Chapter 106: So, What Is the Price?
"I am Terumī Mei. Have we met somewhere before?"
Mei studied Neji-kun. He had a fine, delicate face and was dressed in a black bodysuit. She just couldn't understand why he was wearing sunglasses indoors.
Beyond that, Mei felt he looked familiar, though she couldn't quite place him.
Neji-kun wasn't using a Transformation Jutsu or a mask; this was his true appearance. They had met once before, six years ago, which is why she felt a sense of déjà vu.
"You don't recognize me?"
Neji-kun walked to the living room, sat down, and gestured for Mei to take the opposite seat.
"We've met?" Mei sat, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll give you a hint: the Chūnin Exams in Konoha, six years ago," Neji-kun said with a faint smile.
Mei's talent was outstanding in Kirigakure. More importantly, she was backed by the Elder, giving her a solid foundation. This was why, despite possessing two Kekkei Genkai, she had survived Obito's bloodline purges. She held high prestige among the Mist ninja. All she was missing was the title of Fifth Mizukage.
Moreover, Mei was one of the few truly "normal" people in the shinobi world. Unlike most kunoichi, who tended to be obsessed with romance, Mei was a rare, career-driven ninja, whose life's ambition was to end the Bloody Mist era and restore Kirigakure.
"The Chūnin Exams?"
Mei's pupils constricted. She suddenly remembered. "You're... Hyūga Neji?"
"Mm." Neji-kun admitted it freely.
Ao, standing behind Mei, instantly tensed.
Hyūga Neji was known as the "Star of the Cloud." At first, the title hadn't meant much to outsiders. It was like Konoha's "Strongest Hokage" or Suna's "Strongest Kazekage"—many assumed it was just Kumogakure boasting, propping up a figurehead to act as a counterweight to the Uchiha.
But after the battle at Skull Island and the capture of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, his dazzling achievements silenced all doubt. The "Star of the Cloud" now had the full attention of every major leader in the shinobi world.
Ao's mind raced, the thought of eliminating Neji-kun right here flashing through his head. But he quickly suppressed it. This man had captured the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. Even the Fourth Mizukage might not be able to take him down. If he wanted to leave, no one here could stop him.
Most importantly, his infiltration represented Kumogakure. His purpose was likely to form an alliance. And an alliance was exactly what Kirigakure needed. The village was on its last legs. Even the Mizukage's most die-hard supporters didn't want another war.
"Heh heh." Mei tapped her fingers on the table and asked probingly, "Why has the Fourth Raikage sent you to Kirigakure?"
"Though I'm not a Mist-nin, I understand your current situation well," Neji-kun said, taking the initiative. "Eight thousand of your ninja are dead or gone, yet your Fourth Mizukage still refuses to give up the war, even planning to send children from the Academy to the battlefield. That's not what you want to see, is it, Terumī-san?"
"An alliance with Kumogakure is your only choice."
By framing it from her perspective, Neji-kun immediately seized the upper hand. Mei felt a flash of annoyance; he had struck right at Kirigakure's weak spot.
Keeping her expression neutral, she countered, "But if we can ally with Konoha and Iwa to carve up Kumogakure, our current losses would be worthwhile. The potential profits would be immense."
This was the Fourth Mizukage's stated position. But besides Yagura himself, almost no one believed it. Even if they succeeded in defeating Kumo, when it came time to divide the spoils, Konoha and Iwa—the ones with the biggest fists—would take the meat, leaving the battered Kirigakure with, at best, a little broth. The risk and reward were completely disproportional.
Neji-kun shook his head and smiled. "If you truly believed that, you wouldn't be sitting here talking with me."
Mei was even more annoyed, her thoughts having been seen through. The key to negotiation wasn't rhetoric, but the chips one held. Kirigakure had no cards left to play.
Just then, Ao stepped forward. "Does Kumogakure truly have the sincerity to ally with us?"
