In a residence at the center of Kirigakure.
The house was decorated very simply.
No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like an ordinary civilian home.
Wooden sliding doors, plain tatami mats, a neatly trimmed potted pine in the corner, and a hanging calligraphy scroll in the alcove with the words “Quiet the Mind” written on it.
There were no lavish decorations, no ornaments meant to display status, and even the furniture gave off a casual feeling of “as long as it works.” Yet this completely ordinary room was the home of one of the most powerful figures in Kirigakure, the current Assistant to the Mizukage.
“The old men in my clan are driving me insane!
Why are they pressuring me to marry so early?
“I’m only twenty-two this year.
Twenty-two!” In the living room, Kurō, dressed in casual clothes, looked helplessly at the young woman sitting on the sofa across from him as she kept talking, pouring out all the frustrations filling her heart.
She was tall and graceful, wearing simple casual clothes in Kirigakure’s muted colors, which made her fair skin look even more delicate.
Her long auburn hair fell loosely over her shoulders.
A few slightly curled strands slanted across her right eye, revealing half of a cold, exquisite face.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, their slender shape carrying a natural chill.
Her green eyes rippled with dissatisfaction.
Her nose was straight and elegant, and her soft pink lips were pressed together, full of impatience and irritation.
She was clearly complaining, yet there was nothing cute or childish about it.
Instead, she gave off a sharp, cold beauty that pressed against the room.
Kurō sat very casually, one hand propping up his cheek while the other rested on his knee.
He listened with a bored expression.
But if someone looked closely into his eyes, they would find that deep within them was solemn caution.
Mei Terumī.
Born from a prestigious clan in the Land of Water, she was now the most trusted aide of the Great Elder Genji, who had already stepped back from the front line of power.
She was one of Kirigakure’s high-level advisers.
This young woman, who had personally experienced the Third Great Ninja War and earned distinguished military achievements, held extremely high prestige among Kirigakure’s younger generation.
If not for Kurō’s sudden rise, the position of reformist leader would undoubtedly have belonged to her.
Although Kurō had successfully won her trust through his superb acting, she was still Mei Terumī, the same ruthless figure who had noticed in the original story that there was something wrong with the Fourth Mizukage.
As the person who currently understood Obito best, Kurō knew very well just how terrifying Obito’s genjutsu had become after receiving Madara’s teachings.
When facing someone like Mei, caution was necessary.
“In the end, don’t they understand what matters most right now?!” Mei’s voice rose a little.
An obvious flush appeared on her fair face, showing that she was truly furious.
“Kirigakure has finally started moving in the right direction.
As ninjas of this village, it’s bad enough that they won’t support our reforms.
But now they’re actually telling me to hurry up and start a family?
Is this really the time to talk about romance and marriage?!” The more she spoke, the more worked up she became.
Her hands unconsciously gestured as she talked.
“With parasites like that around, how is Kirigakure supposed to improve?” On the surface, Kurō listened seriously while skillfully refilling her cup with tea.
“Thank you.” Mei thanked him earnestly, then very gracefully lifted the cup and drank the tea in one go.
“Hot, hot, hot!” She slammed the cup down, fanning her mouth with one hand as faint tears appeared at the corners of her eyes.
Her cold, beautiful face was now full of embarrassment.
Kurō looked at Mei across from him, watching her fan her slightly reddened tongue while tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.
The corner of his mouth could not help twitching.
Wait.
You use Vapour Style and you’re afraid of hot tea?
Are you kidding me… If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he probably would never have believed it.
The Mei Terumī in his memory, always mature, steady, and anxiously desperate to marry as the Fifth Mizukage, had apparently been this reckless when she was young.
Though when it came to her attitude toward work and her sense of responsibility, she was not that different from the Mei Terumī he remembered.
I hope that in a few years, she won’t regret being this resistant to marriage right now… assuming she lives until then.
As Kurō muttered to himself inwardly, he put on a gentle expression and softly comforted her.
“Well… you can’t put it quite like that.
The elders of your clan are only thinking of your future.” “Hmph!
Thinking of my future?” Mei endured the pain in her tongue and retorted unhappily.
Her green eyes were filled with disdain.
“They just want me to pass down my Vapour Style and Lava Style Kekkei Genkai as soon as possible!
“In the end, they simply believe we are destined to lose to Yagura’s faction.
