Chapter 455: I Have Long Been One of Hidden Leaf Village!
On the front lines of the Hidden Mist Village, the battle was deadlocked.
On the surging sea, the Hidden Leaf Village landing forces were engaged in fierce combat with the Kirigakure Ninja, who were putting up a stubborn resistance by leveraging their advantage over the coastline and waters.
The flashes of Water Release Ninjutsu rose and fell; massive Water Dragon Bullets collided with Exploding Water Colliding Waves, stirring up mists and waves that filled the sky.
Although the Konoha Ninja were well-trained, they still found it difficult to advance in this aquatic combat environment, which was the Hidden Mist's specialty.
Relying on their mastery of Water Release and the Chakra savings and power bonuses afforded by being by the sea with its abundant moisture, the Kirigakure Ninja held firmly onto their beachhead. This made Hidden Leaf Village's advance exceptionally slow, and they were still locked in a brutal amphibious assault.
The Hidden Leaf Village side had been beaten back several times during their landing attempts.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Kakashi, having just landed, slammed his hands onto the ground. A sturdy earthen wall rose from the earth, blocking several incoming Water Gun shots.
Just as he caught his breath, the corner of his eye caught a disturbance in the sea to his side.
"Water Release: Water Snake Biting Burst!"
A giant water snake, condensed from seawater with ferocious fangs, suddenly lunged out from the waves. It opened its massive maw, wide enough to swallow a person, and with tremendous hydraulic force, it viciously pounced toward Kakashi!
Kakashi's pupils constricted. His Sharingan spun rapidly, searching for a weak point, but the water snake was too fast and covered too wide an area; it was difficult to fully evade or defend against it in such a rush!
Just at this critical moment.
"Ice Release: Ice Sealing Technique!"
A low shout rang out.
Bone-chilling cold erupted from thin air, sweeping across like an invisible frost storm!
The viciously lunging water snake, starting from its head, rapidly solidified and was covered in a thick, crystal-clear layer of ice at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, the entire water snake was completely frozen, turning into a massive ice sculpture. It remained frozen in mid-air in its lunging posture before shattering with a "crack" and falling into the sea, splashing up countless ice shards.
"Is this... Ice Release?"
Kakashi was stunned and looked toward the source of the cold.
The opposing Kirigakure Ninja also realized it was the lost Ice Release and turned their gazes toward the direction the technique had come from.
They saw a small boat moving at high speed, riding the waves not far away.
Two people stood on the boat, both dressed in samurai attire.
The person in front, tall and sturdy, held two swords. His face was wrapped in bandages, revealing only a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes—it was Zabuza Momochi!
Half a step behind him stood a young man with delicate features and a calm demeanor, holding a katana that glinted with a cold light—it was Haku!
The Ice Release that had instantly frozen the water snake moments ago had clearly come from him.
"Long time no see, Kakashi. Looks like you've run into some trouble!"
Zabuza's voice carried over the waves, filled with the teasing tone of a long-awaited reunion.
"Zabuza? Haku?"
Kakashi was indeed quite surprised.
Since parting ways in the Land of Waves, these two had vanished without a trace. He hadn't expected them to appear at this moment, and judging by their attire and bearing, it seemed... they had lived in the Land of Iron for some time?
Zabuza was already a mature Ninja, and Haku's aura had gained an added sense of samurai-like sternness.
The two now possessed a bit of the air of wandering knights.
Zabuza nodded, concise and to the point.
"An old acquaintance claimed to be acting under the orders of the Sixth Hokage to find us and ask us to help."
He didn't elaborate on who the "old acquaintance" was, but the title "Sixth Hokage" was enough to explain everything.
Upon hearing the name "Sixth Hokage," the surrounding Konoha Ninja, who had been struggling in battle, immediately perked up and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
The anxiety and fatigue caused by the prolonged stalemate were replaced by a new wave of hope.
"I didn't expect the Sixth Hokage to have a backup plan!"
"To think he could even dispatch an S-rank rogue Ninja from the Hidden Mist..."
Their hushed discussions were filled with admiration for the Hokage-sama.
And for the Hidden Mist Village, the name "Demon Zabuza Momochi" was thunderous, carrying with it more than a hint of fear.
