Mei Terumi had come to realize that Kaede was different from the rest.
As much as she didn't want to admit it...
With her confidence in her looks and figure, and her status among the women of her generation, she thought she was at the top, but compared to Kaede's status among the men, at best, they were evenly matched.
In other areas, she was a prodigious shinobi of the Hidden Mist, the only one in the ninja world known to possess two Kekkei Genkai. By fifteen, she had already become an elite Jonin…
But even then, she couldn't compare!
Kaede had made a name for himself across the ninja world at just eleven. By twelve, his alias "Silver Flash" had shaken every village to its core, prompting them to issue orders to abandon missions and flee immediately if encountered.
Then he vanished for two years.
When he returned, he single-handedly thwarted the Mist's plans, took down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, seized control of Konoha, and became the Fifth Hokage!
He now stood at the very pinnacle of the ninja world.
With so many achievements to his name, it wasn't hard to imagine how popular he was within Konoha, there were probably enough girls lining up for him that the line could stretch from the Hokage Tower all the way out of the village.
So… was it actually her who was more interested in him?
That thought did seem to make logical sense.
What Mei couldn't refute was the fact that she had hesitated earlier. If peace talks between Konoha and the Mist were successful, maybe she'd have a chance to be with Kaede…
"Alright."
Kaede stood up. "There are some fish over there. If you're hungry, eat. If not, we're heading out immediately, I'm making a trip to the Hidden Mist, and you'll be leading the way."
He paused for a moment, then turned his glowing pale blue eyes toward Mei and added, "Also, a word of warning, don't try sending any secret messages back to the Mist. There's nothing you can hide from my eyes."
Mei hesitated briefly, then stood up.
As she met his gaze, she suddenly had a faint suspicion, though she couldn't confirm it. "Your eyes… are they Byakugan?"
"You could put it that way."
Kaede turned away and began walking off into the distance.
=============
Half a month later.
Out at sea.
Inside one of the cabins aboard a merchant ship, Kaede leaned by the window, gazing at the ocean beyond.
Truthfully, he could have flown Mei straight to the Hidden Mist, but he deliberately chose not to. The battle on the moon had surely caught Nagato and Obito's attention, and they'd likely gone into hiding. If he rushed straight to the Mist, he might not find anything.
Returning along the regular route would take about a month, and by then, they'd probably let their guard down. That would be the right time to strike.
Besides…
Since arriving in this world, he'd never been out at sea before.
As he stared out at the waves, the sound of water inside the cabin finally stopped. About thirty seconds later, Mei stepped out, wrapped in nothing but a short white towel.
Very short.
Or rather, she had purposely chosen the short side. The white towel just barely covered her midsection, revealing her smooth shoulders and long, shapely legs.
She casually ran her fingers through her damp hair as she walked over.
"Can you see land yet?" she asked, peering out the window toward the horizon.
Kaede pulled his gaze away from the sea and turned a page in the book he was reading. Without looking at her, he replied, "Roughly a few more hours."
Still so indifferent… Mei thought to herself with a glance at him.
"You know…"
She leaned closer, positioning herself beside him and tilting slightly, her figure just beyond the edge of the book. "Am I really not more interesting to look at than the pages of that book?"
Kaede closed the book and smiled gently at her. "No, you're far more interesting than the book. But the best things in life… are meant to be enjoyed last, aren't they?"
Mei felt that if this went on much longer, she might be the one to lose control before Kaede even reacted.
With a sigh, she sat down beside him. "Why weren't we born in the same village... Are you planning to attack the Hidden Mist?"
Kaede had already singlehandedly infiltrated both the Hidden Rain and Hidden Sand. He had also defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen by himself.
So even though he was alone now, it wasn't impossible that he might attack the Hidden Mist.
"No."
Kaede glanced at her and shook his head. "I'm not interested in the Hidden Mist. I'm only going there to find someone, an enemy who might be hiding in your village."
Mei frowned slightly. "You think there's someone hiding in the Mist? That's impossible. If there were, why would none of us know, and yet you do?"
"It's just a theory."
Kaede reopened his book.
Mei hesitated for a moment, then asked another question. "So what's Konoha's position on the Mist? You rejected our peace talks before."
"We're just not interested."
Kaede replied lazily, "The only reason we rejected the talks was because your terms didn't sit well with me. Whether we make peace or not isn't really important. And from my perspective, your hesitation over loyalty is pointless. The ninja world will be unified sooner or later."
"Unified?"
Mei stared at him in shock.
Kaede spoke calmly. "I don't like war. The only true way to end war is unification. I'll begin by unifying the small nations around the Land of Fire. That won't take long, just a few years. After that, I'll move on to the Four Great Nations: Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth."
The seriousness in his voice made it clear he wasn't joking.
Mei couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
Unify the ninja world!
If anyone else said that, it would be laughable. But coming from someone who stood at the very top of the ninja world, the Hokage of Konoha, one of the Five Great Villages, it would shake the entire continent.
"So that's your vision… But if that's the case, then we're still enemies. The Mist won't just sit by and let you unify the Five Great Nations. The other villages won't either."
Her gaze was conflicted.
Kaede replied indifferently, "That's something you don't need to worry about, because it's meaningless. If the Hidden Sand couldn't stop me, what makes you think the Hidden Stone or Hidden Cloud can? Especially after the Mist lost the Seven Swordsmen, the Three-Tails, and the Third Mizukage, do you still have confidence?"
His words made Mei's expression turn pale.
It was true.
If the Sand couldn't stop Kaede, the Mist, with even fewer resources, stood little chance.
"Then… why did you agree to peace talks with the Hidden Stone?"
"Because I don't want to see the war escalate."
Kaede gave her a sidelong glance. "Unifying the ninja world is inevitable. What matters is how. I don't want to see civilians displaced or caught in the crossfire. For that, I'm willing to take slower steps."
"You understand, don't you? That unifying countries with different cultures and regions takes time. It requires a gradual process of assimilation."
Mei fell into silence.
At that moment, she suddenly realized something.
Despite being a prodigy and an elite Jonin of the Mist, and being close in age to Kaede, the things he contemplated were on a completely different level.
No wonder she had never sensed any hostility from him during this half-month journey, not even toward the Mist.
Kaede didn't care about the divisions between villages.
What he cared about was how to achieve peace and unity in the most stable way possible.
Even now…
He was considering whether to eliminate the Fourth Mizukage and support Mei as the Fifth, in order to reduce future chaos when the Land of Water was eventually unified.
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