Words in the Painting * Mokushō

"You answered very decisively. I thought I had to offer some advice. After all, you've been managing the Land of Hot Water for so long. If you just leave like that, most people would hesitate for a while."

Sōichi smiled, showing no sign of regret. "To be honest, even without your invitation, I planned to leave the Land of Hot Water with Yūko and find another way out once this matter was settled."

"I offended quite a few people while working for Masato. Those people don't dare to touch me openly because I'm still on the side of the Land of Lightning. But once Masato's matter is completely over, they won't let me off easy, and they certainly won't let Yūko go."

"So you've been preparing to leave all along?" Hashirama asked.

Sōichi glanced at Yūko, his voice gentle, "I must find a safe haven for her and the child. It just so happens that Lord Izuna has provided this path, so I thank you all for taking them in."

Yūko looked up, glanced quickly at Sōichi, then blushed and looked away, only whispering, "I... will also live a good life."

Izuna was in high spirits and fanned himself with his folding fan. "Good! Since the talks went so smoothly, let's have a pleasant collaboration."

Namikaze Sōichi smiled. "It's a pleasure working with you."

"Next, Mr. Sōichi, please elaborate on the details of this mission and related information."

On the other side of the Land of Hot Water, in a painting shop facing the street, the curtain was gently lifted.

A guest walked in.

He was a slender man, wearing a dark straw hat and a slightly worn light gray travel outfit, who looked like he had come from afar.

As he passed by, the wind chimes hanging by the door tinkled very softly.

The shop was quiet, with various hanging scrolls on the walls, depicting landscapes, flowers and birds, as well as several brightly colored Ukiyo-e.

The scent of incense and old paper mingled together, wafting through the sunless shop. A waitress approached, smiling, and asked, "Sir, what kind of paintings would you like?"

"I'll just take a look," the man said in a low, gentle voice.

"Would you like to take a look at those paintings? They are some of the most acclaimed screen paintings by a master from the Land of Waterfalls in recent years. The colors are extremely elegant, and collectors love them." The waitress gestured towards the inner room.

"Alright, take me to see it," the guest said.

They walked through the corridor and stopped in front of several paintings hanging side by side.

As the customer looked up to examine the painting, a waiter happened to walk by carrying a scroll, which gently bumped against the customer's sleeve as he passed.

He quickly bowed and apologized. The guest didn't seem to mind, waving his hand and saying, "It's alright."

After the waiter left, he lowered his hand and unfolded a slip of paper that had appeared in his sleeve. It had a very small "3" written on it.

The guest discreetly put the note away. When he looked at the painting again, his eyes changed in the shadow cast by his straw hat. Crimson lines bloomed from the depths of his pupils, like blood vessels, and instantly filled his entire pupil.

A line of small characters, densely Writing with Chakra, slowly appeared on the painting.

The words were hidden using a special method; those without the same Dōjutsu would only see an ordinary landscape painting with crows. The guest stared at the words, deducing the coded text three digits backward according to the katakana alphabet, translating it word by word.

The small characters on the painting slowly emerged like thin snakes, only to be dissected one by one by his Dōjutsu.

[The man in the painting is your contact; he's a skilled assassin. However, his country is unwilling to submit to our orders, so while cooperating with him, you must also find a way to eliminate him.]

The customer glanced at the painting and noticed a person in the crowd in the lower left corner who wasn't wearing a straw hat, had black hair and green eyes. Although the face was indistinct, these two features were enough to identify him.

[But before that, he has information you don't, so you'll need to work together. The plan is to take action on the day of the Summer Festival.]

[What you need to do: First, assist your partner in carrying out the assassination; second, follow him and find evidence of their country's impunity; third, kill that person from the Land of Waterfalls.]

[We have already assigned action teams according to your usual practice.]

The guest slowly closed his eyes for a moment.

In the western town of the Land of Hot Water, in an inconspicuous little house, a black-haired, black-eyed man is oiling a knife.

