"Kyoichi… are you saying Mizushiro himself is the problem?" Anjō Oniyuzu asked with a dark expression.
"It's only a possibility," Kyoichi replied calmly.
"Kyoichi, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm not that close to Mizushiro, but I can guarantee he's one of us—his father and grandfather were all Kiri shinobi. How could there possibly be a problem with him?"
Biwa Jūzō's brows tightened with anger.
Clearly,
he refused to believe anything was wrong with Mizushiro.
However,
Kyoichi didn't bother arguing with Jūzō. Instead, he looked at Anjō Oniyuzu and continued:
"Elder Anzō, don't forget—this is Konoha. No matter what the truth is, we can't personally investigate anything. The only ones who can freely move around this village and look into Mizushiro's whereabouts… are Konoha's ninja."
"Besides, the fact that we're missing a man isn't something we can hide from all the eyes planted around this embassy. Instead of waiting for Konoha to come knocking, it's better to strike first. And honestly… I can't think of any reason to conceal what happened."
"Kyoichi, you—"
"Jūzō. Quiet."
Anjō snapped, cutting him off.
He stared deeply at Kyoichi.
"Kyoichi, you're right. This matter… we must inform Konoha's ninja."
This was Konoha.
Every step they took was under surveillance.
Mizushiro's disappearance would never escape their monitoring.
Not to mention,
their frantic movements earlier had almost certainly already alerted Konoha.
And so—
BOOM!!!
Anjō Oniyuzu hurled a kunai with an explosive tag out the wide-open window. The tag detonated mid-air, the deafening explosion rumbling through the area. The gust of air forced through the window sent their clothes fluttering wildly.
The decisiveness of the act
made even Kyoichi glance over in surprise.
This old man…
was indeed worthy of being a senior advisor. His judgment was impressive.
The very next second—
Masked ANBU appeared throughout the corridor, blades drawn and pointed at Kyoichi and the others.
"Nobody move."
Anjō Oniyuzu barked the order, stopping his own people from reacting.
Then,
he looked at the ANBU whose blade was already pressed to his neck.
"Go inform your Hokage. One of our comrades has vanished inside your village. You owe us an explanation."
The ANBU seemed momentarily stunned.
But soon,
an ANBU wearing a monkey mask with red markings and a white cloak stepped forward. He approached Anjō Oniyuzu and asked:
"You said one of your comrades disappeared?"
"That's right."
Anjō Oniyuzu nodded sharply.
"Your sensory ninja must've detected it too. One of our people vanished. This building is the embassy you assigned. Our comrade disappeared inside Konoha. You must give us an explanation!"
His glare locked onto the monkey-masked ANBU—
the kind that said this won't end peacefully unless you do.
"I've already notified the Hokage. Until he arrives to investigate, none of you are to leave this area," the monkey-masked ANBU replied calmly, unfazed by Anjō Oniyuzu's pressure.
"As long as you give us an explanation, we'll wait!"
Anjō Oniyuzu planted his feet firmly, unmoving.
The others—including Kyoichi—shared complicated expressions, but all obeyed Anjō Oniyuzu's order. No one resisted the blades pressed against their necks. They simply waited in silence.
Minutes passed—
about five.
"Huh? What's going on here?"
The Third Hokage appeared in the corridor.
Behind him stood a pale-skinned man with long black hair and golden, snake-like eyes—
none other than Orochimaru, the Sannin and the Hokage's prized student.
More ANBU followed, flooding the corridor until the space was packed tightly.
"Hokage-sama!"
The monkey-masked ANBU stepped forward. In a whisper, he reported:
"A member of Kirigakure delegation suddenly went missing. The rest are demanding an explanation."
"Disappeared?"
The Third's brows knitted.
He looked at Anjō Oniyuzu.
"Elder Anzō, what happened here?"
"Didn't your ANBU tell you? One of our comrades vanished right here. This isn't Kirigakure—it's Konoha. This is your territory. So… you owe us an explanation!"
Anjō Oniyuzu's face remained stern, his tone sharp.
But the Third didn't immediately answer.
"You Kiri shinobi… are you implying that we abducted your comrade?" Orochimaru cut in, his serpent-like eyes narrowing, gaze sharp enough to slice.
"It's possible, but unlikely! Kyoichi already said it—even your Yellow Flash couldn't escape his sensory perception and abduct Mizushiro without leaving any trace. But regardless of who kidnapped or killed him, your village still owes us an explanation!"
Perhaps it was Orochimaru's killing intent,
but Anjō Oniyuzu's tone softened slightly at the end.
"An explanation?"
Orochimaru let out a low laugh.
He stared at Anjō Oniyuzu.
"You can't even keep track of your own comrade. What gives you the right to demand explanations from us? For all we know, he didn't 'disappear' at all—you might be staging this farce yourselves to cover up sabotage inside Konoha."
His words made the ANBU tighten their grips.
Cold steel pressed harder against Kiri necks.
"Orochimaru, I can guarantee—even if you were standing guard yourself, you still wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the comrade we lost."
Kyoichi stepped forward, completely ignoring the blade at his throat. Instead of cutting him, the sword scraped against his skin like metal on iron—sparks flickered at his neck.
"Kyoichi-kun."
Orochimaru's expression curled into a thin, eerie smile.
"So we meet again."