Chapter 239: As If She’s Worthy?!
Kitahara Kaede stepped out of the kitchen carrying two plates of breakfast.
The edges of the fried eggs were crisped to perfection, and the soy sauce had bled into dark circles across the rice. He set one of the plates in front of Terumi Mei and said casually, "Breakfast is ready."
Terumi Mei was already seated at the table. The wound on her right arm had mostly healed, though a jagged scar remained on her skin; she had specifically worn a black sleeve today to hide it.
She looked down at the meal: fried eggs, rice, miso soup, and a few slices of pickled radish.
Over the past few days, since her arm had been injured, she had eaten nearly every meal here. What had started as polite distance had evolved into him proactively serving her food.
As Terumi Mei picked up a piece of egg, a sweet sensation filled her heart. She felt her previous judgment had been correct—intensifying her offensive was working.
’As long as I give him a little more time, he’ll completely grow accustomed to having me by his side,’ she thought. ’Once the situation with Yagura is resolved and Kirigakure is stable, I’ll lay my cards on the table. I’ll make him stay—stay in Kirigakure forever.’
At the thought, she stole a glance at Kitahara Kaede, mapping out a beautiful future in her head.
After breakfast, the two walked out the door side by side. Terumi Mei deliberately walked close, her shoulder occasionally brushing against Kaede’s arm. Kaede didn’t pull away; instead, he slowed his pace slightly to match her rhythm.
Noticing this subtle gesture, Terumi Mei’s mood brightened further.
When they reached the office building, she stopped in the hallway. "Kaede, go on up. I need to grab a few documents."
Kitahara Kaede nodded and headed toward the stairs first. Terumi Mei turned and walked toward the archives. Just as she emerged with the documents, a dark figure landed silently behind her.
"Minister."
Terumi Mei paused and looked back. An ANBU member was holding a sealed scroll with both hands. "The intelligence you requested on ’Pakura’ has been collected."
Terumi Mei took the scroll with a nod, and the ANBU vanished instantly.
Silence returned to the corridor. Terumi Mei unfurled the scroll. She wanted to see exactly which death-seeking woman dared to wait for her Kaede in Konoha.
Tucked into the top of the report was a candid photograph. The woman in the photo had a jet-black hime-cut; she was standing on a street in Konoha, speaking with a ninja wearing a green skin-tight jumpsuit. Her expression was neutral, her lips pressed thin as if she were inquiring about something.
Terumi Mei’s gaze swept downward. The text was clear:
*’Pakura,’ current high-ranking official of the Hidden Rain Village and one of the core early members of the Akatsuki. Recently traveled to Konoha as a Messenger to conclude an alliance; currently responsible for liaison affairs between Amegakure and Konoha.*
Terumi Mei stared at the photo, her brow furrowing deeper. This woman... why did she look familiar?
She brought the scroll closer, her eyes locking onto the face. The contours of the features, the bridge of the nose... she had definitely seen this face somewhere.
Terumi Mei began searching frantically through her memories. Suddenly, a scene flashed into her mind.
It was a border skirmish. She had been leading a squad of Kirigakure ANBU when they clashed with a team of Sunagakure ninja. The woman leading the opposition had been incredibly powerful. She used a variation of Fire Release known as Scorch Release; her fireballs were so intense they could vitrify the ground into glass.
Within three minutes of engagement, Terumi Mei had realized the woman was a powerhouse on her own level. The battle had been vicious, both sides fighting with lethal intent. It had only ended when a landslide collapsed the terrain, forcing the two sides apart.
’It’s her!’
’Pakura of the Scorch Release!’
The hero of Sunagakure, the wielder of the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit!
This woman was none other than Pakura of the Sand!
The moment she recognized Pakura, Terumi Mei finally understood. She remembered how, during their first meeting, she had felt an inexplicable surge of nausea and hatred the moment she saw Pakura’s face. It had felt as if they had known each other for a long time—as if they were ancient blood enemies.
Pakura’s reaction had been the same; she had opened the fight with killing blows, her eyes filled with a relentless, murderous intensity. At the time, Terumi Mei had assumed it was simply a clash of personalities.
’Wait...’
’If she is Pakura... then it all makes sense.’
In the simulation, Kaede had been a Sunagakure spy潜伏 in the Land of Water. Pakura had been his intelligence handler. Later, Sunagakure had treated Pakura as a disposable pawn and sold her out to Kirigakure. To save her, Kaede had exposed his identity!
If he hadn’t exposed himself, he wouldn’t have ended up dying by Terumi Mei’s own hand just to pave the way for her rise!
’It was her!’
’She is the one who caused Kaede’s death!’
The documents in Terumi Mei’s hand crumpled and deformed. That woman—the culprit responsible for Kaede’s death—actually dared to change her identity and go to Konoha to get close to him?
What right did she have?
As if she were worthy?!
Hatred ignited in Terumi Mei’s heart like a wildfire. But before she could process her rage, a more lethal question surfaced.
Pakura’s original trajectory was to be betrayed. If no one had saved her, why was she still alive? Why was she now a high-ranking official in Amegakure, appearing precisely by Kaede’s side?
This was no coincidence.
The only explanation... was that Pakura, like her, possessed those memories!
This realization made Terumi Mei turn cold. If Pakura had the memories... then what about Kaede?
Did he have them?
If he didn’t, then that bitch Pakura was using the information gap to deceive him! She was using her tragic history and the memories she possessed to manipulate his sympathy and earn his trust, lure him toward her step by step!
But if he *did* have the memories...
The thought nearly robbed Terumi Mei of her breath. If he had the memories, why was he pretending not to know her? No matter how many times she had tested him, he always acted as if she were a stranger.
There was only one explanation for that reaction.
The reason Kitahara Kaede pretended not to know her was that, in his heart, he had chosen Pakura! He was deliberately distancing himself and pretending to remember nothing just to make her give up!
Terumi Mei suddenly felt her eyes sting. She could accept that Kaede didn’t love her yet. She could accept that he needed time. But she absolutely could not accept that he had chosen someone else—especially the woman who had caused his death!
"No... absolutely not!"
Terumi Mei snapped the scroll shut, her voice trembling in a way she didn’t even notice.
Pakura had caused his death, and now she dared to use those memories to seize the advantage. She deserved to die!
She stuffed the scroll to the bottom of the pile of documents, raised her hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her forehead, and smoothed her expression. She turned and walked toward her office with steady steps.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
Regardless of whether Kaede had the memories or not, she had to accelerate her pace. She would use any means necessary to lock him in the Hidden Mist Village forever!
As for Pakura... once the matter with Yagura was settled, she would personally pay a visit to Amegakure and settle both the new and old grudges in one go!
Terumi Mei pushed open her office door. Seeing Kitahara Kaede sitting in his chair and turning to look at her, the smile in her heart deepened.