"I used to think that anyone who came out of the Blood Mist era was elite. Turns out… I was dead wrong!"
Terumī Mei's pretty face twisted with disgust and disdain. She hadn't expected Kirigakure's Intelligence Division to be rotting from the inside out.
And now, Kirigakure wanted to rely on this broken system to support a war effort?
That wasn't strategy—that was handing victory to the enemy.
"It's not unusual," Yoru said calmly. "Filth tends to gather in places the light doesn't reach. It happens everywhere."
"If it's too rotten to fix, you could always resign—leave the mess to the Mizukage or to Yagura. You're a combat genius after all. You've always said intel work was a waste of your talents anyway, haven't you?"
"No way!"
Mei rejected the suggestion instantly, her tone firm and defiant. She was stubborn to the bone—once she took something on, she would never back down.
"Then if you're going to handle it, do it thoroughly."
"What do you mean?" Mei's brows furrowed slightly.
"The Intelligence Division isn't just dysfunctional—it's rotted to the core. A few painkillers and cosmetic surgery won't cut it. You need something drastic."
"Cut to heal. Tear it down to rebuild."
Yoru picked up a nearby teacup and poured both of them some tea, his tone tranquil.
Mei paused. Holding the cup in both hands, she watched the tea swirl. Her beautiful eyes hesitated.
"We're at war. The loss of all Seven Ninja Swordsmen has already crushed morale. If we go through with a massive purge now, wouldn't that…"
"It's because we're at war that now is the perfect time," Yoru interrupted flatly.
"During wartime, no matter what chaos or unrest you cause, all of it can be swept away… with a single victory."
"The prestige of victory, the spoils of war, the strategic gains—they'll drown out any controversy from within."
"Take Konoha for example. They're already halfway to victory, practically pocketing the fruits of war. But who still remembers the mass suicide that struck Konoha just before the war began?"
"You mean… White Fang."
Mei murmured, her eyes narrowing. She understood what Yoru was getting at.
But the real problem was…
Could Kirigakure even win?
With the fall of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, morale was already dangerously low.
Meanwhile, Konoha—
After their defeat at Kannabi Bridge, the Iwagakure front was nearly finished. Kumogakure wasn't making any major moves. And as time passed, more and more Konoha elites would be free to transfer to the Kirigakure front.
At this rate… their odds of winning—
"Overthinking never helps," Yoru cut in coldly. "Even if we lose this war, would you really just turn a blind eye to a system this corrupt?"
"Reforms have to happen eventually. Better to take a clean slice now than drag it out in peacetime, dancing with schemers and old relics in the shadows."
"Cut the knot. Cut it clean."
Mei whispered those words under her breath, then looked up with a solemn expression and nodded firmly.
"I understand. I'll take care of it."
"Good. I believe in you." Yoru downed his tea in one gulp and added casually,
"Oh, and by the way… I wasn't just talking about the Intelligence Division."
"...Not just the Intel Division?"
Mei blinked, confused. "What else do you mean?"
"Nothing. Let's just wait for the next directive from the Third Mizukage."
Yoru shrugged and waved his hand dismissively.
"Your current position isn't suited to major reforms anyway. Wait for the official order, then clean house properly."
"Ugh! Cryptic men deserve to die!"
Mei scratched her head in frustration. Yoru's smiling face made her even more irritated.
"Don't get too smug. I bet you aren't going to have it easy for long either!"
"?"
"Hmph. You've awakened your Ice Release, haven't you? Don't give me that innocent look."
"Whether it was that massive cross-shaped ice blossom on the Konoha border, or the reports from our undercover agents—everyone knows by now. It won't be long before the whole of Kirigakure hears that you've awakened a Kekkei Genkai."
"Just wait—your dear clan elders will be all over you in no time!"
"...That's not my clan."
Yoru's expression turned cold. His gaze grew distant—and icy.
"I severed ties with them ten years ago. So don't call them 'my clan,' Terumī Mei."
Mei immediately realized she'd said something she shouldn't have. She shrank back a little and laughed awkwardly.
"Ahahaha… right, my bad, that was careless of me. Well, I've got work to get back to!"
And with that, Mei practically fled the tent.
Only when she was outside did she exhale deeply.
"Stupid Mei… you almost mentioned that."
"The Yuki Clan really is something. Back when Yoru hadn't awakened his Kekkei Genkai, they pretended he didn't exist. Now that his Ice Release is awakened… Let's see what those old relics do now."
(Note: Mizunotsuki Clan is a branch clan of Yuki clan)
She muttered quietly to herself, then glanced back at Yoru's tent, sighed again, and finally walked off.
Meanwhile – Konoha Frontline Base
With Mizunotsuki Yoru's emergence, Konoha's frontlines had drastically increased their security.
Patrols were doubled. Checkpoints were reinforced. Observation posts had new rotations—all to prevent another surprise attack by Kirigakure.
Inside the Konoha command compound, Jiraiya walked into the interrogation room with a grave expression, his wooden clogs clacking softly against the stone.
Before him lay Suikazan Fuguki—barely breathing, his life force nearly extinguished.
Jiraiya turned to the man standing beside him: Yamanaka Santō.
"How did the interrogation go?"
"It's essentially complete," Santō replied respectfully.
"We've extracted intel on Kirigakure's strategic plans, inner power structure, techniques related to Samehada, and other classified matters. Everything is documented in this scroll."
He handed Jiraiya the scroll, then added with a frown:
"As for frontline intel..."
He glanced briefly at Fuguki and lowered his voice.
"Forgive me if this sounds like I'm underestimating the enemy, but… the intel we extracted from Suikazan Fuguki's mind wasn't particularly useful."
"Despite his role as head of Kirigakure's Intelligence Division, it turns out he'd been selling intel to foreign nations—for his own gain."
"And most ridiculous of all, most of the intel he sold was fake..."
"..."
The corner of Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
What could he even say? Was this guy loyal? He sold classified information. Was he a traitor? He sold fake classified information.
Truly a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—no ordinary man, that's for sure.
Jiraiya exhaled deeply and asked:
"Did you find anything related to Mizunotsuki Yoru?"
"Yes!"
At that, Jiraiya's eyes sharpened.