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

Although the ninja world has been relatively peaceful in recent years, the Land of Water has long been embroiled in internal strife. In addition, the Third Mizukage's Blood Mist policy has resulted in the average lifespan of Hidden Mist ninjas not exceeding 30 years.

Long-lived individuals are extremely rare.

Master Yuan, an old man born in the Warring States period who accompanied Kirigakure through decades of ups and downs, can be considered the best candidate for elder and has always been revered by countless villagers.

"Elder Master Yuan, this is my and Yuri Yuri's new teammate—Kisame Hoshigaki. He is a reliable and excellent ninja, as well as a kind and warm-hearted person."

Mei Terumi introduced Kisame to Genji, hoping that Kisame could leave a good impression on the old man.

Kisame bowed to Master Yuan, expressing his respect for the elder.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we got down to business.

"Let me see what tasks are suitable for you."

After Terumi Mei explained her purpose, Genshi took out a thick stack of documents, put on his reading glasses, and began to look through them.

Seeing this, Ringo Yuri said eagerly, "Elder, I want to carry out a high-level B-rank mission this time. Those low-level missions are too boring, and the rewards are low."

"A B-rank mission requires at least two Chunin or one Jonin in the team. If I remember correctly, you're all Genin."

Yuan Shi looked at Yu Yuli with a smile.

“Yuri, don’t make things difficult for Elder Yuan Shi. We’ll just carry out the C-level mission as usual,” Mei Terumi said.

Kisame didn't speak.

In Kirigakure, missions are assigned based on a ninja's identity, not their abilities.

Kisame participated in two previous search and extermination operations, and although he was not a main member of the team, the difficulty level was still B.

However, unlike Kisame, who was of low social standing, Mei Terumi and Ringo Ameyuri were both members of large families, so the village naturally wouldn't allow them to take risks.

In a way, Kisame benefited from joining the team, as he no longer had to perform those dangerous missions.

"You should go to Snow Village."

At this moment, Master Yuan looked up from the pile of documents and gave instructions to Mei Ming and the other two.

Snow Village is a village in the Land of Water where it snows all year round, and the scenery is very beautiful. When Yuan Shi was young, he visited that village and met the old village chief, but he heard that the latter had unfortunately passed away some time ago.

A few days ago, the old village chief's granddaughter, Sakura Yuki, led a small caravan from Snow Village to Kirigakure to sell local specialties and purchase daily necessities.

With the heavy snow about to close the mountain pass, and considering the possibility of encountering hungry wild animals coming down the mountain in search of food on the way back, Sakura Yuki went to the Mizukage Building and posted a request to escort the caravan.

"This mission isn't too dangerous. All you need to do is deal with the wild animals that roam the mountains and escort the villagers safely back to Snow Village."

After giving a few instructions, Master Yuan handed the mission authorization letter to Terumi Mei.

"Okay, then let's set off immediately."

Mei Terumi accepted the letter of authorization, bowed to Master Gen once again, and then turned and left with her two teammates.

Half an hour later.

The three met their clients—the villagers of Snow Village—outside the village.

Among the crowd, the most eye-catching was a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with fair skin, a pure and sweet appearance, and a very infectious smile.

She is Sakura Yuki, the granddaughter of the late village chief of Yuki Village.

Excuse me, is there a mistake?

When Sakura Yuki saw Terumi Mei and Ringo Ameyuri, she was first surprised, and then asked cautiously.

She could hardly believe that the ninjas sent by Kirigakure were actually two young girls.

Mei Terumi is no match for me, she's at most eleven or twelve years old, and Yuri Amane looks even younger, she's clearly just a little kid.

"Hey, don't underestimate me, okay? I've already completed over twenty C-rank missions!"

Yuri snorted in dissatisfaction and showed off her resume, but this did not dispel the other party's concerns.

Sakura Yuki and the villagers were only slightly relieved when they saw Kisame arrive late.

Although Kisame is only 12 years old, his height of nearly 1.9 meters and his burly, mountain-like physique still give people a sense of security.

"Before we depart, as is customary, I have a few questions to ask, and I hope you will answer them truthfully."

Kisame looked at Sakura Yuki and the others, and suddenly spoke.

"When you issued the escort mission, did you strictly follow the specifications for a Class C mission?"

"Of course."

Sakura Yuki paused for a moment, then quickly replied with a charming smile. But the experienced Kisame noticed something was off about her expression.

