"Wait."
Hearing that, Mitsuki could only turn back helplessly.
"Do you still need something?"
Mei crossed her arms, her index finger tapping on her arm repeatedly. She still felt there was something off about the person before her.
"My name is Mei Terumi. What's yours? I don't think I've seen you around Kirigakure."
Mitsuki didn't want to get entangled with Mei, but his current identity was that of a civilian, so he could only answer honestly.
"My name is Tobi."
Mei closed her eyes and tried recalling.
"Hmm… never heard of him."
Although Kirigakure was big enough that it wasn't strange she didn't know a few people, just to be safe, she decided to follow this guy for a while.
It was absolutely not because she wanted to look at a handsome man!
And just like that, Mitsuki's tagging journey had one more person added to the group.
Passing through a commercial street, Mitsuki quietly planted another mark. Since Mei was watching him, this time — and all the ones to come — Shadow Manipulation had to be activated by Shukaku forming the hand seals inside his robe.
However…
Mitsuki glanced sideways at Mei, who was happily devouring two skewers of dango.
He felt his movements were stealthy enough, but wasn't this girl a bit too careless?
Time passed slowly as Mitsuki brought Mei along, the two almost circling half of Kirigakure.
On a street bathed in the final rays of sunset, the crowds around them had vanished at some point.
"Hey, Tobi" Mei suddenly called.
Mitsuki turned to look at her, half a step behind him. "What is it?"
"You're acting like it's your first time in Kirigakure. You're not a local, right?"
The air fell silent—just what he feared.
Mitsuki flashed a sunny smile.
"Haha, didn't I tell you? I'm here with a merchant caravan to do business."
Terumi Mei returned an equally bright smile. "Haha, no, you didn't, Tobi."
The moment she finished, both fell silent.
The next second, Mei jumped back, hands forming rapid hand seals, her chest swelling:
"Water Prison Technique!"
She spewed a massive torrent of water from her mouth, forming a water sphere aimed directly at Mitsuki.
At the same time, numerous hidden Kirigakure shinobi revealed themselves, completely surrounding him.
"Aa~"
The chirping of Chidori echoed down the street. Pale lightning overflowed through the air, violently shattering Mei's Water Prison.
She hadn't expected a point-blank surprise attack to be destroyed so easily.
She frowned. "Who are you really? Tobi isn't your real name, right?"
Before Mitsuki could speak, a short boy with a baby face appeared beside Mei, expression grave.
"White hair and powerful, no-seal Lightning Release… You should be Konoha's Gale, Shimizu Mitsuki, right?"
"What?" Mei couldn't help but gasp.
She had known she might have caught a big fish, but she hadn't expected this big.
The surrounding Kirigakure shinobi began to stir uneasily.
They couldn't help it — Mitsuki was no longer some background mob character.
From his first time on the battlefield, he achieved overwhelming feats. Intelligence agencies of every village had already listed him as a top-priority target.
Mei was no exception… or rather, every new-generation shinobi of their era knew about him. Their teachers or elders would compare them to Mitsuki, sighing about how wonderful it would be if someone like him belonged to their village.
For the first time in his second life, Mitsuki had become someone else's perfect child.
Since he was already discovered, Mitsuki didn't bother pretending anymore.
Although he hadn't finished planting all the marks, he never intended to blow up the entire village in one go.
Too much of anything becomes harmful.
His purpose was simply to end the war between Konoha and Kirigakure as quickly as possible.
Yagura held his hook-tipped staff horizontally, stepping into a battle stance. He yelled:
"What is your purpose in infiltrating Kirigakure?!"
He already knew asking was pointless. Against a user of Space-Time Ninjutsu like Mitsuki, there was nothing they could do.
That was why the Third Mizukage had even issued the order:
"If you encounter Konoha's Gale, abandon the mission."
Space-Time ninjutsu was simply too unreasonable—whether to stay or leave depended entirely on the user's will.
But unexpectedly, Mitsuki really answered.
"Since Miss Mei accompanied me for so long, I'll tell you. You all know what I did to Sunagakure, right?"
Yagura frowned slightly. Of course he knew. Back then, still a newcomer without Space-Time Ninjutsu, Mitsuki had teamed up with Minato to destroy countless important Suna facilities.
Realizing this, Yagura's eyes widened. He finally understood Mitsuki's intention.
And remembering the intel Mei had been sending through code — Mitsuki wandering all over the village…
Yagura immediately called out to a Kirigakure shinobi:
"Hurry and evacuate the villagers! All districts!"
Even though he didn't know why Mitsuki was so willing to reveal his plan, in matters like this, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Mei also knew of Mitsuki's deeds in Sunagakure. She stepped forward and said:
"You expect us to believe you'd kindly tell us your plan?"
She had been "shopping" but actually supervising him the entire time. Normally speaking, he shouldn't have had time to plant kunai or markers.
Mitsuki spread his hands helplessly—nobody believes the truth these days.
"Alright, alright. It's not because of Miss Mei. The real reason is simply—because I am kind."
Yagura didn't believe a word, but they needed time to evacuate the villagers, so he had no choice but to stall Mitsuki.
Mitsuki didn't mind. His goal was to destroy infrastructure, not massacre civilians.
Since stalling was boring, he casually asked:
"By the way, that sealing technique you hid around the area—what is it? Some nodes look familiar."
Yagura's mouth twitched. How did this guy notice? And from the way he spoke, he even understood sealing techniques? What kind of insane talent was this?
Out of politeness, Yagura still replied:
"That is classified Kirigakure information. I cannot disclose it."
Even though the enemy had discovered the setup, the preparations were complete—he was a step too late. Yagura gave the signal with a raise of his hand.
Eight Kirigakure shinobi stood at eight points and formed seals simultaneously.
"Water Sealing Formation!"
The sealing formula spread out from beneath the eight shinobi's feet, flowing like water trails before converging into a massive sealing array that filled the entire street.
Seeing the formation complete, Yagura felt relieved—but then wondered if it all went too smoothly...