Chapter 105: Terumī Mei
"Haku?"
Hearing this voice, Neji-kun raised an eyebrow and turned to see a tall and a short girl. He recognized the shorter one; it was indeed Haku, the one from the original story who was biologically male but presented as female.
However, Neji-kun's gaze didn't linger on Haku. It landed on the taller "girl" in front of him. This person was very attractive, but more importantly, exuded a bewitching aura.
"Huh?" Neji-kun felt she looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.
Business in the izakaya was slow. Besides Neji-kun and Hikari, there was no one else on the second floor. As Neji-kun was curiously sizing her up, the "girl" also noticed them. Her eyes flashed with an indiscernible light as she looked Neji-kun and Hikari over with great interest.
The moment their eyes met, Neji-kun instinctively turned his head.
Orochimaru immediately looked away as well, then led Haku to a table near Neji-kun's.
Neji-kun's eyes narrowed slightly. He finally remembered why she looked so familiar. This "girl" was none other than Orochimaru, who had used the Living Corpse Reincarnation to switch bodies. In the original story, during the Konoha Crush, the body Orochimaru used to fight Hiruzen was female.
Calculating the time, the Konoha Crush wasn't far off. But the plot had already deviated significantly; whether Orochimaru would still destroy Konoha was now unknown.
Neji-kun's eyes darted to Haku, and his eyebrows rose again. He never expected to see Haku with Orochimaru. 'Did Zabuza not defect?' It seemed the Uchiha joining Kumo had indirectly altered Kirigakure's political landscape as well.
Neji-kun bit into a dango, glanced at Orochimaru out of the corner of his eye, and then pulled Hikari out of the izakaya.
Orochimaru suddenly turned, watching them leave. He licked his lips with his slender tongue and murmured, "Those two... how interesting."
After leaving the izakaya, Neji-kun didn't wander the streets. He took Hikari straight to their inn. Pakura, Izumi, and the others who had gone out to gather information had not yet returned. Neji-kun went to his room, summoned the Maneki Neko, and secretly contacted Kurosuki Raiga and the others.
Evening.
In a courtyard near the izakaya Neji-kun had visited earlier.
Zabuza Momochi stood in the main position, his cold gaze sweeping over the subordinates gathered in the yard. As a genius of Kiri's younger generation, Zabuza commanded a loyal following of fifty men, enough to make the wide courtyard feel crowded.
The Fourth Mizukage's war against Kumo had cost them eight thousand shinobi. Resentment against him was high. Zabuza had just received confirmed intelligence that the Mizukage was planning to send academy students to the front lines for another fight.
And so, Zabuza, who in the original story would have defected long ago, finally reached his breaking point. He decided to stage a coup at this very moment to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage.
"Gentlemen," Zabuza said, his eyes scanning his men, "tomorrow's actions will change the future of Kirigakure. We will make history."
As he finished, his fifty followers roared in unison, "Everything for the village!"
Zabuza nodded, his face impassive. The Fourth Mizukage was unrepentant, still planning to attack Kumo even after such a disastrous defeat. The village was already on its last legs; sending children to the battlefield would destroy any future Kiri had.
The Mizukage had lost the people's hearts. Even the moderate faction led by the Elder, who had always tried to stabilize the village, was now openly opposing him. This was why Zabuza dared to rebel. In his mind, as long as he struck with lightning speed, assassinated the Mizukage, and overthrew him, it didn't matter who became the Fifth Mizukage—the situation couldn't possibly be worse.
As Zabuza plotted, he failed to notice a single crow perched on a branch, its crimson eyes watching him intently.
Meanwhile, in an old building not far away.
Ao, a Kiri Jōnin, burst in, panting, and collapsed into a chair.
Mei Terumī frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
Ao took a deep breath, waving his hand. "Nothing... just used the Byakugan for too long. I'm exhausted."
The Byakugan's strain wasn't as severe as the Sharingan's, but it still took a toll. Even a true Hyūga couldn't use it indefinitely.
Mei poured him a glass of water. "Drink this and rest."
After recovering, Ao's face turned serious. "Nearly fifty people have slipped into that courtyard. All of Zabuza's top men are there. I predict he'll make his move tomorrow."
Mei's brow furrowed tightly. If even she was aware of Zabuza's movements, the other village factions, especially the Mizukage's ANBU, must also know something. If the Mizukage was truly oblivious to such a danger, he would have been overthrown long ago.
After a moment's thought, Mei asked, "What's the defensive situation at the Mizukage Tower?"
"Same as always. Two ANBU squads plus the regular patrol. But as for the internal defenses, I couldn't find out." The Mizukage Tower was covered in sealing formulas. Even with the Byakugan, Ao's perception was blocked from seeing inside.
Mei sighed. "I'm afraid the Mizukage Tower has already bared its fangs, just waiting for Zabuza to walk into the trap."
She sighed again. The Mizukage had lost all support. Never mind Zabuza; she herself had entertained the thought of launching a coup. But she had quickly extinguished the idea. The Fourth Mizukage, for all his madness, was undeniably powerful. He had survived countless assassination attempts since taking office. Those who tried were either brutally killed or forced to flee as rogue-nin.
Mei knew she couldn't do any better than Jūzō Biwa or Kurosuki Raiga. Besides, given her status, there was no need. The younger generation had no real competitors. The Mizukage's seat would be hers, sooner or later.