They want to distance themselves from the reformists early so they can protect themselves!” Her voice lowered.
On that cold, beautiful face, a barely noticeable shadow appeared.
“If they hadn’t stopped me from continuing the investigation back then, Ao wouldn’t have… wouldn’t have…” Thinking of the comrade who had mysteriously vanished four years ago, Mei’s expression gradually darkened.
Her hand clenched unconsciously, her knuckles turning white.
“Uh…” Kurō guiltily shifted his gaze away.
He coughed, put on a serious look, and changed the subject.
“All right, all right.
Let’s end the casual talk here.” “You came to see me specifically.
I assume it wasn’t only to vent, right?” He picked up his own teacup and took a sip.
The tea was cold, slightly bitter as it entered his mouth, just enough to suppress the vague unease in his heart.
Hearing Kurō’s question, Mei’s expression also became serious.
She switched into work mode instantly.
The slightly resentful girlish air from earlier disappeared at once, replaced by the cold sharpness of a Kirigakure ninja.
She straightened her back, took a scroll from inside her clothes, and placed it on the table with clean, decisive movements.
“This is the detailed information you asked me to investigate regarding the previous Three-Tails jinchūriki plan.” Her brows furrowed slightly, and her tone carried a trace of heaviness.
“This information is absolutely classified.
Even with Genji-sama’s silent approval, it took me a great deal of effort to find the scattered fragments related to it.
“Many files have already been destroyed.
This is all I could piece together.” She paused, as if organizing her words, or perhaps digesting the contents that had unsettled her.
“After the Third Great Ninja War ended, some Kirigakure ANBU who refused to accept defeat acted without authorization.
They wanted to seal the Three-Tails inside a Konoha ninja and trigger a rampage within Konoha…” As Kurō listened to Mei, the smile that had always hung at the corner of his mouth slowly disappeared.
On that gentle face, an unconcealable heaviness appeared.
His fingers stopped at the edge of the teacup and did not move.
Mei seemed not to notice the change in Kurō’s expression and continued analyzing calmly.
“Deploying the Three-Tails, one of the village’s strategic cores, into Konoha?
How could anyone come up with such an idiotic plan?
“The entire plan is full of holes.
Even the most extreme war faction would not make such an irrational decision.” Her gaze sharpened.
Deep in those green eyes was a certainty close to instinct.
“I suspect that behind this plan, there must have been…” “That’s enough.
Stop there.” Kurō cut her off in a stiff tone.
His voice was not loud, but it was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the momentum of Mei’s analysis.
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Only the wind outside gently stirred the paper sliding door, making a faint sound.
“Sora, you…” Mei looked at Kurō’s serious expression and was momentarily at a loss for words.
She had never heard Sora speak in that tone before.
He was always gentle, always composed, like a bottomless pool of water.
But at this moment, ripples had suddenly appeared on that pool, making her feel an unfamiliar unease.
Kurō’s expression shifted in an instant.
The heaviness on his face was replaced by a calm smile.
The transition was so fast that even Mei failed to catch the moment between them.
“Leave this matter to me.
You don’t need to worry about it.” His tone was gentle, as if he were soothing a startled child.
“There are some things where knowing too much is not a good thing.” Mei hesitated for a moment.
Her gaze lingered on Kurō’s face for several seconds, as if confirming something.
Then she nodded.
She was somewhat unwilling, but in the end, she chose to trust him.
She believed that if Sora said this, he must have a deeper reason.
As a comrade, she had no reason not to trust the man before her, the man who had changed Kirigakure.
Thinking of this, she felt a wave of reassurance and looked at this seemingly ordinary yet extraordinarily capable young man with trusting eyes.
“Then let’s discuss the other matter.” Kurō’s brow moved slightly.
Hmm?
There’s something else?
Kurō looked at Mei before him, a trace of doubt rising in his heart.
He silently waited for her to continue, the expression on his face still gentle and composed.
Mei’s expression was serious.
In those green eyes, a certain excitement flickered, almost impossible to suppress.
“I’ve found a way for us to deal with Yagura as the Three-Tails jinchūriki.” As Mei spoke, she took out a map from inside her clothes and spread it across the table.
It was an old yellowed map, covered with dense markings and patterns resembling flowing water.
“A ruin from the Warring States era, left behind by the Uzumaki clan, containing sealing jutsu.”