The male ninja who came to his house was Jonin Ao, a guard of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, and of the same rank.
He is a Jonin with strong perception-type ninjutsu, and his ability is considered extremely important for the Hidden Mist Village.
During times of war, the strategic significance of perception ninjas will inexplicably increase.
Ao did not care about Kisame's dissatisfaction, he just said, "I'll be more careful next time."
For words like this, Kisame didn't take them seriously.
Next time... If there's a next time, the same mistakes are likely to be repeated.
"So, is there any task from the Mizukage that you came here to specifically assign to me?" Kisame asked with interest.
Ao wouldn't come for casual chats without a reason; he's the type to discuss business when necessary and doesn't chat idly.
Without a new mission from above, Ao would never visit his home.
Ao nodded and said to Kisame, "I'm here to formally notify you that your mission is about to start. Next week, we'll head to the Daimyo's Mansion with the Mizukage, so be prepared."
Upon hearing this, Kisame knew what it was about.
Kisame tightly gripped the Shark Skin hilt behind him with a grin.
"So, it's finally starting?"
Ao saw Kisame's eager expression and felt a bit hesitant inside.
Of course, Kisame's entry into the Mizukage's faction was too recent.
Five years ago, he was still a subordinate of Suikazan Fuguki, and with such a special background, theoretically, no matter how strong he is, it's hard to gain trust from the upper ranks.
Unfortunately, Kisame is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate in the Hidden Mist Village for this dangerous task.
Precisely because he joined the Mizukage's faction recently and was a former subordinate of Yagura's political enemy Suikazan Fuguki, his defection wouldn't arouse suspicion.
In Ao's view, Yagura's easy trust in Kisame is somewhat risky.
He can only hope that Kisame is as loyal to the Hidden Mist Village as Yagura expects, and not actually planning to defect to the Akatsuki organization, seeking revenge against the Hidden Mist Village.
◎
Mid-September.
A notice from the Land of Water caused a huge stir in the Ninja Realm.
The notice was that the Daimyo of the Land of Water, in the prime of his life, suddenly died, with the cause of death unknown, plunging the Land of Water into a state of turmoil without a Daimyo. Among the upper echelons of the Land of Water, a bloody power struggle is imminent for the title of Daimyo.
At the same time, the Hidden Mist Village quietly released a notice that one of the Seven-swords Ninja, Hoshigaki Kisame, defected. Due to committing serious crimes, he was classified as an S-Class Renegade Ninja, causing extremely adverse effects on the stability of the Country and Ninja Village, thus a warrant for his capture was circulated throughout the Ninja Realm.
The Ninja Realm is currently abuzz with discussions regarding the sudden death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water, while the defection of one of the Seven-swords Ninja seemed relatively quieter.
Other major ninja village leaders have noticed something abnormal.
That one of the Seven-swords Ninja, Hoshigaki Kisame, being an S-Class Renegade Ninja due to committing unforgivable serious crimes, but the Hidden Mist Village did not provide specifics regarding what serious crimes Kisame committed, casually glossing over it.
Linking back to the sudden death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water, the defection of one of the Seven-swords Ninja due to unknown grave crimes, makes one inevitably infer a causal relationship between the two incidents.
Although there is no precise evidence, other major ninja village heads hypothesize this as a reasonable conclusion.
Hoshigaki Kisame, due to some reasons, assassinated the Daimyo of the Land of Water, then fled the Land of Water, establishing his identity as an S-Class Renegade Ninja.
Generally speaking, S-Class Renegade Ninja not only recognizes the ninja's capability but also due to committing severe incidents affecting the village and country during defection, this is also a significant evaluation standard.
As long as not posing an important threat at the village and country level, being rated as A-Class Renegade Ninja is already the limit.
S-Class Renegade Ninja involves dangerous ninjas at the country and ninja village level, with strength only as the basis for evaluation but not the sole standard.
The death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water caused an uproar throughout the Ninja Realm; the news couldn't be contained, and even the upper echelons of the Land of Water couldn't hide such an occurrence and were forced to announce it, hurriedly determining the next Daimyo candidate for the Land of Water.
In the Land of Demons, Hakushi also quickly received this news through channels in the Land of Demons.
Yagura's action is quicker and more decisive than I anticipated.
But with this, their plan has officially taken its first step.
As long as Kisame can successfully attract the Akatsuki's attention and join them in the subsequent actions, the Land of Demons can appropriately alleviate some pressure, stopping constant surveillance of the Akatsuki's movements.
◎
"Phew..."
Letting out a gentle breath, even Ruri, after such a long battle, felt some exhaustion as more than half of her Chakra was depleted.
However, she still said to Ayane standing opposite her, "Just as I thought, only training with you lets me experience the joy of combat."