get-shopping Chapter 200 The Last Member
Chapter 200 The Last Member
"I advise you to think carefully before making a decision," Kakashi said with unusual seriousness. "The Chunin Exams... are not a ninja game or child's play. Once you step into the exam hall, it means you will face real danger, possibly even a life-or-death test."
He seemed to want to give the students some time to process what he had just learned, but then, as if remembering something, he called back the three who were about to leave and added a somber message.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing... consider this a reminder. Just a few days ago, one of your classmates, that guy named Nagatsuki..."
He briefly recounted what had happened: Nagatsuki's squad had accepted a C-rank escort mission, but they encountered rogue ninja from Kirigakure along the way.
That Changyue, for some reason, chose to use an axe as her main weapon, and in the battle, she was accidentally caught in a rather low-level illusion spell by her opponent.
Then he started babbling incoherently, shouting strange things like "486," completely absorbed in his hallucination, wildly swinging his axe at the open space...
As a result... he was killed by the opponent's summoning beast, the Snow Rabbit used as a substitute.
Upon hearing the news, Naruto showed no obvious reaction. The two of them didn't even exchange a single word with that guy named Nagatsuki Tatsumi.
Naruto's mind was filled with a comprehensive assessment of the upcoming Chunin Exams and a sense of crisis.
The Chunin Exams... This seemingly ordinary promotion test, according to the original story, actually conceals a devastating attack on Konoha—Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan!
Naruto quickly listed in his mind the possible threats that Orochimaru's plan might pose.
Orochimaru himself was one of the three legendary Sannin, a powerful expert in forbidden techniques.
Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, is the terrifying tailed beast that Gaara of Sunagakure transforms into after losing control.
The entire Sound Village: a ninja village established by Orochimaru, which will launch a full-scale attack on Konoha.
Kabuto Yakushi: A deeply hidden spy, with exceptional medical ninjutsu and strategic skills.
The First and Second Hokage were resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique. Fortunately, Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation technique was not yet perfect, and the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who was summoned, was far less than one-tenth of his peak strength in life.
Fortunately, the technique was imperfect; otherwise, with the First Hokage's full power at his peak, there would have been no chance at all...
However, Naruto also clearly realized that he had changed too many things, and the butterfly effect could cause the original plot to deviate in an unknown way.
However... the power he now wields is vastly different from what it used to be, and he is no longer afraid of Orochimaru's threat!
The list of core combat members that the [Ember] organization had already assembled appeared in his mind.
Uchiha Shisui, the Shisui of Body Flicker who possesses Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.
Kakuzu, an experienced Earth Grudge monster with five lives.
Deidara, a genius of explosive art.
Zabuza Momochi, the Hidden Mist Demon, is a master of silent assassination techniques.
Haku is a boy who possesses a rare Ice Release bloodline limit.
And... not long ago, when the organization members were searching for Sasori of the Red Sand, Kisame Hoshigaki was successfully recruited under the identity of Menma!
That happened not long ago...
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On the border of the Land of Water, deep within a damp and dark cave.
The campfire crackled, its leaping flames the only source of light and heat in the deathly silence, barely dispelling the chill and moisture seeping in from the cracks in the rock walls. A burly figure sat silently before the fire.
The orange-red firelight illuminated a bewildered, ferocious face—grayish-blue skin, clear, shark-gill-like lines on the sides of its cheeks, a mouthful of sharp, saw-like teeth, and small, yet menacing eyes.
Overall, it looks like a shark that has been separated from the seawater and forced to take human form.
Wearing the standard uniform of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu, what was most eye-catching was the huge object on his back that was tightly wrapped with white straps.
It was Kisame Hoshigaki, the traitorous ninja from Kirigakure.
However, what was completely out of place with his fierce appearance was his gaze at this moment. Those small eyes, which should have been full of malice, were now staring blankly at the flickering flames, as if he wanted to throw his own soul into them and burn it all away.
