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

Before he knew it, the rain had stopped, and Kisame had arrived at his own doorstep.

He was about to reach out to push the door open when his eyes narrowed and he stopped.

Kisame discovered an extremely thin steel wire, faintly visible, wrapped around the doorknob, which looked like some kind of trap.

next second.

With a "whoosh," the steel wire shot towards Kisame. Although he was on guard and dodged in time, the wire still grazed his cheek, leaving a long, narrow gash on his face.

Fresh blood seeped out.

However, Kisame had no time to treat his wounds, because within a few seconds, a thick fog surged in from all directions and quickly engulfed his wooden house.

Visibility in the surrounding area suddenly dropped to less than two meters.

The technique of concealing oneself in mist.

This is a ninjutsu that the Hidden Mist Ninja are skilled in. The principle is to use chakra to create mist by swirling water droplets, which is used to confuse the enemy's vision in order to launch an assassination or sneak attack.

The concentration of the fog is determined by the amount of chakra the caster possesses.

The attackers must be at least Jonin to be able to create such a large fog so quickly.

who is it?

Kisame remained calm, keeping a watchful eye on the enemy's attack from within the thick fog while trying to decipher their identity.

Are they from Kirigakure, or enemies from outside the village? Why are they targeting him? Has his plot to kill Raiga Kurosuki been exposed?

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts flashed through Kisame's mind, and he prepared for the worst.

Just then.

With another "whoosh," an unknown attack burst forth from the thick fog, heading straight for Kisame.

Kisame instinctively leaned back, dodging the attack once again in a bridge-like position. This time, he finally saw what had attacked him: a long, thin needle with an extremely long and sharp steel wire attached to its end.

This thing is...

One of the Seven Ninja Swords, the long sword Sewing Needle.

Therefore, the attacker's identity becomes obvious.

"puff!"

After the long sword flew over Kisame's head, the blade pierced the wooden door behind him. Immediately afterwards, with a tremendous pull from the other end of the steel wire, the entire door of Kisame's house was ripped off.

boom!

The flying door panel slammed into Kisame, sending him flying through the air in an arc before plunging into the river in front of the house.

A tall, slender figure emerged from the thick fog.

He had an astonishing amount of hair, long and blond like a lion's, and wore a mask from the Hidden Mist faction, exuding a cold-blooded and ruthless aura. He was extremely tall, over 2.1 meters, but his limbs were very thin and long, making him look quite strange.

He is the "Death Needle" of Kirigakure, a genius ninja who became one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen at the young age of twenty, and the user of the long sword, Sewing Needle—Kurihara Kushimaru.

"Hey, where did he go? Did he get knocked unconscious by the door?"

Kushimaru stroked his chin, looking at the calm water, but there was no sign of Kisame.

He crouched down on the shore, intending to examine the underwater activity closely, when suddenly five shark-shaped water bombs leaped out of the water, opening their gaping maws and lunging at him.

Oh?

Kushimaru raised an eyebrow, nimbly leaped backward, and jumped five or six meters away.

At the same time, he threw the long knife in his hand, and a series of "plop plop plop" sounds were heard. The long knife and needle flew nimbly, like grilling fish skewers, stringing together five shark water bombs.

They huddled together, struggled for a moment, and then with a "pop," they dissipated into chakra.

"You brat, get out of the water!"

With a strange laugh, Kushimaru Kurihara's long sword, Sewing Needle, flew out again, plunging into the water with lightning speed and causing a "turbulent upheaval" in the river.

underwater.

Kisame saw the long sword Sewing Needle coming at him and, after fighting it for a moment, realized that Kushimaru Kurihara didn't seem to have any intention of killing him.

This unexpected encounter was more like a test.

He quickly considered his options and, instead of unleashing the Shark Tail Lightning Whip, feigned resistance for a while before finally giving up and being tightly entangled by the steel wire used for stitching.

ashore.

"Wow, great catch!"

With great enthusiasm, Kushimaru pulled hard, like pulling a fishing rod, and fished Kisame out of the water.

