"Thanks, Mei."
"For what?"
The girl feigned ignorance.
"For helping me out with Elder Genji," Kyoichi said with a grin. "I'll probably need you to put in a few more good words for me in the future."
He wasn't stupid.
He knew perfectly well that getting through Genji's scrutiny so easily wasn't just luck. Without Mei—who had rushed over without rest to speak on his behalf—it wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly. Even if things wouldn't have turned dire without her, it definitely wouldn't have been this easy.
So, this was a favor he couldn't ignore.
"I only spoke the truth," Mei replied, mimicking Kyoichi's earlier tone.
The slight curl at her lips betrayed the fact that she wasn't really indifferent to his thanks.
"By the way, Mei," Kyoichi asked, changing the subject, "how old is Elder Genji, anyway?"
"Eh? Umm… probably seventy or eighty? I'm not really sure," Mei said, scratching her cheek. "All I know is, Elder Genji was great friends with the First Mizukage. They say—just rumor, of course—that when Kirigakure was founded and everyone voted for the First Mizukage, Elder Genji actually got the most votes. If he hadn't stepped down voluntarily, our village might have had only one Mizukage to this day."
Her eyes lit up as she spoke, enthusiasm shining through as she eagerly shared the tales she had heard—truth or fiction unknown.
Still, rumors like these weren't always baseless.
It's not easy to fabricate a convincing lie from thin air. Rumors are often just facts that have been polished—or distorted—through retelling. Even if the details change, the foundation usually remains.
For instance, that Elder Genji was the First Mizukage's close friend—
that might actually be true.
The old man, gaunt and frail as a corpse, was practically a living fossil from the Warring States period.
"So that means," Kyoichi mused, narrowing his eyes, "Elder Genji must've had plenty of chances to become Mizukage himself—but he turned them all down?"
"Mhm, that's what I've heard too," Mei nodded. "They say the Second Mizukage only took the position because Elder Genji supported him. Elder Genji said the Second was a pioneer—the kind who could build and expand—while the Third Mizukage was a guardian, someone who could preserve and maintain what was already built. Actually, most of our current village systems were all established during the Second's reign."
"When the Third succeeded the title, he never made any major changes to that framework, even after ruling for so long. Grandpa and Grandpa's friends always say Elder Genji's insight was unmatched. Kirigakure has managed to remain so stable all these years thanks to his presence."
As she spoke, the respect in Mei's voice became unmistakable.
And truthfully—she wasn't wrong.
Among the Five Great Villages, Kirigakure had arguably enjoyed the most peace and stability.
Konoha had fallen into civil strife not long after its founding—its two founders at each other's throats, and Konoha's Ashura, Uchiha Madara, betraying the village.
Kumogakure had the Gold and Silver Brothers' rebellion, which cost them their Second Raikage—and Konoha's Second Hokage as well.
Sunagakure's Third Kazekage had vanished without a trace, sparking the Third Great Ninja War.
Iwagakure had its own chaos during that same war—the Four-Tails Jinchūriki defected, and the entire Koeda Clan fled the village.
But Kirigakure?
It had remained tranquil within. Sure, there had been missing-nin—but none of them were noteworthy. Most were caught by the ANBU before they could even make a name for themselves in the wider shinobi world.
"If that's the case… maybe I can afford to take a bolder approach…"
Listening to Mei, Kyoichi fell into thought.
From what he'd seen today—and from Mei's words—Elder Genji truly seemed devoted to the village's welfare. His relationship with the Mizukage wasn't one of political rivalry, but one of differing ideals for the same cause. Conflicts between them might exist, but they wouldn't escalate into outright hostility.
Under the absolute banner of "the village's prosperity,"
all contradictions could be smoothed away.
"Brother Kyoichi!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from afar.
"Mai?"
Kyoichi looked up. At the end of the stone path stood a graceful young girl waving to him—his cousin, Koeda Mai.
Without realizing it, he had wandered far from Kirigakure's bustling center. Following Mei's lead, he now found himself in the village's southern district—a place of forests and scattered estates, very different from the crisscrossing streets and dense buildings of the central area.
This area—
It reminded him of Iwagakure's eastern quarter: a place where the great clans clustered together. Each stretch of connected houses marked the residence of a clan. Kyoichi could sense numerous barrier fluctuations all around—so many, in fact, that even he couldn't clearly perceive everything nearby. The layers of protection here were… intense.
Come to think of it, Mizukage Yagura had promised the Koeda Clan land in the village's southeast. This must've been part of that favor.
"Kyoichi, that ahead is the Kirigumo Clan's compound," Mei said, pointing forward. "Since someone's already here to pick you up, I'll leave you here. I'm sure you've got plenty to talk about with your family. Another day… I'll show you more of Kirigakure."
With that, she turned to leave—but after taking only two steps, she glanced back. "The area over there belongs to the Terumī Clan. If I'm not at my grandfather's place, you can find me there."
"I'll remember that," Kyoichi replied.
This time, she didn't look back again. Like a lively young deer, Mei bounded away until she disappeared from sight.
"Brother Kyoichi!"
Koeda Mai approached him quickly.
"Mai, did the clan head send you to meet me?" Kyoichi asked.
"Mm-hm. After Brother Yūsuke returned, the clan head told me to wait here for you. He said that once you arrived, I should take you to him," she said softly and carefully.
"Then let's not keep him waiting," Kyoichi said with a smile. "He's probably been expecting me for quite a while."
"This way!"
Mai nodded and led the way. After turning a few corners and passing through a wooded path, she brought Kyoichi to the Koeda Clan's temporary residence—
where Koeda Dazen was already waiting.
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