Companions? Village? What do these concepts, which once supported him in wielding his blade, truly represent?
Scenes from the past uncontrollably flooded his mind. The bewildered looks in the dying eyes of his "comrades" whom he had personally executed under the guise of "protecting the village" during the covert missions… Were they truly a threat? Or were they simply objects to be eliminated because they "might" leak information?
As comrades, why is the only path left for us to kill each other?
What followed was an even deeper irony. The confidential information that he risked his life, even at the cost of his comrades' blood, to protect, was easily betrayed by the very superior he served.
The "loyalty" that he had earned with the lives of countless "comrades" turned out to be nothing more than a discardable chip in a higher game.
The so-called camaraderie is fake... Why is the information that you would kill your comrades to protect also fake in the end?
The meaning of the mission, the village's loyalty, all faith collapsed in an instant. It turned out that everything he had always held dear was rotten to the core, filled with nauseating falsehood and utter betrayal.
He killed his superior who had betrayed him. With the blade the superior had given him, the blade called "Protect the Village," he slit his throat. The warm touch of the blood splattering on his face felt far more real than the campfire in the cave.
But then what?
He became a rogue ninja, killed his superior, and broke free from that hypocritical cage... and then what?
A profound sense of bewilderment and an even deeper despair, like the thick fog that blankets the cave, enveloped him completely. Flames flickered in his eyes, yet they offered no light for his path forward.
In this vast world, where should Kisame Hoshigaki go?
"Found it. You've really had a tough time hiding like this all this time."
A strange, deep male voice came out of the shadows at the cave entrance without warning.
"The Blood Mist Village policy... it really is a great gift to me."
Kisame's muscles tensed instantly, almost instinctively, and his hands gripped the hilt of Samehada on his back tightly, the blade writhing restlessly beneath the bandages.
Who is it?! The Hidden Mist's pursuit force?
He stared intently in the direction of the sound, a wary glint in his eyes. The atmosphere in the cave suddenly froze, leaving only the crackling of the campfire and the approaching, unhurried footsteps.
However, when the figure fully emerged from the shadows and revealed its distinctive features in the flickering light of the campfire, Kisame's tall body couldn't help but tremble slightly, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind!
That fox mask with its eerie curve at the corners of its mouth, that jet-black robe... in the ninja world today, this outfit has long been an ominous symbol that people fear to even mention.
It's the leader of the [Jin] organization himself—Menma!
This was the first time Kisame had seen this mysterious leader in person, but he was no stranger to the name and image of "Menma".
When he was still a tool of the Fog Concealment, one of the highest priority orders he received was that in any mission, if it was confirmed that he had encountered members of the [Jin] organization and they showed any intention to investigate, he must eliminate all "comrades" at the scene who might leak information at all costs... especially this leader!
"Hmph... Hehehe..." Kisame let out a low, hoarse laugh, tinged with self-mockery and amusement. "Truly... an unexpected visit from an 'important figure.' So, Lord Menma, what brings you here today?"
Beneath the mask, Menma's heart was indeed filled with surprise—according to the original work, Kisame should have already been recruited by Obito by now. It seems that in this timeline, some "scripts" have indeed deviated.
The butterfly effect? ...But since that guy was busy with something and missed this train...then, I'll accept this 'gift' without hesitation.
Faced with Kisame's wary and probing questioning, Menma slowly raised his hand and made a gesture to calm down.
"Kisame, your blade has been stained with countless unseen filths for that hypocritical 'village.' You witnessed the darkness and betrayal hidden beneath the 'order' earlier and more profoundly than most people in this world."
"Now, everything you once fought so hard to protect has discarded you like trash, which proves just how illusory and vulnerable the old order was."
Menma's gaze pierced through the fox mask, looking directly into Kisame's eyes, which were filled with confusion and ferocity.
"I am not here to give alms or show pity, but as a fellow traveler in the real world, I extend an invitation to you—an invitation to join an organization that dares to confront and intends to reshape this false world."