quickly arrived at the agreed-upon location.

This is a rather remote ramen shop.

As soon as Kaguya Kazama stepped into the store, she saw a man with a shark-like face sitting coldly in the corner, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

"Kisame-sensei, it's been a long time."

"Kaguya Kazama, I remember you retired."

Inside the ramen shop, Kisame Hoshigaki scrutinized the sickly-looking boy before him.

As he questioned her, his sharp shark teeth were faintly visible. The powerful pressure from the elite Jonin was overwhelming, reminding Kaguya Kazama of their first meeting after he opened his eyes in the afterlife.

After a moment of silence, Kaguya Kazama calmly said, "Yes, I also have to thank Kisame-sensei. If it weren't for the psychological trauma you caused me by destroying my comrades to protect information, I wouldn't have retired. Perhaps I would have been killed by the mission to persecute bloodline families long ago."

"The incompetence of the weak."

Kisame Hoshigaki chuckled, "As a ninja, if you can't even protect intelligence, you have no reason to live."

"So you're dead!" Kaguya Kazama thought to herself, but her face showed admiration.

"Kisame-sensei is as dedicated as ever."

He liked Kisame Hoshigaki's attitude.

Cold, professional, and principled.

A firm belief is the anchor of one's existence, which is an advantage, but it is also a weakness that can be exploited.

Kisame's greatest strength and weakness lies in his unwavering determination to protect information.

He sat down opposite Kisame, and after a moment of eye contact, said calmly:

"But Kisame-sensei, what if the information and village's interests that you've worked so hard to protect have already become playthings for others to trample on at will?"

"Um?"

Kisame Hoshigaki narrowed his eyes and frowned as he sized up Kazama Kaguya.

His skin was deathly pale, and he was as thin as a rake, looking like he was about to die.

Unlike his terrified screams when they first met, the person sitting in front of him now was dying and more mature, seemingly possessing some secret information.

That confident demeanor can't be faked.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to talk to me about by asking me out?"

He had already checked the area around the ramen shop when he came in, and there was no one spying on him.

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Kazama's lips curled into a smile, and she immediately activated another ultimate ninjutsu, "Talk-no-Jutsu: Strike Weakness Technique," saying, "Kisame-sensei, the acquisition and protection of information never comes without a price, and that's something you taught me."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Kisame Hoshigaki's shark-like face twitched. After a moment of silence, he said, "You've retired, and you've grown too."

Kaguya Kazama breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Kisame Hoshigaki waiting for her to name her price, then pulled a scroll from her pocket.

"Kisame-sensei, this is one of the pieces of information I have, and I guarantee it's 100% true."

Kaguya Kazama pushed the scroll forward: "As for the cost of obtaining the information, it's also recorded here."

"You are very confident."

Kisame Hoshigaki frowned even more. He couldn't understand what a retired genin, a weakling on the verge of death, had to rely on to speak so eloquently here today.

Just like his firm belief: the acquisition and protection of intelligence is never without cost.

A person terrified by the cruelty of the ninja world is not qualified to possess high-level intelligence.

"Kisame-sensei will understand once he sees it."

As they were talking, Kaguya Kazama ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen and gestured for Kisame Hoshigaki to check the roll.

Kisame Hoshigaki stared at the scroll in his hand, glanced at Kaguya Kazama's confident demeanor, and his expression grew increasingly cold.

But out of professional ethics as a member of the intelligence protection unit, he still opened the reel.

The scroll wasn't large, only a palm's width, and it contained few words, yet it caused Kisame Hoshigaki's pupils to shrink sharply, and he turned pale with horror.

"That's impossible!"

His first reaction was to deny the authenticity of the intelligence.

The things recorded there are simply too unbelievable.

"Kisame-sensei, nothing is impossible."

Kaguya Kazama said calmly, "After all, this is the ninja world. Even if the Sage of Six Paths were to be resurrected tomorrow, I would think it would be perfectly normal."

"..." Kisame Hoshigaki was stunned upon hearing this.

After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, "Can you guarantee the authenticity of the information?"

"100% authentic".

From the perspective of a time traveler with a higher dimension, Kaguya Kazama naturally knew the authenticity of her information.

