"An invitation?!"
That word cut through Kisame's bewildered thoughts. His small eyes suddenly widened, and his pupils slightly contracted in the firelight. What shook him even more were the words that followed: "Reshaping this false world."
This extremely arrogant declaration was like a stone dropped into stagnant water, stirring ripples in his heart.
However, for Kisame, who had long tasted betrayal and harbored the deepest suspicion of all promises, such a vague and grand slogan was far from enough.
"Heh heh..." Kisame let out a hoarse, cold laugh, his grip on Samehada not loosening an inch. "This is quite unexpected, Lord Menma. Unlike the terrifying rumors circulating in the Ninja World, you're quite good at preaching."
His tone carried sharp skepticism.
"But, with all due respect, what essential difference is there between the 'truth' you speak of and the 'betrayal' I just personally experienced? It's merely jumping from one cage into another, perhaps a more beautifully decorated one."
Kisame needed an answer, an answer that could truly sting his numb nerves and show him a glimmer of different light.
He stared intently at the fox mask, wanting to pierce through it and see whether a lord of salvation or another more cunning deceiver was hidden behind it.
"You say we are 'kindred spirits'? Then, please tell me—" Kisame's voice carried an almost obsessive questioning.
"What were you yourself betrayed by? How can you be so sure that you can see through the 'falseness' of this world? What if... what if the 'truth' you pursue turns out to be just another more elaborate deception? Wouldn't we be repeating the same tragedy?"
Listening to Kisame repeatedly use "truth" and "falseness" as if caught in a tongue-twisting loop, Menma, behind the mask, indeed felt a headache.
This guy's stubbornness was more troublesome than he had anticipated. But for this indispensable subordinate in the future, he had to give a perfect answer that would break through his mental defenses.
He paused briefly, thinking about how to express the complex truth in a way that people of this era could understand. A few seconds later, Menma spoke.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, you've misunderstood one thing," Menma said slowly. "I wasn't betrayed by a specific person or a Village, like you."
"The betrayal I experienced... was far more thorough and grander than that. What betrayed me was 'hope' itself. It was that naive expectation that by simply working hard and following certain rules, a beautiful future would come."
His tone held a hint of mockery, whether directed at himself or at that elusive "hope."
"And correspondingly, what I betrayed was not a specific faction. What I betrayed was the very 'rules' upon which this entire Ninja World operates. It was the unending cycle of hatred, deception, utilization, and being utilized—a destined fate."
"You ask me how I can be so sure? The answer is simple. Because I, like you, and even more devoutly than you, once tried to uphold that seemingly reasonable 'order' and believe in those high-sounding 'righteous causes'... until I personally touched its core and discovered that its foundation had long since completely rotted, beyond redemption."
According to the original world line's development, even if so-called peace was achieved, that fragile balance was merely an illusion. Ultimately... the external threat of the Ōtsutsuki arrived, making all efforts seem so ridiculous in the face of a higher level of power. Was this not a ultimate betrayal of "hope"?
"The falseness of this world, its root cause is not the superficial lies and deceptions, but in the 'contract' that maintains the entire order, which, from the moment it was first signed, was an empty promise destined to be unfulfilled."
"The strong define what 'truth' is as they please, while the weak... like you and I once were, are forced to endlessly repeat the cruel cycle of 'loyalty' and 'betrayal' within this framework."
Menma paused slightly, giving Kisame time to digest these words, then directly addressed the core question.
"You ask me if the 'truth' I pursue will become another, more advanced deception?"
"I cannot, and will not, give you a 'never-breaking' promise. Because such a promise, in itself, would become one of the 'falsenesses' I most despise. An empty check is meaningless."
"What I can offer you are only two things—"
"A key, and a trial."
"Kisame Hoshigaki, walk with me. I will create a true 'place to belong' for you—not based on interest or fear, but on the 'truth' we are about to jointly uphold. I will be your companion, not just in words, but a companion who truly stands back-to-back with you, with our blades pointing in the same direction."
"What we will cut down will not only be the bodies of enemies, but also the foundation of all falsehood in this world, breaking that pathetic cycle. And the price... is your entire past, and your as-yet-unknown future."
Menma's voice carried a final, undeniable challenge. "Now, tell me—do you have the courage to grasp this key, which might lead to hell, or might lead to new life?"
Kisame stood frozen in place, his muscles seemingly numb, only his heart pounding wildly in his chest, the sound of blood rushing roaring in his ears. He could barely breathe, because the scene Menma described was precisely the ultimate answer he yearned for in his deepest dreams, yet never dared to voice—true companionship, and a world completely free of falsehood, raw and real.
This promise was as beautiful as an illusion. Logically, with his many years of experience in darkness, he should have been more vigilant, should have repeatedly questioned Menma's motives, speculating whether a deeper trap lay behind this... But at this moment, an almost instinctive impulse overwhelmed all rational considerations.
It was too similar... These words were almost as if they had directly peered into Kisame's deepest confusion and were tailor-made answers.
True companions... a world without falsehood... If there was even one in ten thousand chance that this promise was true, even if what lay ahead was a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, eternal damnation, Kisame would risk everything to seize it!
However, precisely because the weight of this promise was too heavy, heavy enough for him to stake his soul, Kisame still needed one last thing—an undeniable reassurance that would allow him to completely cut off his retreat and fully surrender his past and future. He needed Menma to prove that these were not just beautiful words.
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