This ruthless man, who had killed all the other candidates in his class during the Ninja Academy graduation exam, was intimately familiar with the Hidden Mist Village's combat styles, terrain, and even many of its secrets and weaknesses—few knew them better than he did.
His arrival was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for Hidden Leaf Village and a heavy blow to the morale of the Hidden Mist.
"Rest assured, Mr. Zabuza."
A voice came from behind Zabuza's boat.
"The rest of your life, and Mr. Haku's, will be very secure. This is the Sixth Hokage's promise."
Everyone followed the sound and saw another small boat following Zabuza and the others at a leisurely pace. On the boat stood an unusually burly man with shark gills on both sides of his cheeks.
He wore the standard green flak jacket of a Hidden Leaf Village Jonin, and on his forehead, he distinctly wore a Konoha Ninja headband. On his shoulder, he casually carried a giant weapon wrapped in bandages, though its ferocious silhouette was still visible—Samehada!
"S-rank rogue Ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki!"
In the Kirigakure camp, many veteran Ninja immediately recognized the newcomer, letting out shouts of shock and rage.
Kisame's "infamy" in the Hidden Mist was in no way inferior to Zabuza's, and perhaps even surpassed it due to his cruelty and immense power.
At this moment, Kisame was wearing a Hidden Leaf Village vest, a Hidden Leaf Village headband, and carrying Samehada, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. His shark-like gills flared with each breath, and he bared his sharp teeth in a grin that looked rather ferocious. Objectively speaking, he really did drag down the average appearance of the Hidden Leaf Village side.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, you bastard, why are you wearing Hidden Leaf Village clothes?!"
In the Kirigakure camp, a Ninja who knew Kisame couldn't help but roar angrily, his tone filled with the fury of betrayal.
"Haha!"
Hearing this, Kisame was not annoyed; instead, he let out two loud laughs that sent ripples across the sea. "Actually, I've long been one of Hidden Leaf Village!"
Shouldering Samehada, he swept his gaze over his former fellow villagers, his tone carrying a reckless kind of honesty: "I was recruited by the Akatsuki Organization before, and hanging out with the Akatsuki Organization wasn't bad either. But—"
He changed his tone, his shark-like face revealing a near-devout fanaticism: "Following the Sixth Hokage allows me to have a much broader world!"
Kisame's survival philosophy was simple and direct: Whoever could let Kisame live, Kisame would follow. Whoever wanted Kisame dead, Kisame would kill!
He had once respected Suikazan Fuguki, viewing him as a Senior and a role model. But when he discovered Suikazan Fuguki's true face, he killed him without hesitation and took Samehada.
Later, he joined the Akatsuki Organization. During a mission where he accompanied Obito to the Hidden Cloud Village to intercept Naruto, who was preparing to attack the Hidden Cloud, he was won over by Naruto's absolute strength and philosophy, and thus "switched jobs" to Hidden Leaf Village.
For Kisame, this was not betrayal; it was simply choosing a stronger person and a path that better aligned with his creed of "survival and power."
Now, standing here as a Hidden Leaf Village Jonin facing his former village, his eyes held only excitement for the coming battle and a faithful execution of the "Hokage-sama's" orders.
It was he who had sought out Zabuza and Haku. While he called them old acquaintances, in truth, the two weren't very familiar with each other. However, they were among the few nodding acquaintances each had left in this world.
Kakashi looked at the arriving Zabuza and Haku, followed by Kisame Hoshigaki bringing up the rear, a flash of realization and emotion crossing his eyes.
Naruto is truly something else!
With these three "former Hidden Mist elites," who knew the Hidden Mist inside and out and possessed formidable strength, joining the fray, this difficult amphibious assault might soon break the stalemate.
He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and ordered the surrounding Konoha Ninja: "All troops, coordinate with Zabuza, Haku, and Kisame! Concentrate your power and break through the Kirigakure right flank!"
"Yes!" The Konoha Ninja's morale soared.
On the Kirigakure side, Mei Terumi's expression turned exceptionally ugly upon seeing these three "traitors" appear, especially Kisame carrying Samehada.
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