When Kakashi returned home, he found that Terumi Mei was already back. She was practicing a strange ninjutsu. Spitting fire, then spitting water, without stopping for even a moment.
The house, which Kakashi had just cleaned thoroughly, was now once again filled with smoke and steam, a complete mess.
Kakashi showed a speechless expression. With a "poof," he released his Transformation Technique, then complained, "No matter how hard you train, ninjutsu practice should at least have set time periods, right?"
Terumi Mei stopped her training, glanced around at the wooden floor that was now scorched black and soaked with water stains, and said a bit awkwardly, "That's why I don't stay home much anymore, it's too easy to turn the place into chaos."
After pausing for a moment, her expression grew serious, "Kakashi, I'm running out of time. That's why I have to train even harder. And… there's something I want to discuss with you."
Seeing the serious look on Terumi Mei's face, Kakashi knew this was indeed something important. His own tone turned solemn, "Go ahead."
Terumi Mei hesitated for a bit before finally saying, "Kakashi, can you return to Konoha right now? Forget this mission. The Hidden Mist Village is about to undergo a huge upheaval. If you get involved in it, you'll be torn to pieces."
Kakashi shook his head, "No. You have your mission, and I have mine. We agreed from the start that we wouldn't interfere with each other."
Terumi Mei's eyes flickered, "Then… what if I use your promise just once? Kakashi, will you go back?"
Kakashi froze for a moment, but quickly refused, "That would violate my rules. No."
Terumi Mei sighed helplessly, stamping her foot in frustration, "So men's promises are all lies. My mother was right, even little men are like this."
Kakashi's expression immediately turned into that of a dead-fish stare, eyes rolling upward, "Fine. I promise you this, once I get the information I came for, I'll return right away. I won't delay even a single day longer. And if, one day, Konoha ever tries to invade the Land of Water, I'll be the first one to stand against it."
Terumi Mei burst into laughter, but then, as if remembering something, murmured softly, a touch of sadness in her voice, "Kakashi, this time… I might die. If I do, and you're still alive, will you miss me?"
Kakashi's heart trembled. That feeling, the urge to protect her, to comfort her, rose up once again.
He asked, "What happened exactly? With your strength, it shouldn't come to that, should it?"
Terumi Mei thought for a while. Much of what was going on involved top-secret intelligence, like the mysterious masked man Tobi, something she could never reveal to Kakashi.
But some things… she could hint at slightly.
She said, "We might be about to start a coup. Very soon. Bloodshed and conflict are inevitable. In something like this, anyone, even the village's Kage, could die."
"So… Kakashi, you really could go back. Once the civil war begins, the Hidden Mist won't have the strength left to move against Konoha."
Kakashi was stunned. He hadn't expected the coup to happen so quickly, faster than he'd imagined. It seemed that for a while, the Hidden Mist truly wouldn't pose any threat to Konoha's safety.
From everything he'd seen in the Land of Water, that was indeed a good thing, something even he was glad to see happen.
But… why then, did he suddenly feel unhappy about it?
He couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this too hasty? Can't it be avoided?"
Terumi Mei looked at him with quiet resentment, "You said we wouldn't interfere with each other. When it comes to your matters, you stick to that. But when it comes to mine, you interfere. Why?"
Kakashi was speechless for a moment. He really couldn't find a reason to stop her. After thinking for a long time, he finally blurted out what was in his heart.
"But… you'll be in danger."
Terumi Mei suddenly wasn't angry anymore. So Kakashi was worried about her. If it had been anything else, she might have compromised. But on this matter, she had her own convictions.
"Kakashi, there are things I have to do. Honestly, I'm a person who's afraid of death. But I can't abandon my ideals just because of that fear."
Kakashi's whole body trembled slightly. Then he lowered his head and said quietly, "I understand."
After a moment's pause, he added, "There are still some ingredients left from what you bought. Are you hungry? If you are, I can cook something."
Terumi Mei actually wasn't very hungry, but hearing him say that made her mouth water. She quickly nodded, like a little chick pecking at grain, "I'll eat! I really want to eat!"
Seeing her reaction, Kakashi immediately ran to the kitchen and got busy.
When it came to food, Kakashi's usual attitude was just to fill his stomach. In daily life, he usually cooked just enough to get by.
But now, he prepared every dish carefully, wanting to make it tasty, then even tastier.
In the end, Kakashi made the most serious meal he'd ever cooked in his life. The two sat together, happily enjoying the food.
After dinner, they chatted warmly late into the night before each went to a separate room to sleep.
———
The next morning, Terumi Mei got up early and left. Kakashi, meanwhile, used the free time to do housework, cleaning and tidying the house until it was spotless once more.
After that, he spent some leisure time reading a few chapters of Icha Icha Paradise, and when the sun was about to set, he went out again. Transforming into the same plain-looking middle-aged man from yesterday, heading to the Mizuki Tavern.
By then, the Mizuki Tavern was already lively. Most of the people there were poor civilians of the Hidden Mist. In their spare time, they gathered in small groups to drink, brag, and spend their hard-earned wages on the tavern's hostesses.
Tomorrow's troubles could wait till tomorrow. Living for the moment, numb and empty, this was the life of most impoverished people in the Hidden Mist Village.
Kakashi ordered a drink and listened as they discussed the new round of Blood Mist survival predictions, judging which children, some only eight or nine, at most eleven or twelve years old, might survive. He couldn't help but shake his head.
Clearly, gambling was part of this tavern's business too. Or rather, it was probably something nearly every establishment did by now. It had already become a form of entertainment, a way for people here to chase fleeting excitement.
Underneath it all, there was likely an enormous profit chain. And among those at the top, no doubt, were the Mizukage and the feudal lord's court.
The more Kakashi learned, the more his sense of identity and belonging to Konoha deepened. He often heard Obito badmouthing the Konoha, so much that Kakashi had almost been influenced. But after actually comparing things, it was clear: the people of Konoha truly lived the happiest lives.
Just then, Kakashi snapped back to attention. Because he sensed someone entering the tavern from the door.
Unlike the ordinary civilians inside, this person carried a distinct aura. One that revealed a total disregard for human life. It was the kind of aura only formed through constant killing.
He was a shinobi, and a very dangerous one at that.
Kakashi instantly judged that this must be the spy Konoha had planted in the Hidden Mist. The presence he carried, Kakashi couldn't tell whether it came from being forged in the Mist's "Blood Mist" era, or if it was brought from Root itself.
Either way, the elites trained by Danzo's Root really were well-suited for gathering intel in the Hidden Mist. After all, under Danzo's leadership, wasn't Root basically a miniature version of the Blood Mist Village itself?