Chapter 102: Kiss of Love
A flicker of malice rippled through the space.
Naruto, now glowing golden, frowned. His gaze snapped sharply towards the enormous sword Killer Bee carried on his back. Samehada.
"Do you think you can hide?"
Naruto could clearly sense a surge of malice from it. But how could a mere sword have emotions?
There was only one possibility. Someone was hiding inside.
Renji blinked, his gaze also falling on Samehada. 'So, he was discovered after all.'
"Can you sense someone else's chakra?" Renji asked, already knowing the answer.
He knew of Kisame's presence. Not just from his own sensory abilities, but from the Byakugan he'd taken from Ao. However, in Kisame's eyes, he was allied with Obito; there was no need to expose him.
Now that Naruto had, he could only play along.
Beside them, Killer Bee immediately understood. "Yo, a presence I can't see? That ain't right, that ain't me!"
"It's not chakra," Naruto answered Renji, pointing at Samehada. "I sensed malice. That's it."
'Malice?' Renji remembered. After gaining the Nine-Tails' power, Naruto's first ability was to discern malice.
'Why hasn't he discerned my malice?'
Because he had none. He bore no ill will towards Naruto or Killer Bee.
'How could I? Killing, modifying... these are just actions. Believing you're wrong is what generates malice. And I never believe I'm wrong.'
Kisame, now fully exposed, no longer hesitated.
The bandages on Samehada fell away. A familiar shark-shaped head emerged from the sword's body, its spikes elongating into limbs as Kisame swiftly descended.
"It seems you can sense hatred and evil, a non-sensory type... so this is the power of a Jinchuriki who controls the Nine-Tails," Kisame said, surprised.
His gaze swept over Renji, a dark glint in his eyes.
"You!" Killer Bee recognized him, shocked. "I clearly broke your neck last time!"
"The one whose neck was broken was my clone," Kisame said.
"A clone whose neck is broken should disappear immediately!" Naruto retorted.
"That clone was special," Kisame said, thinking of White Zetsu. "A parasitic clone I could manipulate from a distance."
Renji guessed it was White Zetsu. 'His clones can create perfect corpses, just like mine. But his truly die. Mine can revive.'
Kisame's gaze swept over the two Jinchuriki. 'Fighting them now would be a disadvantage. My mission is intelligence.'
He swiftly crawled towards the door, his new legs moving like a centipede.
In the blink of an eye, he was at the door.
However, with a bang, he was forced to stop, struck from behind by Naruto's punch.
Naruto himself stared at his fist in disbelief. 'When did I become so fast?'
"A Body Flicker? Just like the Yellow Flash!" Killer Bee smiled, recalling the Great Ninja War.
Naruto's speed was incredible, his body enveloped in golden light.
Kisame spat out blood, astonished. 'So fast!'
This was Naruto's first time using the power, and he clearly hadn't mastered it. Kisame still managed to slip away.
Naruto was
eager to pursue, but found his foot stuck in a crack in the wall. He had been too fast, and in his eagerness, he not only failed to catch Kisame, but also injured himself.
Killer Bee chased after Kisame, while Renji pulled Naruto's foot out.
Naruto looked at the wound, annoyed. "It's all my fault for not mastering it..."
Renji healed the wound. "This is your first time. It's normal not to control the strength well."
Naruto chuckled, scratching his head.
A stream of water suddenly burst from the True Waterfall. Killer Bee punched Kisame, sending him flying. Kisame separated from Samehada.
The sword, free, immediately swam towards Killer Bee.
Kisame: '...'
'As expected. It betrayed its master after tasting better chakra.'
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
While Bee's attention was on Samehada, Kisame formed hand signs, his body quickly encased within a fish, and he swiftly flew towards the sky.
"Damn it, he escaped." Bee was about to chase but suddenly felt a wave of weakness. He looked at Samehada, which was clinging to him. 'It absorbed all my chakra!'
"Leave it to me." Renji's figure swiftly pursued Kisame.
Kisame's path was blocked by Renji on the sea surface. Kisame placed a scroll into the mouth of a shark, which immediately sank into the seawater.
He activated his jutsu, and more sharks charged towards Renji. The intelligence scroll was impossible to distinguish.
A smile played on Kisame's face. "Your brother died. I didn't expect you to still be alive."
Kisame didn't like Renji, but he didn't necessarily like Hasumi Maki much more. Comparatively, he preferred Hasumi. He was crazy, but simpler.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (287,086,002 / 400,000,000)]
'This guy gives me a sense of threat.'
Kisame looked at Renji, at the Konoha forehead protector, the uniform, the righteousness on his face. "To be honest, I can't even tell which side you're on anymore..."
