Naruto: From Shikotsumyaku to Otsutsuki

"Hiss... Lord Kazama's position has changed again?"

In the lush primeval forest, a large, crimson snake slithered swiftly like a speeding train.

Two days have passed since it took on the mission to deliver Orochimaru's message.

They were about to reach the target location, but the location soon changed again.

This is its third turn.

"Hiss... What a loss, what a loss. How many roast pigs would I have to eat to make up for climbing this far?"

Its face was full of resentment, its forked tongue flicking as it crossed a huge waterfall and crawled into the territory of the Land of Waterfalls.

Meanwhile, the one it was searching for had already left Takigakure and reunited with Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Things have changed in the village, I have to leave."

In their very first words upon meeting, Kisame Hoshigaki stated his purpose directly.

He said with a worried look on his face, "I had received your information and originally planned to properly train you for three months, but now Kirigakure is in big trouble. The mysterious person controlling the Fourth Hokage is rapidly killing the village's elites, and I have to go back."

Kaguya Kazama frowned, not because Kisame Hoshigaki had broken his promise; he had done enough.

She has been protecting me ever since she emerged from the mist, and she has also been doing her best to teach me during this time.

He can learn ninjutsu incidentally and teach taijutsu to the best of his ability; he is fully qualified to be called a mentor to Jonin.

The problem now is that Obito has almost destroyed Kirigakure's core territory, so even if Kisame Hoshigaki goes back, it won't make much of a difference.

He paused for a moment, sorted through the information he knew, and then spoke:

"Kisame-sensei, what if I told you that the team that sent you to help you seize the Sharingan, Suigetsu Fuguki, has betrayed you and sided with the mysterious man? He will betray your mission and information to Konoha, planning to use Konoha to eliminate you."

This was the only possibility that Kaguya Kazama deduced based on the information she knew.

Kisame Hoshigaki's original fate was to be betrayed by Suigetsu Hobuki during a mission, leading to his ninja squad being surrounded and killed by Konoha.

To protect the intelligence of Kirigakure, he had to kill his own teammates and flee alone.

However, he only learned the truth when he returned to Kirigakure.

The information he worked so hard to protect was betrayed by his superior, Suigetsu Hobutsuki.

He angrily slew the Water Spinach Fuguki, but he also fell into immense despair and questioned the falsehood of the world.

It was at this moment that Obito, the masked man, appeared.

Taking advantage of Kisame's mental weakness, they invited him to join the Akatsuki organization to create a world without falsehoods.

Kisame Hoshigaki thus became an S-rank rogue ninja and the Southern Dipper of Akatsuki.

Now, it seems Kisame Hoshigaki is about to repeat the same mistake.

Over the course of their time together, Kaguya Kazama has come to appreciate and respect Kisame Hoshigaki's principles of conduct.

An elite who was loyal to Kirigakure was betrayed by his superiors and became a rogue ninja with great despair for the village.

This is simply a cruel twist of fate.

Kaguya Kazama wanted to see if he could change Kisame's fate through his intervention.

However, Kisame Hoshigaki was not surprised at all when he heard that Suigetsu Hobutsuki had betrayed his information.

"I know."

He answered calmly, a hint of sadness and relief flashing in his eyes.

"I forgot to tell you, among the reinforcements, there are Elder Yuan Shi's men. He had already seen through the betrayal of Suigetsu Hobutsuki and told me to abandon this mission and return to Kirigakure as soon as possible to participate in the siege of the mysterious man."

As he spoke, his suppressed anger finally surfaced, and his shark teeth gleamed coldly as he said:

"The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Demon is a coward who's afraid of death. I'll definitely kill him myself when I get back."

"Hmm? You've made contact with Elder Yuan Shi? You knew in advance that the Watermelon Pufferfish Demon had betrayed you?"

Kaguya Kazama was full of surprise; things shouldn't have turned out this way.

Kisame Hoshigaki is known as the "Kirigakure Monster". Although he is powerful, his appearance and personality are strange and he is extremely cold-blooded. He is not accepted by ordinary people and is not favored by the higher-ups. But at this moment, he has actually made contact with Elder Yuanshi.

