The Land of Water — Kirigakure.
All year round, the village was shrouded in a thick mist. For the people living there, a day when the sun shone brightly was more precious than a festival.
Inside the Mizukage's office, Terumi Mei stood before a group of shinobi from the sealing team who had barely escaped with their lives. Her expression was grave.
"How many of them came?"
Beside her, Ao watched the trembling members of the sealing team with sharp eyes. If Kiri weren't so short on such specialists, he might have already lost his temper.
"There were eight people. They were riding some kind of monster—it was faster than our warships!"
"Not eight. It looked like two to me. Those seven had identical eyes—they must've been puppets!"
"Yeah! Those were the eyes of legend... the Rinnegan!"
As the shinobi spoke one after another, Mei listened quietly without interrupting. From their reports, she pieced together what she needed to know.
Seven had the Rinnegan... meaning one true body and six puppets.
If that really was the Rinnegan, those bodies could act freely without waiting for direct orders.
Sometimes, pointless sacrifice was not something to be glorified.
But now, there was a bigger problem. Hikari's seal on the Three-Tails' chakra had surely been broken. So, would this person come to Kirigakure to find her next?
Even with her confidence in her own power, Mei wasn't sure she could win against someone wielding a legendary eye like the Rinnegan.
Mystery meant power.
"Enough," she said finally. "Ao, take them away. Make sure none of them are under genjutsu control. Once confirmed, release them."
The sealing corps might not be strong fighters, but they were invaluable. Shinobi skilled in sealing were rare — every one that could be kept alive was worth keeping.
Ao obeyed and led them out, leaving Mei alone in the Mizukage's office, staring vacantly into the mist outside her window.
"It seems you're not in a very good mood."
A familiar, teasing voice echoed through the room.
Mei tensed, then relaxed slightly when she saw who it was — Kamizuki Hikari.
"How could I possibly be calm? That was the Rinnegan!"
Even one Uchiha Itachi with his Mangekyō Sharingan was an S-rank rogue shinobi feared across the world. The leader of Akatsuki possessed the Rinnegan itself. How could she be confident against someone like that?
"If that's what worries you," Hikari said calmly, "then you can relax for now."
Mei blinked. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you made some kind of deal — that he won't target the Three-Tails?"
Hikari nodded slightly. "Orochimaru has gained partial control over the Three-Tails' chakra through his experiments. I've made an agreement — until Orochimaru is captured, they won't move against you."
Mei's lips curled into a playful smile.
Looking at the serious expression on Hikari's face, she teased, "Why are you being so kind to me, hmm? Could it be... you've fallen for me? If that's the case, you can stay here in Kirigakure — I might even give you a chance."
"Appreciate the offer," Hikari said, stepping back. "But my goal is simply to maintain peace in the shinobi world for a little longer. I don't want to see another war break out so soon."
Mei rose from her chair and walked slowly toward him.
"You say that, yet you're the one who's protecting me. If you really didn't care, why stop the Akatsuki's leader from coming after me? Sounds like you're trying to protect me, Hikari."
Hikari sighed. He truly didn't know how to deal with her narcissism.
"If you keep talking like that, I'll leave. This is just a clone anyway. If you keep rambling, I'm not wasting my time here."
"Oh? A clone?" Mei stepped closer, extending her hand. She examined him carefully, then sighed when she confirmed the truth.
"So that's it. Maybe fate really doesn't want to let us be together, huh?"
"You can keep talking to yourself. I'm leaving."
When she saw he was serious about leaving, Mei quickly dropped her teasing tone.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Let's talk business."
She wasn't ready to die — not yet.
With Akatsuki looming like a blade over her neck, her life as Mizukage was already full of anxiety.
"Do you have any intelligence on Akatsuki you can share with me?" she asked.
Hikari paused, glancing at her. "Forget about Akatsuki for now. Even putting aside their leader, your village isn't strong enough to face their members."
Kirigakure specialized in Water Release and kenjutsu. Against ordinary shinobi, they were formidable — but against Akatsuki, the strongest organization in the shinobi world, they were little more than prey.
Tsunade could resist them because she had the Wood Release and Jiraiya's support.
What did Kirigakure have?
The Six-Tails?
Don't joke.
Against Uchiha Itachi, the Six-Tails would fall to a single glance.
Against Konoha, Itachi would hold back. But against Kiri? He might unleash Susano'o, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi without hesitation, just to show what it meant to defy the pride of the Uchiha.
"This isn't fun anymore," Mei pouted. "You won't tell me about Akatsuki, you won't flirt with me... so why are you even here?"
Hikari rubbed his temples. This woman was exhausting.
"I came to tell you that if Akatsuki captures you, try to negotiate. Don't throw your life away meaninglessly. They're after the Tailed Beast, not you. I'll help you extract it if it comes to that."
"Liar!" Mei snapped. "Once a Tailed Beast is sealed, its host's life merges with it. If you're trying to trick me, you've got way too much free time!"
"Believe what you want," Hikari said indifferently. "That's all I can do for you. Whether Akatsuki will move against you... even I can't say for sure."
He had thought about bringing Mei to Konoha. If she stayed there, Akatsuki would be forced to focus on Orochimaru instead.
But even before he voiced the idea, he dismissed it himself.
She might be a woman, but she was still the Mizukage — the leader of a village.
She had long accepted that a Kage must be willing to die for their people. Asking her to abandon her village and run would be impossible.
"You really won't stay and protect me?" Mei tried one last time. "If you were here, Akatsuki wouldn't dare touch me. Konoha already has Tsunade with her Wood Release — she doesn't need you. But me? I'm just a delicate woman who could use a strong, broad chest like yours to rely on."
A lying woman's tongue was sharper than any kunai.
Hikari didn't believe a single word.
This was the same woman who could match Uchiha Madara's Fire Release with her own Water Release. If Tsunade didn't have Wood Release, who knew which of them would actually win in a fight?
"If you ever run into trouble, come to Konoha. I'll be waiting there."
With a sharp pop, Hikari's clone burst apart like a punctured balloon, vanishing before her eyes.
Mei stood in silence for a long moment, scanning the room as if expecting him to reappear.
When she was certain he was truly gone, she sighed softly.
"That bastard... really left."
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