He pointed to the last words on the scroll and said, "So, Kisame-sensei, what do you think of this price?"

After reviewing the price for the information, Kisame Hoshigaki asked doubtfully, "No restrictions on your freedom, just protection for three months? Someone wants to assassinate you?"

His first reaction was that the higher-ups were about to take action against the Kaguya clan, otherwise Kaguya Kazama wouldn't have made such a request.

He hesitated.

Although the intelligence is valuable, rashly joining the power struggle between the village's leaders and the bloodline families could easily lead to a gruesome death.

Kaguya Kazama naturally saw through Kisame Hoshigaki's thoughts, and he calmly said, "Don't worry, Kisame-sensei, I won't let you get involved in the power struggle."

This is the absolute truth!

Once Kaguya's clan is wiped out, there will be no more strategic maneuvering.

All that's left is a rogue ninja who just wants to live.

Kisame Hoshigaki breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If that's the case, then your information is worth the price."

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Kazama felt reassured and immediately bowed to Kisame Hoshigaki:

"Then I'll leave it to Kisame-sensei. As for when to pay the price, let's start from the next time Kisame-sensei hears information related to me."

Having said what needed to be said, there was no point in lingering any longer. Kaguya Kazama got up and left, taking with her the tonkotsu ramen she had just ordered and hanging it up in Kisame's tent.

He stepped outside, gazing at the thick fog enveloping Kirigakure, and muttered in a low voice, just loud enough for Kisame to hear:

"I hate foggy weather. If I had the chance, I'd love to visit Konoha in the Land of Fire. I've heard the climate there is wonderful. What a pity..."

The muttering gradually faded into the thick fog, like an unintentional complaint.

Kisame Hoshigaki sat quietly in the corner, fiddling with the scroll, his shark-like pupils silently watching Kaguya Kazama walk away, a hoarse sound escaping his lips.

"Ha, Kaguya Kazama, interesting. Yagura Karatachi, Fourth Hokage, are you really still yourself?"

......

As Kaguya Kazama left the ramen shop, a cold wind carrying mist blew through her, and she realized that her back was already covered in cold sweat.

"The pressure is too intense. No wonder he's a man who can go toe-to-toe with Kai."

Kaguya Kazama held Kisame Hoshigaki in high regard.

This is a true ninja.

Keep your word and adhere to your principles.

In the end, in order to protect the Akatsuki's intelligence, he even took his own life. His dedication to upholding his beliefs is truly awe-inspiring.

Kaguya Kazama saw this as an opportunity, which is why she prepared this plan.

If successful, the difficulty of defecting from Kirigakure will be within a controllable range.

The "Talk-no-Jutsu: The Art of Exploiting Weaknesses" is indeed powerful; exploiting someone's weaknesses can bring considerable benefits.

Although there will definitely be strong backlash after I've tricked someone, I'm about to die, so I don't care about that now. I need to get through the biggest challenge first.

As for failure, that doesn't exist.

Kaguya Kazama believed in Kisame Hoshigaki's character and also in the power of his persuasive skills.

After all, this is the culmination of ninja wisdom, a secret ninjutsu used by countless powerful individuals since the time of the Sage of Six Paths.

"Seeing your true self? Impressive, my Kisame-sensei. I hope we can have such a calm conversation next time we meet."

The pit has been dug, the person has jumped in, and the necessary hints have been given.

Waving goodbye to the ramen shop from afar, Kaguya Kazama returned to her clan's territory.

As soon as he stepped through the torii gate, the gatekeeper called out to him, "Hey, you sickly brat, if you don't die today, you'll be attending the gathering at midnight."

Kaguya Kazama stared at the clansmen guarding the gate with a deathly gaze, and said expressionlessly, "Understood."

There's no need to get angry with someone who's about to die.

Kaguya Kazama knew that tonight's gathering was most likely about arranging a rebellion.

Back at his residence, he carefully strapped the prepared summoning storage scroll to his body, then took out a map and reviewed his escape route, setting his destination as Konoha.

As night fell, Kaguya Kazama stepped through the gates of the gathering.