10. Who is the hunter and who is the prey?

shore.

Kisame was bound hand and foot with steel wire sewn by a long sword, lying on the ground, soaking wet, unable to move, like a dead fish.

He looked up in fear, gazing at the towering Kushimaru, and asked cautiously:

"Sir, sir, what's going on here..."

Before Kushimaru Kurihara could answer, a boy with short black hair and half his face wrapped in bandages emerged from the thick fog.

"Sir, this fellow didn't disappoint you, did he?"

After bowing to Kushimaru Kurihara, Zabuza Momochi stared at Kisame with a half-smile, his face full of mockery.

"Hmm, this shark-faced brat has some skill; he's qualified to be my subordinate."

Kushimaru Kurihara nodded, indicating his approval of Kisame. Then, he sheathed his longsword, Sewing Needle, released Kisame from his restraints, and gave Zabuza the order:

"You stay here and give this brat a proper lesson on the rules of working under me."

After saying this, Kushimaru Kurihara flashed away, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Along with him, the thick fog that surrounded them also disappeared.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, we meet again. Get up."

Zabuza smiled.

Kisame struggled to his feet. He had multiple lacerations on his body, all left by the sharp steel wire from the long knife and needles, and the wounds were constantly bleeding.

Miserable and pathetic.

Give me an explanation.

His gaze was fierce as he angrily questioned Zabuza.

"Don't be angry, Kisame-san, you've clearly had a good thing happen to you."

Zabuza plopped down on the stone bench next to him, crossed his legs, and then slowly said:

"As you can see, I recommended you to Lord Kushimaru Kurihara. Congratulations on passing this practical test and having the honor of becoming his subordinate. From now on, we are comrades in a squad."

When Zabuza spoke of the word "comrade," his tone was rather playful.

Upon hearing this, Kisame's expression shifted, and finally, he managed to squeeze out a few words:

"I understand."

"very good."

Zabuza snapped his fingers and began to paint a rosy picture for Kisame, "Kisame-san, I'm really looking forward to going on a mission with you. If we perform well, we might soon gain the lord's favor and escape our lowly status to join the Anbu. So, let's do our best together."

"Anbu!"

Kisame shuddered, his pupils contracted, clearly showing that he was tempted.

Zabuza observed this and was pleased with Kisame's reaction. Next, he explained the team's rules to Kisame, and before leaving, he gave him instructions:

"Meet at the village entrance at six o'clock tomorrow morning, don't be late."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Kisame watched Zabuza's figure recede into the distance until it disappeared from sight.

His expression returned to its calm, still state, without the slightest ripple.

Clearly, he had been acting the whole time.

Kisame was originally thinking about how to get close to Kushimaru Kurihara to find an opportunity to strike, but he didn't expect that the other party would take the initiative to come to him and recruit him as a subordinate.

To be precise, they were high-level cannon fodder.

In addition, Kisame had already heard that Zabuza often killed his comrades during past missions.

This person's recommendation was definitely not out of any good intentions.

but.

Both Kushimaru Kurihara and Zabuza underestimated Kisame Hoshigaki.

They will regret it.

Kisame withdrew his gaze, went inside, and stood in front of the mirror.

In just a short while, the wounds he had deliberately sustained in the battle had already healed by more than half.

However, Kisame still took out a band-aid from the drawer and put it on the wound on his cheek, and also wrapped bandages around various parts of his body to create the illusion that his injuries had not healed.

Then he stayed home to rest and recharge.

Early the next morning.

A morning mist hung over the village entrance, and dewdrops clung to the roadside flowers, grass, and trees. A cold wind occasionally blew by, whipping up the mist and lashing against people's faces, making it quite chilly.

The majority of the personnel participating in this search and raid operation have been assembled, numbering over a hundred, including ninja of all ranks, with most being lower-ranking members of third-class clans.

Zabuza crossed his arms, leaned against a large tree, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Kisame-san, you've come."

After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Kisame Hoshigaki, who had arrived right on time.

Kisame stood silently beside Zabuza, like a speechless statue, awaiting the next order to act.