"You're back already?"
"How'd it go?"
No sooner had Nagato returned to the town inn than Yahiko and his two companions swarmed him. Nonou was the first to ask.
"Everything went smoothly. Elder Genji agreed."
"He'll recall the Mist ninja and open the gates of Kiri for us."
Nagato wasted no time laying everything out plainly.
"That's good. Kakuzu was worried you wouldn't pull it off, so he went to see the Water Daimyō himself."
A flicker of joy crossed Yahiko's face. Their journey through the Land of Water had turned out far easier than expected.
"That explains why I couldn't feel his chakra."
Nagato had originally wondered where Kakuzu had gone; now he didn't need to ask.
"He should be back soon too."
"He didn't leave much later than you did," Konan added, and the conversation drifted into casual banter again.
Now that the issue was resolved, their mood lightened considerably. Their laughter spilled out through the window into the night air.
True to Konan's prediction, Kakuzu returned to the inn the next day.
"How'd it go?"
The moment Kakuzu sat down, Yahiko and the others lifted the tent flap and stepped in.
"Couldn't have gone smoother."
"I dealt with that guy—he didn't know how to behave himself."
Kakuzu said it so casually, it was as if he'd just crushed an ant underfoot.
"Ah?"
"Wouldn't that provoke everyone's anger?"
Nonou hadn't expected Kakuzu to act so decisively—he actually killed the country's daimyō without hesitation.
Now that the daimyō was dead, we might end up facing the entire Land of Water united against us.
"Yeah."
"You really went too far."
"Better to kidnap him than kill him outright."
Konan knew that if such a situation arose and Yahiko were gone, none of them would ever think of surrendering.
"People are different from one another."
"Let Kakuzu finish—he had his reasons."
Yahiko stayed calm. He didn't believe Kakuzu acted impulsively.
Besides, there was no profit in this—it wasn't like Kakuzu to make such a reckless move.
"So the capital's in chaos now?"
"Mm."
"The Water Daimyō had many heirs. Now they're already fighting each other for power."
"Hopeless fools, every last one of them."
Kakuzu offered no mercy in his evaluation of the daimyō's offspring.
With enemies at the gate and the danger of national destruction looming, they still found time to vie for power and position—utterly idiotic.
He'd meant to assess the daimyō's character, but ended up learning about his heirs instead.
Precisely because of this, Kakuzu had struck without hesitation.
"This works in our favor."
A smile crept across Yahiko's face. The more foolish their enemies, the easier things would be.
"What do they even have to fight over?"
"Once we strike, they'll all be prisoners."
This time, Konan quickly caught on, saying nothing further about Kakuzu's rash action.
"With all those brilliant sons, the Water Daimyō must be turning in his grave."
Nonou chuckled aloud. Facing foolish opponents always improved one's mood.
"Looks like he still hasn't found peace in death."
"I guess I'll just go ahead and do it myself then."
"Guess I shouldn't be so soft."
Kakuzu didn't often crack jokes, but when he did, they landed—this time had Yahiko and the others laughing nonstop.
"The capital has no time to deal with us."
"Elder Genji from Kirigakure has already agreed to surrender."
"Now the Land of Water is basically already ours."
Yahiko's smile faded—it all felt like some kind of dream.
"Hmm."
"Next, once Elder Genji's orders arrive, we'll follow the Kiri ninja back to the village."
Nagato simply nodded in agreement, offering no objection to Yahiko's words.
"You've worked hard too, Kakuzu. We won't disturb you any further."
"Rest well."
Yahiko rose first, and Nagato and the others followed suit, saying their farewells before leaving.
With the combined assurance from Nagato and Kakuzu, everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
The next day, the Mist ninja marched openly down the main road—their withdrawal order from Elder Genji had already been received.
Elder Genji's decision to surrender to the Akatsuki didn't cause anger—many Mist ninja were actually relieved.
Ao, the team leader, ran at the front of the group, wearing an expression of quiet loneliness, yet oddly light-hearted.
"Senior Ao, does this mean we won't die after all?"
Mei Terumi glanced at Ao beside her, her voice filled with the joy of someone who'd barely escaped death.
"To live, nobody wants to die."
Even the adults didn't oppose surrendering, so how could she—a girl not even fully grown, with her values still forming—possibly object?
"I suppose so."
"As long as we don't resist, the Akatsuki have no reason to attack us anymore."
"At worst, they'll lock us up."
As an adult and a Jonin, Ao naturally thought more thoroughly than Mei did.
He guessed that Elder Genji had probably reached some sort of agreement with the Akatsuki leadership. After surrendering, the Kiri shinobi wouldn't have to risk their lives fighting anymore.
But that certainly didn't mean they'd be free to move around once they returned to the village.
Mist Village itself might not even exist anymore!
Letting out a deep sigh, Ao himself wasn't quite sure how he truly felt.
"Lock us up?"
"We've already surrendered—could the Akatsuki really still distrust us that much?"
Mei shivered slightly. She wanted neither death nor imprisonment.
"After surrendering, do we even have the right to say no anymore?"
Ao gave a bitter shake of his head. To stay alive after getting back home, they'd need to obey—Akatsuki's orders, no matter what.
"Oh…!"
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"Well then, you're right."
Mei lowered her head, immediately looking dejected.
"We Jōnin will probably be placed under control, but you kids might not be."
Ao reached over and ruffled Mei's hair, hating to see the sweet girl scared again so soon after surviving death.
"Really?"
Mei looked up, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Really."
"Even if they let you go, they wouldn't worry about you causing much trouble."
Ao confidently nodded, as though he had everything figured out.
"Senior Ao, I promise I'll come visit you."
Mei Terumi's footsteps became light and brisk. On her way back to the village, she'd already decided what she wanted to eat.
"Then I'll be waiting for you."
Ao gave a slight smile but said nothing more.
The Mist ninja team wasn't moving swiftly. They maintained a steady pace throughout their journey.
Not long after they had set off, Yahiko led his Akatsuki team and fell into pursuit right behind them.
Just as openly and brazenly as Yahiko's group, without attempting to hide in the slightest. Every single Mist ninja knew exactly who was trailing them.
So the two teams proceeded one after another toward Kiri, neither communicating nor trying to catch up. It was as if total strangers were heading toward the same destination.
Several days later, the gates of Kiri finally came into clear view.
Watching the Mist ninja enter the village, Yahiko halted just before the open gates.
"You don't think this is some kind of trap, do you?"
Yahiko tilted his head slightly; standing beside him was none other than Nagato.
"If it is, then I'll launch the entire Hidden Mist straight to the moon."
Nagato shot Yahiko an exasperated glare. Why hadn't he shown this caution earlier? Now suddenly, right at the village gates, he brings this up?
"Haha! Just kidding."
"Come on, let's head in."
Yahiko chuckled it off, with a grand wave of his hand, and immediately led Akatsuki's massive forces through Kiri's gates.
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