Chapter 27: The Night is Far from Over

The new chapter is now available!

Additionally, the latest Patreon early-access chapters have been updated to Chapter 80.

Thank you all for enjoying this work!

patreon.com/DarkGolds

————————————————————————————————————————

Hoshigaki Kisame's fate seemed sealed.

At least, that was what Naruto had mistakenly predicted.

Due to Naruto's unexpected actions, Obito had not declared war during the Five Kage Summit as originally planned, leading to a cascade of unforeseen consequences.

In the original timeline, after the Five Kage Summit, the Raikage quickly located Killer Bee. This was a result of all the major shinobi villages uniting against a common enemy and forming joint search teams.

But this time, the situation was different. Only Kumogakure had formed a search team, which significantly slowed down their progress.

And then, there was Kisame's mission.

Obito, a man of meticulous foresight, had previously anticipated that declaring war would compel the Five Great Shinobi Nations to unite and protect the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails for their collective wartime interests. In such a scenario, it would have been more strategic for Kisame to fake his death and infiltrate, uncovering their protective stronghold and capturing both jinchūriki in one fell swoop.

But this time, with Naruto defecting from Konohagakure, even if war broke out, he would not be shielded by the Five Great Nations.

Different circumstances called for different strategies.

If capturing both jinchūriki at once was no longer feasible, then the approach would be divide and conquer.

Thus, there was no need for subterfuge. Kisame's mission this time was straightforward: defeat Killer Bee and bring him back to Akatsuki's base, securing the Eight-Tails firmly in their grasp.

Splash—!!

Amidst a forest nearly razed to the ground, water splashed violently as Killer Bee, his chakra completely drained, collapsed to the ground, powerless.

It should be noted that Samehada's supposed betrayal in the past had merely been a prearranged ruse.

In this altered chain of events, there was no longer any need for Kisame to stage a betrayal, and certainly no need for White Zetsu to sacrifice himself as a decoy.

"Huff... huff... huff..." Kisame panted heavily. "What a stubborn octopus bastard! But now, you should behave yourself."

Indeed, the Eight-Tails had been utterly defeated by the man known as the tailless tailed beast.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!!

White Zetsu emerged from the ground nearby. "As expected of you, Kisame—reliable as always..."

Kisame, bare-chested, asked, "Where's the leader?"

White Zetsu replied, "Tobi is preoccupied at the moment and can't come."

After all, Sasuke had decided to transplant Itachi's eyes, and Obito needed to prioritize that task.

White Zetsu thought to himself, *Besides, this remote wilderness isn't marked by his Kamui's spatial coordinates, so he can't teleport here.*

He said aloud, "Head east for a hundred kilometers. There's a village that used to serve as one of our safehouses. Bring the jinchūriki there, and Tobi should arrive by the time you get there."

Swish!

Kisame hefted his massive blade, Samehada, and slung the barely conscious Killer Bee over it. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's move."

White Zetsu cautioned, "Be careful. I've received intelligence that Kumogakure's forces are already searching for the Eight-Tails. It's possible you'll encounter them. The Raikage is furious that his brother has fallen into our hands again..."

Kisame smirked. "The Raikage, huh? With taijutsu even more formidable than that beast from Konohagakure, he's a tough opponent. If Itachi were still alive, dealing with him would have been much easier."

White Zetsu remarked, "Akatsuki is indeed facing a manpower shortage right now. Once the Eight-Tails is securely ours, we can focus all our remaining strength on capturing the Nine-Tails. Fortunately, Sasuke is still on our side. By choosing to transplant Itachi's eyes, he's about to gain a whole new level of power."

Kisame mused, "Itachi's little brother, huh? Even with Itachi's eyes, what he sees may not be the same as what Itachi saw. The future of Akatsuki... it's truly something to anticipate."

"Then we'll await your good news, Kisame..."

With that, White Zetsu sank back into the ground.

Under the cover of night, Kisame, with his blade and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki Killer Bee, began his journey to the designated village.

It was this hundred-kilometer stretch of road that would rewrite the course of his life...