Although nothing had been definitively concluded yet, Kita knew all necessary evidence had to be collected. She had thought she’d never return to Kirigakure in her lifetime—but fate had other pns.

  Perhaps destiny isn’t finished with some things. At the very least, this trip allowed her to return what had long been owed.

  Months—no, over a year—since Terumi Mei became the Fifth Mizukage, there had been some progress. Market resources reflected this objectively: a rich variety of goods, sufficient supply, clearly improved from Kita’s st visit.

  The taste of grilled salted fish and octopus legs stirred memories in Kita. After infiltrating the vilge, she went straight to the street vendor she had visited before. The man was the same, albeit a bit heavier—likely a sign of a better life. The portion of grilled fish had grown, but the fvor was unchanged: exquisite.

  A sip of cold beer paired with the salted fish was heavenly perfection.

  On the bustling street, Kita sat quietly, savoring her meal while keeping her presence to a minimum.

  When Madara began controlling Kirigakure, it had earned the nickname Kirigakure. Yagura’s control sted far longer than Kita had imagined. Even before he became the Fourth Mizukage, this man had already been a pawn in Madara’s hands. Such cunning had deceived countless people.

  Did Yagura’s own will truly exist? Kita didn’t know. Yet she was willing to believe the man who had given her the Mizukage seal was real—otherwise, the truth would be unbearably sad.

  According to White Zetsu’s memory, Madara had begun pnning and executing the Infinite Tsukuyomi while controlling Kirigakure. During that time, he collected a massive amount of information, now irrelevant to him but sealed as top-secret files. These included methods for enticing Uchiha Obito. According to the memories, Madara had gone to extreme lengths to manipute Obito—efforts even Obito himself was unaware of. Kita’s mission was to retrieve these files. Obito’s descriptions of the Infinite Tsukuyomi were abstract; studying Madara’s own records was far more efficient.

  Fortunately, Kita had a rough idea where the sealed files were stored. Midnight infiltration was effortless, and no arms triggered. Passing row after row of shelves marked by year, she stopped at the year corresponding to Kirigakure’s twentieth year—the year Madara began steering the vilge.

  The interval: Kirigakure Year 20 to 46. During these twenty-six years, Kirigakure had been under the complete control of the real Madara.

  Kita looked at the shelves. Dozens of rows.

  Mission logs, meeting records, mission logs, meeting records…

  All things Kita didn’t care about. She couldn’t understand why Kirigakure stored A-rank task logs or boring promotion meetings. In Amegakure, only S-rank tasks warranted archives. Muttering internally, her hands moved faster, flipping pages with a loud rustle in the rge secret chamber. She turned off her fshlight, leaning against a hidden shelf.

  The stone chamber’s door creaked open, and a figure entered. Kita held her breath. In this spacious room, a normal ninja would not sense her presence.

  But unfortunately, the visitor was no ordinary ninja.

  A woman capable of being the Fifth Mizukage was far from ordinary.

  In a fsh, bdes cshed with sparks flying in the dark, illuminating the faces of the Mizukage and Kita.

  Impressive, Fifth Mizukage, Kita thought, stepping back. The room was sealed with no windows; the only exit led toward Terumi Mei.

  “Lord Mizukage! What happened?!” A subordinate rushed over, panicked by the sound of combat. Before the lights fully revealed them, Terumi Mei had already sheathed her kunai and smiled gently at her subordinate.

  “No, nothing. Just a bit peckish. Prepare a te-night snack for me.”

  “Y-yes!”

  The subordinate obeyed immediately, opening the chamber’s main light. Bright and clear.

  Kita sighed. She hadn’t wanted to encounter Terumi Mei, but chance had intervened.

  It’s been a long time, she thought, noticing how much thinner the Mizukage had become.

  This was a secure area; even within the vilge, only a few could enter. Guards stayed nearby, but no one investigated further. Only the Mizukage or high-ranking elders had access. Yet here, in this secret pce, Terumi Mei saw an outsider. She didn’t detain or kill Kita—she only noticed how much thinner she had become.

  She noticed Kita’s white bamboo-patterned yukata, the two old weapons repced by one, and Amegakure headband with an added scratch.

  “So the ‘wandering ninja’ story is a lie too,” Terumi Mei said softly, tinged with mencholy. Kita could only offer a wry, helpless smile.

  Well, whatever.

  ——Sorry, I have something to check.

  Expining that she needed to see the Mizukage’s confidential files without malice—such reasoning would likely be rejected by any Kage, Kita knew.

  ——You aren’t my match. Capturing me alive is impossible. So you’d better let me go. If you let me leave while holding me hostage, it won’t look good. Honestly, I have no intention of fighting you.

  Typical traitor attitude, Terumi Mei thought, smiling. She made no reply and went to the shelf she had intended to access earlier, organizing the documents neatly.

  “Over a year without seeing you, and the first thing you do is threaten me? Is this how you all operate?”

  It was difficult to answer. Kita didn’t respond. Terumi Mei gnced at her.

  “Looking for Uchiha Madara?”

  Kita nodded.

  “What exactly are you searching for?”

  ——Information.

  ━━━━ ? ━━━

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