Chapter 554: Kisame Hoshigaki
"Kakashi-sensei, there's something I want to ask you."
Naruto sat on a cushion and looked at Kakashi before enthusiastically pouring him a cup of tea.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow and lowered the copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand.
Although he had no idea what Naruto wanted to ask, he was always willing to answer questions from his students.
Besides, what could a brat Naruto's age possibly be worried about?
Probably something related to strength or relationships.
"Sensei, I wanted to ask... Those rich people aren't ninja themselves, right? So how do they survive and become so powerful? Doesn't anyone ever think about killing them, taking their money, and bringing it back to the village?"
Naruto asked with genuine curiosity.
He had seriously been wondering about this.
Kenichi froze for a moment.
What was going on with Naruto?
Why would he suddenly ask something like that?
Even before being thrown into this timeline, Kenichi had noticed a major problem with the Shinobi World.
The gap between ninja and ordinary people was simply absurd.
During the early Land of Waves arc, things had still seemed relatively reasonable. Ninja were powerful, but they did not appear completely invincible.
However, once the story reached its later stages, monsters such as Madara and Hashirama appeared, people capable of suppressing entire nations by themselves.
Even Sasori of the Akatsuki had a record of destroying an entire country single-handedly.
Because of that, Kenichi had always found it strange that the daimyo and wealthy merchants of the Shinobi World could live so comfortably.
"It's quite simple."
Kakashi looked at Naruto with some confusion.
"Wealthy people usually hire skilled bodyguards. Many of them also have connections with ninja villages, so their safety is generally guaranteed."
This brat's question was certainly unusual.
"Take Gato Shipping Company, the company operating this ship, for example."
Kakashi continued.
"Gato is a well-known tycoon. He keeps many bodyguards around him, and there are even rumors that he has business connections with Kirigakure in the Land of Water. Ninja who lack strength can't do anything to him, while ninja powerful enough to deal with him usually don't consider the trouble worthwhile."
After saying this, Kakashi gave Naruto a thoughtful look.
This kid's way of thinking was somewhat dangerous.
The Hokage had entrusted Naruto to him, which clearly meant Kakashi had some responsibility to guide him properly.
With that thought, Kakashi continued lecturing Naruto for a while, determined to establish a proper moral foundation in the boy's mind.
Naruto nodded with a look of sudden understanding.
Even so, Kakashi continued his ideological education for quite some time before finally letting him leave.
After stepping out of Kakashi's cabin, Kenichi leaned against the railing and looked out across the sea.
Then he glanced toward the unfinished bridge that was gradually drawing closer and chuckled.
This world seemed to possess an unspoken system resembling a constitutional monarchy.
The relationship between the daimyo and the Kage was somewhat like that between the British monarch and the prime minister in his previous life.
The monarch theoretically stood at the top, yet held little practical power, while the prime minister handled the actual administration.
In the Shinobi World, the daimyo mainly governed ordinary citizens, while ninja were effectively under the authority of the Kage.
At the same time, the daimyo still had to provide funding to the ninja villages.
It was an extremely strange political structure.
Kenichi did not particularly care.
With strength that had already surpassed the normal limits of this world, rules were nothing more than empty words to him.
He simply did not want to play according to the old rules.
He wanted to try something different.
Otherwise, he could have overturned the entire table long ago.
Within the Shinobi World, powerful ninjutsu were largely monopolized by ninja clans and hidden villages.
If ordinary ninja wanted access to them, they either needed to belong to a clan or serve their village long enough to earn the right to learn such techniques.
That was also one of the reasons the gap between ninja could become so enormous.
Not every ninja had the opportunity to learn something like Naruto's Rasengan.
Some did not even possess the qualifications to access it.
"Big brother!"
Naruto ran out of the cabin and happily waved.
He had no intention of staying inside any longer.
Kakashi-sensei talked far too much.
"Brat, aren't you afraid you'll fall?"
A strange voice interrupted Naruto's excitement.
Naruto turned his head and saw an unusual looking man.
Golden eyes.
Cheeks marked by lines resembling fish gills.
And strapped across his back was an enormous sword wrapped completely in bandages.
Although the man was not wearing the distinctive Akatsuki cloak, Kenichi immediately recognized him.
Kisame Hoshigaki.
"I'm not afraid. This is my first time seeing the ocean."
Naruto revealed an innocent smile.
At the same time, he quietly glanced toward Kakashi's cabin.
