msmithbooks Chapter 201 Trials and Keys
Chapter 201 Trials and Keys
"invite?!"
These words cleaved through Kisame's bewildered mind. His small eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracting slightly in the firelight. What shook him even more were the words that followed—"Rebuild this false world."
This extremely arrogant declaration, like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, stirred ripples in his heart.
However, for Kisame, who had already tasted betrayal and harbored the deepest suspicion of all promises, such empty and grand slogans were far from enough.
"Heh..." Kisame let out a hoarse, cold laugh, his grip on Samehada remaining firm in the slightest. "This is quite unexpected, Lord Menma. Contrary to the terrifying rumors circulating in the ninja world, you are quite adept at preaching."
His tone was sharp and questioning.
"But, if I may be so bold, what is the essential difference between what you call 'truth' and the 'betrayal' I just experienced? It's just jumping from one cage into another, perhaps a better-decorated one."
Kisame needs an answer, an answer that can truly pierce his numb nerves and allow him to see a glimmer of different light.
He stared intently at the fox mask, trying to see through it and discern whether the one hidden behind it was the Redeemer or another, more cunning conman.
"You say we are 'like-minded'? Then please tell me—" Kisame's voice carried an almost obsessive questioning tone.
"And what betrayed you? What makes you so sure you can see through the 'falsehood' of this world? If... if the 'truth' you pursue turns out to be nothing more than another, more sophisticated deception, then what? Aren't we repeating the same tragedy?"
Listening to Kisame repeatedly use the words "real" and "false," like a tongue twister stuck in a dead loop, Menma under the mask did indeed feel a headache coming on.
This guy's stubbornness was more troublesome than he had anticipated. But for the sake of this future indispensable subordinate, he had to give a perfect answer that would break down his defenses.
He paused briefly, pondering how to express the complex truth in a way that people of this era could understand. A few seconds later, Menma spoke.
"Kisame Hoshigaki, you've misunderstood something," Menma said slowly. "I wasn't betrayed by any specific person or village, like you have."
"The betrayal I experienced... was far more thorough and grander than that. What betrayed me was 'hope' itself. It was that naive expectation that as long as you work hard and follow certain rules, you can have a bright future."
There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, whether directed at himself or at that vague "hope" was unclear.
"Correspondingly, what I betrayed was not any particular faction. What I betrayed was the very 'rules' upon which this entire ninja world operates. It was the endless cycle of hatred, deception, exploitation, and being exploited."
"You ask me why? The answer is simple. Because I, like you, even more devoutly, tried to uphold that seemingly reasonable 'order,' and to believe in those high-sounding 'righteousness'... until I personally touched its core and discovered that its foundation had long been rotten beyond redemption."
Following the original timeline, even if so-called peace were achieved, that fragile balance would be nothing more than an illusion. Ultimately… the threat from beyond the heavens, the "Otsutsuki," would descend, rendering all efforts utterly laughable in the face of a higher power. Wasn't this, in itself, an ultimate betrayal of "hope"?
"The falsehood of this world does not stem from the superficial lies and deceptions, but from the 'contract' that maintains the entire order, which, from the moment it was first signed, is a blank document destined to be unfulfilled."
"The strong can define what is 'truth' at will, while the weak... like you and me in the past, can only be forced to repeat the cruel cycle of 'loyalty' and 'betrayal' within this framework."
Menma paused slightly, giving Kisame time to process his words, before confronting the core question directly.
"You ask me if the 'truth' I pursue might degenerate into another, more sophisticated form of deception?"
"I cannot and will not give you a so-called 'unbreakable' promise. Because such a promise is itself one of the 'false' things I abhor most. An empty check is meaningless."
"There are only two things I can give you—"
"A key, and a trial."
"Kisame Hoshigaki, come with me. I will create a true 'place of refuge' for you—not based on profit or fear, but on the 'truth' we are about to practice together. I will be your companion, not just in words, but truly with you back to back, our blades pointing in the same direction."
"What we will sever is not merely the enemy's body, but the very foundation of all hypocrisy in this world, breaking that pathetic cycle. And the price... is your entire past, and your unknowable future."
Menma's voice carried a final, undeniable challenge: "Now, tell me—do you have the courage to grasp this key that could lead to hell, or it could lead to rebirth?"
Kisame stood frozen in place, his muscles seemingly numb, only his heart pounding wildly in his chest, the sound of his blood rushing through his ears. He could barely breathe, because the scene Menma described was the ultimate answer he had longed for deep in his heart, even in his dreams, but had never dared to utter aloud—true companions, and a world completely free from hypocrisy, naked and real.
This promise was as beautiful as a dream. Logically, with his years of experience in the dark, he should have been more vigilant, repeatedly questioning Mianma's motives and wondering if there was a deeper trap hidden behind it... But at this moment, an almost instinctive impulse overwhelmed all rational considerations.
It's so similar... These words are like a tailor-made answer after directly peering into Kisame's deepest confusion.
True companions... there is no false world... If there is even a one in ten thousand chance that this promise is true, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, even if it means eternal damnation, Kisame will risk everything to grab it!
However, precisely because this promise carried such weight—weight enough for him to stake his soul—Kisame needed one last thing: an irrefutable reassurance that would allow him to completely sever all escape routes and surrender his past and future entirely. He needed Menma to prove that this was more than just sweet words.
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(Sorry, I will be taking a break for the next few days, but it doesn't mean I won't update at all. There will be more updates, but at least one chapter per day.)
(Due to work and family reasons, the author is going abroad and will return on the 29th. There will be extra updates after the National Day holiday! It's time to start repaying the kindness of the Dior boss!)
(The author has provided photographic evidence and has stated that he has indeed gone abroad.)