He had received an answer from Madara that Renji was one of them, but Kisame still had his doubts.
'He's lived in Konoha for too long. Has his will changed?'
A giant snowflake pattern bloomed at Renji's feet.
Kisame's pupils constricted. From Renji's position, an ice wall plunged straight into the sea, slicing the ocean surface in two.
Innumerable sharks were all trapped inside.
Renji stretched out his hand, his body enveloped in electric arcs. The next second, all the lightning submerged into the seawater.
"Your chakra..." Kisame sensed something was wrong.
Because of his sword, he was known as the Tailless Tailed Beast. But the chakra he sensed from Renji...
'It's like the boundless sea. Even greater than a Tailed Beast's?'
Sizzle—
The pungent smell of burning was dispersed by the wind. Countless sharks, bellies up, floated on the sea.
Renji continued to apply Lightning Release. The shark corpses turned to ash.
A scroll floated on the surface, washed to Renji's feet. He picked it up.
A familiar chakra was approaching.
Renji's figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of Kisame. His hand clasped Kisame's neck.
"I can't let you go," Renji lowered his voice, speaking into Kisame's ear. "Otherwise, I'll be suspected. You know what to do."
Kisame looked up, a grin spreading across his face.
Renji stepped back, and Kisame, without struggling, was imprisoned by him in an ice mirror.
Naruto's figure quickly appeared. Seeing Kisame trapped, he exclaimed, "Amazing! As expected of you, Renji!"
Renji held the scroll. "Let's go. We'll go back and interrogate him."
Naruto nodded heavily.
Upon reaching the True Waterfall, Renji released Kisame. Ice pillars bound him in place.
"If you tell us all the information about Akatsuki, we'll let you go!" Naruto said naively.
Kisame grinned, staring at Naruto with amusement.
"Let's first see what intelligence he wrote..." Renji slowly opened the scroll.
At that instant, countless ferocious sharks burst forth from the scroll.
Kisame, who had been trapped, saw this and his face suddenly changed. His chakra surged, and he broke free from the ice.
He swiftly formed hand signs. "Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
A massive water sphere appeared, trapping Kisame himself inside.
The sharks charged fiercely towards Naruto, Renji, and Killer Bee.
"Ah!" Naruto's scream rang out as a shark bit his butt. "Don't bite where you shouldn't!"
After Renji and the others eliminated all the sharks, they looked around. The scene plunged all three into silence.
Kisame had been completely devoured by the shark swarm he summoned, leaving not even a speck of residue.
And the spot on the ground where the scroll had been was empty. It must have been snatched away by a shark during the chaos.
Only a shocking pool of blood remained.
Naruto stared blankly at the pool of blood. Recalling his encounters with Kisame, seeing such a tragic end still made him feel a surge of emotion.
Killer Bee patted Naruto comfortingly. "Such an enemy commands respect. A ninja's value is determined by his death."
...
On the other side. Inside a dark cave.
"Where are you going?"
Obito stopped. "Rain Village," he said without looking back.
Behind him, Yakushi Kabuto, with a large snake wrapped around his body, heard. His eyes flickered.
"Is Hasumi Maki in Rain Village?"
Obito's brow furrowed under his mask. "What do you want?"
"No," Kabuto explained, "I'm just curious about the... brothers."
Obito: "If he dies, you can take him for your research."
Kabuto sneered. "It seems you're looking forward to it."
Obito said nothing and vanished. As helpers, the brothers were good. But they were not just simple helpers.
Obito could vaguely sense they were not simple. It gave him a feeling of losing control, which he did not like.
...
Rain Village.
A towering iron tower stood in the center. The figures of Nagato and Konan were long since vanished. Most of the Akatsuki were dead.
At this moment, only Hasumi Maki sat alone at the long table. The rain continued to fall.
The ninja below bustled, unaware their guardians had long since perished.
Suddenly, a faint spatial fluctuation rippled.
Hasumi Maki slowly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the gradually appearing vortex.
From within, Obito emerged.
Hasumi Maki's lips curved slightly, a smile of deep arrogance and mockery.
"Presumably, this is what you came for, isn't it?"
Hasumi Maki said, slowly extending his right hand and revealing the Rinnegan belonging to Uchiha Madara, which lay quietly in his palm.
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (287,096,002 / 400,000,000)]
"You killed Konan," Obito took the Rinnegan and said calmly.
Hasumi Maki nodded. "Yes. Who told her and Nagato to be so easily instigated? If I hadn't appeared in time, Nagato would have used the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu on the Konoha ninja."
He sneered, as if laughing at their foolishness.