Kakashi-sensei, where are you?
Come save me!
Naruto did not recognize Kisame, but his instincts still detected a faint sense of danger from the man.
Kenichi remained casually leaning against the railing.
At this distance, Kisame would already be dead before he could even draw Samehada.
Kenichi knew quite a bit about this man.
And if Kisame was here...
Did that mean Itachi was nearby as well?
If Kakashi had to face Itachi and Kisame simultaneously, he probably would not be able to hold them off.
Besides, Kakashi did not seem to know how to use the Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye yet.
Even if he did, whether he could actually defeat Itachi was another matter.
"Tsk. Brat, if you fall into the sea, nobody's coming down to save you."
Kisame leaned against the railing, looking out across the ocean just as Kenichi was.
Kenichi noticed the ring on Kisame's finger.
He could not clearly see whether a character was engraved on it, but the ring should indeed have been there.
Naruto felt somewhat nervous, but quickly calmed himself.
His big brother was right beside him.
"I can swim."
Naruto wore the stubborn expression unique to children.
Kenichi had seen that exact look many times.
Whenever Naruto was close to giving up during training, a few provocative words from Kenichi would immediately bring out that expression.
In simple terms, Naruto was being stubborn.
"Swimming won't help."
Kisame turned toward Naruto and revealed a fierce grin.
"Unless you're like me."
With that, Kisame suddenly jumped over the railing and plunged into the ocean.
He vanished beneath the surface.
Kenichi watched the water.
Before long, a small black dot briefly appeared in the distance, then disappeared once again.
Kisame never surfaced near the ship.
Kenichi curled his lips.
What an inexplicable guy.
At that moment, Kakashi pushed open the cabin door.
His expression was solemn.
He had already sensed Kisame's presence.
However, because he could not understand why an S-rank rogue ninja like Kisame had appeared here, Kakashi had deliberately remained inside for a while.
After all, Kisame might not recognize Kenichi.
But he would definitely recognize Kakashi Hatake.
"Let's go."
Kakashi's expression remained serious.
"We shouldn't stay here any longer."
He did not know why Kisame, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, had appeared in this area.
But leaving immediately was clearly the safest option.
Some time later, Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke following behind him across the water.
"I'm actually surprised. I didn't expect you two to already know how to climb trees and walk on water."
Hinata knowing these exercises was within Kakashi's expectations.
After all, she came from the Hyuga Clan.
Naruto and Sasuke were another matter.
For students in the current Shinobi World, merely passing the Ninja Academy graduation exam and becoming prospective genin was already an impressive achievement.
Out of an academy filled with students, only around twenty might successfully become genin candidates in a given year.
And among those few students, even fewer would already know chakra control exercises such as tree climbing and water walking.
Usually, they would only begin learning those things after being assigned to a jonin instructor.
Kakashi had already planned to teach them.
Instead, before he could even begin, all three students had already learned both exercises.
Their steps might still be somewhat unsteady, but their performance was already excellent.
"Kakashi-sensei, who was that guy just now?"
Naruto followed closely beside his big brother and finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
Originally, Naruto had been competing with Sasuke to see who could hold his breath underwater longer.
Then Kakashi had suddenly dragged everyone away, saying that a dangerous ninja was nearby.
That had made Naruto nervous.
Fortunately, his big brother was fine.
"Kisame Hoshigaki."
Kakashi answered casually.
"An S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure. He's extremely dangerous."
Kakashi had read Kisame's file before, though he had never personally fought him.
Information regarding rogue ninja from each hidden village was not necessarily secret.
Villages would often share such information with one another so that crimes committed by missing-nin would not automatically be blamed on their former villages.
For example, if Orochimaru suddenly assassinated the daimyo of the Land of Water, responsibility would fall on Orochimaru himself.
Konoha would not automatically be held accountable.
"Is he stronger than you, Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto's curiosity remained unstoppable.
Even the sea breeze could not prevent him from continuing to ask questions.
"He's extremely strong."
Kakashi did not deny it.
"And fighting him here would put me at a serious disadvantage."
If they were on land, Kakashi had some confidence.
But out at sea, things were different.
Kisame only needed to destroy the ship to gain an immediate advantage.
Ninja from Kirigakure were particularly skilled at Water Release.
Worse, Kakashi would also need to protect Naruto and the others during the fight.
Under those circumstances, he had no guarantee of victory.