A long scar ran diagonally from his left eyebrow to his right cheekbone, adding a touch of ferocity to his already stern face.

[Kuroo Sanjō, who once infiltrated Sparrow White Masato's inner circle as a bodyguard. Although Masato is dead, his network of informants continues.]

The back room of a brothel in Yuhara Street.

A charming woman leaned on a guest's shoulder, her fingertips softly hooking his collar, her smile both gentle and suggestive.

She looked frail and delicate, as if she could collapse at the slightest push. But the guest was already under Genjutsu and fast asleep.

She withdrew her hand, glanced coldly at the guest, then twisted her body, climbed up the hole in the roof beam, and left like a python.

[Takahara Yū is skilled in Earth Release is a type of magic), Genjutsu, and possesses a Bone-Shrinking Technique that allows him to squeeze into narrow gaps to gather intelligence.]

On the long bridge, a ronin leaned against the railing, his red hair disheveled by the wind, and a long sword hanging crookedly at his waist.

He hummed a tuneless little tune idly, and when he saw someone crossing the bridge, he raised his chin and whistled at them. He wasn't annoyed when the other person avoided him; instead, he laughed even harder.

On the other side of the bridge, a man was hurrying towards them. He was dressed in gray, with a knife at his waist, and his expression was serious.

Seeing the ronin's nonchalant demeanor, he felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the ronin was definitely looking for trouble again.

[Ringo Hayato, skilled in Lightning Release and wielding a sword, Strength powerful. He will be your strongest vanguard in the upcoming operation.]

[Satō Ken, master of disguise, is responsible for transferring key personnel during chaos.]

Just then, a tall, thin man with black hair and green eyes, wearing a gray travel suit, walked onto the bridge.

Like all travelers from afar, he kept his head down, his steps neither fast nor slow, as if he only wanted to cross the bridge.

But Ringo seemed to have sensed something and deliberately took a step to the side, seemingly unintentionally blocking his way.

"Hey, Big Brother, all alone?" Ringo chuckled mischievously. "Walking alone on such a humid day is so boring. How about we have a couple of rounds? The loser buys a drink, how about it?"

The man stopped and slowly raised his eyes.

Green eyes peeked out from under the straw hat, cold as stones at the bottom of water. "Get out of the way."

"Don't be so cold." Ringo placed her hand on the hilt of the knife, her knuckles opening and closing, her smile becoming even more irritating. "I think you're quite interesting. Come on, I'm not going to kill you."

Satō Ken grabbed Ringo's hand and hissed, "Ringo, that's enough! Stop causing trouble here."

"Why are you so nervous? I was just joking with him." Ringo pouted at Sato, but her eyes were still glued to Kakuzu, like she was staring at prey, or as if she was confirming something.

The traveler walked past them, his clothes fluttering in the wind, without giving them another second glance.

The wind carried Satō Ken's voice away. "This mission isn't about causing trouble everywhere..."

Ringo slung the knife over her shoulder and chuckled nonchalantly, "I know, I know, you're so annoying."

Only then did the traveler lower his hand from his sleeve, and the black thread slowly retracted.

[And that Kakuzu from the Land of Waterfalls will bring you the assassination list.]

[This mission is of utmost importance, please proceed with extreme caution. Good luck, Wūwū Liánběi.]

Inside the gallery, Wūwū Liánběi finished reading the last line before slowly turning around and leaving.

The painting behind him had been silently taken down by the shop's apprentices and rolled into a cloth bag.

In the fire pit, he turned into a handful of ashes in the Kakkō.

Mokushō stood at the bridgehead, squinting, and watched the whole scene unfold from beginning to end.

He had originally planned to follow the three boys in case they encountered anything he couldn't handle, but he never expected such a small but significant scene to unfold on the bridge.

Moreover, that person clearly glanced in this direction before leaving.

