He still had no idea whether that was just an alias… or if the man really was some wandering shinobi.
"No wonder you actually hired outside help, Mei Terumī… This time, I lost." Mero said in a low, heavy voice. "And… thanks for holding back."
"It's nothing." Shiki waved a hand, sounding almost casual.
"If you really want to thank me, save it for later."
Mero frowned slightly, clearly thrown off by that.
Save it for later…?
What was that supposed to mean?
Mei Terumī watched the whole exchange with calm indifference, not the least bit surprised by the outcome.
If Shiki—the Golden Lion—couldn't even handle someone like Zabuza, that would have been the real surprise.
Hikari narrowed his eyes, falling into thought.
Mero, meanwhile, quickly adjusted himself. He exchanged a glance with the others, and in that brief moment, it was obvious they had already reached some kind of silent understanding.
"Let's get back to the matter of the Kaguya Clan," Mei Terumī said with a light cough, as if trying to move the conversation along before Shiki paid too much attention to their little exchange.
For Kirigakure, taking the initiative against the Kaguya Clan was out of the question.
Even if the Kaguya Clan's intent to rebel had already become an open secret—at least to everyone except themselves—there was still a world of difference between striking first and retaliating after being attacked.
The latter could be framed as a defensive response.
The former would be the outright extermination of one of Kirigakure's own shinobi clans.
That kind of thing would throw the entire village into unrest.
The Fourth Mizukage might not care about the consequences, but Mei Terumī and the three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist clearly did. Because of that, all of them had chosen the same approach without hesitation—
Force the Kaguya Clan to make the first move.
Under normal circumstances, no one in their right mind would provoke one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages when they had no chance of winning.
Unfortunately, the Kaguya Clan had never been known for patience or restraint.
They were a clan of violent fanatics who solved everything with bloodshed.
As long as someone nudged them hard enough, they would take the bait soon enough.
As for the actual execution of the plan, that responsibility naturally fell to Mei Terumī.
At the meeting, she made her position clear: within a week at most, she would force the Kaguya Clan into action.
Until then, everyone would just have to endure it.
Stay quiet. Be patient. Wait.
Mero and the others were hot-blooded by nature, but they were still seasoned shinobi. No matter how bad their tempers were, they were not so impulsive that they couldn't wait a few days.
So in the end, the three of them remained near the meeting hall and found a place to stay nearby.
The conditions were rough and far from comfortable, but for shinobi, that was hardly worth mentioning.
Shiki was staying nearby as well. Though life there was a bit idle, it wasn't completely without its… small amusements.
For example—
"Oi, want to eat?" Shiki called out casually, waving a hand with an easygoing smile.
The rich aroma of freshly cooked food drifted through the air.
Mei Terumī paused for a moment. She clearly wanted to refuse… but in the end, her body moved before her pride could.
She walked over, sat down without a word, and picked up the bowl and chopsticks as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
…Well, she was hungry.
And unlike this man, she didn't have the luxury of ignoring basic needs just because of overwhelming strength.
Rin Nohara pouted slightly at the sight, her lips curling in faint dissatisfaction.
This woman…
Is she trying to get closer to Shiki-sama?
Her gaze unconsciously drifted downward—then back up again.
Her chest… her figure… even her presence…
Compared to Mei Terumī, she felt completely outclassed.
There was even a gap in age.
…They weren't on the same level at all.
For some reason, Rin suddenly felt a bit down.
Of course, Mei Terumī wasn't the only one drawn in by the smell.
Not far away, Mero, Hikari, and even Zabuza—who had already regained consciousness—were all silently swallowing, their throats tightening as the scent reached them.
But none of them moved.
They grit their teeth and endured it.
Zabuza, however, had a completely different expression.
After regaining consciousness, his mood had only grown worse.
Shiki had clearly held back, which was why he woke up so quickly… but that only made it more humiliating.
Defeated in a single move?
A flick?
Just who the hell do you think you are?
…Uchiha Madara?
"This guy… he definitely used some kind of trick…" Zabuza muttered, his voice low and filled with suppressed anger. His eyes burned as he glared at Shiki, barely holding back his killing intent.
Unfortunately for him—
Shiki noticed.
In the next instant, Zabuza's body was lifted straight off the ground again.
Before he could even react, he was sent flying and beaten mid-air, completely helpless.
"You've still got the guts to look at me like that?" Shiki said lazily, as if swatting away something annoying.
Zabuza clenched his teeth, fury surging through him.
If he could, he would've already drawn Kubikiribōchō and cut down everything in sight.
Mei Terumī watched the scene with a hint of awkwardness.
She opened her mouth slightly… but in the end, said nothing.
Zabuza might not be the strongest among them—
But he was still one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And yet, in front of Shiki… even that title didn't seem to matter at all.
…If Mero chose to step in—
Mero suddenly stood up.
He walked straight toward Mei Terumī, his footsteps steady, his presence heavy.
When he stopped in front of her, his voice came out low and hoarse.
"Mei Terumī."
Mei Terumī lowered her gaze slightly, her tone calm but respectful.
