Chapter 221: Alliance
Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
Inside the ANBU headquarters.
Terumi Mei was reviewing a proposal for the adjustment of patrol deployments. At sixteen, she had already fully grown into her figure. There was none of the youthful innocence typical of her peers in her eyes; instead, she radiated a cold, distant aura that warned others not to approach.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Enter," Terumi Mei said without looking up.
An ANBU operative stepped inside and handed her a scroll. "Lady Terumi Mei, here is the latest intelligence gathered from the shinobi world."
Terumi Mei took the scroll and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. The operative immediately bowed his head and retreated, only turning to leave once he had reached the door.
In the current Kirigakure ANBU, the name Terumi Mei carried absolute authority. To outsiders, she was a monster who had risen rapidly within the village in recent years. She had used iron-fisted methods to replace Fuguki Suikazan, acting with a decisive, seasoned cunning and showing no mercy when dealing with missing-nin.
Among the ANBU, it was whispered that she was a blade grown directly from the Bloody Mist.
But Terumi Mei knew the truth. Her rapid ascent wasn’t due to talent alone. It was because of those vivid, crystal-clear memories.
Those memories had granted her political maneuvering skills far beyond her years, allowing her to instantly see through the schemes hidden beneath the words of old foxes. They had given her a mastery of the practical applications of Boil Release and Lava Style long before she should have known them. More importantly, they allowed her to see exactly where the Hidden Mist Village was rotting.
Terumi Mei opened the scroll. She skipped past the first few entries regarding the movements of small neighboring countries, her eyes stopping on the section concerning the Land of Rain.
The Hidden Rain Village had completed a change in leadership within a single month. Hanzo of the Salamander was dead, and Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki, had taken over the village. Since the new regime took power, the efficiency of the internal restructuring had been remarkably high.
She flipped to the next page.
The intelligence indicated that the Hidden Rain Village had recently been interacting frequently with Konoha. It was suspected that the high-ranking officials of both sides had reached a deep, secret alliance.
When she saw the word "Konoha," Terumi Mei froze.
A certain figure instantly occupied her mind—the youth who, in her dreams, had taught her how to survive the Bloody Mist. The youth who had cleared every obstacle from her path, only to eventually die in her arms.
Kitahara Kaede.
Terumi Mei closed the scroll.
Ever since she had confirmed Kitahara Kaede’s existence from a distance, she had begun a frantic pursuit of power. From squad leader to deputy chief, and finally to replacing Fuguki Suikazan. She had to stand high enough. Only then would she have the authority to confirm whether that man was real or a phantom.
At first, she had doubted those memories. The idea of foreseeing one’s entire life was too surreal. But then the battle of Mount Kikyo erupted, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were decimated, and her own strength exploded. Everything was coming true.
The final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place last month.
She had gone to the Mizukage’s office to report on ANBU affairs. As a high-ranking member of the ANBU, she controlled all the core information of the Cipher Division. At the end of her report, she had intentionally brought up a piece of top-secret intelligence known only to the Mizukage and the Cipher Division for comparison.
Terumi Mei had keenly noticed Yagura’s hesitation.
The Mizukage had reacted sluggishly to the village’s most core secrets. In that moment, Terumi Mei was certain. The memories of Yagura being controlled by genjutsu were real.
She looked at the intelligence again. An alliance between the Hidden Rain and Konoha.
A bold plan began to take shape in her mind. The current situation in Kirigakure was extremely perilous. Relying solely on the power of the ANBU to overthrow a controlled Mizukage offered too low a chance of success. She needed external support.
If the Hidden Rain could ally with Konoha, then Kirigakure could as well.
Terumi Mei’s eyes shimmered. An alliance was merely the means; finding *him* was the goal. She would use the political gambling between the two nations to demand, in an official capacity, that Konoha send Kitahara Kaede to Kirigakure for negotiations.
She wanted that man to stand before her in the light of day.
Terumi Mei opened her drawer, pulled out a blank sheet of paper, and began drafting a proposal.
***
Several hours passed as she refined the wording, polishing every phrase. However, she knew that she was not the one who would make the final decision.
Taking the proposal, Terumi Mei left her office and walked straight up to the fourth floor. The guards recognized her and immediately let her through.
She pushed open the door.
Genji was sitting on a sofa, eyes closed, resting.
"Lord Genji." Terumi Mei walked over and sat opposite him, placing the proposal on the low table. "I have an important matter to discuss with you."
Genji opened his eyes. "Speak."
Terumi Mei directly presented the intelligence regarding the alliance between the Hidden Rain and Konoha, followed by her plan: an alliance between Kirigakure and Konoha to use Konoha’s strength to break the current deadlock in the village.
After listening, Genji remained silent for a long time. He looked at Terumi Mei, his snake-head cane striking the floor with a heavy thud.
"No. Konoha cannot be trusted," the old man said, his voice commanding. "Furthermore, that Konoha ninja, Kitahara Kaede, previously wiped out a significant portion of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s combat power."
Terumi Mei met Genji’s gaze. "There are no permanent enemies in the shinobi world, only permanent interests. The fact that Kitahara Kaede could crush the Seven Ninja Swordsmen proves he possesses the absolute strength to shift a local tide of war. If Konoha sends him to negotiate, it is the only way to confirm they are truly sincere. That is far more meaningful than sending a few diplomats who only know how to spin words and sign useless pieces of paper."
Terumi Mei paused. "More importantly... Lord Genji, you must have noticed the Fourth Mizukage’s recent state. His decisions are erratic. I suspect Lord Yagura is very likely being controlled by a high-level genjutsu."
The office became deathly silent.
Genji’s grip on his cane tightened violently. "Terumi Mei, do you realize what you are saying?"
"I do, very clearly," Terumi Mei replied without yielding. "If we try to overthrow the Mizukage with our current strength alone, we would have to guard against both internal strife and external enemies. Our chances of success would be less than thirty percent. In the past month, I have purged traitors, reorganized border patrols, and wiped out three enemy spy squads. My records for the ANBU are transparent. Lord Genji, when have I ever made a mistake?"
Genji looked at the young girl before him. Since she had entered the ANBU, she truly had never disappointed him. Every move she made was precisely calculated.
After a long silence, Genji finally spoke. "And if Konoha refuses?"
"Then it proves Konoha lacks sincerity, and we lose nothing," Terumi Mei answered curtly.
"And if Konoha agrees, but the person they send is not Kitahara Kaede?"
Terumi Mei smiled. "Then I will make them keep switching representatives until they find a suitable one."
Genji looked at her deeply, finally letting out a sigh. "Very well. I will have Midori draft the letter of intent; you will oversee the wording."
"Understood. I have only one condition: Kitahara Kaede must be specifically named as the envoy for negotiations."
Terumi Mei stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Genji."
She turned and left the office. The moment she stepped over the threshold, the cold hardness on her face vanished instantly. She didn’t return to her office; instead, she climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
The wind whipped against her face. Terumi Mei gazed in the direction of the Land of Fire, allowing a long-suppressed, morbid obsession to finally be unleashed.
She whispered softly, "If you are a fake, then I will make you real."
She paused. "And if you are real... then you can only be mine."