"Your life must be difficult, eh ?"
"Mr. Itachi, did you ever see yourself clearly before you died?"
"I also wish to see it—Infinite Tsukuyomi… There is a real world free of falsehood."
"Hoshigaki Kisame, I will remember you for the rest of my life."
…
Fragments of memories flooded in.
On a dam somewhere along the border of the Land of Water, a 12-year-old Hoshigaki Kisame awoke from a midday nap with a splitting headache and cold sweat streaming from his forehead. It was as if the young ninja had just escaped a nightmare.
Instinctively, he clenched the hilt of his ninja sword and looked around. All was as usual—ninja companions patrolling or resting nearby, and workers busy repairing the dam that had suffered enemy damage.
Kisame's expression shifted several times before he slowly rose, walked to the water's edge, and gazed at the clear, calm water.
Reflected on the surface was a slightly childish face—blue skin, short, straight blue hair, and a pair of distinctive, dead-fish eyes framed by gill-like marks on either side of his cheeks.
At first glance, the face wasn't ugly—it was unique, with a strong personality. Yet even as his features began to mature, one could almost label him a "villain" or a "miscellaneous fish" based on his unconventional looks.
As he examined his reflection, Kisame unexpectedly burst into laughter. He had never imagined that, as a modern human from the 21st century, he could traverse into the world of Naruto and be reborn as a young ninja like himself—a living embodiment of his favorite antihero.
Those memories that flooded his mind were all interwoven with the familiar plots of the Naruto anime.
Then again—
Had Kisame in his previous life truly seen himself before he died?
Hoshigaki Kisame—a ninja of impeccable etiquette.
He always addressed Itachi as "Mr. Itachi," even referring to Jiraiya respectfully as "Jiraiya-sama." He fought with honesty, strictly obeyed his superiors' orders, and executed his missions with unwavering precision.
Yet in the process, he had to kill his comrades repeatedly and even summoned sharks to devour his own flesh—just to safeguard vital information.
In the grand scheme of the Hokage's era, compared to the "Ming Zuo" who had achieved immortality, Kisame—having perished before—was merely an ordinary ninja.
As he once laughed at himself: "I'm just a sideshow, a mere supporting act."
And yet, this humble role made him one of the truest ninjas in the Naruto world.
For from the very beginning, Hoshigaki Kisame had forged his own path of perseverance.
Some may meet death with quiet resignation, and in the fading light of day, one might even hear a whispered truth:
"Mr. Itachi, to call me hopeless is not entirely accurate."
Kisame was, indeed, a truly formidable man.
Pity.
In his life, Kisame made two fatal mistakes: he was both weak and foolish.
Although he had long seen through the falsehoods of the world, he lacked the power to change it. Bewitched by Obito, he yearned to witness the world fashioned by Infinite Tsukuyomi—a world of eternal peace and beauty.
Kisame believed this vision with all his heart and sacrificed everything for it, without regret.
But in the end, his efforts proved fruitless—and betrayal came even from those he trusted.
"Weakness is a sin, and it is unwise to ignore your superiors."
Kisame sighed, his eyes scanning the vast river before him, fixed on the distant horizon.
In any case, from that moment on, he would no longer be seen as a mere subordinate. He would be Hoshigaki Kisame.
With a chance at a new life, he resolved to live for himself alone.
He was Hoshigaki Kisame—neither a sidekick nor just background noise.
After spending some time sorting through his thoughts, Kisame shifted his focus to the present.
This was the 44th year of Konoha. It had been six or seven years since the end of the Second Ninja World War. After a long period of peace, tensions and disputes began to stir in the ninja world.
Recently, a small-scale conflict had erupted between the Hidden Mist Village—home to Kisame—and Hidden Wind Village, one of the five great ninja nations, over valuable iron and ore resources on a peninsula in the southern sea.
For a time, both sides were deadlocked.
Then, an unidentified ninja infiltrated the Land of Water, blowing up bridges and dams in a rampage that caused tremendous damage.
Even if one considered it from any angle, it was clear that the assailants were from the Hidden Sand Village.
Thus, the young Kisame was assigned to a team tasked with hunting down and destroying the enemy in the region.
Just a day earlier, after Kisame's team had located the damaged dam, workers had been summoned immediately to begin repairs.
As a shinobi with two years of field experience, Kisame's temporary assignment was to remain at the site, ensure the repairs were completed, and remain vigilant against further enemy attacks.
Meanwhile, their superior—Mangetsu Hozuki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—had dispatched an elite unit to pursue the enemy, threatening to annihilate them from the Land of Water.
