The courtyard was silent.
The butterfly that had appeared out of thin air rested on a dead branch, its wings occasionally fluttering.
Biwa Juzo knelt on one knee, his Executioner's Blade held horizontally in front of him, his posture humble.
Shin stepped forward and helped him up. "Stand up. We don't have a kneeling custom here."
His voice was soft, brooking no refusal.
"Yes, my lord."
Biwa Juzo straightened his body, but kept his head bowed.
The scene of something appearing out of thin air had completely shattered his pride as a shinobi.
Once he stood up straight, Shin handed him a cup of tea and said, "Besides you, there's another little mouse hidden in the Land of Water's envoy group. Who is that?"
Biwa Juzo froze for a moment, then realized.
He knew who his lord was referring to.
"My lord... are you referring to Mei Terumi?"
Biwa Juzo uttered the name, his voice dry.
From the moment he knelt, everything about Kirigakure was no longer a secret.
"Mei Terumi..."
Shin's fingertips lightly tapped the teacup, a smile playing on his lips.
It was indeed her.
The future Fifth Mizukage.
He silently mused in his heart.
To the people of this world, Mei Terumi was currently just a somewhat famous genius.
"I've heard of her." Shin's voice carried a hint of inquiry. "A genius rarely seen in Kirigakure in a hundred years, possessing two bloodline limits? That's quite uncommon in the shinobi world."
He skillfully disguised his foreknowledge.
These words, however, stirred up a storm in Biwa Juzo's heart.
Two bloodline limits!
This matter was a secret even within Kirigakure, known only to a few, precisely to protect Mei Terumi from being caught in the Bloody Mist!
How did he know?
Had Konoha's intelligence network already infiltrated Kirigakure's upper echelons?
A chill rose within him.
Biwa Juzo was increasingly glad of his choice tonight.
"Yes, my lord is correct."
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Biwa Juzo said, "She simultaneously possesses two bloodline limits: Lava Release and Boil Release."
Seeing that he didn't conceal anything, Shin nodded in satisfaction.
"Such a person, instead of staying properly in Kirigakure, secretly ran to the Fire Capital. What does she intend to do?"
Shin was genuinely curious.
Although he knew the future plot direction, he didn't know the details, which was why he was curious.
"My lord, Mei Terumi's visit this time is to raise supplies for the rebel army."
"Rebel army?"
"Yes."
Biwa Juzo nodded. "A team led jointly by her and the former Mizukage's guard, Elder Genji."
"They cannot tolerate the Bloody Mist's tyranny and intend to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage and rebuild Kirigakure."
Shin tapped his finger on the table, deep in thought. "An elder, a genius girl... sounds like their strength isn't much."
Biwa Juzo honestly said, "Indeed."
"The members of the rebel army are mostly bloodline limit families who have been ostracized and hunted down under the tyranny over the years, as well as some civilian shinobi who couldn't tolerate the Bloody Mist."
"They have no equipment, no supplies, and no money."
"Mei Terumi, disguised as a guard this time, risked her life to infiltrate the Fire Capital, hoping to use her savings to buy a batch of military rations and shinobi tools from the black market and transport them back."
Shin nodded, commenting, "Having that courage, she's quite a character."
Then he asked, "Do you think she might be willing to serve me?"
Biwa Juzo was stunned.
He subconsciously looked up, met Shin's eyes, and instantly understood.
This lord not only wanted his blade but also Mei Terumi herself.
He was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head definitively. "Impossible."
Shin asked, "Oh? Why are you so sure?"
"She is different from me."
Biwa Juzo's voice was heavy. "I'm a rotten person, I've long despaired of this world, I just want to find a place to wait for death, or die with some purpose."
"But Mei Terumi... she's an idealist."
"She truly loves Kirigakure, believing she can change that hell herself and save everyone in the Bloody Mist."
"She will resist Yagura Karatachi, but she will never betray Kirigakure."
"Asking her to pledge allegiance to the Land of Fire is asking her to destroy her own beliefs with her own hands."
Biwa Juzo said with certainty.
"Interesting." Shin smiled.
The more challenging it was, the more interesting it would be to conquer.