So he continued to ask:

"Do you or Yukimura have any enemies? If we encounter an attack by enemy ninjas during the escort mission, then this mission will be beyond our capabilities."

Upon hearing Kisame's question, a flicker of panic crossed Sakurayuki's eyes, but she quickly replied:

"We're just ordinary villagers, how could we possibly have offended ninjas? You're overthinking it."

After saying that, he took a step back, seemingly frightened by Kisame's aggressive manner.

At this moment, Yuri couldn't stand it anymore and ran over to Kisame, saying:

"You big bad guy, stop asking so many questions. So what if we were attacked by ninjas? I promise I'll wipe them all out."

She heard that the snow scenery in Snow Village was beautiful, and she became very playful and wanted to go and see it, but she was afraid that Kisame would offend her employer and ruin the mission.

Mei Terumi also stepped forward and said:

"Kisame, let's talk about any problems on the way. If we encounter any unexpected situations, the three of us should be able to handle them. What do you say?"

She also felt that Kisame was too cautious and overthinking things.

"You're the captain, I'll listen to you."

Kisame nodded and said no more.

And so, the group set off.

a few days later.

Deep in the mountains of the northern part of the Land of Water, heavy snow fell and the cold wind howled.

A small caravan of about ten people, after trekking through mountains and rivers, finally arrived at a grove of trees at dusk, where they temporarily settled down to avoid the wind and snow.

Over the past few days, Sakura Yuki, Terumi Mei, and Amami Yuri have become very good friends, chatting and laughing all the way.

Kisame was the only one who stayed away from the group, spending most of his time alone.

23. Please don't get too close to me.

Beep.

In the camp, a fire was lit and quickly burned brightly, driving away the cold.

The group sat around the campfire, taking out their food and lunchboxes, heating them up with the heat of the fire, and enjoying a steaming hot dinner.

Not far away, Kisame, holding a ninja sword, leaned against a tree, remaining vigilant and wary of any potential dangers.

"Kisame-san, come and have dinner with us."

At that moment, Sakura Yuki jogged over and extended an invitation to Kisame with a smile.

She cared a lot about Kisame because, judging from his appearance, Kisame was clearly the strongest member of the ninja squad and the biggest guarantee for the Yukimura caravan's safe return home.

"I've already eaten."

Kisame glanced at her and said calmly, "Please return to my companions; they will protect you. Also, please don't get too close to me; I have no interest in befriending my employer."

Upon hearing this, Sakura Yuki paused for a moment, then fell silent and turned to leave quietly.

Kisame looked up at the snow-covered night sky.

Today is February 26th, Konoha Year 45. It has been almost half a year since he transmigrated to this world.

Next month, Kisame will celebrate his 13th birthday.

While recalling the plot and organizing clues in his mind, he also planned his future actions in advance.

Silent all night.

The next day, the snow stopped, and the warm winter sun shone on the earth.

Taking advantage of the good weather, the caravan set off early in the morning and crossed a mountain.

Since setting off from Wuyin, they have covered more than half the journey. The group has had a smooth trip with almost no unexpected situations.

Therefore, everyone was chatting and laughing, and was very relaxed.

But then, an accident happened.

When the group reached the middle of the mountain, several loud noises suddenly came from above.

Rumble.

Several huge boulders fell from the cliff above and crashed directly onto the caravan.

"Watch out!" Mei Terumi quickly warned, pulling Sakura Yuki aside.

Kisame lifted one villager by each hand, leading them to avoid falling rocks. Then he kicked away a boulder, saving the lives of the other two.

"Enemies!"

Ringo Amori, who was at the front of the group, suddenly shouted, but she wasn't scared at all; on the contrary, she was very excited.

Sure enough, two ninjas who had been lying in ambush by the roadside suddenly appeared and launched an attack without saying a word, throwing a large number of shuriken at the crowd.

Yuri grabbed a kunai and charged forward, knocking away all the shurikens with a series of clangs. Then, she launched a fierce attack on the enemy, fighting two against one.

"Kisame, protect these villagers."

Mei Terumi gave Kisame a few words of advice, then quickly formed hand seals, summoned a water whip, and joined the battle.

Kisame followed Mei Terumi's instructions, keeping an eye on any other potential enemies while glancing at Sakura Yuki out of the corner of his eye.

Her expression was indeed off; she seemed to have anticipated an attack.

This skirmish did not last long.