Chapter 132: Mistaken!
Uchiha Kei didn't immediately slit Terumi Mei's throat—not out of mercy or some romantic sense of pity, and certainly not because he wanted to protect Hyūga Ayaka.
In truth, if Ao did go ahead and kill her, Kei would actually be relieved—it would save him a world of trouble.
But before that happened, there were a few things he wanted to confirm.
Something just didn't sit right with him. And now that he had such a valuable hostage in his hands, Kei wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
Under Madara's brutal Blood Mist policy, the Mist Village was already infamous for its savagery. But even then, they hadn't yet descended into the complete madness that Obito's rule would later bring.
At this point in history, bloodline users could still survive in Kirigakure—and some even thrived.
Which meant Ao would never let Terumi Mei die so easily.
And from Kei's memories, he knew that in the future, Ao would become one of her most trusted allies.
Sure, their relationship might not have reached that point yet...
But whether it was out of loyalty to bloodline ninja or genuine personal connection, Ao definitely wouldn't abandon her.
That gave Kei a window—to extract the truth he wanted before taking any irreversible steps.
He wasn't afraid of Ao, just annoyed by the trouble. But if it came down to it, Kei was confident he could win.
"So... was that answer satisfying?" Kei asked with a polite smile, blade still pressed against Terumi Mei's blood-streaked neck.
"Give me something of real value—then I might consider a trade."
"You—" Ao's face twisted with fury.
He hadn't expected this little Uchiha brat to be so ruthless!
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized... if he were in Kei's shoes, he'd make the same choice.
A Hyūga branch family girl—whose secrets were sealed and whose value was minimal—versus a dual kekkei genkai wielder from Kirigakure?
No contest.
Even so, Ao couldn't help the bitterness in his heart.
He didn't want a promising future shinobi of the Land of Water to die here—especially in such a humiliating fashion.
Hyūga Ayaka's expression wasn't any better.
She had already come to a grim conclusion:
No matter what this guy Ao said, she was probably going to die.
She was just a Hyūga branch member, someone whose very existence was tied to obedience and sacrifice. If her life could buy the survival of a rare Mist ninja, anyone would make that trade.
Especially someone like Uchiha Kei—cold, pragmatic, and merciless.
Ayaka shut her eyes. She no longer held onto any hope.
She couldn't rely on Kei to save her.
In fact, he was probably praying for her death.
If she wanted to live, she'd have to save herself.
"…What do you want to know?" Ao finally asked through gritted teeth.
Kei gave him a faint smirk, eyes sharp.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"And don't give me some vague nonsense. If I don't like your answer, I'll just use genjutsu to interrogate this woman directly. Your call."
"Don't tell him!" Terumi Mei shouted, her voice firm and defiant.
Even paralyzed and immobilized, she still had the will to resist.
It was clear she hated Kei to the core by now.
If it weren't for the paralysis caused by Raikiri's aftershock, she wouldn't need Kei to kill her—she would have cut her own throat against his blade without hesitation.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't get to decide.
Ao looked silently at Uchiha Kei, then turned his gaze to Terumi Mei. After a long pause, he finally let out a heavy sigh. It was clear—he had made up his mind to speak.
"Mei… our mission has failed," Ao said flatly. Then he turned to Kei.
"There's no point hiding it anymore. I don't know how familiar you are with our village, but…"
"Fairly familiar," Kei nodded calmly.
Back in his own world, he had been a devoted fan. After arriving here, he'd taken care to write down everything he remembered—afraid that time might chip away at his memories.
This mission, for example—he hadn't recalled every detail off the top of his head, but checking his notes before setting out had become a habit.
"Then cut the cryptic crap," Kei said coolly, slightly adjusting the position of his blade against Terumi Mei's neck.
"Speak plainly."
"Fine," Ao took a deep breath.
"We serve under Elder Genji as ANBU. Our mission was to investigate…"
He hesitated.
This was a deep and dirty internal scandal from the Mist Village.
Under normal circumstances, Ao would never have breathed a word of it to an outsider.
But Terumi Mei was a rare and gifted shinobi—someone worth breaking the rules for.
Every village had skeletons in its closet. But these were supposed to stay behind closed doors.
Once they got out, the damage could be catastrophic.
Still… he had no choice.
And he knew just how vital Terumi Mei was—even to Elder Genji. Possibly irreplaceable.
"Our mission was to investigate the true reason behind the Third Mizukage's deployment of ANBU," Ao finally ground out, teeth clenched.
There. He'd said it.
But still wanting to save face, he tried to frame it more delicately:
"The ANBU under the Third Mizukage were sent carrying… sensitive items. Our elders were concerned that the Mizukage had been compromised—possibly manipulated. So we were sent to gather intel."
"Sensitive items? ANBU under the Third Mizukage?" Kei's expression shifted.
A sharp, cold realization hit him—and his face darkened instantly.
Damn it.
He had completely misunderstood the situation.
He hadn't realized that Elder Genji had his own ANBU network!
That meant… Ao and Terumi Mei weren't on the same side as the others at all!
No wonder these two had survived in the original timeline.
They weren't part of the faction Kei had assumed—they were investigators, not co-conspirators.
And now Kei was pissed.
He'd been planning to find Obito and somehow get his hands on Uchiha Madara's legacy.
But now it looked like he'd been barking up the wrong tree all along.
How could he not be angry?
In fact, he even considered trying to do something drastic—maybe even save Rin Nohara.
…But deep down, Kei knew Rin's death was almost certainly inevitable.
Madara was far too meticulous to let any part of his grand plan go off course.
Even if Rin didn't die now, he'd make sure she did later.
And Obito? He probably wasn't even Madara's only backup plan. Kei would have to stay vigilant.
That said… Obito's descent into darkness would cause a lot of trouble in the future.
But it was trouble Kei had already factored into his long-term strategy.
In fact, some of that chaos might even work to his advantage.
But that all hinged on one condition—Kei needed to get what he came here for.
If not, then this entire mission would've been a complete waste of time.
That thought made his grip tighten, and the blade in his hand pressed harder into Terumi Mei's neck.
A fresh streak of blood trickled down from the open wound, running crimson down her pale skin.
Ao's eyes burned with fury—his jaw clenched so tightly he nearly shattered his teeth.
The kunai in his hand pushed even closer to Hyūga Ayaka's throat in response.
"…Where are those ANBU now?" Kei finally asked, his voice frigid and composed again.
"To the north," Ao growled.
"Your teammate has already gone after them."
"Which one? The white-haired or the dark-haired one?"
"White-haired."