Ao suddenly frowned. "Ma'am, we haven't seen Lord Mizukage in a very long time. Do you think his reclusiveness, his refusal to appear in public... could it be because of some unspeakable difficulty? Or a secret?"
Mei looked at Ao, tapping her fingers on the table, silent. The Mizukage's abnormal behavior wasn't new. He had changed shortly after the Third Great Ninja War, becoming a recluse. The Yagura she knew had been a man of integrity who despised the Bloody Mist policy. Yet, after becoming Mizukage, he had enforced it with even more cruelty.
The various clans all had their suspicions. But even in their wildest imaginations, they could never have guessed that the Mizukage was being controlled by genjutsu.
Knock, knock, knock!
A sharp knock broke the silence. Mei collected her thoughts. "Come in!"
A Kiri ninja hurried in and handed her a document. "This is from the Lord Elder."
"The Elder?" Mei was surprised and quickly took the file. It was a list of all outsiders who had infiltrated the village in the last ten days. The page was filled with names—spies, informants, and assassins from other villages. Kumo had sent the most.
"Bastards! What do they take our village for?!" Mei slammed the file on the table, furious.
Ao sighed. "Ma'am, this is only the ones we've found."
Mei said, "I know. The village is in chaos, order has broken down... this is just the tip of the iceberg." She paused. "The Fourth Mizukage must also know about Kumo's actions, but he seems to have no reaction at all."
"That Mizukage of ours doesn't seem to care about anything," Ao said, holding his hands up. "This is pretty normal for him."
"You're right," Mei nodded. "But Kiri will not be insulted. Ao, have your men monitor these intruders. Don't let them cause any trouble."
"Understood."
Night faded, and dawn approached. The mist grew thicker. The village was silent, the streets empty. From above, the fog-shrouded village was dark, save for a few scattered lights. A few distant barks and crows gave the dead village a faint sign of life.
On a deserted street, a Kiri ninja was staking out a shop. Drowsiness crept in, and he let out a yawn.
Thwip!
The sound of flesh being pierced. The ninja's body stiffened. He looked down to see a bloody wooden splinter protruding from his chest. His eyes widened, and he collapsed.
White figures emerged from the ground, moving swiftly and silently through the mist, utterly eerie.
"Aaargh...!"
Before long, horrific screams echoed from the shop.
Morning.
One by one, bodies were carried out of the shop—some were ninja, but most were civilians.
Mei Terumī looked at the small hill of corpses, her beautiful face growing dark. This shop was one of her most important intelligence stations, run by a Special Jōnin and three valuable informants. They had been wiped out overnight.
A medical-nin in a white coat approached and handed her a report, briefing her at the same time. "Aside from the Special Jōnin, everyone else was killed in their sleep. The killer is a professional assassin; the work is clean, no clues to their origin. However, the Special Jōnin has six sword wounds. Based on the cuts and the lightning-based chakra damage at the scene... the killer used the Kumo-Style Secret Sword Technique."
"Kumo-Style Secret Sword Technique?" Mei closed the report, her brow furrowed. "I understand. You're dismissed."
After the medic left, Ao approached her. "Ma'am, this isn't that simple."
Mei pondered. "Using the Kumo sword style is too obvious. It's likely a frame-up... but it could also be a reverse-psychology move, to deliberately mislead us."
There was another, more important reason both she and Ao understood. Kumo had just crushed Kiri's army, but they still feared a counterattack. Why would they provoke Kiri at a time like this? It made no logical sense. The killer was probably not a Kumo ninja.
Of course, that was just a guess. Kumo was full of power-obsessed lunatics. They often defied logic. For example, when the Third Kazekage disappeared, Kumo had been the first to attack Suna, triggering the Third Great Ninja War. It was a completely irrational move. But Kumo did it anyway. And after failing against Suna, they had picked fights with Konoha and Iwa.
So, without hard proof, Kumo remained the primary suspect.
"Ao," Mei said, "our priority is to make contact with the Kumo spies and gauge the Fourth Raikage's attitude. If he has no intention of making peace, we have no choice but to prepare for war."
Ao nodded gravely. "There just so happen to be a few Kumo spies at the Kiri Inn."
Mei thought for a moment. "Bring one of the bodies. Let's go."
Ao ordered his subordinates to carry the Special Jōnin's corpse and headed straight for the Kiri Inn.
Neji-kun was having a meal with Hikari when he sensed a large group of chakra signatures approaching. He frowned. His Tenseigan identified Mei Terumī in the group, and he stroked his chin.
Kirigakure was at its absolute weakest. Its Jinchuriki were either controlled or captured. Its Seven Swordsmen were dead, defected, or rogue. Future talents like Chōjūrō and Suigetsu were not yet grown. The only usable assets left were the Elder, Mei, and Ao. If Kiri didn't have such a deep-rooted foundation, it would have already been stripped of its Great Village status.
"Is Mei coming for me?"
Neji-kun's eyes fell on the corpse they were carrying, and he narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he signaled Izumi to open the door. Mei wasn't trying to hide her approach; he would meet her openly. Whatever games they were playing, he couldn't lose his composure.
Mei quickly found their room and led a few of her men to the second floor. Seeing the open door, she and Ao exchanged a surprised look, then entered.
Neji-kun studied Mei up close. She looked just as he remembered: a blue dress that brought a bit of life to the dreary village, brown hair cascading down to her thighs, a faint, polite smile on her lips. Her bangs covered her right eye, while her left eye sized up Neji-kun and his companions with keen interest.