Land of Rivers, north, Ashihara Town.
Inside a hot spring inn.
"Masakazu-sama, there's an urgent letter."
A Kiri shinobi arrived outside the room and knocked on the door.
"Bring it in."
An elderly but still vigorous voice responded.
"Yes."
The Kiri shinobi slid the door open and stepped inside.
Within the room, an old man knelt on the tatami. He wore loose robes, his small frame straight despite his age. His crane-feather-like white hair was neatly combed back, and his eyes shone with striking clarity. Hearing the door, he finally lifted his gaze from the book before him and turned toward the young Kiri shinobi entering with a letter in hand.
"Who is it from?" he asked.
"It's from Yūzō-sama."
The shinobi answered, respectfully offering the letter.
"Yūzō?"
The old man's brow arched slightly as he reached out to take the letter.
"Masakazu-sama, I'll take my leave."
Seeing the elder preparing to open the letter, the Kiri shinobi wisely excused himself. He had no curiosity about what Yūzō-sama might have written to the clan head—after all, though he too was of the Kirigumo clan, he was but a chūnin.
He had no right to know what Yūzō-sama conveyed to Masakazu-sama.
And besides—
to be honest, even if he were allowed to read it, he wouldn't understand.
The letter was encrypted.
"Mm."
Kirigumo Masakazu gave a soft acknowledgment, not sparing the retreating clansman another glance. His hands swiftly opened the envelope, and he began decoding the message using the Kirigumo clan's internal cipher.
Before long… the old man's expression underwent a violent change.
"How could this be possible?!"
His voice burst out, eyes wide with disbelief, as though he had just witnessed something that defied all logic.
At that moment—
"Grandfather?"
The door slid open again.
A lively, adorable young girl bounded into the room, her wide green eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"What happened?" she asked eagerly.
"…Mei."
Kirigumo Masakazu exhaled heavily, suppressing the emotions that had almost gotten the better of him. After two seconds of thought, he decided not to hide anything.
"I just received a letter from the clan. It speaks of something… unbelievable."
"Unbelievable?"
The girl's curiosity grew stronger.
Anything that could make her grandfather react like this… sounded very interesting indeed!
Besides, from his expression, it didn't look like bad news.
She tugged at the old man's sleeve, shaking it insistently as she pleaded,
"Grandfather, don't keep me guessing. Tell me quickly—what happened?"
"All right, all right, Mei. Easy now, you'll tear my sleeve…"
"Fine."
The girl instantly behaved, gazing at him expectantly.
"You've heard of Hanzō of the Salamander, haven't you?"
"Of course. Hanzō of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure. In the past, many considered him the pinnacle of the shinobi world. Even now, though he's grown old, he's still one of the strongest living shinobi—stronger than you, Grandfather."
"You little rascal, always breaking my heart."
Masakazu shook his head with a wry smile. Helpless before his beloved granddaughter, he continued,
"Hanzō was killed not long ago."
"What?"
The girl's eyes went wide.
"You're serious?"
"It appears so. By the time this news reached Kirigakure, it had been thoroughly verified from multiple sources. Hanzō of the Salamander is indeed dead—killed alongside several elite jōnin from Amegakure and Iwagakure."
"…Iwa-nin?"
Her brows furrowed.
"Grandfather, was it Iwa-nin who killed Hanzō? But what does that have to do with us? Why bother sending such a troublesome letter just to tell us this?"
Her confusion was clear.
Yes, the news was shocking.
But what did it matter to them? The Amegakure and the Land of Water had no real ties. Whether Hanzō lived or died made little difference to Kirigakure… Even if it affected Konoha's conflicts, it shouldn't have had any direct bearing on their current mission in the Land of Rivers.
"The ones who killed Hanzō weren't Iwa-nin."
Masakazu shook his head.
"…Not Iwa-nin?"
Her frown deepened, and an impossible thought flashed through her mind.
"Grandfather, don't tell me… it was the Koeda clan?"
That would explain why the message had been sent to them so urgently.
"Correct."
Masakazu smiled faintly, a look of satisfaction flickering across his face.
It wasn't for nothing that both the Kirigumo and Terumī clans cherished Mei so much—this child had not only talent in battle but also a sharp mind.
"…So it really was the Koeda clan who killed Hanzō… and a number of Ame and Iwa jōnin as well?"
The girl stood stunned. "Is the Koeda clan truly that powerful?"
From the information they had, nothing suggested the clan was this strong.
"That… is exactly what I intend to find out."
Masakazu's expression grew solemn.
The strength of the Koeda clan was no small matter. It would shape the opinions of Master Genji and the Mizukage, influence how the other clans in Kirigakure treated them, determine how smoothly the Koeda clan integrated into the village, and guide whether the Kirigumo clan should increase its support of them.
Recruiting a powerful clan was entirely different from recruiting a weak one.
That was the reality of the shinobi world.
Here, strength decided everything.
"Grandfather, does the letter say how the Koeda clan killed Hanzō?" Mei asked after a moment.
"…It says that a youth named Koeda Kyoichi killed Hanzō—along with Iwagakure's Bantō. You may not have heard the name, but Bantō was a formidable shinobi of Iwagakure. Not on Hanzō's level, but no pushover either."
"Koeda Kyoichi…"
The girl repeated the name softly, her face reflecting recognition.
"If I remember right, Koeda Kyoichi is one of the few remaining jōnin of the clan?"
"…"
Masakazu remained silent.
He remembered more clearly. In the list of Koeda jōnin they had received earlier, it was noted that Koeda Kyoichi was only fifteen years old… just two years older than Mei.
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
Then a voice called urgently:
"Masakazu-sama, we've made contact with the Koeda clan."
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell