Ninja World: I, Kisame Hoshigaki, am no longer human!

168. Yamato and Nohara Rin

Water Shadow Office.

Kisame listened to Yekura's report.

The Sand Village army invades the Rain Village?

Kisame knew without even thinking that Obito had used his Sharingan to control the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and manipulated him into doing it.

As for Obito's purpose in doing this, and whether this matter involves Danzo, Orochimaru, or the Akatsuki organization, the current information is still unclear.

It seems he needs to personally go to the Land of Rain again to find out what the situation is like there.

However, Kisame still had a few things to take care of before setting off.

Two little devils are still sleeping in the Chest of Bliss within him.

Thinking of this, Kisame activated his chakra, and the face on his chest opened its mouth, spitting out a handsome, long-haired boy.

Yamato lay on the floor, waking up groggily.

His last memory was in the Land of Rain, where he tried to stop a mysterious enemy to cover Danzo's escape, but was entangled by the enemy's Wood Release technique and was strangled unconscious on the spot.

I'm not dead?

This was the first thought that came to Yamato after he regained consciousness.

The next second, he leaped up from the ground, assumed a defensive stance, and instantly entered combat mode.

"Don't be nervous, kid. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. You wouldn't be alive now."

Kisame sat in the chair, arms crossed, body leaning back, legs crossed, looking at Yamato with great interest.

Who are you? Where is this place?

Yamato looked at the man opposite him with a wary and suspicious expression. He subconsciously raised his hands, as if to perform a magic seal.

Just then, a cold voice came from behind him: "I advise you not to act rashly."

Yekura held a kunai to Yamato's neck, ready to end the boy's life at Kisame's command.

"Ye Cang, don't scare the child, you should step back."

Kisame waved his hand and gave the order to Yekura. Upon hearing this, Yekura silently put away his kunai, turned around, and walked out.

"You are Kisame Hoshigaki, the Fifth Mizukage."

After Yekura left, Yamato, who had been staring at Kisame, suddenly spoke up, finally recognizing Kisame's identity.

“That’s right, I am Kisame Hoshigaki, the mysterious person who fought you in the Land of Rain that day. Welcome to Kirigakure, this is my office.”

Kisame spread his hands and readily admitted it.

Yamato's expression changed. He knew how terrifying this man was; the man had single-handedly defeated the entire Hidden Leaf Village and indirectly caused Danzo and the Root organization's defection.

Thinking of this, Yamato clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and asked Kisame, "Where is Lord Danzo? Where is he?"

"Oh, what a loyal little fellow, still thinking about that old dog Danzo at a time like this. Whether it was Orochimaru who used you as a test subject, or Danzo who later took you in, they only used you as a tool and could discard you at any time. Don't you understand this now?"

Kisame gave Yamato a long and earnest plea for advice, then finally revealed his true intentions, extending an olive branch to the latter: "Forget about your Danzo-sama, and follow me from now on, how about it?"

"Aren't you also using me, treating me like a tool?"

Yamato coldly retorted, asking a question on the spot.

Kisame chuckled upon hearing this and stood up from his chair. He walked past Yamato, patted the latter on the shoulder, and said, "Come with me."

Yamato hesitated for a moment, but still followed, wanting to see what Kisame was up to. Besides, he didn't have the power to disobey him.

The two walked out of the Mizukage Building one after the other, crossed the streets of Kirigakure, and finally arrived at the back mountain, in a wide open space.

"You successfully transplanted Hashirama's cells and can use Wood Release ninjutsu, which makes you quite a prodigy. Do you think that my purpose in recruiting you is simply to use your Wood Release to serve me?"

Kisame looked down at Yamato with a smile on his face.

Yamato remained silent, but his expression clearly said—isn't that right?

Kisame stopped talking and, in front of Yamato, formed a series of hand seals, finally pressing his palm down on the ground.

Rumble.

Amidst a deafening roar that shook the earth, a giant tree burst forth from the ground and grew at an astonishing speed, reaching a height of a hundred meters in just a dozen seconds, eventually transforming into a wooden Arhat statue.

"..."

Yamato stared in disbelief, gazing up at the hundred-meter-tall wooden Arhat statue, his heart filled with an unprecedented and profound shock.

He didn't want to speak before, but now he's too shocked to say anything.

"Kid, look closely, this is real Wood Release. The Wood Release ninjutsu you know are nothing but child's play in my eyes, utterly useless."

Kisame stood before Yamato, looking down at him with disdain, and mocked him without any politeness.

"Then, why..."

Yamato stammered. He didn't understand why Kisame didn't just kill him, since he was just a useless piece of trash, but instead showed mercy and spared his life.

