"As for the others…"
Wen Lan's gaze shifted toward the Konoha ANBU, while Minato's words from the day they left the village echoed in his mind.
Minato:
"Wen Lan, many in the ANBU don't obey me anymore.
They agree to my missions on the surface, but afterward they go to the Third to confirm whether the operation should proceed.
Even my every word and action gets recorded and reported to him."
Wen Lan understood immediately—Hiruzen was slowly hollowing Minato out, trying to play the Empress Dowager Cixi card of ruling from behind the curtain.
That was why Wen Lan had Minato replace the ANBU on this mission with people loyal to the Third, using this opportunity to purge the ANBU outright.
He couldn't uproot Hiruzen's faction in one stroke, but stripping it away thread by thread was far more interesting.
Minato was bright and decisive—he knew what to keep and what to discard.
But he wasn't ruthless enough.
Wildfire cannot be extinguished completely; spring winds will bring it back to life.
That was a truth Wen Lan had learned in his previous life.
Since he was the Hokage's Aide now, these dirty jobs were his to do.
Kisame led his group in retreat.
Suddenly, an ANBU hurled a kunai wrapped with an explosive tag. The kunai tore through the air, landing near the last Kirigakure ninja.
BOOM!
The explosion sent a violent shockwave outward. One Mist ninja was blown apart on the spot, while another was left barely alive.
The wounded shinobi wailed in agony. Kisame landed beside him.
"Save me…" the Mist ninja croaked, reaching out.
Kisame said nothing.
He drew his blade, gripped it with both hands, and stabbed straight down.
After confirming the man was dead, Kisame turned and fled without hesitation.
The Konoha forces pursued relentlessly, finally cornering Kisame at the edge of a cliff.
Behind him was a bottomless gorge.
Kisame stood there calmly, back to the abyss, not a trace of fear on his face.
The female ninja trembled and looked at him in panic.
"Kisame-san… what do we do?"
Kisame knew there was no escape.
The intelligence must not fall into Konoha's hands.
And these were code-division shinobi—only they could unlock the encrypted scrolls. Without living code specialists, the intel would remain sealed forever.
His orders from Fuguki Suikazan were clear:
Do not let the enemy obtain a living code-division shinobi.
Kisame took a deep breath.
Don't blame me…
His blade flashed.
One companion's throat was slit open.
The Mist ninja stared at Kisame in disbelief, clutching his neck. Blood poured out, stealing his voice. He collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Panic erupted.
The female ninja shook violently, staring at Kisame in horror.
"What are you doing?!" another shouted.
Kisame didn't answer.
He simply kept killing.
In the end, only Kisame and the female ninja remained.
She collapsed to her knees, trembling uncontrollably.
"Wh-why…?"
Kisame looked at her impassively.
"Slaughtering comrades… is my assigned duty."
Her pupils shook violently. Tears mixed with dirt as they streamed down her face.
Yet in the end, she looked at him with gentle pity and whispered,
"Kisame-san… your life… must be very hard."
Kisame's grip tightened for a split second.
A flicker of darkness passed through his eyes, but he still raised his blade.
"My life doesn't matter. The mission does."
The blade cut through the air.
She closed her eyes, waiting for death.
CLANG!
A figure wreathed in golden lightning appeared, blocking Kisame's blade with a ninja sword.
Kisame's pupils shrank violently.
Across the entire shinobi world, there was only one person who wielded golden lightning—
Golden Lightning Flame · Wen Lan.
The female ninja snapped her eyes open in disbelief.
She was still alive.
"Flowers bloom again, but youth never returns," Wen Lan said calmly, his voice heavy as thunder.
"Kisame Hoshigaki—sometimes, you're allowed to choose your own heart."
Kisame sensed movement—Konoha reinforcements were closing in.
He sneered and forced Wen Lan back with a burst of strength.
"There is no retreat in a mission."
Lightning exploded along Wen Lan's blade as the two forces collided, sparks flying.
Kisame used the recoil to leap back and rapidly formed hand seals—
At that instant, Wen Lan suddenly seized the female ninja by the throat and dragged her in front of him.
"Your mission ends here."
Kisame's pupils contracted sharply. His hand seals froze mid-motion.
"You—" His voice came out hoarse.
"I admire you, Kisame," Wen Lan said, releasing the woman and facing him directly.
"Fuguki Suikazan has already betrayed Kirigakure.
Otherwise, how do you think Konoha infiltrated the village and found you so precisely?"
"Kisame, I understand you. What you carry isn't sin—it's a destiny woven from lies.
You never killed comrades.
You killed compatriots sacrificed by rotten rules."
"Come with me to Konoha. Let's create real peace."
"You're ANBU—you should know Konoha has already obtained the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
Kirigakure has begun devouring itself.
You can't survive there—and neither can she."
Wen Lan pointed at the woman on the ground.
Kisame's breathing stalled. His gaze shifted between Wen Lan and the woman, his hands slowly lowering.
For years, he had strangled his own emotions to become a killing machine for the village—to protect its stability.
But deep down, he had long doubted everything he did.
Wen Lan had merely torn the veil away.
"…I need to kill one person," Kisame said hoarsely.
"After that, I'll go with you."
"Fuguki Suikazan?" Wen Lan smiled faintly.
"Of course. Samehada suits you better anyway."
"Killing him… is also cutting down my former self."
"No problem," Wen Lan replied. "I'll go with you."
He formed seals, and a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Kisame-san…" the woman whispered.
After a long pause, she said softly,
"Please… come back safely."
Wen Lan stepped beside Kisame.
"Let's go."
Kisame nodded slowly and followed him.
After their figures vanished completely, the shadow clone turned around.
The Kusanagi sword was raised, its tip pointing at the Konoha ANBU.
"Now," the clone said coldly,
"it's time for the reckoning."
Ibiki moved instantly.
A kunai slipped into his hand, and he stabbed it straight into the throat of the ANBU beside him—
A clean, fatal strike.
—------------------------------
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