Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 562 Tranquility

"You recognized me, even though I look like this?" Naruto's voice came from behind the mask.

"Hehe...you're joking. How could I not recognize you?"

Kisame Hoshigaki's laughter was deep and resonant, but it didn't frighten anyone at all.

"But why would you, as the leader of the organization, dress like this?"

The leader of the organization?!

Sasuke stood to the side, looking up at Naruto's back. This organization... was it Naruto who created it? This underground base, these Uchiha clansmen coming and going, this place he couldn't understand at all—was it all built by Naruto?

"This one..."

Naruto raised his hand and pointed to the disguised young Sasuke beside him. "I'm taking this kid to meet some people, and we can't attract too much attention. You know, if people find out I'm just wandering around here..."

"I see."

Kisame nodded, his gaze lingering on young Sasuke for a moment before looking away.

"Given your personality, Master Menma, you'll probably be surrounded by a huge crowd. I hope I haven't caused you any trouble."

"Kisame, there's no need to say that."

Naruto's voice suddenly became more serious, "You and I are comrades."

Naruto looked at Kisame, at that face that once radiated danger and coldness, now softened considerably. He remained silent for a moment, then asked...

"By the way, Kisame, you've been a member of the organization for many years now. How's the wish I promised you coming true?"

Kisame did not answer immediately.

His expression changed, becoming a very gentle one. His eyes narrowed, those usually fierce eyes now curving into two crescent-shaped arcs, the lines at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

It looks like a shark that has sunbathed enough, lazily lying on the beach, not having to think about anything or worry about anything.

"...Every time I think about this, I don't know what to say."

"...I don't know how to express my gratitude to you."

After he said that, a smile appeared on his face.

That wasn't his usual chilling smile; it was a warm, genuine smile with his eyes narrowed to slits and the corners of his mouth turned up.

That smile, placed on his face, should have looked quite out of place, but at this moment it looked incredibly natural, as if that was how his face was supposed to be, and he had just never had the chance to show that expression before.

Kisame's life these past few years has been something he never dared to imagine before.

He finally attained an unprecedented tranquility—a tranquility not the tranquility of hiding in the mountains and being out of sight of others, not the tranquility of being isolated from the world and oblivious to everything, but a tranquility of inner peace, of knowing what to do tomorrow and knowing why he lives.

He had expectations for life, which stemmed from his ambition to change the world. It was also simple: if the weather was nice tomorrow, he could go somewhere with his companions; in a few days, he had a mission to deliver a batch of grain to a certain village; and after this mission, he could have a drink with his senior, Zabuza.

There was no deception, no falsehood, and no need to turn the sword against one's comrades. This was the thing he longed for most in his life, and also the thing he thought he would never have.

He lived in the light. What he did every day was no longer assassination, infiltration, or cleaning up the messes of those who used others as pawns.

His only killing was of the real scum—those bullies who oppressed the people, those traitors who massacred villages, and those who were the root of suffering in this world.

More often than not, he didn't kill. He took the strange seeds Orochimaru had developed—seeds of various vegetables, wheat, and crops that could grow in barren land—and went to famine-stricken areas to teach the locals how to farm, how to fertilize, and how to make a nearly barren piece of land grow crops again.

He went to eliminate the rogue ninjas and bandits who harassed the villages, used the power of ninjas to help villages that couldn't even get a clean drink of water to dig wells, and went to small countries that large countries wouldn't even give a second glance to help them build roads, houses, and schools.

His fame spread, and sometimes when he visited small countries, the local villagers were even more enthusiastic about seeing him than they were about seeing ninjas from their own ninja villages.

The children would fawn over him, offering him their best food. The elderly would hold his hands, their eyes brimming with tears, saying thank you and that they wouldn't have survived the winter without you.

Kisame sometimes wonders if he can really do this.

He used to have his hands stained with blood, he used to be someone who didn't even feel he deserved to live, but now he lives in the light, is needed by so many people, is thanked by so many people, and is regarded as a good person by so many people.

But... if someone were to take this kind of life away from him—Kisame would never agree to it, even if it cost him his life.

This was the first time in his life he felt that "it's good to be alive." He would fight anyone who tried to take it away.

"Knowing what I should fight for, knowing what my purpose is, knowing my stance—my heart is filled with an incredibly reassuring peace." Kisame Hoshigaki's voice was slow, each word spoken slowly.

"All of this is thanks to you."

"That's good."

Naruto nodded. He looked at Kisame, wanting to say something more—like, "This is the path you've walked yourself," or "There's a long road ahead"—but before he could speak, he noticed a gaze.

That was Sasuke's gaze.

The disguised Sasuke stood next to Naruto, having remained silent since the beginning, standing there quietly.

His eyes betrayed him; he kept glancing into the depths of the corridor, his fingers nervously clenching inside his sleeves. He looked like a string stretched too tight, ready to snap at any moment.

Kisame noticed the gaze. His eyes swept over young Sasuke, lingered for less than a second, and then looked away.

He didn't ask any more questions, nor was he curious about who the child was or why Naruto would bring a disguised child to the base.

"Then, Lord Menma, I won't bother you any longer."

Kisame took half a step back, clearing the way in the corridor.

"If you're looking for Shisui, he's out buying some necessities right now. I've received a mission—"

"In the Land of Hot Springs, according to eyewitness reports, a ninja from Konoha is inquiring about our organization. We don't know who he is, and what's more, that Konoha ninja is a member of a clan with a bloodline limit."

"I'll leave now to see what those so-called Konoha ninja are really up to."