Kakuzure's brain raced, trying to decipher the deeper meaning behind Kisame's sudden question.
Attacking a comrade? This seemed to be... That's it! One of the most well-known "deeds" of Kisame Hoshigaki during his time in the Hidden Mist Anbu was his hesitation-free execution of comrades who might be captured, all to ensure mission secrets didn't leak.
Could it be... that Kisame wanted to find a sense of validation here, from another "kind" who had also attacked their own comrades?
Although he did it purely out of a twisted hobby, and Kisame's actions back then were mostly for missions... perhaps the motive didn't matter, and it was the essence of the act that resonated?
Kakuzure felt that in this situation, telling the truth might better elicit the other party's "understanding," or at least some level of resonance.
He tried hard to make his voice sound calm, even indifferent, "... Does killing a comrade require any special reason?"
Kisame's voice was devoid of emotion, "... Why do you say that?"
Kakuzure sped up his speech, trying to link his own behavioral logic with the other's "rationalized" past. "Survival of the fittest, that's all. Even the concept of a 'comrade' does not conflict with the act of killing them, in my view. What I've done... compared to what you did during your time in the Anbu, Senior, it's probably not even close, right? Eliminating those 'comrades' who have no value, or even hold you back—isn't that the very philosophy you've always upheld, Senior? We just use different methods, but the essence..."
He couldn't finish his sentence.
The playful expression on Kisame's face vanished completely, replaced by an indifferent calm, "Hmm, I see." He interrupted Kakuzure.
"Then, we can begin."
Kakuzure was stunned, "What? Begin wh..."
Kisame raised his hands and began forming hand signs, massive Chakra surging violently around him, "A world without lies... doesn't need someone like you."
"Wh-what?! Wait!" Kakuzure's face changed drastically, "I told the truth! I, I can bring benefits! I'm useful! Senior, you also need..."
"Water Release: Exploding Colliding Wave!"
Kakuzure didn't even have time to fully draw the special Chakra threads hidden in his sleeves before his vision was swallowed by an overwhelming expanse of blue.
— — — — — —
Kisame stepped across the muddy ground, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield. Soon, amidst a pile of broken tree trunks and mud, he found the target's lifeless, mangled corpse.
"Found it. Looks like that guy Kakuzu won't have to throw a tantrum this time."
Although the main purpose of this operation was "cleansing" rather than bounty hunting, the organization's financial officer—Kakuzu, who had an obsession with money—was known by everyone for his temper.
Any bounty target whose corpse or proof of kill wasn't brought back for exchange was enough to trigger his temper. Although Kisame wasn't afraid of him, he couldn't be bothered to invite unnecessary nagging over such trivial matters.
Casually tossing Kakuzure's corpse onto the thick blade of Samehada, Kisame turned and headed back toward the Rogue Ninja stronghold.
When he returned to the mountain stronghold, which was now deathly silent, the internal cleanup work was nearing its end.
Most of the Rogue Ninjas had turned into cold corpses, lying helter-skelter in pools of blood and amidst the traces of battle. A few who were severely injured or subdued and still had a breath of life left were restrained by Anbu Ninjas, prepared to be taken back as captives; perhaps they still held some value for interrogation or utilization.
An Uchiha Anbu Ninja wearing a fox mask stepped forward quickly to report the situation.
"Captain, the stronghold has been completely cleared, and the main target is confirmed eliminated. Also..." He lowered his voice slightly, "We have found the... whereabouts of the kidnapped villagers."
Kisame nodded slightly, signaling the other to lead the way.
Following the Anbu through the chaotic main hall, they delved into a dark, narrow side passage. The air began to fill with the scent of blood and... a complex, cloyingly sweet, rotting odor.
At the end of the passage was a stone chamber roughly hewn out of the rock, with traces of a crude barrier at the entrance meant for reinforcement and soundproofing.
The moment he stepped into the stone chamber, even Kisame, who was accustomed to bloodshed, couldn't help but let his gaze freeze slightly.
This was a simple yet "professional" interrogation room. Hanging on the walls and scattered on the floor were various torture instruments stained with dark brown grime.
But the real shock came from the corner of the stone chamber. There were no traces of careful handling there, only the most barbaric "piling." Corpses in varying stages of decay—some still with flesh, now blackened and bloated, others reduced to bare, ghastly bones—were indiscriminately piled together, forming a nauseating mound.
Kisame watched the scene in silence. He recalled the question he had asked Kakuzure; that question might have truly been superfluous.
"... This is not within the scope of our mission."