He changed the subject. "Is Yagura Karatachi really that hated?"
At the mention of that name, Biwa Juzo clenched his fist, his eyes burning with deep-seated hatred.
His voice was very low, as if forced out of his throat.
"My lord, you cannot imagine, Kirigakure now is no longer a shinobi village, but a living hell."
"The name Bloody Mist was forged with the lives of our Kirigakure shinobi."
"My lord, do you know what the graduation exam at our Shinobi Academy is?"
Shin, of course, knew, but didn't speak.
After all, hearing things from the person involved felt more real than just hearing about them.
Biwa Juzo continued, "The Shinobi Academy's graduation exam is to make classmates kill each other! Only those who kill their companions are qualified to graduate!"
"Countless talented children didn't die on the battlefield, but all died at the hands of their own people!"
"He also wants to purge all bloodline limit families, calling them remnants that destabilize the village!"
"The Kaguya family was forced to move outside the village, the Hozuki family died or fled... anyone with special powers would be hunted down as an anomaly!"
"The entire village is filled with suspicion and fear, neighbors reporting neighbors, subordinates betraying superiors... no one lives like a human being."
"What's laughable is that his reason for doing all this is supposedly for the purity and stability of the village."
At this point, Biwa Juzo's body trembled violently with anger.
Shin listened quietly, his heart unmoved.
He, of course, knew that Yagura Karatachi was merely a puppet being controlled.
The mastermind was Uchiha Obito.
"If that's the case, why didn't you join the rebel army?" Shin asked the next question. "With your strength, you would surely be of great help to them."
The anger on Biwa Juzo's face faded, leaving only extreme sorrow, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"It's useless."
"What good would killing one Yagura Karatachi do?"
"Those elders who supported him from behind, those families who wanted to climb up, would immediately put forward a new Yagura Karatachi."
"The name changes, but the core remains the same."
"As long as the man-eating rules of Kirigakure remain, no matter who becomes Mizukage, the outcome won't change."
"Elder Genji wants to change it, and Mei Terumi wants to change it too, but they are too naive."
"They always think of patching things up, making superficial changes to a root that is already completely rotten."
"And I..."
His hand gripped the hilt of his blade, his eyes filled with despair.
"What I want to do is dig up that rotten root, along with everything above it, and burn it all clean."
Shin finally showed a satisfied smile.
That's right.
A demon driven to a dead end, utterly despairing, should have such resolve.
"Then why are you willing to trust me?"
Shin looked directly into his eyes. "Why do you think I won't be the next Yagura Karatachi? Just because of that move I just made? You refused before!"
Biwa Juzo fell silent.
He looked up, his gaze fixed on the butterfly resting on the dead branch.
He recalled the sights he had seen on his journey after entering the Fire Capital.
Wide, smooth streets.
Civilians with smiles on their faces.
Workers toiling freely, yet with bright eyes.
This was something he had never seen in the Land of Water, something called hope.
"I don't trust anyone."
Biwa Juzo slowly spoke, his voice hoarse.
"And I don't trust you either!"
"Your power... it's strong enough to scare me, but I've seen too many madmen with great power."
"But..."
He paused.
"On the way here, I saw your capital."
"I saw the faces of those civilians."
"They have food to eat, work to do, and don't have to worry about waking up tomorrow to find their homes gone."
"You... are building a whole new world, a world I don't understand, but one that allows people to live like human beings."
His gaze returned to Shin, filled with awe.
"Destroying everything is simple."
"What's difficult is building a new city on ruins."
"My lord, you have the power to destroy everything, yet you are using it to establish order."
"I am willing to take a gamble."
Shin stood up, making a welcoming gesture.
"Then I congratulate you, you gambled correctly. Welcome to join us!"
"From today onwards, you will continue to stay with the envoy group, hide yourself well, and don't expose yourself."
"I will send someone to contact you. His codename is Shadow."
"What you need to do is tell him every piece of information you have about Kirigakure, without missing a single word."
"Yes, my lord!"
Shin waved his hand.
"Go."
Biwa Juzo bowed his head, said no more, hoisted his Executioner's Blade, and with a few leaps, disappeared into the night.
In the courtyard, only Shin remained.