Chapter 195: What Are You Doing?
Deidara had even carried out terrorist bombing attacks in his own village — so what were other villages to him?
Because of that, Uchiha Itachi had secretly instructed Kisame Hoshigaki to keep an eye on him.
Itachi greatly respected Kisame's strength and judgment.
In his eyes, Kisame was undoubtedly stronger than Deidara.
Deidara's combat power came entirely from his explosive clay. Without it, he was nothing. And since crafting those bombs took time, Kisame could easily take him down before he was ready.
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"Is that the Fifth Hokage? Doesn't look like much," Deidara said lazily, watching as Uchiha Fugaku approached.
After hearing that the Hidden Cloud Village had been annihilated by this man, he had imagined a monstrous figure — a giant of a man with three heads and six arms. Otherwise, how could he have defeated the mighty Fourth Raikage?
Seeing him now, Deidara found that the real Fifth Hokage was nothing like what he had imagined. Fugaku was tall, broad-shouldered, with a dignified, square face — not fearsome, but radiating quiet authority. And though he was smiling, that smile carried immense weight.
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"Hmph, that's because you don't understand Hokage-sama's true charisma," Kisame said reverently, eyes bright with admiration. "He's the one who'll end the endless wars of the ninja world — the man who'll bring peace."
Deidara pouted. He'd spent enough time with Kisame to know how obsessed the shark man was with the new Hokage, so he didn't bother arguing.
"It's such a pity," Kisame sighed deeply, "that I couldn't accompany Hokage-sama to the Land of Lightning."
Deidara's eye twitched.
He'd heard that same sentence so many times these past few days, he'd lost count.
Still saying it.
Again.
Are you some kind of repeater?
If Kisame wasn't annoyed by hearing himself talk, Deidara definitely was.
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"Now that the Hidden Cloud Village has been destroyed, that's the first step toward true and lasting peace," Kisame said passionately. "Peace is finally coming. I need to find Hokage-sama later and ask him to let me join his next mission. No—he should just let me serve under him permanently!"
Deidara finally snapped.
"Brother, don't be ridiculous! Permanent peace? You're dreaming. The only reason he destroyed the Hidden Cloud Village was luck. If he dares to set foot in Iwagakure, in my Land of Earth, Lord Third will make him question his entire life!"
Kisame, usually mild-tempered, couldn't help but snort.
"Lord Third? Ōnoki? That little potato isn't even worth mentioning compared to Hokage-sama."
That crossed a line.
Deidara could curse Ōnoki all he wanted — but hearing someone else insult his village or his Kage was unbearable.
It was like a student constantly complaining about their own school — but the moment an outsider badmouthed it, anger flared instantly.
His eyes narrowed.
"Bastard! You want to fight me?"
Kisame's grin sharpened.
"A fight? Why not? You think I'm afraid of you?"
"Deidara!"
Deidara's right hand moved toward his pouch, ready to stuff explosive clay into the mouth on his palm.
Behind Kisame, Samehada twitched — the blade eager for battle, sensing its master's intent.
But before they could clash, a calm voice cut through the air:
"What are you two doing?"
Both men froze instantly.
That familiar voice made their hearts skip a beat. Deidara halted mid-motion, the lump of clay still in his hand.
They turned — and saw Uchiha Itachi standing on the nearby rooftop, two small figures beside him watching curiously.
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"Ah! It's Big Brother Shark!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.
Kisame's appearance was impossible to forget — even in the dim light, the boy recognized him immediately.
Kisame chuckled warmly. "Good evening, Naruto-kun. And Sasuke-kun."
He always addressed others formally and politely — calling Itachi "Mr. Itachi," and the two boys with respectful -kun honorifics.
"Hello," Sasuke replied politely. He recognized both men — his brother's trusted comrades.
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"Madam!" Kisame straightened immediately when he noticed Uchiha Mikoto standing behind the two boys. He bowed respectfully.
Mikoto smiled kindly. "No need to be so formal. Since you're Itachi's friends, just call me Auntie."
When Orochimaru and Jiraiya had attacked earlier, these two had helped defend them — leaving her with a favorable impression.
"Alright, Auntie," Kisame said sincerely.
Deidara also greeted her, his tone casual but not disrespectful.
"Good evening, Auntie — and you two little brats as well."
He respected only the strong, and as Uchiha Itachi's mother, Mikoto definitely earned a greeting.
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"Are you two also here to welcome my father—" Itachi paused, correcting himself with a small smile, "—I mean, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Mr. Itachi," Kisame replied without hesitation. "I came to pay my respects to Hokage-sama."
Deidara folded his arms. "I was dragged here by him."
Despite his grumbling, he didn't resist too hard. If he'd truly wanted to stay away, not even Kisame could have forced him.
In Konoha, there was only one person he truly respected — Uchiha Itachi. Everyone else was irrelevant.
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"Mr. Itachi — no, Auntie," Kisame said earnestly, turning to Mikoto, "please say a good word to Hokage-sama for me. I want to serve under him directly."
Mikoto smiled. She remembered how Kisame had protected them before. Granting such a small favor was no trouble at all.
"Alright, Kisame—" she paused, frowning slightly, "—I'm sorry, what was your full name again?"
Kisame's face brightened. "Kisame Hoshigaki, Auntie. You can just call me Kisame!"
"Alright, Kisame," Mikoto said warmly. "Leave it to me. I'll handle it perfectly."
Kisame bowed deeply, nearly ninety degrees. "Thank you, Auntie!"
"You're very welcome," she said with a laugh. "We're all family here. You're Itachi's friend — you're always welcome to visit."
Kisame's grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting under the lamplight. "Yes, Auntie! I'll definitely visit often!"
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End of Chapter 195
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