Yako drove the kunai down from above, plunging it straight into Mei's skull.
If he couldn't harden his heart to kill Kyoi, then he had to be ruthless enough to kill her sister.
Truth be told, Yako had plenty of chances to prevent Kyoi from getting badly injured by her sister.
But he didn't lift a finger. He waited.
Waited until the exact moment her sister tried to land a killing blow—only then did he leap in and stop the assassination.
If he'd rushed in and killed Kyoi's sister prematurely, she might've ended up hating him instead.
Blood streamed from Mei's forehead, ears, and down her neck.
Kyoi had wanted to raise her hand to stop it—but Yako hadn't given her a chance.
Her chest and throat throbbed with pain.
Thinking back to the way her sister had insisted on killing her just moments ago, Kyoi suddenly realized how unfamiliar Mei had become.
She couldn't even remember what her sister used to be like.
That little girl who once bounced behind her with two swinging braids… had died long ago in the depths of memory.
Maybe everything she'd done for her sister these past years had only been for a fantasy—an image of the sister she imagined, not the one that actually existed.
The rewards and payments she earned as a spy, she handed over to Mei without hesitation—making her believe everything was hers by right.
Mei's body collapsed. Yako withdrew the kunai. Brain matter leaked from the crack in her skull.
This way, not even the Yamanaka clan would be able to retrieve any intel. He could write the mission report however he liked.
Mei's body clearly bore signs of Iwagakure—fooling people wouldn't be hard.
Yako turned and gently pushed Kyoi to the ground, whispering:
"It's over, Kyoi. It's all over.
Iwagakure has already abandoned you. Ōnoki's going to blame this failure on bad intel from his spies.
Ōnoki isn't some magnanimous hero. If anything, his dwarfism makes him obsessive—he never changes his mind, never admits mistakes.
Forget Iwagakure. Forget your sister. Stay here in Konoha.
I've got someone above me who can help cover for you... for a while."
If things can't be covered up… Yako thought to himself, then to protect myself, I'll have to kill you in advance.
The cruelty of a ninja—made real in that moment.
No matter how much he liked Kyoi, if it came down to choosing between her and himself, he'd always choose himself.
Yako pulled open Kyoi's blouse, exposing the wound on her abdomen. As he treated it, he said:
"Tomorrow at noon, you need to open your shop and act like nothing happened.
No matter how painful the stomach wound is, endure it.
The cut on your neck's easier—just wear a collar to hide it.
Mmm… yeah, a collar. Kinda kinky. I like it."
Kyoi lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
She wept for herself, for her sister, for all the pointless sacrifices, for Mei trying to kill her, for the Iwagakure spies who'd died around her.
All those deaths… in the face of a village's hatred, became utterly meaningless.
In the end, the one who saved her was a complete stranger from Konoha.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name?" Yako said as he applied medicine. "What did I tell you it was last time?"
"Miqū."
"Then I guess I'm Miqū."
Kyoi knew Yako wouldn't tell her the truth—and she no longer pressed the issue.
After all, she was a spy. If even one person in Konoha was willing to help her survive, that was already enough.
Her empty eyes stared through the canopy at the sky above. "Tell me… why do we kill each other? Why do we have war, enemy villages, all this death?"
Yako replied:
"In the ninja world, power is everything. Everyone believes they can force others to submit with a kunai in their hand.
The problem is, too many people think that way.
All five Great Ninja Villages think like this. Every Kage-level ninja thinks like this.
Villages fight each other, and even within a village, people fight to the death.
Where there are people, there is conflict.
That question's too big, Kyoi. You just need to live on. That's all you need to think about.
Maybe… someday… if I become the strongest ninja in the world, I can try to reduce the killing."
Even Yako didn't believe his own words. He was just comforting a broken girl.
Still, he was growing more and more interested in the position of ANBU Commander.
The Hokage was busy all day, barely keeping up. But an ANBU Commander? They had wiggle room. Lots of ways to bend the rules. Lots of influence.
The Hokage couldn't personally oversee every mission. That meant the ANBU Commander held real power.
***
The next day at noon, Kyoi opened the doors of her izakaya right on time.
No one came to arrest her. It was as if she really had become just another civilian of Konoha, quietly running a small sake bar.
This kind of life… wasn't so bad.
That afternoon, someone suddenly burst in shouting, "Oy, boss lady! Bring out your best sake! And a plate of braised beef!"
Kyoi blinked in surprise. It's him.
He walked in, standing in the doorway with a grin.
In that moment, she realized, in her eyes he'd become even more handsome—so much that it made her heart flutter.
Kyoi's face flushed red and she quickly turned away.
After eating and drinking, Yako remembered Kyoi was still injured and couldn't do anything fun that night. So he left the izakaya and headed for the Konoha Hospital.
At Konoha Hospital, Captain Black Ape and White Ram had both completed surgery.
Captain Black Ape removed his mask—he was a round-faced, chubby man who looked just like other members of the Akimichi clan.
His wife was from the Akimichi clan too. The two were probably distant relatives.
The ninja clans kept strict genealogical records to avoid intermarriage.
Captain Black Ape told his wife, "Go wait outside. I need to talk to my friend."
His wife didn't know he worked in the ANBU. He referred to Yako as his friend—not as a subordinate.
Yako couldn't help but glance at the captain's wife. That chest… heavy as hell. Even bigger than Princess Tsunade's.
No wonder the Akimichi clan specialized in body multiplication techniques. In this field, even the Senju had to take a back seat.
Once they were alone, Yako said, "Captain, I'm only filling in as squad leader, and with so few people, I can't get anything moving."
Captain Black Ape looked down at his bandaged leg. "I'll be discharged in half a month. Give me another month after that, and I'll be back to full combat strength.
Princess Tsunade's medical ninjutsu really is incredible. My aunt said no other doctor at the Konoha Hospital could've saved this leg.
So give me a month and a half. In the meantime, rest up. I doubt Captain Yellow Dog will assign you anything serious.
Once I'm out, we'll rebuild the Black Ape Unit."
Yako nodded repeatedly. That meant—for the next month and a half—his safety was guaranteed.
The thought made him a little excited.
It was the 12th. He'd already used up his resurrection for this lunar cycle.
If he could survive until the 14th of next month, then maybe he could start making some real moves.
Man, surviving in this world was brutal. Every month was a fight for life.
No wonder Uchiha Itachi had slaughtered his own clan in pursuit of peace. Peace was too rare. War turned people into beasts without a second thought.