Mei's mind raced, and she immediately picked up his cue. "Neji-kun, Kumo has a large number of spies in our village. Surely not just for an alliance. Just before dawn today, one of my intelligence stations was wiped out. We have conclusive evidence that the perpetrators were your Kumo-nin."
"And we Mist-nin have not forgotten what Kumo's Gold and Silver Brothers did during an alliance summit, when they attacked the Second Hokage."
Neji-kun's brow furrowed. 'An intel station wiped out by Kumo-nin?'
Mei was clearly saying this to force Kumo to make concessions in the alliance. It was unlikely she was making it up out of thin air. Neji-kun's eyes narrowed. He immediately thought of Obito.
"Terumī-san, there is a bad apple within Kirigakure who doesn't want to see this alliance. They are deliberately framing Kumo-nin to sow discord."
Mei had thought the same. And that "bad apple" was most likely the Fourth Mizukage himself. Slaughtering his own comrades was hardly a new tactic for him. But she couldn't admit that now. She had to squeeze Kumo for every concession she could.
"My, you have a good sense of humor, Neji-kun," Mei said, her lips curling into a seductive smile. "We in the Mist are all united. There are no 'bad apples' here."
Neji-kun glanced at her glossy red lips, about to speak, when—BOOM!—an explosion roared from below. Shouts and the clash of steel followed.
CRASH!
Several dark figures burst through the window. Three masked ninja, ignoring Neji-kun, charged directly at Mei and Ao with their swords drawn.
Mei drew a kunai, parrying a downward slash. Sparks flew at the impact.
Neji-kun didn't move. He activated his Tenseigan, silently observing the attackers. 'Mist ninja, possessed by White Zetsu!'
White Zetsu were stronger than the average ninja. Their infiltration, possession, and disguise abilities were top-notch. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Obito's Zetsu army had caused massive trouble for the Allied Forces. Standard sensory ninja couldn't see through their disguise. Even Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō couldn't detect a Zetsu hidden inside a body; it took Naruto's negative-emotion-sensing ability to finally pinpoint and eliminate them.
With his Tenseigan, Neji-kun could clearly see two distinct chakra signatures in each of the three attackers. One of those signatures was common to all three. That's how he knew.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal on metal echoed as Mei fought, her alarm growing. The two assassins fighting her were at the Special Jōnin level, and they were indeed using the rare Kumo-style taijutsu. For a moment, she truly wondered if Neji-kun had any sincerity at all.
"For the village!"
Unable to break through, the three attackers exchanged a glance, their eyes turning savage. They each pulled out a scroll and unfurled it, revealing a massive sheet of explosive tags. They looked like loyal, fanatical suicide soldiers, determined to complete their mission.
Seeing the explosive tags hurtling towards her, Mei was startled. She grabbed Ao, preparing to jump out the window.
But in the next instant, she froze in shock.
Neji-kun's palm shot out, unleashing a dense web of white light beams. The explosive tags were caught in the net like butterflies. Their cores were instantly destroyed by the Storm Release jutsu, and they failed to detonate.
The three attackers, stunned by this impossible turn of events, froze.
Neji-kun raised his hand. An invisible force grabbed the attackers and yanked them in front of him.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
He slapped a Four Symbols Seal onto each of them, one by one.
Mei stared at the three assassins, now easily subdued. Her red lips parted, but she said nothing.
Ao, his skin thicker than a castle wall, said angrily, "Kumo-style taijutsu! Neji-kun, it seems Kumo has some 'bad apples' of its own!"
Neji-kun merely glanced at Ao, not bothering to argue. He placed his hand on one of the attacker's shoulders.
"Aaargh!"
"Damn it, how did you know I was here?!"
With a pained scream, a pure white, humanoid figure was forcibly ejected from the attacker's body.
Mei and Ao's expressions changed. 'What the hell is that thing?'
Neji-kun repeated the process, using his Tenseigan to force out the other two White Zetsu. He then pointed to the three unconscious Mist ninja. "If I'm not mistaken, these three are Kiri shinobi."