"Because I am not someone who indiscriminately kills innocent people. On the contrary, I, Kisame Hoshigaki, have always cherished talent the most."

Kisame squatted down, looked at Yamato at eye level, and said jokingly, "You, although you can't be expected to be of much use, staying in the village and doing some landscaping and house repairs should be pretty good."

"..."

Yamato was speechless again, clearly taken aback by Kisame's words.

In short, I won't force you to stay.

Kisame stood up, patted Yamato on the shoulder again, and instructed the latter, "You can live in Kirigakure for a while. If you don't like it and still want to go find your Lord Danzo, that's fine with you. But if you change your mind, you can come to me, and I'll teach you Wood Release ninjutsu."

After saying these words, Kisame left Yamato, who looked astonished, and walked away alone.

He could see that Yamato harbored darkness in his heart due to his tragic childhood experiences, which was why he was controlled by Danzo and made to work for the latter.

If those dark thoughts in Yamato's heart can gradually disappear, he will naturally stay and become a member of Kirigakure.

If he persists in his ways and returns to Danzo's side, Kisame will no longer value his talent when they meet again.

He gave Dahe a chance to start over, but the chance was only once.

After Kisame left.

Yamato raised his head and looked at the hundred-meter-tall wooden Arhat in front of him, and once again deeply felt how insignificant his Wood Release ability was compared to Kisame's.

As the chakra dissipated, the wooden dummy blocking Yamato's path gradually disappeared, and a path leading into the depths of the forest appeared in his field of vision.

If he wanted, he could immediately embark on this path, escape Kirigakure, and regain his freedom.

But what happens after that? Do we really have to go find Lord Danzo?

At that moment, Yamato hesitated.

Perhaps he was swayed by Kisame's words, or perhaps deep down he wasn't actually that devoted to Danzo.

Although Yamato is young, he is not naive or ignorant. He is sensitive and perceptive, and can make judgments about many things like an adult.

Ultimately, after a great internal struggle, Yamato decided not to take that path.

He turned around and returned to Kirigakure.

He planned to take the man's advice and stay there for a while to think things through and sort out his feelings. He would then make a final decision.

Let's put the Yamato matter aside for now.

Kisame hadn't forgotten that there was a little girl named Nohara Rin inside him, who had been asleep the longest. If he didn't wake her up soon, she might really become a vegetable.

Before waking up Rin Nohara, Kisame found Shizune and asked to borrow a set of clothes from her.

"What do you want my clothes for?"

Inside the room, Shizune was cornered by Kisame, looking like a frightened little rabbit. She strongly resisted Kisame's sudden and unreasonable request.

"Don't be so stingy."

Kisame chuckled, bypassed Shizune, and opened her wardrobe to rummage through it.

"Hey, why are all your clothes black and gray, and all long sleeves and pants? That's so conservative! Don't you have any pink dresses or anything like that?"

Kisame pulled out a gray ninja outfit and asked curiously.

Shizune's expression suddenly changed. She ran over, head down, face flushed, and stood between Kisame and the wardrobe. If he continued searching, he would find her underwear.

"Don't worry, I don't need underwear."

Kisame realized why Shizune was shy, and took the gray outfit to the side.

Under Shizune's questioning gaze, he once again activated his chakra, releasing a short brown-haired girl from the Box of Bliss.

Nohara Rin slowly opened her eyes.

"Where am I?"

She murmured, looking bewildered.

A sudden, intense headache triggered a flood of memories.

Nohara Rin remembered that she had been kidnapped by the Kirigakure ANBU and taken to a cave. There, someone planted a curse on her heart and implanted the Three-Tailed Isobu into her body.

Later, a guy in a suit with a shark-like face rescued her, but he took her clothes, leaving her only in her underwear and leggings.

After that, as the other person placed their hand on her shoulder, she was sucked into a mysterious space by an unknown force and fell into a coma.

Rin belatedly realized that the shark-like man was none other than Kisame Hoshigaki from Kirigakure. He had come to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams, defeated Obito, and won first place in that year's exams.

Lin finally woke up after being unconscious in the mysterious space for an unknown period of time.

After regaining her memory, she rubbed her forehead and looked up to survey her surroundings. The next second, she saw Kisame smiling at her.

"It's you!"

She gasped in surprise, fear flashing across her face, and instinctively curled up.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a pervert. I took your clothes back then just to use their scent to fool Kakashi and his ninja dogs."

Kisame said with a hint of helplessness, and threw the clothes in his hand at Rin.

At this moment, Shizune, who was standing to the side, widened her eyes, walked over to Nohara Rin, squatted down next to her, and called out Rin's name with a surprised expression.