"Huh?"
After hearing Naruto's answer, not only Kisame, but even Itachi was dumbfounded.
"What's with you two? I'm just asking for a hole to be dug, that's all." Naruto said, puzzled by their odd behavior.
But Kisame and Itachi felt that Naruto was the one acting strangely.
'Dig a hole to bury me?!'
'Who in their right mind would make such a bizarre request?'
Once Kisame realized it wasn't about digging his own grave, his motivation surged. He quickly picked up Samehada and got to work.
Even Samehada probably never imagined it would one day be used as a digging tool...
Before long, a small pit, about a meter wide and a meter and a half deep, was ready.
"Why is it so small? Didn't you have enough to eat?" Naruto was speechless.
Kisame looked embarrassed, but didn't respond.
The truth was, halfway through digging, he had second thoughts… what if Naruto was tricking him? If he made the hole big enough and Naruto turned on him, it would still feel like digging his own grave.
It wasn't until he saw Naruto jump into the pit that Kisame finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fine, small is small. Kisame, make sure you pack the dirt tightly… don't leave any gaps."
Naruto instructed from inside the pit.
"Got it!"
At this point, Kisame was fully reassured, so he enthusiastically grabbed Samehada and began shoveling dirt over the pit.
In less than three seconds, Naruto was completely buried. To ensure the burial was airtight, Kisame even dug up some surrounding soil and piled it on top for good measure.
By the time he finished, the pit looked more like a proper grave.
Although Naruto couldn't breathe due to being tightly packed in dirt with no access to air, he felt no discomfort. The Turtle Breathing Technique worked perfectly, allowing him to remain calm and composed.
An hour-long sign-in session? Piece of cake.
Outside the mound.
"Phew!"
Kisame exhaled heavily. The task itself wasn't physically demanding for him, yet he was drenched in sweat. The mental pressure was the real culprit.
And it wasn't just him. Even Itachi, who had been silently observing, felt a significant weight on his mind.
They simply couldn't figure Naruto out. His actions were erratic and completely unpredictable… almost like a madman.
Before they knew it, half an hour had passed, and there was still no movement from the mound. So Kisame finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Itachi-san, do you think he might've suffocated to death in there?"
"I don't know if he's dead, but if you keep talking, you'll definitely end up dead." Itachi replied coldly.
Even though Naruto was buried underground, any Shinobi worth their salt would have no trouble hearing everything within this distance.
Kisame shivered at the thought, letting out a nervous chuckle before falling silent.
Rustle!
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the stillness.
A frail, elderly voice followed, "I don't remember there being a lake here. Am I losing my mind in my old age?"
An old man with a hunched back and white hair appeared, slowly making his way toward them.
When he spotted Kisame and Itachi from afar, he called out curiously, "Are you two responsible for creating this lake, Shinobi-sama?"
The old man was just an ordinary villager with no understanding of Shinobi. However, seeing the forehead protectors Kisame and Itachi wore, he assumed they were responsible for this magical incident.
Kisame frowned slightly. He was feeling very aggrieved and was looking for someone to vent his anger on. He grabbed Samehada and was about to attack the old man.
But before he could make a move, Itachi stopped him.
Itachi whispered, "Don't stir up trouble. Think about what would happen if Naruto finds out you killed an innocent man."
Hearing this, Kisame immediately froze in place. He still didn't know about Naruto.
Naruto was far too unpredictable. So if he turned out to have a strong sense of justice, him killing an old man might ignite Naruto's fury and lead to an equally harsh punishment.
Walking towards the old man, Itachi replied, "Yes, we created this lake. If it's causing any trouble, we can restore it to how it was."
Of course, this was just a polite excuse, and they had no intention of fixing anything. Once Naruto finishes the experiment, they'd leave immediately.
The top priority now was to quickly fool this old man.
"The presence of a small lake in the forest is excellent for the ecosystem. How could I trouble Shinobi-sama for such a thing?"
The elderly man waved his hands repeatedly, but as his gaze landed on the mound of dirt behind Kisame, a look of realization dawned on his face.
"Oh, so this is where you buried a departed loved one. You even created a small lake to beautify the scenery. Truly thoughtful of you, Shinobi-sama. Surely, your departed one must be smiling from the afterlife, blessed by such care."
As he said this, he walked up to the mound and bowed respectfully, "It is because of Shinobi like you that ordinary folks like us can live in peace. We have always been deeply grateful, though never able to repay you. Please, allow this old man to pay respects to the departed."
After solemnly offering his prayers, the old man slowly made his way out of the woods.
The elderly man moved at a snail's pace due to his age, but after half an hour, he had fully disappeared from sight.
Bang!
At this moment, the mound suddenly exploded as Naruto burst out of the ground, cursing angrily, "I'm not dead! Huh? Where's that old man?"
"He left long ago." Kisame said, barely holding back his laughter.
He didn't expect that Naruto, who had been confidently showing off, had ended up being mistaken for a corpse by a passing old man when doing experiment. Now, he had no outlet for his frustration.
For once, Kisame felt lucky he hadn't killed the old man, as getting to see Naruto's impotent rage was incredibly satisfying.
"That old geezer! If I catch him, I'll make him experience what it's like to be prayed to!"
Naruto huffed coldly.
Being treated like a dead person wasn't just bad luck, it had also disrupted his sign-in.
Originally, he had been signing in while buried in the earth, but thanks to the old man's antics, it had turned into a 'sign-in from a grave'. This messed with the rewards.
When Naruto thought of the system prompt sound just now, he felt even more frustrated.
[It was detected that the host stayed in the grave for one hour. Sign-in successful!]
What was supposed to be a simple earth-based sign-in had turned into this mess, likely ruining the quality of the reward.
However, despite his complaints, Naruto still opened the system panel to check the rewards.
[Due to the host's emergence from the grave, you are rewarded with one resurrection coin!]
'Huh?'
Naruto was completely stunned when he saw the system reward.
The name might not sound great, but a resurrection coin was the real deal.
Naruto hurriedly opened the system inventory and found that the number of resurrection coins had become two.
'Good lord… A mistake turned into a blessing, giving me an extra life.'
Naruto's earlier frustration and anger were instantly replaced by joy.
Hearing Naruto suddenly laugh maniacally, Kisame couldn't help but shuddered. In his eyes, Naruto was laughing out of sheer rage, and he's definitely losing his mind.
He subconsciously began backing away, fearing that Naruto would vent his anger on him.
However, before he could retreat far, Naruto grabbed him by the arm.
'Oh no! Oh no!'
Kisame's heart sank. He was sure his worst fears had come true.
Seeing Naruto raising his arm, Kisame closed his eyes in resignation, bracing himself for a beating.
With all the Chakra in his body completely drained, it was impossible for him to escape.
Slap! Slap!
Naruto's hand landed on Kisame's back. Kisame braced for pain, but... there was none.
'What's going on?'
'It doesn't hurt at all?'
Kisame opened his eyes and looked at Naruto in confusion.
Naruto had simply patted him on the back in a friendly manner and said, "Kisame, you did a great job this time!"
"Huh?"
Kisame was even more confused, 'What did this guy mean? Why wasn't he angry?'
'This made no sense!'
Naruto continued, "But the experiment wasn't completed. You'll need to dig another hole so I can try again."
"Wha…"
Hearing this, Kisame's brief relief turned to despair.
'So, it was as I suspected… This guy was planning to vent his anger on me after all.'
'Last time, I was helping with the so-called experiment by digging a hole. This time, it seemed I really would be digging my own grave...'