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Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Like a Demon

During the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Mizukage died from a combination of illness and Kiyosuke's actions, though it was mainly the illness that took his life.

If he hadn't been sick, there's no way he would've died so easily.

As for how he got sick in the first place...

Naturally, it was because of the ninja clans.

Dissatisfied with the Third Mizukage's rule, they sent assassins after him.

The attempt failed, but the attack left him with injuries that never fully healed.

Those lingering effects slowly wore his body down.

Not long after, the war began, and with repeated deployments, he eventually gambled everything for the village by becoming a jinchūriki—and was killed by Kiyosuke.

After Karatachi Yagura became the Fourth Mizukage, he was well aware that the ninja clans were a liability and made plans to crack down on them.

On this point, even the daimyō of the Land of Water supported him.

Mei Terumī, Kisame Hoshigaki, Ao, and a few others were his trusted subordinates—they knew what he intended to do.

But what happened next was the truly bizarre part.

Yagura began indiscriminately targeting the ninja clans—good or bad, it didn't matter.

He wanted to wipe them all out at once, and it left Kirigakure in a severely weakened state.

The Hōzuki, Kaguya, and Yuki clans had been the backbone of the village, but Yagura cut them down without hesitation, slaughtering them nearly to extinction.

Only a few lucky survivors escaped with their lives.

From that point on, Mei Terumī began to suspect that something was wrong with Yagura.

Kiyosuke said he'd gone insane—and she found herself agreeing.

Yagura deeply loved Kirigakure. Even if he had to confront the ninja clans, he wouldn't have done it so ruthlessly.

In the terrifying atmosphere of the "Bloody Mist," people in the village could hardly breathe.

Now, Kirigakure was gripped by fear and paranoia.

If you had even a slight connection to one of those three clans or acted suspiciously in the slightest, you'd be thrown into the Kirigakure prison and investigated thoroughly.

...

Kiyosuke glanced around the room, then slipped skillfully into the closet in Mei Terumī's bedroom, poked his head out, and said:

"I'm sleeping here tonight. Tomorrow, take me out to see the village."

"What kind of joke is that? You're from Konoha!"

Mei Terumī thought Kiyosuke must've lost his mind.

He actually wanted her—a Kirigakure jōnin—to give him a tour of the village?

Was he sleepwalking?

"I know. I told you, I'm here to find someone."

Mei, still in her pajamas, pounced on him and grabbed his collar.

She lowered her voice and said:

"You're a Konoha shinobi. I'm a Kirigakure shinobi. You understand that, right?"

Kiyosuke gazed into her emerald eyes and smiled.

"I know. That's why I trust you—because it's you."

Because it's you...

Mei's face turned crimson.

She released him and stammered:

"Y-You... What are you saying? We're from rival villages! I—I couldn't possibly..."

"Relax. I'll stay by your side, my lady. Your butler is at your service."

As his gaze lowered, he noticed Mei's loose pajamas.

Because of her sudden movement just now, her chest was fully exposed in his line of sight.

Crap. Is this a black hole or what? I can't look away!

She really has grown into a woman!

"Hmph! I don't need a butler like you! What are you staring at?"

Noticing where he was looking, Mei quickly covered her chest, her face burning bright red.

"You—you—pervert!!"

"It's dark, Mei. How could I possibly see anything clearly?"

Actually, though the room was dim, there was still some light.

And ninja had much better night vision than normal people...

Mei was a ninja—of course she knew that.

"You pervert!!!"

Smack!

Kiyosuke took a full-force slap to the face and collapsed into the bedding inside the closet.

Ouch!

The sound was so loud, it woke the maid sleeping next door.

"My lady?"

"It's nothing. I just had a nightmare."

Mei steadied her breathing and said softly:

"Go back to sleep. Don't worry about me."

"Yes, my lady. If you need anything, just call me."

The maid didn't suspect a thing. Drowsiness took over, and she lay back down.

Kiyosuke sat up, rubbing his cheek.

"You didn't have to hit that hard, did you?"

"Hmph! Who told you to..."

Mei, still blushing, grabbed him by the neck.

"Why is it that you feel no shame crawling into my house—into my room, no less?"

"Mei-chan, we're friends!"

Kiyosuke looked at her seriously.

"Can't a friend crash at your place for one night?"

"I guess, but..."

But what's with the sneaking around?

What's with silently creeping into my room?

And you went straight to the closet like you'd done this before!

This isn't even the first time!!

"Alright, I'm tired. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow."

He closed the closet door, shutting the confused Mei Terumī out.

She stomped her feet in frustration.

Meanwhile, Kiyosuke pulled the covers over himself and slept soundly until morning.

...

The next morning

Mei Terumī, fully dressed, opened the closet door and woke him up.

"Kiyosuke-san, time to get up. It's already morning. Go take a bath."

"Ah, right."

Without thinking, he entered the bathroom and used the toiletries Mei had prepared for him.

Three minutes later, he was done showering and was about to change clothes.

Then he saw the neatly folded women's clothes waiting for him.

Kiyosuke fell into deep thought.

He stuck his head out of the bathroom.

"Mei-chan... did you grab the wrong clothes?"

Mei smiled sweetly.

"Nope. Those are for you, Kiyosuke-san. If you want to go out with me, this is necessary!"

"Uhh..."

Staring at the outfit, Kiyosuke decided he'd rather wear his dirty clothes.

He changed into a clean pair of underwear and went looking for his old outfit—only to realize, with growing horror, that it was gone.

Crap!

"Where are my clothes!?"

"I don't know."

Mei grinned mischievously.

"You only have one choice now, Kiyosuke-san. That outfit suits you very well."

"No. I have a second choice."

Kiyosuke narrowed his eyes, giving her a mischievous look.

"And that's to strip your clothes off."

"Go ahead and try, coward. Do you really have the guts, Kiyosuke?"

Mei looked at him, her gaze soft and calm.

"You..."

Kiyosuke was speechless.

He could only bluff—he'd never actually do something like that to Mei.

If he did, their friendship would be over.

"Kiyosuke, you really are a coward."

Mei smiled, lips curled playfully.

"All talk, no action. Come on, Kiyosuke-chan, put it on!"

"You..."

"Alright, alright, I'm done teasing."

Mei handed him a set of makeup tools and said:

"Put it on. It's necessary. Transformation Jutsu won't fool Ao's eyes. You need makeup and disguise techniques."

Looking at the bottles and brushes, Kiyosuke's scalp tingled.

"Do I really have to wear women's clothes?"

He stepped back, leaning against the wall.

So pitiful, so helpless, so hopeless...

"Of course. This is a necessary sacrifice, Kiyosuke!"

At that moment, Mei Terumī looked just like a demon.

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