Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Yamagami won—and became the first civilian to kill a ninja in this battle. Likewise, Jin'an became the first ninja to die at the hands of a civilian.

"He won! The guy on the mountain won! He just proved to us the power of firearms! Give it up for him! And let's not forget the contestant at the three-point line. I hope people stop joking about him now. Sure, he tolerated the teasing, but he never said a word himself."

The commentator was clearly enjoying the drama, stirring the pot with flair.

Meanwhile, Mei Terumi only smiled faintly. Jin'an's death brought her nothing but benefits. She had promised him things—manipulated, deceived, and pressured him into entering. What irked her most was that he didn't die sooner.

The mountain incident was just a minor disturbance in the grand competition. It caught public interest for a short time, then faded as attention turned to other matches.

One thing worth mentioning—ninjas from the Land of Whirlpools displayed a unique trait: they recited bizarre poetry mid-battle, followed by shouting, "Knowledge is power!" as they charged in.

Lines like:

["The Master said: 'The Book of Songs has three hundred verses, and they can be summed up in one word: Think without evil.'"]

Or:

["Zixu once said: 'The 300+ techniques in the Corpse Classic that can transform enemies into corpses all have one goal—to rip apart their spirit, leaving them untouched by evil spirits.']

This fusion of textbook quotes and real combat left spectators feeling a strange sense of disconnect.

Then, there was their sealing jutsu. As expected from the Land of Whirlpools—the birthplace of sealing arts—their skills were top-tier.

"There's a lot of good stuff in the Land of Whirlpools," muttered Onoki as he looked down at the arena. "Shame I can't use any of it."

He wasn't alone. Chiyo and Mei Terumi shared similar thoughts. After all, no matter how powerful a weapon was, if they couldn't use it, it might as well not exist.

But none of this mattered to Zixu. He couldn't care less about their opinions.

Currently, Zixu was lounging on the Iron Throne, head resting on his left hand, watching the restrained Kisame silently.

"I didn't expect you to be this loyal," Zixu said, raising his eyebrows while tapping his fingers on the armrest, the sound echoing metallically in the hidden chamber. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Kisame face remained unreadable. Zixu had sealed his cross-muscle fusion mode, rendering him unable to use it.

Knowing there was no way out, Kisame stayed quiet, only forming hand seals to summon a shark—hoping it would kill him. He refused to betray his comrades.

"...I can't use ninjutsu? It's sealed?" Kisame finally muttered. He had never seen a technique that could suppress chakra so thoroughly. Even as an enemy, he acknowledged Zixu's sealing ability was exceptional.

Zixu stared at Kisame coldly. Something about him felt... off. It wasn't the chakra itself, but a deeper, unshakable disharmony.

"There's something wrong with this guy," Zixu noted inwardly, though he couldn't pinpoint it.

"Well, let's switch topics. What's your take on the current ninja world? Do you think it's... correct?" Zixu leaned forward slightly.

"...The ninja world is cold and merciless. Missions come first. Even comrades can be sacrificed to complete a mission," Kisame replied. Facing death, he relaxed—chatting casually with no delusions of escape.

"Mr. Itachi once said people only figure out who they really are at the edge of death. That's the meaning of death. But even now... I still don't know who I am," he confessed, not even sounding sad.

"The ninja world hasn't changed. It's always been like this—constant war, endless bloodshed. That's the norm..." Now that he had let go of everything, Kisame spoke more freely. Because of his grotesque appearance, people rarely approached him, so this conversation was oddly comforting.

"Just because it's always been like this—does that make it right?" Zixu pressed, his gaze sharp.

"...It's not about right or wrong. The current ninja world is fake. A fake world isn't worth living in," Kisame's voice remained calm, but Zixu detected something strange in his tone.

"A fake world? And what kind of world do you consider real? Isn't that just running from reality?" Zixu's words struck like a dagger, piercing deep.

"If I don't even know who I am—if I haven't found my purpose—then this world isn't real to me," Kisame admitted, his tone darker now.

He had never wavered in the face of death before, but now he started to see memories—ghosts from his past. Faceless companions... and one long-haired woman standing in the middle.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the haunting images.

"You're trying to forget, right? But the more you deny something, the more real it becomes. This world... it's not what you hoped for, is it? Or maybe you've always been running from the truth?" Zixu's timing was perfect.

He didn't know Kisame's past—but Aburame Hatsuizumi, did. That guy would roll over and drool like a dog for a treat if asked—handing over Kisame's full records just to look useful.

Aburame Hatsuizumi had, of course, been kicked aside by him—she still had a match to attend.

There's a lot of pain in the world—but the worst kind is when you desperately struggle toward a light you can't understand... and can't reach.

That's where Kisame was now. He knew Zixu spoke the truth. He just couldn't accept it. Couldn't accept himself.

"I don't know if your comrades will forgive you," Zixu said, reaching his hand out toward him, "but you'll never forgive yourself. You've had a rough life. But the world can be changed—as long as you've got the power."

For a brief second, Kisame saw her again—the long-haired woman who never blamed him, even in death.

"Your life... must've been hell."

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