"I apologize, Lord Mero. This was an accident. I'll cover his medical expenses. I hope you won't take it to heart—"
"That's not what I'm talking about." Mero cut her off, his voice still low, but carrying a clear weight.
Mei Terumī paused.
Mero's eyes were fixed on her, filled with caution.
"The man you brought…" he said slowly, "what exactly is he doing in our village?"
A brief silence fell.
Mero's gaze sharpened.
"Are you certain… he doesn't have any intentions toward Kirigakure?"
Mei Terumī was taken aback for a moment.
But when she met Mero's expression, she immediately understood.
…So he's noticed it too.
—
Kaguya Clan Territory
Inside the clan's meeting hall, the atmosphere was already boiling over.
"Patriarch, this is our chance!"
"Exactly! The Fourth Mizukage is away—we can take control of the entire village in one move!"
"They've looked down on us for too long. It's time they learned what the Kaguya Clan is capable of!"
Voices overlapped one after another, filled with excitement.
Every face was lit with a savage grin.
Every pair of eyes burned with unrestrained madness.
The Kaguya Clan Patriarch sat at the head of the hall, his expression wavering slightly.
Like the rest of his clan, he was straightforward by nature—someone who preferred action over thought.
But even he wasn't completely blind.
He understood Kirigakure's strength.
According to the intelligence they had recently received, several of the village's strongest shinobi had been taken away by the Fourth Mizukage for a mission.
If that information was true, then Kirigakure's defenses would be weakened on that day.
It was the perfect opportunity.
And yet—
Something didn't sit right.
A faint sense of unease lingered in his chest.
He wanted to act. He wanted to charge in and feel the exhilaration of battle.
But that same instinct held him back, whispering that something was off.
Around him, the clan members continued to press forward, their voices growing louder, more fervent.
Again and again, they urged him to give the order.
The Patriarch clenched his fist.
Several times, he almost spoke.
Several times, he hesitated.
But in the end—
The blood of the Kaguya Clan ran too deep.
It drowned out that final trace of caution.
"…Fine."
A savage grin slowly spread across his face.
"Then we move."
He rose to his feet, his voice suddenly rising, echoing through the entire hall.
"My clansmen…!"
"What is the meaning of our existence?!"
The response came instantly, like a storm breaking loose—
"TO FIGHT!"
Thus, as though it had always been inevitable—
one night, taking advantage of Kirigakure's lowered guard, the Kaguya Clan launched their attack without hesitation.
"Kill! Kill them all!"
"Show the village the power of the Kaguya Clan!"
"Everyone dies eventually, so you might as well die by my hand!"
The Kaguya clan shinobi roared with savage laughter, their voices thick with bloodlust.
Some fired hardened bones from their bodies like bullets, tearing through the night with terrifying force.
Some wrapped themselves in layers of bone and charged forward like wild beasts, smashing through buildings and sending rubble flying.
Some...
Every last one of them was reveling in the slaughter.
Puchi!
With a brutal thrust, the patriarch drove his bone spear straight through the heart of the Kirigakure shinobi in front of him.
The man choked, blood spilling from his mouth.
Then the light faded from his eyes, and his body collapsed limply to the ground.
A cruel smile spread across the patriarch's face as he prepared to keep moving.
But in the very next moment—
"Patriarch-sama!" a Kaguya shinobi shouted as he rushed over. "This is bad! It's a trap from Kirigakure!"
"The civilians ahead of us have already been evacuated by the ANBU!"
"Hm?" The patriarch's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward at once and looked ahead.
Sure enough, even without any dōjutsu, he could clearly make out the scene in the distance.
A large number of ANBU were moving through the area, pulling the remaining civilians out of the buildings and retreating in an orderly formation.
They were fast.
There were also far more of them than expected.
In only a short time, the only ones left in the area were the Kaguya clan themselves and the corpses strewn across the ground.
"We've been played..." the patriarch muttered, his gaze darkening.
There was no doubt about it now.
They had walked straight into Kirigakure's trap.
Even the villagers and shinobi killed by the Kaguya Clan had likely been left there on purpose—sacrifices meant to become proof of the clan's rebellion once everything was over.
After all, everyone had now seen it with their own eyes.
The Kaguya Clan had attacked Kirigakure.
That meant Kirigakure now had every justification it needed to wipe them out completely.
And if the village had prepared this much in advance...
Then the intelligence they had received before tonight was probably false from the very beginning.
But neither the patriarch nor the other Kaguya shinobi showed even a trace of fear.
If anything, the grins on their faces only grew more savage.
"Heh... so there are still plenty left."
"Looks like they've already finished surrounding us."
"Their defenses are tighter than I expected."
"Then there's only one thing left to do," the patriarch said, laughing loudly as killing intent surged from his body. "We kill as many as we can before we die. Enjoy yourselves!"
At his words, every member of the Kaguya Clan lifted their heads and looked ahead with feverish excitement.
That was where Mei Terumī, Mero, Shiki, and the others were waiting.
If they were going to charge...
Then they would charge straight toward the most dangerous battlefield of all.
And in the next instant—
they moved as one.
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