Mei Terumī tilted her head slightly, her turquoise eyes studying the young man before her. "We're about the same age... Have we met somewhere before?"
Neji, dressed sharply in a tight black combat suit, sat calmly with a faint smile. His features were clean and refined, every movement composed and deliberate. Yet the sunglasses he wore indoors made him seem both mysterious and oddly familiar.
Mei's brows furrowed. She was certain she'd seen that face somewhere, long ago, but couldn't quite place it.
Neji hadn't used the Transformation Jutsu or worn a mask—he was showing his real face. The two had, in fact, crossed paths six years earlier during the Chūnin Exams in Konoha. Time had changed them both, but some memories never faded.
"Don't you recognize me?" Neji asked, his tone light but teasing. He motioned toward the chair opposite him, inviting her to sit.
"Have we met before?" Mei asked again, though her curiosity was growing sharper by the second.
Neji chuckled softly. "Let me give you a hint. Six years ago. The Chūnin Exams in Konoha Village."
For a moment, Mei's pupils contracted. Then, realization struck her like lightning. "You—Hyuga Neji?!"
"Correct," Neji replied smoothly.
The man standing behind Mei, Ao—the veteran sensory ninja of the Hidden Mist—instantly tensed, his sharp gaze narrowing. The name "Hyuga Neji" was not one to be taken lightly anymore. Once a prodigy of Konoha, he had since become known across the shinobi world as "Star of the Clouds."
At first, many dismissed that title as political exaggeration from Kumogakure—another attempt to boast of a so-called genius. But after Neji's recent exploits—defeating and capturing the Six-Tails Jinchūriki—no one dared question his power again. Even the most skeptical village leaders had come to respect, or at least fear, the legend of the Star in the Clouds.
Ao's instincts screamed danger. The thought of capturing Neji crossed his mind, but he quickly abandoned it. Even if the Mizukage himself were here, subduing Neji might not be possible. If Neji wished to leave, no one in the building could stop him.
And yet... Neji wasn't here as an enemy.
He was here as a representative of Kumogakure, with a proposal that Hidden Mist could not afford to ignore.
Mei lightly tapped her slender fingers on the table, her tone polite but edged. "So, Hyuga Neji... what brings the Fourth Raikage's right-hand man to Kirigakure?"
Neji's expression remained calm. "I may not be one of your people, but I know well what your village is going through."
His voice lowered slightly, steady and persuasive. "Eight thousand Kirigakure shinobi have already been killed or wounded, yet your Fourth Mizukage refuses to end the fighting. He's even preparing to send the Academy children to the battlefield. Tell me, Lady Mei—" his pale eyes gleamed under the glasses "—is that really what you want to see?"
He leaned forward slightly. "Forming an alliance with Kumogakure is your only real option."
The words hit their mark. Mei felt her heartbeat quicken, though her face betrayed nothing. Neji's argument cut straight to the truth—Hidden Mist was exhausted, bleeding out from endless internal strife and external wars. But she wasn't about to let him corner her so easily.
Feigning composure, Mei countered, "And what if we were to join forces with Konoha and Iwagakure instead? Dividing Kumogakure's power between us could easily make up for our losses."
Her words echoed the current Mizukage's stance—a desperate idea, perhaps, but not without appeal to certain factions. Yet even Mei didn't believe in it fully. If such an alliance were truly possible, the spoils of victory would go to the biggest players—Konoha and Iwagakure—while the battered Mist would be left with scraps.
Neji shook his head, smiling faintly. "If you really believed that, you wouldn't still be sitting here talking to me."
Mei's eyes narrowed. He'd seen straight through her bluff. The negotiations were no longer about rhetoric or theory—it was a matter of leverage. And at this moment, all of it belonged to Neji.
Before she could respond, Ao stepped forward coldly. "And what proof do we have that Kumogakure is sincere? What if your so-called alliance is just another trap?"
Mei quickly understood Ao's intent. He was helping shift the conversation, giving her space to maneuver.
She gave a light smile and said, "Neji-kun, many Kumogakure spies have already infiltrated our borders. Surely you don't expect us to believe you're here only for an alliance. This very morning, one of our intelligence posts was completely destroyed—by agents bearing your village's markings. How do you explain that?"
Neji's brows twitched. A destroyed intelligence post? That wasn't part of any Kumogakure operation. Which meant only one thing—someone was framing them.
He immediately thought of one person.
Obito.
"Mei Terumī," Neji said quietly, "there are those within your own ranks who don't want to see this alliance happen. They disguised themselves as Kumogakure shinobi to provoke conflict. You're being manipulated."
Mei's gaze sharpened. The idea wasn't far-fetched. The Fourth Mizukage himself had once carried out purges so bloody they'd nearly destroyed the Mist from within. It wouldn't be the first time he'd turned his blade on his own people.
But publicly, she could not admit such a thing. She forced a laugh, pressing her cherry-red lips together. "Oh, Neji-kun, you do have quite an imagination. Kirigakure is united as one—how could we possibly harbor such 'evil people'?"
Neji looked directly at her, his calm eyes unwavering. "You can deny it all you want, but denial won't stop the bloodshed."
Before Mei could reply, a thunderous boom shook the building. Shouts and crashing glass followed as several masked assassins burst through the window, blades flashing under the dim light.
"Enemies!" Ao roared, springing into action.
The assassins ignored Neji entirely, their target clear—Mei Terumī and Ao.
Mei snatched up a kunai, intercepting one of the attackers. Sparks flew as metal clashed, and she barely managed to deflect a lethal strike.
Neji didn't move. His expression didn't even flicker. Instead, his eyes glowed faintly—the power of the Tenseigan activating.
At once, he saw the truth.
Each of the assassins carried two chakra signatures—their own, and another foreign one threaded through their bodies like living vines.