Kisame's voice rang out in the silent stone chamber, "But, if Lord Menma were to see this... he would probably feel sad."
He turned to the Anbu Ninja beside him. "So, I'll have to trouble you all. Bury them properly. Find a place far from here, somewhere clean. Remember, don't bury them with that scum outside."
"Yes, Captain." The Anbu Ninja accepted the order without hesitation, then beckoned a few companions to begin moving the remains of those who had long since lost their lives.
Kisame didn't watch any longer. He turned and walked out of the suffocating stone chamber, returning to the relatively "fresher" ground above. He sighed softly, feeling somewhat surprised by himself.
He did not loathe killing and fighting; one could even say they were part of his "way of life."
However, witnessing the cruel scene just now—purely for the satisfaction of desire, meaningless, and even carrying traces of "enjoyment"—a nauseating sense of discomfort spread in his heart.
He hated meaningless killing. But if wielding the butcher's knife was to sever the chains of falsehood, to build a real, beautiful world without lies.
Even if that world needed to be paved with blood, Kisame was willing to play the role of the butcher forever. But such maggot-like atrocities only made him feel... disgusted.
This was one of the "daily missions" undertaken by the [Jin] Organization. Due to Menma's overwhelming deterrent power, his core philosophy of "deterring the great nations with absolute force, forcing all parties to maintain a balance of terror, thereby preventing the outbreak of large-scale wars," had—in actual execution... worked a bit "too well."
Except for the recent "Konoha Crush" incident stirred up by Orochimaru, the great nations had eerily maintained a tense yet conflict-free "peace," with even intense diplomatic friction rarely occurring.
Consequently, seeing a group of top-tier powerhouses in the organization feeling somewhat "idle," Menma issued a new directive: to "cleanse" the true scum of this world.
But Menma's orders were very clear and accompanied by strict guidelines: innocent people must not be wronged. Therefore, before acting, thorough investigation was required to carefully screen the targets—whether they were ordinary people forced onto the wrong path by survival, or villains who, upon gaining power, simply felt superior and acted recklessly.
If it was the former, just actions like stealing food to survive, the method of handling was arrest, and then sending them to... well, according to Menma's phrasing, "compulsory labor reform"? For example, reclaiming wasteland, participating in infrastructure construction, or material production, using labor to make up for their mistakes and also create value.
Only those whose hands were stained with the blood of the innocent—a point that had to be strictly verified—or guys like Kakuzure who were purely evil by nature and took pleasure in abuse, would require Kisame, Zabuza, or Deidara to personally make a trip and perform physical elimination.
An organization rumored in the dark side of the Ninja World to be the Incarnation of demons, yet its code of conduct contained this kind of... "womanly benevolence"?
Zabuza and Deidara were very surprised when they first heard of such detailed arrangements, but they all carried them out.
As for Kisame, he felt he was someone who knew the truth behind it—he was aware that the other identity beneath "Lord Menma's" mask was the Fourth Hokage, who had once protected Konoha and nearly sacrificed himself. Some bottom lines were perhaps already engraved into his Soul.
When the Uchiha Anbu completed the final cleanup work and properly buried the remains of the innocent on a distant hillside, the wrap-up procedure began.
Kisame led a portion of the members, carrying Kakuzure and other bounty proofs that might need to be exchanged, to the nearest secret contact point or underground bounty station.
Next, according to the established procedure, they needed to take the bounty obtained, or, if the target's corpse was too mangled to identify, the organization would directly allocate funds and send them in the organization's name to those villages that had been harmed by these Rogue Ninjas.
This step always made the organization's financial officer, Kakuzu, feel a sense of discomfort akin to a myocardial infarction.
"Clearly the pest has been removed! Why still give the hard-earned bounty... or even the organization's money, to those weaklings?"
He could not understand the logic of this "extra expenditure"; wasn't clearing the pests the greatest act of kindness? But in the end, Kakuzu would only sigh a few more times while mentally calculating the losses, never truly defying this order.
For someone like Kisame, who had no obsession with money itself, this process didn't matter.
Anyway, ever since the organization "dealt with" that merchant named Gato and "took over" the vast majority of his assets, the resources controlled by [Jin] had reached the level of being wealthier than entire nations.
Just maintaining the organization's operations and member expenses, its wealth was enough to support it for hundreds of years. Moreover, there were many legitimate businesses under the organization's name that were continuously profitable; in Kisame's view, Kakuzu's worries were more like a conditioned reflex of being too stingy and feeling pain at any expenditure.
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