The Second Mizukage son had gone missing.
No one really cared—he was a bastard anyway—but still, he was the clan leader's brother. The youngest son of the Second Mizukage. Sure, he was a bit of a loser, but that didn't change the fact: he had to be found.
And right now, the prime suspect was Kiyosuke—the Konoha shinobi hiding out in Kirigakure.
There were even whispers that Konoha was after Kirigakure's kekkei genkai.
That was something absolutely intolerable.
Every shinobi with a kekkei genkai was considered a top-secret asset to the village. How could they allow someone from Konoha to steal that?
Unable to stomach the idea, the Third Mizukage personally took to the battlefield. He clashed with Orochimaru, and without revealing his illness, joined forces with Karatachi Yagura to drive him back. Then he sent a message to the Third Hokage, demanding an explanation. If he didn't get one soon, he'd make a personal trip to Konoha to "have a little chat" and "enjoy some tea."
Hiruzen Sarutobi more or less figured out that this was the handiwork of his own student. But come on—how could he possibly admit it?
He claimed Kirigakure was just slinging mud, and the situation quickly escalated toward the brink of war. Although nothing beyond the initial fight between Orochimaru and the Mizukage had happened, the tension in the air kept rising. Sooner or later, a real battle was bound to break out.
As for Kiyosuke, Orochimaru had already informed him to stay deep undercover—he might be needed for something big.
Just like that, Kiyosuke shifted from a front-line operative to a full-on covert agent. His new mission: gather intel.
And when it comes to intel, the more people around, the better.
With a simple disguise, he slipped into a local izakaya. Sitting quietly with a drink, he listened in on drunken Kirigakure shinobi babbling over sake. Loose lips often said useful things.
Today, he'd transformed into a boy of fifteen or sixteen, hands tucked in his sleeves, casually wandering the streets.
Coming straight toward him were Ao and a scowling Terumi Mei.
What the hell? Why do I keep running into these people?!
Like damn ghosts that won't go away!
He kept up his carefree, lazy demeanor and walked past the two.
"Wait!"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Ao with the Byakugan who called out—it was Terumi Mei.
Kiyosuke pretended not to hear and kept walking.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke!" she called out again, louder this time.
He gritted his teeth and still didn't stop.
Then Mei barked, "Ao! Grab him!"
How the hell did she recognize me?!
Realizing he was completely exposed, Kiyosuke bolted.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Kiyosukes suddenly flooded the street.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring water dragon surged forth, smashing apart the clones in one sweep.
"Ao, go!"
Mei gave chase, sending out water clones. Ao didn't hesitate either, summoning his own clones and rushing after Kiyosuke and the remaining shadow clones.
The commotion on the street didn't go unnoticed. More and more Kirigakure shinobi joined the hunt, but Kiyosuke himself had long since slipped away.
...
He stopped beside a large mansion, panting for breath.
"Damn… how the hell did she spot me? Do we have some kind of karmic connection or something? No way—I need to rest and figure this out."
With that, he quietly scaled the wall and slipped inside.
"This family's loaded! They even have a lake in their backyard!"
Staring at the little lake in the courtyard, Kiyosuke drew in a sharp breath. He really couldn't wrap his head around the lifestyle of the rich—but hey, envy was natural.
There was a small building beside the lake. After checking that no one was around, he darted inside.
The interior was spotless. The air carried a faint floral scent. Judging by the teddy bear on the bed, it was clearly a girl's room.
"Sorry, I'm crashing here for the night."
He opened the wardrobe, crawled inside, and used the bedding to insulate the sound and conceal himself.
Still can't figure it out… how did Terumi Mei recognize me? I didn't blow my cover… but she spotted me anyway. Where the hell did I slip up?
Puzzling over it, he drifted off in the wardrobe, curled under the blankets.
He slept like the dead—thankfully, his sleep was light enough now that he didn't snore. If he had, the noise would've blown his cover.
"Ugh, I'm starving… I need to find something to eat. Wonder if there's a kitchen in this place?"
He shoved the blankets aside and slowly opened the wardrobe door.
Inside the room, a beautiful girl was just pulling down her ninja stockings.
"…"
Kiyosuke.
"…"
Terumi Mei.
Their eyes locked.
"...Nice."
Kiyosuke lunged forward, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could scream.
Terumi Mei bit down—hard.
"AHH!!"
Is this girl part dog or something?!
The pain was unbearable. Blood welled up from the wound.
"You freaking mutt!" Kiyosuke yelled, losing control and tackling her to the floor.
Of course, Mei wasn't about to go down quietly. The two began wrestling, each trying to pin the other.
In the end, Kiyosuke's superior skill won out. A snake slipped out of his sleeve, coiling around Mei and restraining her completely.
He caught his breath and straightened his clothes.
Terumi Mei's eyes were red-rimmed and misty. Her mouth was stuffed with an apple.
If someone walked in now… they'd definitely get the wrong idea.
"Miss, I heard a noise—are you alright?"
A maid's voice came from outside the door.
Kiyosuke immediately mimicked Mei's voice.
"Nothing's wrong. Ao was showing me some fitness exercises he picked up at the hospital. Sorry if it disturbed you. Oh, since you're here—bring me a midnight snack, would you?"
A pause.
"But… Miss, didn't you just eat dinner?"
Kiyosuke froze, then cleared his throat. "Forget it, then. Go get some rest."
"Yes, Miss. Please rest well."
Footsteps faded away.
He sighed and picked up a fruit from the nightstand. As he munched on it, he glanced at Mei, who looked on the verge of tears.
"Sorry," he said, rubbing his temples. "I seriously didn't know this was your house. By the way, holy crap—you're rich. You have a lake in your yard?!"
He truly couldn't imagine the joys of the wealthy.
Mei didn't even bother responding. Her tears finally spilled over.
Kiyosuke panicked.
"H-Hey! Don't cry! Don't cry, okay? I suck at dealing with girls crying!"
He fumbled for tissues, gently dabbing her eyes.
"I said don't cry! I'm not some pervert! I didn't sneak in to ogle your body or anything."
He paused, then muttered, "At least… not yet."
"Seriously, stop crying, lady! It was an accident, okay? I just picked a house at random!"
...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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