"You're clever. Take a guess—why do you think I brought you here?"
Kyoichi led Mei Terumi aside, teasing her a little.
"Someone of your stature... how could I possibly guess? But I'll make sure Elder Genji meets with you in secret."
"Heh, see? That was a pretty good guess."
Though she looked like she was only eleven or twelve, she was clearly sharp and quick-witted. She hadn't guessed everything—mostly because she didn't know about his prior contact with Yagura—but she was close.
Of course, he hadn't asked to speak with Mei just to reemphasize the need to meet Elder Genji.
"You didn't come here for Hiruko, did you?"
"I don't think so. For someone like you, catching a missing-nin wouldn't require all this fanfare. If you'd wanted to, you'd have captured him already. My guess is... you're interested in Kirigakure itself."
Mei lowered her voice.
From Kyoichi's behavior and request earlier, it wasn't hard to guess. If he were really just here for Hiruko, why ask for a secret meeting with one of Kirigakure's elders?
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes.
Mei curled her lip. "What's the point? Kirigakure is already rotten. Yagura-sama was doing fine—then out of nowhere, they made him a Jinchūriki the moment he returned to the village…"
Her tone and expression said it all: she'd given up.
Ever since Yagura became the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki and his status plummeted, Mei had lost hope in her country and village. Power struggles and clan rivalries consumed Kirigakure—there was no future to be seen.
"I've met Yagura. Small guy, but shrewd. Under normal circumstances, he should have been the next Mizukage. Turning him into a Jinchūriki? That's absurd. You have to ask—who benefits from that?"
Mei blinked in surprise, then glared at Kyoichi warily. "Stop trying to sow discord. I'm dissatisfied with the state of Kirigakure, but I don't believe the Hōzuki clan has the ability to orchestrate this."
"Who said anything about the Hōzuki clan? I'm talking about your Third Mizukage—the one who's sick but still refuses to step down."
Kyoichi gave her a meaningful look.
Mei was caught off guard. She hadn't even considered that angle. Her first instinct was to object—
"Don't be so quick to deny it. You've probably heard we recently appointed a new Hokage, right?"
"Our Third Hokage is in his fifties—not too old—but he could feel himself slipping. He stepped down of his own accord. But what about your Third Mizukage?"
Kyoichi didn't spell it out.
But Mei, as a shinobi of Kirigakure, understood immediately.
The Third Mizukage had once been the bodyguard of the First Mizukage. He was no spring chicken. It was said his health was poor, and most recent affairs had been handled by the village elders and Yagura.
That was exactly why many believed Yagura was the clear successor.
So when Yagura was suddenly made a Jinchūriki, everyone was confused. What on earth were the higher-ups thinking?
But from the angle of an aging Mizukage reluctant to retire…
It started to make sense.
Could it be… he's gone senile?
She was speechless for several seconds before finally muttering, "But why? That doesn't make sense!"
"That's your village's internal affair. How would I know? But when people grow old, their judgment can get warped. They start making irrational decisions. It happens."
Kyoichi smiled, then added, "Your combat ability is decent for a genin or chūnin, but your stealth techniques are still lacking. When you're hiding, you need to suppress even your breathing. And when refining chakra, be mindful of leaking your presence."
As he spoke, he began pointing out a few techniques.
These were small tricks he'd distilled from Kirigakure's assassination and silent-killing arts—trivial to Konoha and to him, but…
To Kirigakure, even among jōnin, few could pull them off—especially the Hōzuki clan.
They had the Hydrification Technique by nature, so they never really practiced stealth. And Mei hadn't been with him long enough to learn these techniques either.
Mei was filled with mixed emotions.
She could tell—these tips meshed perfectly with Kirigakure's assassination arts. They were clearly developed after Konoha got hold of those techniques.
How long had Konoha had access to them?
Barely a year at most.
And in under a year, they'd already produced such detailed, well-integrated training methods. She couldn't help but marvel at Konoha's research and grasp of ninjutsu.
It was almost like Konoha was the true successor to Kirigakure.
"…Thank you for your guidance. I'll follow your instructions."
Mei bowed reflexively.
Then she caught herself.
Wait a minute—he's a Konoha shinobi, not a Kirigakure one. He's not my superior!
She scowled inwardly.
But she'd just been given valuable skills. She couldn't exactly complain. After mulling it over…
She simply made a hand sign and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Once Mei left, Kyoichi returned to Hōzuki Chikage's side.
Kakashi and the others looked perfectly relaxed.
If Chikage had any intention of attacking, he would've done it long ago. There was no point waiting until they reached the Land of Water.
He'd already lost his nerve.
Who wouldn't be afraid when faced with someone like Kyoichi-sensei?
Even the Third Raikage, with his speed and strength, hadn't been able to do anything against him.
Kakashi couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
If his own kenjutsu could one day reach Kyoichi-sensei's level, someone like Chikage would be nothing.
The moment Kyoichi returned, Hōzuki Chikage instinctively bent his back.
Zabuza and Ringo Ameyuri could barely watch. They respected Kyoichi's power, sure—but this?
This was just pathetic!
He was still a jōnin!
If it were them, they'd rather die than grovel like that.
Even now, they felt utterly humiliated.
"Kyoichi-sama, where shall we begin our search for the missing-nin from Konoha? I'll fully cooperate. Perhaps we could gather some intel first?"
"No need to rush. We're not likely to find him on our own. We'll need to rely on Kirigakure's intel networks. This is your territory—Konoha can't exactly move freely here."
Kyoichi smiled faintly.
This guy was strong enough, but his head wasn't nearly as sharp as Mei's.
"You know the area. Let's find a nearby town, rest a bit, grab some food. Chikage-kun, you're from the Land of Water—you must know a good restaurant, right? Consider this my treat."
"Yes, there's a fine izakaya nearby. The food and sake are excellent. Please, allow me to host. No need for you to pay, not here in the Land of Water."
As a member of the Hōzuki clan, Chikage spoke with impeccable courtesy.
The group followed him into town.
Kyoichi didn't worry at all.
He ate and drank without hesitation, never once concerned about poison. Kakashi and the others were more cautious, taking only small bites.
Kyoichi didn't press them.
He could afford to be reckless. They didn't yet have the constitution to ignore poison. A little caution was wise.
Chikage winced at the bill, but paid without hesitation.
After the meal, he finally felt safer.
Kanda Kyoichi didn't seem to be here to kill him. His visit to Kirigakure didn't seem to involve him directly.
He was just a "bridge."
And for a Hōzuki clansman and a Kirigakure jōnin, that was nothing to worry about.
Maybe he'd even earn some credit for it!
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Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.