"You and Renji Mahito..." Obito stared at him. "Renji is Madara's mole in Konoha, and you are... his mole in the Akatsuki."
[Ding!]
[Human Malice Value detected: +10,000]
[Cursed Energy converted to Chakra: +10,000]
[Chakra (287,106,002 / 400,000,000)]
Hasumi Maki let Obito guess.
"Does Black Zetsu know you're still alive?" Obito asked, then felt it was a foolish question. They were all contingencies left by Madara.
"No," Hasumi Maki gave an unexpected answer.
"You're even hiding it from it?"
That feeling resurfaced in Obito's heart. He, who had seen the truth, seemed to be kept in the dark again.
"Yes. I want to give it a surprise," Hasumi Maki smiled eerily.
At this time, Obito did not notice anything unusual. But when Hasumi Maki and Black Zetsu eventually met, Obito would notice the subtle relationship. He would notice the loophole.
That Black Zetsu was hiding something. That Madara was hiding something.
That he had become a tool.
This made Obito subtly annoyed. But now was not the time to dwell on it.
...
On the island.
Motoi sensed the barrier had been breached and immediately came to the True Waterfall.
"What happened?" he asked.
Renji briefly explained.
Motoi listened, his expression grave. "If the enemy got the message, this place is no longer safe."
"Even if they transfer, they have to stay on this island," Motoi said.
Not far away, Killer Bee was comforting Naruto.
"This small island is not marked on the map; it's not easy to find," Motoi explained. "Because this island is a mobile fortress. A giant turtle that the Hidden Cloud has raised."
"And if we transfer now, Naruto will become suspicious, won't he?"
Renji: '...'
'To be honest, Naruto still hasn't remembered the "confidential mission".'
Suddenly, Naruto leaned over. "By the way, Renji, can you tell me about the confidential mission now?"
Renji: '...'
'He really did ask.'
Renji was prepared. He took out a blank scroll.
"The situation of the Five Great Nations is critical. In preparation for the Fourth Great Ninja War, considering that ninja and samurai forces are insufficient, it has been decided to add a third force: the Animal Unit."
"Based on these circumstances, Uzumaki Naruto, a Jinchuriki and noted animal-empath, has been selected and appointed to form this unit."
"First, you must start by investigating the animal ecology on this island."
Renji looked at the blank scroll and fabricated the story with a straight face.
Naruto knelt seriously before him, accepting the appointment.
Killer Bee: '...'
'Could this kind of trick really work on a child?'
"This is an S-rank confidential mission. Please proceed with utmost caution. Konoha Village, Hokage Tsunade."
After "reading," Renji quickly put away the scroll.
"I've been waiting for a brain-intensive job like this for a long time!" Naruto stood up, moved, without the slightest doubt.
Killer Bee: '...'
Renji: '...'
Motoi: '...'
"Just like the kind Shikamaru does! A job that can bring people together!" Naruto clenched his fists. "I must do better than Shikamaru! This is a test of my leadership skills!"
He leaned close to Renji. "You can trust me! Renji! I will definitely make you look at me in a new light!"
Renji: '...'
'Thank you. I'm already looking at you in a new light.'
Killer Bee pointed out a clear path. "The king of animals on the island is King! Flatter King, and the mission will be easy!"
Naruto dragged Renji to find the gorilla named King.
After Renji used his Byakugan to find its location, he subtly guided Naruto to "inadvertently" reach it.
King stood towering like a mountain, looking down at the two finger-sized humans with a disdainful gaze.
Naruto fearlessly took a step forward, tilting his head back to communicate.
However, King turned a deaf ear, completely ignoring him.
Just then, King's thick, powerful hand suddenly reached out and, with lightning speed, grabbed Renji.
Renji also couldn't figure out what the gorilla wanted, so he chose to observe.
"King! What are you doing? Let go of Renji!" Naruto shouted.
King puckered its incredibly thick lips and slowly moved towards Renji's face.
Renji: "!"
A crisp bird call came from the sky. A huge bird flew swiftly over their heads, explaining loudly, "Don't worry, this is how animals express affection! It's called a 'Kiss of Love'! Don't refuse it!"
Naruto was greatly alarmed. He didn't care about any Kiss of Love; he just wanted to rescue Renji.
Naruto suddenly leaped up, grabbed Renji, and with all his might, finally managed to pull him out of King's palm.
Renji was immersed in the extreme shock of almost being kissed by a gorilla, his whole body seemingly turned to stone.
-----
HAND OVER YOUR GODDAMN INFINITY STONES!!
Every 100 stones = +1 extra chapter!
If you want to read chapters early and show some support, check out my P4trƐon!
Just search "Demonic_Fiction" on "P4trƐon" (link in the synopsis)