Kisame took up his ninja sword and began patrolling the dam, gradually adapting to his new body and circumstances.
Then—huh?
His eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted a mound of white lime, piled high like a small hill, clearly used in the dam's repairs.
Quietly, Kisame approached, collected some of the lime, and stashed it in his sleeve.
Before this, he had been known as a fierce fighter—aggressive by nature yet kind-hearted. To confront gangsters and wrongdoers, he had long practiced unrestricted street fighting.
One of his most famous exploits involved using a small pair of scissors to seriously injure three gangsters who attempted to murder a woman jogging at night. Not only was he commended by local authorities, but he also became a minor celebrity in the local newspapers.
When asked why he carried scissors on his nightly runs, he replied simply:
"Because machetes aren't allowed."
Scissors, unlike controlled knives, could be legally carried. And in his unrestricted fighting style, everyday items like scissors and lime were perfect—readymade weapons that could be used at a moment's notice for punishing evil and promoting justice.
After stashing two hundred catties of lime in his sleeve, Kisame continued his patrol with a contented air.
Time passed swiftly.
As the sun set, painting the sky with vibrant hues, the water shimmered as if draped in gold.
The dam's repairs were complete. Workers, exhausted from a day's labor, packed up and headed to a nearby pub for a well-deserved drink.
Kisame and his comrades were about to move on to their next mission—to search for further traces of the enemy.
Yet, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a sudden, resounding explosion.
Boom.
Not far away, in the woods by the shore, a violent blast erupted—firelight streaked skyward as thick black smoke billowed.
Soon after, another flash of lightning split the darkness in the depths of the woods. The blue electric light coalesced into the shape of a dragon, raging and toppling countless trees.
Startled birds took to the air, darting over the heads of Kisame and the others.
A powerful chakra reaction filled the air.
Kisame's pupils constricted further as he sensed powerful ninjas clashing nearby. The enemy was rapidly closing in on the dam.
Really.
Within seconds, a figure burst out of the woods, his expression sheepish. It was a man with long green hair and a bandaged upper body, wielding a pair of lightning-encrusted swords.
He was Mangetsu Hozuki, one of the famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
At this moment, the elite Jōnin of Hidden Mist Village—wounded and desperate, like a lost stray—had been chased here.
"There's an enemy attack—it's the Hidden Sand village ninja!"
"Lord Hozuki is injured!"
Seeing Mangetsu Hozuki's disheveled state, everyone on the dam was shocked and rushed forward to help.
"Stop them for me!"
Mangetsu Hozuki roared at Kisame and the others, then executed a teleportation jutsu, transforming into a flash of thunderlight that zipped past the crowd and fled downstream.
Hearing their superior's order, the ever-loyal Kisame instinctively gripped his ninja sword, prepared to join his comrades in repelling the enemy.
But the next moment, he suddenly woke up.
"Even Mangetsu Hozuki can't fend off the enemy, can he?"
At this time, although Kisame was already regarded as one of the best among his peers, his strength was barely sufficient for promotion to Chūnin. His potential had yet to fully bloom, far from the fearsome "tailless beast" of legend.
Then—
"Ah!" "Ah!"
A chorus of screams erupted from the front.
Kisame looked up to see that several of his advancing companions had been struck by strange fireballs. In an instant, their bodies' water evaporated, leaving behind mummified corpses—a death both horrifying and excruciating.
After dispatching Kirigakure's ninja, these fireballs ricocheted and circled around a woman.
She was in her twenties, with delicate features and green hair tied into a bun. Two strands of orange bangs framed her face, lending her a distinctive allure. Unlike other Sand ninja who wrapped themselves tightly, she wore a bold halter dress with white bandages around her waist, recklessly accentuating her figure.
Beautiful and dangerous.
This was none other than Pakura from Hidden Sand Village, leading a detachment of Shayin Anbu. They systematically launched their siege, ruthlessly slaughtering Kirigakure's ninjas and workers until the dam ran red with blood.
Upon witnessing this brutal scene, Kisame turned and ran without hesitation.
He was no longer the obedient ninja who had followed orders without question.
Yet, even as he fled, he found himself a step behind.
Whoosh.
A Sand Village jonin appeared like a specter. With a cold, unyielding expression, the man launched a storm-like attack at Kisame with a kunai in hand.
Naturally, Kisame would not remain idle. With a fierce glint in his eyes, he counterattacked desperately.
Clang clang!
The battle had only begun…
And so the tale of Hoshigaki Kisame—reborn in the Naruto universe as a renegade ninja determined to rewrite his destiny—unfolds amid chaos, loyalty, and the eternal struggle for a brighter future.