"You're Koeda Kyoichi?"
A clear, melodious voice asked.
Kyoichi turned toward the sound and found one of the two Kirigakure shinobi he actually recognized from this group. The reason he could recognize her, despite her appearance being quite different from the image in his past life's memories, was simple—
the difference lay in age.
Before him stood a young girl. She wore the Kiri's standard gray combat uniform, her long reddish-brown hair tied into a high ponytail. In her right hand she gripped a kunai, and her striking jade-green eyes, cold and resolute, were fixed firmly on him.
That face…
It was unmistakably the younger version of the future Fifth Mizukage!
"The Koeda clan has over two hundred members, but as far as I know, there's only one person named Koeda Kyoichi—and that's me." Kyoichi spread his hands slightly, answering in as calm and relaxed a tone as he could manage.
"So, you really killed Hanzō of the Salamander?"
The girl cut straight to the point.
"…The news spread that fast?"
Kyoichi was genuinely surprised.
It had been less than six days since the night he slew Hanzō, yet even shinobi from Kirigakure had already heard the tale? No, wait—this group was currently in the Land of Rivers, not the Land of Water. Even so… that was fast.
This wasn't Kirigakure's territory at all.
"So it's true… But of course, Grandfather wouldn't lie to us."
Seeing that Kyoichi didn't deny it, the girl's expression lit up with excitement.
And not just hers—beside her, Biwa Jūzō's eyes gleamed as well, brimming with battle spirit.
"Let's spar!" the girl declared eagerly, not even waiting.
"…Weren't you supposed to be here to escort us?"
Kyoichi's voice was tinged with helplessness.
That intensity in her fighting spirit wasn't something one could simply ignore.
He had expected such troubles, of course. Killing Hanzō of the Salamander was bound to ripple outward and draw countless challenges. But this quickly? That, he hadn't quite prepared for.
He especially wasn't ready to teach a lesson to the future Fifth Mizukage.
If he ended up beating her here, it might affect how the Koeda clan could establish themselves in Kirigakure later on. From his memories, the future Mizukage wasn't only known for her beauty and alluring figure, but most importantly, for possessing two Kekkei Genkai at once.
And those two bloodline limits represented far more than personal strength.
They signified the two powerful clans standing behind her—both of which were among Kirigakure's most influential families.
To provoke this girl now might mean antagonizing both clans at once.
"I don't dislike sparring," Kyoichi said tactfully, "but I don't think this is the right time. Also… I don't even know your names yet."
"My name is Bi."
A rather plain-looking shinobi stepped forward, placing himself between his two restless companions. "These two are my teammates. We've come under the orders of Masakazu of the Kirigumo clan to escort you. My comrades can be a bit impulsive—please don't take it to heart."
His attitude was polite, without the slightest trace of arrogance.
"Mei Terumī!"
The girl pouted, clearly dissatisfied, but since Bi stood in her way, she didn't push further. Instead, she gave her name. "Koeda Kyoichi, remember me. If now isn't the right time, then I'll find you again later."
"Biwa Jūzō," the other one added with a wide grin. "If the chance comes, I'd also like to see what kind of power it takes to bring down Hanzō."
"When the time comes, I'll be happy to oblige," Kyoichi replied without hesitation this time, accepting the delayed challenge.
After that, he didn't say much more to the envoys who had come to receive them. He led them to meet Koeda Dazen, the clan leader. Following the exchange of a few formal pleasantries, the group continued on and soon arrived at the hot spring inn.
Standing at the entrance was a contingent of Kiri shinobi, and at their head was an elderly man with hair like white crane feathers, his spirit still vigorous.
"…Masakazu?"
Koeda Dazen's gaze sharpened as he slowed his steps, softly uttering the name.
"It's been decades, Dazen, and yet you still recognize me?"
The elder, Masakazu of the Kirigumo clan, responded with a smile.
He strode forward, and the two old comrades clasped hands firmly.
"Well, you and your family's elder look like you were carved from the same mold. Honestly, when I first laid eyes on you just now, I nearly mistook you for him—and my heart almost stopped right then and there."
Dazen let out a long sigh, his words pulling them both back to memories of their youthful days decades ago.
That was at the end of the Warring States era.
When the Senju and Uchiha clans clashed at their fiercest, and Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara swept across the shinobi world in battle after battle. If those two were the blazing sun and moon in the sky, then countless other stars shone brightly in that same night.
Among them were the ancestors of the Kirigumo and Koeda clans.
But when the era shifted, the two clans chose different paths. Their alliance of over a hundred years ended with the founding of the Five Great Nations and Hidden Villages. And so, for decades, they hadn't met again—until today, when fate finally rejoined their broken bond.
"It wasn't just you who felt that way," Masakazu admitted, voice full of emotion. "Even I was uneasy. At my age, just remembering that old man's methods still makes me shiver."
In the past, the Kirigumo and Koeda clans had been close allies. Their juniors were deliberately raised together by their elders, and their families frequently visited. Masakazu and his two brothers were particularly close with Koeda Daiman and Koeda Dazen.
And it was precisely because of this bond that, during the First Shinobi World War, when the Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage perished together, Masakazu and his brother Kirigumo Yūzō, who had followed the Second Mizukage into battle, were spared from being slaughtered by Iwa shinobi—
only because Daiman and Dazen remembered their childhood friendship and chose to let them live.
"Come, let's go inside. This isn't the place to talk," Masakazu said, pulling Dazen toward the inn.
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