Naruto scratched his head.
The strongest ninja he had personally seen so far was his big brother.
As for the Hokage old man, although Naruto knew he was the Hokage, he had never actually seen Hiruzen fight.
His strongest impression of the old man still came from watching him collapse after being hit by the Sexy Jutsu.
Kakashi was also extremely powerful in Naruto's eyes.
Because of that, Naruto had trouble imagining just how frightening a ninja who could threaten Kakashi might be.
Kenichi raised his head.
After walking across the sea for some time, they had finally reached the unfinished bridge.
There were obviously no ropes or ladders leading up from below.
This was where chakra control training for tree climbing became useful.
Just as Kenichi prepared to walk up one of the bridge supports, however, he suddenly heard the sounds of battle above.
He paused.
Kenichi quieted his breathing and listened carefully.
There was definitely something colliding repeatedly overhead.
Without context, someone might have mistaken the rhythmic sounds for the kind of commotion coming from a first-class cabin.
However, these impacts were obviously far louder than anything like that.
"Move up quietly."
Kakashi had naturally heard it as well.
His expression immediately became serious.
Naruto and Sasuke obediently nodded.
Kenichi, meanwhile, had already started walking up the support pillar.
He evenly distributed chakra across the soles of his feet.
To him, walking vertically up the pillar was no different from strolling across flat ground.
Kenichi suddenly thought that if he ever returned to his previous life, he could probably become the greatest magician in the world.
Other magicians needed props and elaborate setups.
He needed nothing.
No method used to expose magic tricks would work on him.
Perhaps he could even write a book.
The Magician Who Returned from the Shinobi World.
Or maybe The Magician Traveling Between the Shinobi World and the City.
Something along those lines.
Kakashi glanced at his three students, who were steadily moving upward, and his mouth twitched.
He increasingly felt that his existence as their teacher was unnecessary.
Still, he quickly accelerated.
He needed to determine who was fighting above, assess their strength, and decide how Team 7 should respond.
Depending on the situation, he might even allow his students to gain some combat experience.
"Kakashi really is impatient."
Kenichi watched him rush upward and smacked his lips.
Kakashi's speed truly was impressive.
Kenichi yawned and followed at a leisurely pace.
Naruto and Sasuke saw this and refused to fall behind.
Before long, the two boys began competing over who could climb faster.
Fortunately, the bridge was not especially high.
Kakashi soon reached the bridge deck.
However, he did not immediately climb onto it.
Instead, he remained at the edge and cautiously looked ahead.
"That's..."
Kakashi's pupil contracted.
He instantly recognized the people fighting.
Before he could react further, another head appeared beside him.
Kenichi.
Kenichi rested against the broken edge of the unfinished bridge and looked toward the battle.
The Land of Waves was covered in thick mist.
However, the fog did little to obstruct his vision.
One of the combatants was Zabuza Momochi, wielding Kubikiribocho.
The other was...
"Huh? Isn't that..."
Naruto's head suddenly popped up as well.
Sasuke was already lying beside Kenichi, which made Naruto the last to arrive.
But the instant he saw the battle ahead, his attention was completely captured.
Before Naruto could finish speaking, Kenichi covered his mouth with one hand.
His other hand supported his entire body against the edge of the bridge.
He did not even need chakra for such a minor exertion.
Kenichi's expression became strange.
He genuinely had not expected the Land of Waves mission that Team 7 had missed to be assigned to Team 8 instead.
Kurenai Yuhi was currently fighting Zabuza Momochi, while a member of the Aburame Clan was joining the others in dealing with Haku.
Judging from Kurenai's condition, fighting the Demon of the Hidden Mist had not been easy.
Her shoulder was still wrapped in bandages.
"You three, move over quietly from here and help Team 8 deal with that one."
Kakashi lowered his head again.
He did not keep staring.
Experienced ninja possessed extremely sharp instincts.
If Zabuza sensed someone observing him, things could become troublesome.
At the same time, Kakashi began preparing a ninjutsu.
He had no idea why Team 8 had accepted a mission dangerous enough to involve Zabuza Momochi.
However, they were all Konoha ninja.
Kakashi naturally could not stand aside and watch.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata quietly moved forward to support Team 8.
Kenichi remained where he was, resting his chin on one hand.
A battle at this level was somewhat boring to him.
He might as well treat it as watching anime.
A fully immersive, five-dimensional version of anime.
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].