"Good brother, I really have to thank you this time. If it weren't for you, I don't know how much longer it would have taken me to overcome my fear of Lightning Release."
Deidara was in great spirits, feeling grateful towards Kimimaro.
"All for the sake of art."
"Hahaha! Yes! All for art!"
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
Obito didn't get it, but he was deeply moved.
Is this the bond between artists?
Whatever, it didn't matter.
After this brief exchange, the three continued their journey toward the Hidden Mist Village.
A day later, they arrived near the Hidden Mist.
Looking at the village, which was slightly different from a few years ago, Kimimaro felt nostalgic.
"Deidara-senpai, Kimimaro-senpai, I know how to quietly open the Hidden Mist's barrier. Let's split up and infiltrate the village to gather intel," Tobi whispered.
"You know how to do that? Your intel-gathering abilities are quite impressive," Deidara remarked, surprised.
After all, each village's barrier was a secret known only to a few.
For Tobi to have figured this out was indeed impressive.
Kimimaro wasn't surprised. Obito had been controlling the Fourth Mizukage for years. If he didn't know how to open the barrier, *that* would be strange.
What Kimimaro was more curious about was why Obito had come to the Hidden Mist Village.
Could it really be for the Three-Tails?
Now didn't seem like the best time to capture it.
Obito must have some other motive for coming here.
Tobi scratched his head sheepishly, saying, "You flatter me, Deidara-senpai. I'm just a little bit exceptional, that's all."
"Stop making that face, it's weird. Alright, just tell us how to get in already."
"Got it, Deidara-senpai."
With Tobi leading the way, Kimimaro and Deidara successfully entered the Hidden Mist.
"It's already dark now. In two hours, no matter what you find, we meet back here. Be careful, don't get caught," Deidara whispered.
"Understood, Deidara-senpai," Tobi replied quietly. Kimimaro just nodded.
The mission began!
Infiltration was a basic skill for a ninja.
But some learned it well, and others didn't.
Among the three, Deidara probably had the worst infiltration skills.
Obito, with his Kamui ability, had perfected the art of sneaking in and out. He'd been going in and out of the Leaf Village for years without anyone noticing.
As for Kimimaro, his Gaia Foundation could disguise him as anyone.
As long as he didn't slip up in conversation, his infiltration was virtually flawless.
Deidara's concerns were unnecessary—he should've worried more about himself.
Kimimaro first snuck into a single man's home, knocked him out, hid him away, and used the Gaia Foundation to disguise himself. He then walked the streets of the Hidden Mist as the man.
Flawless.
"This guy isn't bad-looking. Still single at this age, though. Maybe he's too much of a shut-in?" Kimimaro mused, evaluating himself in the mirror after the disguise.
As for how he knew the man was single, that's best left unsaid.
It wasn't hard to figure out.
After leaving the house, Kimimaro headed to a restaurant a bit farther away to eat.
Restaurants close to home would likely know the single man well, which might lead to slip-ups.
A place farther away was safer.
An izakaya—perfect for food, drink, and overhearing conversations. The patrons were always chatty, making it an ideal spot for gathering intel.
The timing was right, so Kimimaro chose this spot.
What ninja wouldn't like a safe and comfortable way to gather intel?
"Owner, I'll have an order of fried chicken and a soda," Kimimaro ordered casually as he entered, blending in perfectly.
"Got it! Have a seat, your food will be ready soon," the owner called cheerfully, showing him to a spot.
The izakaya was occupied by five or six people, two of whom appeared to be Hidden Mist Chunin, judging by their outfits.
They were eating fish and drinking, chatting enthusiastically.
Kimimaro's lips curled into a slight smile—he knew he'd found the right place.
Two Chunin were bound to know something.
He sat close by, listening in on their conversation.
"Sakai, I'm telling you, what the village needs right now is a new Mizukage! The Fourth Mizukage is done for; we need to pick a Fifth Mizukage quickly to bring life back to the village! I think Terumi Mei would be perfect. I don't know why the elder council won't let her take over. Are they really going to wait for the Fourth Mizukage to wake up and keep ruining our village?" one of the Chunin, Ishida, complained.
Sakai, startled by the outburst, glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at them. He quickly patted Ishida's shoulder.
"Ishida, you're drunk. Stop talking nonsense."
"I'm not drunk! Not even close! I'm just frustrated. The Fourth Mizukage has killed so many people! Why should we wait for him? My best friend died because of his orders!
He died so senselessly! Not at the hands of an enemy, but killed by his own people. He couldn't believe it until the end. What did he do wrong? Just because he was part of the Yuki clan?"
The more Ishida spoke, the more agitated he became. He downed the rest of his drink.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
No one around spoke; they just silently drank their sake.
It hadn't been easy for anyone living in the Hidden Mist Village these past few years.
It wasn't just the bloodline clans that had suffered.
Under Yagura's leadership, life had been tough for both ninjas and civilians alike.
Everyone in that izakaya shared that sense of misery.
Sakai sighed and took a sip of his drink as well.
"What good does it do to say all that? At least it's over now. The higher-ups figured out that the Fourth Mizukage was under genjutsu, which is why he did all those terrible things. Our village will recover, you'll see."
"Recover? How? Other than canceling the bloodline purges, nothing has changed. And most of the bloodline clans are already gone.
Even if a few survived, how many of them would be willing to return? They probably hate the village now. Maybe they'll even come back for revenge one day. Tell them the Fourth Mizukage was under genjutsu, and see how they respond.
Will they forgive him? Or will they send him to meet the Shinigami and let the Shinigami forgive him?"
Ishida scoffed.
"This..."
Sakai fell silent, unable to refute it.
The hatred of an entire clan wasn't something that could be erased by calling it a misunderstanding.
"Your fried chicken and soda, enjoy," the owner said, placing Kimimaro's food in front of him.
"Thanks, owner. Time to dig in."
As Kimimaro ate, he continued to listen to the conversation, all while processing what he'd overheard.
"It seems the Hidden Mist Village holds a lot of resentment toward the Fourth Mizukage and the higher-ups. Obito really has messed this village up," he thought.
(End of chapter)