Yagami reached the vicinity of the dam, concealing himself in the woods flanking the embankment.
Yak rushed over immediately. "Captain, the target Yamashige hasn't appeared. Instead, negotiations between the Minister of Finance of the Land of Rivers and her counterpart from the Land of Wind have collapsed!"
"Not Yamashige? Wait..." Yagami paused. "Who did you say? Who broke off negotiations?"
Yak pointed toward the distant pier. "Captain, those two ships at the Teigu Pier belong to the nobles of the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers. The Rain nobles are acting as mediators while the Ministers of Finance from Rivers and Wind discuss the water distribution here at the dam.
The talks failed; neither side is satisfied. The Land of Rivers claims too much water is being diverted, impacting the downstream flow of the Yoshimizu River. The Land of Wind maintains they are building the channel strictly according to the prior agreement between the Daimyos."
Yagami stared at the two ships. One of them bore the crest of the Land of Rivers.
He hadn't expected to see Koi Chisa here.
"Continue searching for intel on the Stone ninja, Yamashige," Yagami ordered. "I'll handle the conflict between Rivers and Wind."
"Understood, Captain."
Yagami wove a set of seals, performing the Underground Projection Jutsu, and vanished before Yak's eyes. Yak stood stunned; the Captain's Earth Style was leagues beyond his own. Once Yagami entered the ground, his presence vanished completely from Yak's perception.
Moving through the earth, the broad river, and finally the wooden hull of the ship, Yagami infiltrated Chisa's vessel. He didn't find her there, but on the neighboring Rain noble's ship, he saw two groups at each other's throats.
A face—the Fox mask—briefly materialized under the eaves of the ship's second-story cabin. On the deck, the nobles of Rivers and Wind were arguing in the rain. As the discussion went nowhere, their guards nearly came to blows. The Rain noble was desperately trying to pacify both sides.
Water, which was useless to the rainy Land of Rain, was a precious resource to everyone else.
Under a large parasol sat Koi Chisa. She wore rimless glasses, making her features appear particularly delicate. To Yagami's surprise, her hair was pinned up—a style that, among nobles, was a symbol of a married woman or a mother.
Yagami's heart skipped a beat. It was now March of the 41st year; he had left the Land of Rivers in April of the 39th year. Over a year and a half had passed. He didn't know what had happened in her life.
Yagami's hand shimmered near a pillar. If the Wind nobles dared to move against Chisa, he was ready to let them... let them witness the "terror" of the Stone Jonin, Yamashige.
He retreated to an empty room, unsealing his Stone ninja disguise just in case. However, the Wind nobles eventually backed down under the mediator's pressure. Seeing Chisa was safe, Yagami vanished and headed to the dam to investigate for her.
The dam had graduation lines to measure the outflow—a crucial tool for controlling water volume. Yagami moved through the water using the Mayfly Technique, following the channel to the base of the Yoshioka Mountains. The cavern that Yellow Dog's squad had once sealed had been re-excavated at great cost.
Water roared as it plunged into the cave. Yagami merged with the waterfall-like flow. Twenty meters down, he suddenly spotted five secret outlets.
Aside from the main intake, there were five hidden underground pipes. No wonder Chisa was suspicious; the Sand ninja had secretly carved these three-meter-high conduits. Yagami followed one pipe back to a specific point in the Yoshimizu River.
A hidden opening allowed water to bleed off before reaching the dam, masked by a small barrier to prevent visible whirlpools on the surface.
After scouting all five locations, Yagami marked them on a map and hurried back to Chisa's ship.
Late into the night, Chisa was still working, her pen flying across paper as she calculated figures. According to the dam's gauges, the Land of Wind was taking the agreed amount, yet the downstream water levels were far lower than they should be. No matter how she calculated, the numbers didn't add up.
Suddenly, she heard a faint whistle of air from above. Chisa leaned back instinctively, expecting a kunai, only to see a scroll fall from the ceiling and land on her desk. She stared at the ceiling, but saw nothing.
Opening the scroll, she found a map of the Yoshimizu River with five red circles. Next to them was written:Underground Pipe Intakes!
Chisa gasped. If there were hidden intakes, she had been looking in completely the wrong place at the dam. Who was helping her?
She spun around and saw a figure slowly emerging from the wooden paneling of the cabin. He wore a fox mask.
"Miko... no, Fox! Is it you?"
Since the war ended, Chisa had been gathering intel on the Hidden Leaf. She had eventually heard from Fire nobles about a formidable ANBU known as Copper Fox, called the "Top Expert of the ANBU." That Fox was her Fox—the one who helped build her power. He had used the name Mikome with her while wearing that mask.
"Long time no see, Lady Chisa."
Chisa stood so abruptly her chair clattered to the floor. Outside, a maid asked, "My Lady, is something wrong?"
Yagami felt a wave of relief. The maid had called her "My Lady", confirming she wasn't married.
Chisa called out, "Have everyone clear the second and third floors. No one is to approach!"
She walked slowly toward Fox, then broke into a run and threw herself into his arms. After eighteen months apart, the bitterness in her heart was so vast she didn't know where to begin. Yagami removed his mask, revealing his eyes and mask, and lifted her up.
As he moved toward the bed, Chisa whispered, "Go... to the desk. I want our reunion to be just like when we parted..."
When they had said goodbye, Chisa had known his identity and had kept her back to her lover. Now, as they reunited, it was the same familiar sensation, the same familiar silhouette.
Half an hour later, amidst the fading heat and trembling, Yagami felt a deep sense of contentment.
"Fox, why didn't you come to see me?"
"My schedule has been very tight. I'm sorry; Leaf ninja cannot leave the village without a mission."
"Then do you know that our child is already one year old?"
Yagami froze in shock. "What?!"
One year old? He suddenly worried—if the kid had red hair or Sharingan, he'd never be able to explain his way out of that one.