The three girls watched Teizawa's back as he rounded the corridor and vanished around the corner.
Then…
"Haa…"
Someone let out a long breath first.
Bodies that had been wound tight to the breaking point finally went slack. Yukata tipped backward and collapsed into the hot sand, staring up at the clear blue sky beyond the skylight with unfocused eyes.
"We… just now, were we…?"
She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
Matsuri buried her face in the crook of her arm. Her muffled voice seeped out from her elbow.
"Yeah. We were."
Yukata: "…"
Inui didn't speak.
She lowered her gaze to her hands, still trembling faintly.
Then she looked at the clothes that were already beyond saving.
Then she looked at the two companions beside her, both just as disheveled.
And then she laughed.
"So… so incredible…"
She repeated the word softly, and there was a trace of anticipation in her voice.
"The Kazekage is so strong. The three of us weren't even a match for him."
"Tch, he… he didn't fight fair…"
"Enough, what's the point of saying that now?" Matsuri and Yukata scolded one after the other, cheeks still warm.
Yukata lifted one hand from the sand and held it over her eyes, blocking the harsh sunlight.
"So tomorrow… are we really going to report in?"
Matsuri didn't answer.
Inui didn't either.
But all three of them understood.
They would go.
Not because of an order. Not because they were afraid to refuse.
But because…
Yukata suddenly remembered the way Teizawa had said her name, the calm seriousness in his eyes as he looked at her.
The Kazekage remembered.
Every one of their names, their records, what they'd done.
He remembered it all.
Someone like that…
A Kazekage like that…
Yukata slowly lowered her arm, gazing up at the blue sky beyond the skylight.
Matsuri sat up in the sand and quietly began gathering what little could be salvaged from underwear that was beyond help.
Inui stood. Her legs still felt weak, but she managed to plant her feet steadily.
She stood up.
In Sunagakure, no one would refuse a Kazekage like that.
Even if it meant offering themselves to serve him.
"Tomorrow," Inui said.
The other two looked at her at the same time.
Inui didn't turn around.
With her back to them, she stared at the corner where Teizawa had disappeared, her voice very soft.
"Don't be late."
No one spoke again.
But they all knew…
When the sun rose tomorrow, they would be standing in front of the Kazekage's office door.
From then on, scenes of the three sisters facing each other with nothing held back would be unavoidable.
But so what?
He was Sunagakure's Kazekage.
…
And yet, while Teizawa was sinking into a gentle haze with Kurotsuchi, Temari, and the warmth of Chi, Yukata, and Matsuri…
Thousands of kilometers away from Sunagakure, deep within some nameless mountain range, inside a lightless underground cave.
Water dripped from an unseen ceiling.
In the dead silence, each drop struck with a monotonous, hollow echo.
The air was damp and cold, laced with the rotten, ancient scent unique to stone that had never seen the sun.
No natural light could pierce the layers of rock. The only illumination came from deep within the cave…
From a massive, eerie statue.
Ten fingers thrust straight upward, disappearing into the darkness, as if they were holding up something indescribable.
At the enormous fingertips, ripples of chakra began to stir.
One, two, three…
Phantoms surfaced one after another.
Not their true bodies, but projections cast through some secret technique.
A faint blue glow clung to them, blurry and unreal, yet distinct enough to make out each silhouette.
Pain appeared first.
His projection stood at the center of the platform.
Those Rinnegan eyes glinted with icy luster in the gloom as he looked down on the companions arriving one by one.
The Deva Path's posture was sculptural and upright, his orange hair perfectly still.
An aloof presence radiated from him, keeping everyone at a distance.
At the same time, Konan formed not far to his side.
Her bluish hair stirred without wind, a paper flower in it quivering faintly.
Her eyes were lowered, her expression as indifferent as ever.
She looked at no one.
"Tch, another meeting."
An irritated voice came from beneath one of the fingers.
Hidan's projection wavered. The outline of his triple-bladed scythe was faintly visible.
He cocked his head, crimson eyes sweeping the area as he muttered under his breath.
"What is it this time? I'm busy preparing offerings for Jashin-sama."
"I just caught a really devout one, the screaming…"
"Shut up."
Kakuzu's voice was hoarse and dark, cutting off the ramble.
A dangerous glint flickered in his green eyes.
His stitched face revealed no expression, but the aura rolling off him clearly warned: don't annoy me.
Hidan pouted, but didn't keep talking.
Off to the side, Sasori's projection stood silent in a corner.
The outline of Hiruko was grotesque and menacing.
Only his eyes showed through the puppet's seams, a cold, detached light.
Kisame Hoshigaki bared a grin, rows of sharp teeth on display.
The outline of Samehada could be made out beside him.
He looked to be in a good mood.
Itachi stood at Kisame's side, the red cloud pattern on his cloak still striking in the darkness.
He looked at no one.
His eyes were lowered, as if thinking about something, or as if he wasn't thinking about anything at all.
His Sharingan, deep red in the dim, seemed bottomless.
"…"
Deidara's projection was the last to appear.
He shook his head, blond hair swinging with the motion, his face full of annoyance.
"Hey, hey, I was halfway through a clay doll! Meeting, meeting, meeting. Couldn't you give a little warning?"
No one responded.
Pain lifted his gaze, his Rinnegan sweeping over every shadowed figure.
"Everyone's here."
As his voice fell, the air inside the cave seemed to congeal for a heartbeat.
"There's a job."
He paused.
"The client… Iwagakure."
"The payment… one billion ryō."
A brief silence.
Then…
"Huh?"
Deidara was the first to break, letting out an exaggerated yelp.
He stared, then rubbed his eyes hard as if he didn't believe what he'd heard.
"The old man's that rich now? A billion?"
"That geezer's stingy as hell. I ask for a little more budget for my clay and he screams that I'm wasting money."
"And now he's actually willing to pay a billion?"
His whole face screamed disbelief, mouth open wide enough to swallow a clay spider.
"Hmph."
A cold laugh came from the corner.
Sasori's voice was slow and rough, unhurried and composed.
"Then… the target is troublesome."
He said no more.
But everyone there understood the weight of that single line.
For Iwagakure…
One of the Five Great Nations' military powers…
To throw out a billion-ryō bounty.
This was not some small-time job like assassinating a minor country's daimyo or wiping out a merchant caravan.
The target was worth at least that much.
(End of Chapter)
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