Master Yuan, this is like a pillar of strength in the Hidden Mist.

He is an elder who existed at the same time as the First Hokage. He is extremely old, highly respected, and often carries a snake-shaped wooden staff. He possesses power equal to that of the Mizukage.

Even the Mizukage would consult with him on any major village affairs.

However, this person was not power-hungry; with the Mizukage around, he hardly did anything.

Kaguya Kazama couldn't understand how Kisame Hoshigaki was connected to this being.

Kisame noticed Kaguya Kazama's confusion and couldn't help but say with emotion, "Actually, I have to thank you for being able to connect with Elder Yuan Shi."

"Hmm? Tell me more."

"Back in Kirigakure, although I was badly misled by your information, I also learned that someone was manipulating the Fourth Hokage."

He paused, then said with a hint of apology, "Actually, I was secretly observing the entire night the Kaguya clan fought the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth Hokage's various strange behaviors confirmed the accuracy of your information."

"Since such a big thing happened in the village, of course I had to report it to Elder Yuan. That's when I got in touch with Elder Yuan."

At this point, Kisame Hoshigaki couldn't help but sigh, thankfully he had been careful and only reported the matter to Elder Genshi, not to his superior, Suigetsu Hobutsuki.

If Kisame had reported the information to Suigetsu Hozuki back then, he would probably be on the run by now.

He sighed, looking at Kaguya Kazama with a complex expression.

He always thought he had been terribly betrayed by Kaguya Kazama.

But now it seems that the intelligence that once made him feel frustrated and angry was precisely the catalyst that saved him from his tragic fate.

Kaguya Kazama was also stunned.

He never imagined that Kisame Hoshigaki's fate had already been changed because of him.

"When a butterfly flaps its wings, variables have already appeared; it's just that those ripples need time to brew and ferment."

At this moment, Kaguya Kazama belatedly realized that she had already had a huge impact on the ninja world.

The Kaguya clan was able to continue because of him.

No one can say for sure what the future holds for the Hyuga clan, who have experienced the "Prince Replaced by a Raccoon" storyline.

Obito's plot to manipulate Kirigakure will also take on new variables because of him.

Even the fates of people like Uchiha Shisui, Danzo, and Orochimaru seem to have begun to veer off course.

Kaguya Kazama believes that he will cause even more changes in the future, and that more and more people will be changed because of him.

After a moment of silence, he bowed to Kisame Hoshigaki and said, "Kisame-sensei, thank you for protecting and guiding me during this time. Since Kirigakure needs you, you may leave now."

His straightforward attitude made Kisame Hoshigaki feel a little embarrassed for a moment.

He was a man of his word, and he had promised to protect Kaguya Kazama for three months before taking his head back to report.

But now it seems that the '3 months' he promised will probably be extended indefinitely.

With a hint of embarrassment on his face, he didn't mention what had happened before, but quickly took out two scrolls from his ninja tool bag and handed them over.

One is large and the other is small. The large one is labeled with the character "shark" and the small one is labeled with the character "mermaid".

Kisame pointed to the two scrolls and said:

"This big one is my unique Shark Water Escape Technique, which I originally planned to teach you later. Now, you can learn it on your own."

"This little one is the only A-rank ninjutsu I developed, the 'Great Shark Bullet Technique.' Its power is barely enough, but it has some unique uses. You can study it with me."

After handing the two reels to Kaguya Kazama, he straightened his clothes and turned to leave.

But as he stood before him, a hint of expectation in his eyes, he asked, "Kazama, once Kirigakure is healed, would you be willing to bring the remaining members of the Kaguya clan back?"

Kaguya Kazama was taken aback and was about to speak when she realized that Kisame Hoshigaki had already left.

He seemed afraid of hearing things that would disappoint him, so he simply left early.

Kaguya Kazama watched the figure disappear into the distance, then smiled and said, "Back to Kirigakure? Kisame-sensei, I'm sorry. My future is the vast universe above."

He looked up at the azure sky, as if he could see the Otsutsuki clan wandering among the planets of the universe.

Just then, a giant crimson snake slithered in from not far away, making a rumbling sound.

"Hiss... Lord Kazama, I've finally found you."