"Has your life been full of hardship?"
"Itachi-san, before you died, did you finally see yourself clearly?"
"I really want to see it..."
"Infinite Tsukuyomi... That is the only world without lies, the true reality, isn't it?"
...
Fragments of memory surged like a tidal wave.
Kisame Hoshigaki suddenly jolted awake, sitting up straight as he scanned his surroundings.
I'm... not dead?
His last memory was of the moment before his death. Staring blankly at the worn-out room around him, his mind was in chaos.
Could it be...?
Even suicide can't escape fate's cruel joke?
"Creak!"
The sound of a door opening echoed through the room.
His ninja instincts kicked in. In an instant, he used the Body Flicker Technique to flash to the door, gripping the intruder's throat without hesitation.
A girl with a single ponytail of wine-red hair, a delicate face, a black cropped vest, and blue short shorts stood before him.
Her figure wasn't exactly curvaceous, but it had a certain athletic elegance.
Her revealing attire didn't resemble that of a ninja—she looked more like a woman of the night.
His gaze fixed on her red hair. "The Uzumaki Clan? I didn't expect them to be so... unrestrained."
"What?"
The girl froze for a moment before reacting, struggling against his grip. She shouted angrily, "Bastard... let go of me! How the hell am I unrestrained?!"
"Despicable Konoha ninja! You won't even let the dead rest?"
"Even if this is Edo Tensei, don't think you'll get any information from me!"
"What the hell are you talking about? Ugh—!"
As she felt the grip on her throat tighten, the girl struggled frantically. Her face flushed red as she gasped for air, fury in her eyes.
"You bastard... is this how you treat the person who saved your life?"
"If I had known, I would have let you die!"
"Damn fish-man—ugh... let, let go—"
Her face turned redder, her breathing became more labored, and her struggles weakened into pained whimpers.
Fish-man?
Is she talking about me?
Sure, his appearance was a little odd, but he wasn't some fish-man.
Kisame frowned at her words, his grip loosening slightly as he studied her with suspicion.
Did I get it wrong?
She's not a Konoha ninja?
"Where is this?"
"The West Blue, Bali Island."
"West Blue? Bali Island?"
Kisame furrowed his brow even deeper. He had never heard of such a place—not in the Land of Water, not anywhere in the Shinobi World.
"What... is the West Blue?"
"West Blue... is just West Blue... Where the hell did you come from?"
Hearing Kisame's question, this time, it was the girl's turn to be surprised. She stared at the tall fish-man gripping her throat.
Is there really someone in this world who doesn't know about the Four Seas?
She studied his features for a moment, then suddenly had a realization.
"Oh... You must be from the legendary Fish-Man Island, right?"
"If that's the case, then it all makes sense!"
But to her shock, Kisame's next response left her even more dumbfounded.
"Fish-Man Island? What is that?"
"Huh?!!!"
The girl looked at Kisame with wide eyes, her brain practically freezing up.
A fish-man who doesn't know about Fish-Man Island?
Not only that, he doesn't even know about the Four Seas?
Did this guy just pop out of a rock or something?!
"Despicable Konoha ninja, stop trying to fool me with your nonsense."
Seeing the girl frozen in shock, Kisame still couldn't believe it.
He was convinced—this girl had to be a Konoha spy, sent to extract information from him.
His expression darkened, and his grip tightened once more.
"Konoha ninja, don't even dream about getting any secrets out of me."
"You bastard, behave yourself!"
Feeling the pressure on her throat increase again, the girl finally snapped, shouting angrily:
"I don't give a damn about your secrets! Now that you're awake, get the hell out—"
"Get out of my house... NOW!"
Wait... Was I wrong?
She's not a Konoha spy?
Seeing her furious reaction, which didn't seem like an act, Kisame hesitated, his mind clouded with confusion.
If she's not a Konoha spy... then did I really get saved?
No, that's impossible.
My body was already devoured by my summoning beast. How could I be alive again?
Could this be the afterlife?
Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself returned, he couldn't resurrect someone who died without leaving a corpse behind.
"Thud!"
As Kisame stood in a daze, the impatient girl had enough. She raised her foot and kicked him hard in the ribs. A faint pain shot through his nerves, snapping him out of his trance.
Pain...?
This isn't genjutsu... and it's not a dream. Does that mean I'm...
Kisame could hardly believe it—was he really alive?
Without thinking, he loosened his grip.
"Thud!"
"You bastard!"
As soon as she hit the ground, the girl cursed loudly. Then, with a quick motion, she sprang up, her long leg whipping through the air like a lash, aiming straight for Kisame's head.
"Boom!"
A powerful strike landed. Kisame staggered back a couple of steps, but he was completely unharmed.
Kisame tilted his head, staring at the girl, a head full of question marks.
"Strange... She clearly has no chakra, yet her physical strength is extraordinary."
"Damn it, he's so tough?!"
The girl had initially felt a sense of victory after landing a clean hit, but when she saw Kisame merely stagger without any real impact, her heart sank.
As soon as she landed, she leaped up again without hesitation, raising her leg high and chopping down toward Kisame's head.
"Patt!"
A soft sound echoed as Kisame effortlessly caught her long, toned leg with one hand.
Now, given her extremely short shorts… that slight exposure…
The battle-hardened Kisame, who had traversed the shinobi world without hesitation, suddenly found himself at a loss.
This woman… really has no shame!
"Bang!"
With an expression that seemed slightly off, Kisame casually tossed the girl onto the bed and turned to look at her coldly.
"Don't test my patience, woman. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kill you."
"Now, I ask, you answer."
Thirty minutes of questioning later, Kisame had a rough understanding of the situation.
He was lucky—somehow, he had come back from the dead.
But at the same time, he was unfortunate—there was no information about the shinobi world here. In fact, this might not even be the same world at all.
One thing remained the same, though—this world was chaotic. Powerful factions clashed, bandits ran rampant, and the people suffered...
Kisame didn't resist the idea of his resurrection, but he did feel regret.
His only disappointment was that he hadn't been able to see Madara's vision through to the end.
"Have you seen my Samehada?"
After a brief silence, Kisame suddenly thought of his ever-present companion.
"Samehada? You mean that weird, bandaged weapon?"
"If you're talking about that thing, yeah, I saw it. But it was too heavy for me to carry, so it's probably still in the forest."
Revy sat cross-legged on the bed, completely unconcerned about her earlier exposure, tilting her head as she looked at Kisame.
After this brief exchange, she realized that despite his intimidating appearance, this fish-man was actually… a decent person.
Yes, a proper and decent man!
"Hey, hey! Where are you going?" Revy asked as she saw him turn to leave.
"To find my Samehada."
Kisame paused, glanced at Revy —the one who had saved his life—and didn't bother hiding his intentions.
"B-but it's nighttime!" She didn't understand why he was so obsessed with a single weapon.
"Doesn't matter."
Kisame strode toward the door, gripped the handle, and pulled it open.
But in the very next instant—
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion rocked the air. A wave of scorching heat burst through the open door, blasting Kisame backward a few steps.
Outside, the night sky was illuminated by towering flames.
The agonizing screams of the suffering echoed into their ears…
"What's going on?!"
(End of Chapter)