Mei's face turned ugly. She recognized one of them—he was a member of the Mizukage's personal guard.
Just then, Samui walked into the room. "Neji-kun, the attackers outside have been dealt with."
Neji-kun nodded. "I think we all know who's pulling the strings here. Forget an alliance, your Fourth Mizukage has no intention of even talking with Kumogakure."
Samui looked confused. "Why would he do that? What does Kiri gain from fighting Kumo to the death?"
Mei gave a bitter, helpless smile. "We don't know either."
Neji-kun signaled Samui to take the White Zetsu out. He scanned the area with his Tenseigan, and after confirming it was clear, he erected a perception-blocking barrier. Seeing him act with such caution, Mei sensed a bombshell was coming.
She was right. What Neji-kun said next struck her and Ao like a bolt of lightning.
"You're saying... the Fourth Mizukage is being controlled by genjutsu?" Mei's lips parted in disbelief.
"Impossible!" Ao shouted. "The Fourth Mizukage is a perfect Jinchuriki! How could he be controlled by genjutsu?"
"Because the Three-Tails is being controlled too," Neji-kun stated flatly.
"..."
A perfect Jinchuriki was highly resistant to genjutsu because the Tailed Beast within them could break the illusion. But if the Tailed Beast itself was also controlled, that resistance vanished.
Ao suddenly realized something. "A genjutsu that can control a Tailed Beast and a Kage... in the entire world, only the Uchiha clan's Sharingan..."
Neji-kun nodded. "The mastermind controlling your Mizukage is indeed a rogue Uchiha."
"Damn it." Mei's brow furrowed. Although she had her doubts, she basically believed Neji-kun. It was the only explanation, however absurd, for Yagura's series of abnormal actions. He had changed almost immediately after becoming Mizukage. He must have been controlled from that moment on.
To think the Mizukage had been a secret puppet for over a decade... Mei felt a deep, humiliating anger. Kirigakure's dignity had been trampled. If this got out, they would become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world.
Collecting herself, Mei balled her fists. "Neji-kun, our Mizukage is being manipulated. To forge this alliance, we must rescue him. I implore you, please lend us your strength." She was no longer in a position to bargain. Saving Yagura was the priority.
Neji-kun looked at her and said slowly, "I can help you rescue the Fourth Mizukage. But... what price are you willing to pay?"
A quarter of an hour later, Mei and Ao walked out of the inn, their expressions grim.
"Ma'am, that price is too heavy," Ao said, his face dark.
"I know. But we have no other choice. The Elder will agree," Mei said, nodding firmly. "When things are at their worst, they can only get better. I believe Kirigakure's turning point will come soon."
Ao sighed. 'Nine out of ten things in life don't go as planned.' He could only hope that latching onto Kumogakure's coattails would truly change their fate.
"Let's go. We must see the Elder. Rescuing the Mizukage, allying with Kumo... he must be the one to make the final decision."
Mizukage's Office.
Obito sat at the desk, arms crossed, fingers tapping rhythmically. Zetsu's head emerged from the floor.
"Madara, good news," White Zetsu said cheerfully. "Our little raid was effective. Terumī Mei was gravely injured, and the Elder is furious. He has Ao scouring the streets for Kumo spies."
"Just as I predicted." A smile touched Obito's lips under his mask.
Black Zetsu said, "The White Zetsu we sent to attack her never returned. Could something have gone wrong?"
Mei was always accompanied by Ao, a top-tier sensory ninja. Zetsu hadn't dared get too close, so he didn't know exactly what had happened.
Obito thought for a moment. "It's possible. Let's assume the Elder discovered the White Zetsu. But judging by the result, he still believes Kumo spies were responsible."
Black Zetsu had no counter to that.
Obito's tone turned cold. "Zetsu, a few 'little mice' are secretly approaching the Mizukage Tower. Notify Kisame. It's time to get to work."