They were being controlled.
"White Zetsu," Neji murmured.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War in the original timeline, thousands of such creatures had infiltrated the Allied Shinobi Forces, disguised as comrades and spreading chaos. Their power was not great individually, but their stealth and mimicry were extraordinary.
Ordinary sensory ninjas couldn't detect them. Even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had failed to see through them.
But the Tenseigan could.
The sound of battle filled the room. Mei fought fiercely, but the attackers were elite—each at least Special Jōnin level, moving with inhuman precision. Worse, their taijutsu bore an uncanny resemblance to Kumogakure's own style, further deepening the misunderstanding.
As the attackers realized they couldn't win, their eyes turned feral. "For the village!" one hissed.
All three drew out explosive tags, pulling the scrolls apart with suicidal resolve.
"Damn it!" Mei shouted, grabbing Ao's arm and leaping toward the window.
But before she could escape, a radiant white light spread across the room like a divine net. Countless thin beams wove together, forming a shimmering barrier that caught the flying tags midair.
Boom!
The detonation never came. The explosion seals burned out harmlessly within the glowing web.
The assassins froze, stunned.
Neji raised his palm, and a sudden gravitational pull yanked them off their feet and slammed them to the ground before him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each one was struck by Neji's hand and sealed with the Four Symbols Seal in a single, seamless motion.
Mei stared in disbelief. The three deadly assassins, who had nearly killed her seconds ago, now lay unconscious at Neji's feet as if they were children caught misbehaving.
Ao, his face dark, muttered, "That taijutsu... definitely Kumogakure style. Looks like your village really does have its share of bad seeds, Neji-kun."
Neji gave him a sidelong glance but didn't bother arguing. Instead, he pressed his hand to one of the attackers' shoulders.
"Ahhh—!"
A scream tore from the man's throat as his skin rippled and a pale, plantlike humanoid peeled itself out from his body.
White Zetsu.
Mei and Ao both stepped back, eyes wide.
Neji calmly repeated the process with the other two, drawing out all the hidden Zetsu parasites. When he was done, he looked down at the unconscious shinobi.
"If I'm not mistaken," he said evenly, "these three are all Kirigakure shinobi."
Mei's expression turned grave. She recognized one of them—he was a personal bodyguard of the Fourth Mizukage.
At that moment, Samui entered the room. "Neji, the attackers outside have been neutralized," she reported.
Neji nodded. "Then it's settled. We all know who's behind this. Forget forming an alliance—your Fourth Mizukage doesn't even intend to negotiate with Kumogakure."
Samui frowned. "But why? What does the Fourth Mizukage gain from fighting us to the death?"
Mei gave a bitter smile. "We don't know either."
Neji gestured for Samui to remove the White Zetsu bodies, then activated a chakra barrier to block outside senses. "Because," he said quietly, "your Mizukage isn't acting of his own will."
Mei's eyes widened. "You mean... he's being controlled?"
Ao snapped, "Impossible! The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect Jinchūriki! How could he fall under Genjutsu?"
Neji's tone was calm but heavy. "Because the Three-Tails is being controlled too."
A stunned silence filled the room.
Normally, a Jinchūriki was almost immune to Genjutsu—any illusion invading their mind would be broken instantly by their Tailed Beast. But if the Tailed Beast itself were ensnared... then the Jinchūriki would be helpless.
Ao's face went pale. "In the entire shinobi world, there's only one dōjutsu capable of controlling both a Tailed Beast and a perfect Jinchūriki..."
Neji nodded. "Yes. The Sharingan."
"An Uchiha," Mei whispered, fury flashing in her eyes.
Neji's voice was steady. "A rogue Uchiha still walks free, controlling your Mizukage like a puppet."
Mei's fists tightened. It all made sense now—the Mizukage's erratic behavior, the senseless purges, the blood mist that had plagued their village for years. All of it had been the work of an unseen manipulator.
Hidden Mist's pride had been trampled upon for more than a decade.
Taking a deep breath, Mei looked at Neji with solemn eyes. "Neji-kun... if what you say is true, then please—help us free the Fourth Mizukage. Whatever the cost, we'll pay it."
Neji's gaze softened slightly. "I can help you," he said. "But tell me—how much are you willing to pay?"
---
Fifteen minutes later, Mei Terumī and Ao walked out of the inn, their faces grim.
Ao's voice was low and heavy. "Madam... that price is too steep."
Mei nodded slightly. "I know. But we have no choice. The Elder will agree."
Her eyes turned toward the misty horizon. "When things reach their extreme, they turn around. I believe Kirigakure's darkest night is nearly over."
Ao sighed quietly. "Let's hope clinging to Kumogakure's strength will bring that dawn."
"Come," Mei said softly. "Let's return to the Elder. He'll decide whether to save the Fourth Mizukage—or to risk everything for an alliance."
---
Meanwhile, in the Mizukage Building, deep underground—
Obito sat at a table, arms folded, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the wood. The strange creature, White Zetsu, emerged slowly from the floor beside him.
"Madara," it said cheerfully, "good news. Our plan worked perfectly. Mei Terumī was injured in the attack, and the Elder is furious. He's ordered Ao to begin a village-wide search for Kumogakure spies."
"Exactly as expected," Obito said, a faint smirk curling beneath his mask.
Black Zetsu's hoarse voice echoed from the shadows. "But none of the White Zetsu who attacked Mei Terumī returned. Could something have gone wrong?"
Obito frowned slightly, thinking. "Perhaps. The Elder likely discovered them. But that doesn't matter. For now, he believes Kumogakure was behind the attack. That's all we need."
Black Zetsu fell silent, accepting his logic.
Then Obito's tone suddenly chilled. "Zetsu... we have rats in the building. Inform Kisame. It's time to clean up."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)