Chapter 246: Don’t Think About Leaving Me Behind
Terumi Mei reached for the light switch by the wall, and the living room instantly brightened.
The house was eerily quiet.
She scanned the room and called out toward the upper floor.
"Kaede, are you asleep?"
There was still no answer.
She walked up to the second floor and pushed open the bedroom door. Everything inside was normal. As she turned to head back downstairs, the small flicker of hope in her heart began to sink.
Once in the kitchen, she yanked open the refrigerator. It was stocked with ingredients she had bought over the last few days. There was plenty of food.
’Maybe he just stepped out to buy some seasoning,’ she thought, relaxing slightly.
His luggage was still here; he couldn’t have left.
She closed the fridge, returned to the living room, and sat down, glancing at the clock on the wall. It had been five minutes since she returned.
Mei had considered starting dinner, but she decided to wait for Kitahara Kaede to return so she could ask him what he wanted to eat. She started the rice cooker and sat back down on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the door.
The clock on the wall ticked steadily.
Fifteen minutes passed, and there were still no footsteps outside. Mei grew restless. She stood up, opened the door, and looked down the street in both directions. Night had fully fallen, and lights were flickering on in the neighboring houses.
Still, there was no sign of that familiar silhouette.
"Impossible. He didn’t take his luggage; where could he have gone?" she muttered to herself before turning back to search the house once more.
His clothes were still in the wardrobe. Even the water glass on the dining table was still half full. Every sign told her that he had only stepped out temporarily.
Yet, the anxiety in Mei’s heart only grew heavier. Kaede was always thorough. If he planned to be gone for a long time, he would have left a note. Even if he were just running an errand, he wouldn’t have vanished for this long.
Mei returned to the living room and forced herself to keep waiting.
After a while, there was finally a knock at the door. She bolted upright and rushed to the entrance.
"Kaede, why did it take you so—"
She pulled the door open, and the joy on her face instantly froze. Standing there was Gonbe.
"Lady Terumi, Elder Genji has urgent business with you. Please come immediately."
Mei didn’t move at first. "Have you... have you seen Kitahara Kaede?"
Gonbe remained silent for a moment before stepping aside, gesturing toward the administrative building. "Elder Genji will tell you about that personally."
Those words made Mei’s heart sink. She slammed the door shut and brushed past Gonbe.
"Let’s go!"
The two of them hurried toward the office. Mei walked fast, her mind a chaotic mess. Kaede wasn’t home, and Gonbe had come for her at this exact moment. Could it be something regarding Yagura?
At the thought, she accelerated.
The moment the office door was pushed open, Mei marched straight to the desk. "Where is Kitahara Kaede?"
Genji didn’t answer the question immediately. "The Genjutsu on Yagura has been broken."
Mei’s mind went blank for a second. She had only been gone for half a day; how could it be over already?
"Who did it?"
Genji looked at her for a moment before slowly giving the answer. "Kitahara Kaede."
Mei’s breath hitched. She pressed further, "Where is he? Was he injured?"
"He wasn’t injured, and the operation went smoothly." Genji paused before continuing. "However, he has already left Kirigakure."
The color drained from Mei’s face instantly. "What do you mean, ’left’? Where did he go? When did he leave!"
"This evening, about half an hour ago."
Genji didn’t hide anything and explained the sequence of events. "After you left the village, Konoha sent an urgent letter specifically addressed to Kitahara Kaede. After reading it, he immediately proposed to resolve the situation with Yagura, and then he hurried back to Konoha."
Mei asked urgently, "What was in the letter?"
Genji shook his head. "It was a private urgent letter from Konoha. I did not read it."
Mei swayed slightly, forcing herself to stand steady.
Half an hour. He had already been gone for a full half hour! When she returned home, she had been thinking about dinner, wondering if he was waiting for her. In reality, he had already left Kirigakure.
He hadn’t left her a single word.
A dull ache tightened in her chest, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe. "Yagura has so many guards; how could he resolve it so quickly?"
Genji pushed the operational logs from the Mizukage Building toward her. "I mobilized twenty ANBU to assist him. There were no accidents during the process. Kitahara Kaede took only one minute to break Yagura’s Genjutsu."
As Mei looked at the report, a realization flashed through her mind. The latest defense maps were still locked in her drawer! For Kaede to act, he must have entered her office. The intelligence regarding Pakura and the letter she had intercepted were all there as well.
Mei looked up sharply. "He went to my office?"
"He did." Genji sighed softly, his expression turning complex. "There is something I didn’t want to pry into, but... did you obtain the latest defense maps and withhold them from him?"
Mei didn’t answer. At this point, denial was meaningless.
Seeing her pale expression, Genji didn’t press further. "Before Kitahara Kaede left, he said a few words on your behalf."
Mei slowly lifted her head, her gaze vacant. "On my behalf?"
"He said that the success of this operation was entirely due to the intelligence and analysis you provided beforehand." Genji looked at her and continued to relay the message. "He specifically emphasized that without your investigation into Yagura’s defenses, he couldn’t have succeeded so quickly."
Mei froze at the desk.
Kitahara Kaede must have known everything. Yet, he hadn’t complained to Genji, nor had he mentioned that she had deliberately delayed the operation. He had even credited the majority of the success in breaking the Genjutsu to her.
Why?
She was the one who had opened his letter, withheld vital information, and intentionally trapped him in Kirigakure. He should be angry. He should have come to confront her.
Mei’s nose stung, and her vision began to blur. Why was he always like this?
In those memories, he had arranged everything for her and then chosen to die by her hand. Now, he protected her status and then left her behind in silence.
She didn’t want this kind of protection! Who gave him the right to decide everything on his own and leave her alone?
"The urgent letter..." Mei suddenly spoke, her breathing becoming erratic.
For something to make Kitahara Kaede leave without even returning home, it had to be a major crisis. Konoha had Minato Namikaze and the Sannin; under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t need him to rush back.
Could it be Amegakure? Or... had something happened to Pakura?
At the mention of that name, the bitterness in Mei’s heart shifted. Pakura had urged Kaede to return before. Now, one urgent letter arrived, and he immediately abandoned everything to rush back to the Land of Fire.
On what grounds?
She had spent so much effort bringing him to Kirigakure, making him slowly get used to her presence. And Pakura could make him leave without a second glance with just one letter?
Mei suddenly turned and bolted for the door.
Genji frowned and called after her, "Where are you going?"
He received no answer. Mei had already left the office. She didn’t slow down, sprinting through the streets toward the docks.
The Land of Water was isolated far out at sea. To return to the Land of Fire, Kaede had to take a ship across the open ocean.
Half an hour... she could still make it!
Mei pushed her speed to the limit. The lights of the harbor finally appeared ahead. In the distance, a passenger ship was gliding toward the pier.
Scanning the crowd preparing to board, Mei quickly spotted that familiar silhouette. Ignoring the stares of the people around her, she screamed toward that back.
"Kitahara Kaede!"