"Kisame Hoshigaki."
Rasa smiled faintly.
"Kisame Hoshigaki… you don't look too happy about being one of the names the Mist offered up as surrender terms to Sunagakure."
"When Genshi blew himself up just now, he made damn sure the blast would hit you too. Was he worried that if you survived, you'd betray the Mist and join us?"
Kisame stayed silent.
Rasa kept going. "Since you're still breathing, I'll give you two choices."
"One—you stay with the other Mist captives and wait for your village to buy you back."
"Two—Sunagakure gives you a chance to defect. Join us."
Kisame looked up, meeting Rasa's eyes.
"Lord Kazekage… I choose the second option."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Fine. Then you get the chance."
Rasa's tone turned serious. "I'll have people watching you. Observing you. Until everything you do proves to Sunagakure that you're worth trusting. Can you accept that?"
"I can."
Kisame nodded. It felt completely normal. If Rasa had trusted him immediately, Kisame would've been suspicious. He was still an outsider. Still a Mist ninja. The two villages had been enemies for years—plenty of blood on both sides. Kisame had spilled his share too.
He knew Genshi's explosion had been deliberate. If luck hadn't been on his side, he'd be dead right now. But he also knew some people might call it a suicide play or claim he was a plant all along.
"I hope you're serious about joining Sunagakure," Rasa said. "It'll be good for both of us. We never sell out our own people… but we never forgive traitors either."
Rasa gestured to the side.
A Sand shinobi stepped forward and removed the chains from Kisame's wrists.
"Baki."
"Teacher."
"From today on, this man is part of your squad."
Baki gave Kisame a quick once-over.
"Yes, Teacher."
Kisame studied Baki in return.
He already knew the name. Rasa's only disciple. No kekkei genkai, but his Wind Style was sharp. On the Mist battlefield he'd beaten plenty of opponents his age—and some older. In the Mist's eyes he was considered a genius. But their standards were low. Same level as Zabuza. A step below Mei Terumi. Konoha compared him to Kakashi—Rasa's student versus the Fourth Hokage's student. Same age. One mastered Wind Style, the other Lightning. Now Kakashi had Obito's Sharingan and a kekkei genkai. Baki didn't.
Kisame moved to stand beside Baki, half a step back, doing his best to look harmless.
The surviving Mist ninja scattered in every direction. Some scrambled onto boats. Others dove into the sea. A few clung to driftwood and paddled like hell.
Only when they were far from shore and the Sand forces finally stopped chasing did they let themselves breathe.
"What the hell just happened?"
"The trade was almost done—why did everything go to shit?"
One Mist ninja who'd seen the blast finally spoke.
"Elder Genshi… he blew himself up."
"He what?"
Another ninja remembered the Takechi clan rebellion.
"Elder Genshi copied Takechi Kagami—hid explosive tags inside his body. He was trying to kill Rasa the same way. But he failed. Not only did he miss Rasa, he made things even worse for us. We still have hundreds of Mist ninja in Sand hands. Getting them back is gonna cost us way more now. Elder Genshi… he acted too fast."
"We didn't have to do this. If Rasa gets pissed enough, he might decide another war is worth it."
A wave of resentment toward Genshi rippled through the group.
When the news finally reached Kirigakure, Yagura sat in silence for a long time.
"Elder Genshi…"
Yagura let out a slow breath.
"You were a hero to this village. It's the village that failed you. Kirigakure… is just too weak. If only we were stronger."
Yagura's mind raced.
To make the Mist strong again, there were only a few real paths. Top-tier shinobi had to appear. The number of mid-tier shinobi had to grow. The first one could only be hoped for—talent took time to mature unless someone was born with insane chakra reserves.
Yagura suddenly thought of something.
"The Three-Tails is dead and hasn't revived yet, but the Six-Tails is still here. Its current jinchuriki is that kid… Utakata, right? Elder Haruna is handling him."
Yagura waved a hand. An Anbu operative stepped inside.
"Lord Mizukage."
"Send Elder Haruna to me."
"Yes, Lord Mizukage."
Yagura kept thinking.
Mid-tier shinobi came from population. More people meant more potential ninja, and population grew when life was stable and people had money. When they felt safe enough to have kids.
"Unless it's absolutely necessary, Kirigakure can't afford another war right now. But we still need income."
Yagura rubbed his temples.
A hidden village's money came from two places: missions and village industries. The Land of Water gave most of its commissions to the Mist, but it still wasn't enough.
"Getting commissions from other countries isn't easy. Smaller nations have limited jobs. Bigger nations mean fighting for scraps. And as for industry… the Mist's biggest resource is the sea. There are endless fish and shrimp out there, but getting them fresh to customers is a nightmare."
Yagura frowned.
"And then there's Sunagakure… I don't know what they'll do next. They still have so many of our people. If they open their mouths too wide and demand too much… I might have to cut those captives loose. Everything I do is for the village. Every decision is to make Kirigakure stronger."
Yagura muttered the words, unsure if he was trying to convince others or himself.
But soon enough, he learned exactly what Sunagakure's next move would be.