17. Ghost Lanterns under the Full Moon

Bald, bald... Hearing those words, Ye Cang felt nothing but despair, sinking deeper into hopelessness. Alas, it seems I'm not very good at comforting others. This thought crossed Kisame's mind as he was the first to step out of the cave. Ye Cang watched Kisame's back, and after a moment she gathered her spirits and followed him outside. During that process, she hesitated but eventually placed the straw hat on her head. Surprisingly, it fit well and felt comfortable.

They came to the cave entrance. It was already dawn; the pale blue sky held a scattering of stars, and a waning moon hung at the horizon. The early breeze brushed gently, carrying the scent of earth and wildflowers from the forest, invigorating the senses. The man and woman stood eye to eye, silent for a while.

"I'll be going now." Ye Cang gazed deeply at Kisame, then suddenly bowed quickly to him before leaving without a backward glance.

Kisame watched Ye Cang heading west, her figure soon vanishing into the dense mountains and forests of the Land of Water. The horizon began to lighten, and the first rays of morning pierced the darkness between heaven and earth. It was a new day.

Would Ye Cang begin a new life and change her own fate? Kisame did not know. He simply hated this world, so steeped in fatalism and cycles of karma, where everyone’s destiny seemed arranged by unseen hands—who would be the protagonist, who the supporting cast, who the villain, all foreordained.

Kisame was unsatisfied being the only one to rebel against fate. So he had chosen someone like Ye Cang, injecting new variables into her life, giving her a chance to break free from destiny and stir the winds of the shinobi world. Only then would this ninja world become interesting, would it not?

Bringing his thoughts back, Kisame prepared to return to Hidden Mist. He took the water route again, first returning to yesterday’s battlefield and waiting a while. Before long, a group of Mist ninjas arrived hurriedly and entered the woods. Soon, there was a commotion from within. It appeared they had discovered the bodies of the Merciless Duo and the other shinobi.

Kisame dove underwater again, swimming toward the direction of the village. This time, the search-and-destroy squad sent by Hidden Mist numbered over a hundred, divided into twenty teams. After several days of intense battle, they had wiped out most of the Sand enemies, but their own numbers had been halved. The main combat team led by the Merciless Duo was completely annihilated. In the end, less than a fifth survived.

Some had also gone missing—whether truly dead or merely feigning death to defect to other countries or villages, no one could say. After all, rather than remain in Hidden Mist, where one could be dispatched on dangerous missions at any time, it was better to escape early and seek another livelihood.

On his way back to the village, Kisame encountered a depleted Mist squad. After some thought, he decided to "chance upon" them and return together, which would raise less suspicion than coming back alone. He used his long sword to cut his shoulder, deliberately controlling his chakra to prevent the wound from healing, then stumbled from the woods clutching his injury.

He successfully joined the squad. Along the way, an incident occurred: seeing Kisame wounded, someone tried to rob him, but was quickly subdued and then behaved themselves. Such was the Bloody Mist Village. In this place, one must always beware of their companions.

…

A week later.

The conflict over mineral resources between the Land of Wind and the Land of Water, which had lasted for months, finally came to an end. These two countries were separated by vast distances and bordered by the Land of Fire and other small nations; a full-scale war was impossible.

Upon returning to Hidden Sand, Ye Cang was received as a hero. At her own request, Sand did not make a grand announcement, but her feats—killing Black Hoe Thunder Fang, Chestnut Hail Marrow, and Munare Shinpachi—quickly spread among ninja circles in every village.

Ye Cang was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius ninja, with a bright future ahead.

By contrast, Hidden Mist’s reputation was thoroughly tarnished. Until now, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been Mist’s golden emblem, feared by all villages. There were even rumors that the Seven, acting together, could overthrow a nation overnight. But now, three were lost, their swords missing, and the once-proud title had become a laughingstock and a disgrace.

Worse yet for Mist, the daimyo of the Land of Water, upon hearing the news, was deeply displeased, and urgently summoned the Third Mizukage to his mansion for accountability. Upon meeting the Mizukage, the daimyo questioned the policies of the Bloody Mist and threatened to cut the village’s military funding.

The Third Mizukage was forced to give assurances, and upon returning to the village, immediately began a series of actions.

That day, Kisame, just released from the hospital after recovering from his wounds, received orders to report to the Mizukage’s office for questioning and investigation.

This was Kisame’s second time at this place. Along with him, other survivors of the recent search-and-destroy operation, totaling more than ten, were called in.

When it was Kisame’s turn, he claimed that his squad had encountered an enemy ambush; Zabuza and the others were killed, and he alone escaped by jumping into the river thanks to his swimming skills. He then encountered another depleted squad, joined them, and returned to Hidden Mist.

He stated he had never seen Sand’s Ye Cang nor knew anything about the battle in the woods.

The others’ stories closely matched Kisame's.

The Third Mizukage, finding nothing of value, waved them away.

Once everyone had left, a youth with long white hair and pale eyes slowly stepped out from behind the screen, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Full Moon, what do you think?" The Third Mizukage looked at the youth and asked.

Hozuki Full Moon, born into Mist’s illustrious Hozuki clan, had mastered the family’s secret Water Transformation at a young age and was a true prodigy. He was also the Third Mizukage’s disciple.

This Third Mizukage had grown up under the strict tutelage and careful guidance of the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu. After Gengetsu's death, he inherited his teacher's will and title, becoming Mizukage. Now, he had chosen Full Moon from the Hozuki clan as his disciple, teaching him closely and grooming him as the next Mizukage.

"Sensei, I’m very interested in that man called Kisame Hoshigaki. Even ‘Demon’ Zabuza was killed, yet he survived—how intriguing." Full Moon said.

He was a genius swordsman, beloved by the Seven Ninja Swords, and had often been in their company since childhood. Thus, when he heard Mist had lost the Thunder Sword, Long Sword, and Explosive Sword, he swore to retrieve them. Oddly, according to current information, Ye Cang had not brought the three ninja swords back to Sand. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

Full Moon’s attention to Kisame stemmed from Kisame’s participation in both search-and-destroy missions, surviving each time as one of the few left. Moreover, while Kisame was in the office, Full Moon sensed a strangely familiar aura from him—the aura of the ninja swords.

Full Moon was thus convinced that Kisame Hoshigaki had contact with the missing swords.

But he did not wish to alarm him, and planned to approach Kisame slowly, investigating the truth.