"Kakuzu... that guy's a pretty big shot back home... I didn't expect to see me here too?" He stroked his chin, rummaged in his sleeve, and pulled out a brand new Five-yen Coin.

Holding up the coin, he suddenly realized, "Oh! So that's why he's one of my followers, and quite devout at that. I guess I should meddle a bit more."

Kakuzu had crossed the bridge, Mokushō followed at a leisurely pace.

Kakuzu walked leisurely, following the shady side of the Hot Spring Street, avoiding crowded areas, passing through two alleys, stopping at a fork in the road, taking something out of his pocket and glancing at it before continuing on his way.

Mokushō was half a street away from him, mingling among tourists and vendors, looking around and touching things, occasionally stopping in front of a stall.

But after walking a short distance, Kakuzu suddenly turned into a dead-end alley.

Mokushō paused, not following them inside, but instead stopped in front of a mask stall at the alley entrance, picked up a Tengu Mask, and held it up to his face.

The stall owner greeted him with a smile, and he responded with a grin.

After about half a cup of tea's time, Kakuzu emerged from the alley again, looking as usual, except that he now carried a very thin Oiled Paper tied with hemp rope on his shoulder.

He turned back in the direction he had come from, his pace still unhurried.

Mokushō put the mask back on the stall, waved to the stall owner and said, "Come again next time," before slowly following after him.

Kakuzu suddenly stopped at the street corner.

He stood in front of a cold rice cake shop, looking up at the signboard, seemingly wanting to buy something.

Just when Mokushō thought he was simply taking a break, Kakuzu suddenly spoke up.

"You've followed me from the bridgehead all this way, aren't you tired?"

Mokushō laughed and Earth Flow casually, "Oh dear, I've been found out. I thought I was hiding it pretty well."

Kakuzu turned his head to the side, thinking, "Did you hide it?"

His sharp green eyes swept coldly over Mokushō: "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Mokushō said in a light tone, "I just think you're quite interesting. You were provoked like that to your face and you didn't even flinch. If it were me, I would have beaten him into the river."

"It's better to avoid trouble." Kakuzu withdrew his gaze, took out two copper coins from his pocket, and bought a bag of cold rice cakes from the old woman at the cold rice cake shop.

The old woman smiled and handed it to him, asking if he wanted another one. Kakuzu shook his head, paid, and left.

Mokushō walked beside him without saying a word, and they walked side by side for a while.

Kakuzu chase him away or pay him any attention, as if he didn't exist.

Kakuzu initially thought that the boy who had inexplicably followed him was either a spy sent by some country or someone in charge of liaison within the organization.

But the other person simply followed behind him, at a distance that wasn't too close or too far, as leisurely as if they were strolling through the streets.

This left Kakuzu somewhat uncertain.

The strangest thing was that when this kid followed him into an Izakaya), the Tavern Keeper acted as if she didn't see him at all, and only served Kakuzu.

Mokushō simply sat down opposite him without any hesitation.

Kakuzu looked at him, his brows furrowing slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Mokushō interrupted him first, "I guess you're planning to assassinate Hashirama Senju, aren't you?"

Kakuzu's gaze suddenly turned cold, as if all his expressions had been stripped away, leaving only a pair of green eyes, filled with a hidden killing intent, locked onto Mokushō.

Mokushō, completely unfazed, rested his chin on his hand and said, "Well, let's put it this way: you will definitely fail. The others are alright, but you can't kill Hashirama Senju."

Kakuzu sneered, "Oh? So sure?"

"You don't know their Strength?"

"Everyone has moments when they let their guard down," Kakuzu said calmly.

"He can't even hide his own aura, yet he dares to talk big?"

"Don't worry about me, you little brat."

"Wow, I only came to remind you because you went to the Inari Shrine, and you're so ungrateful?" Mokushō sighed exaggeratedly, as if his good intentions had been betrayed.

Inari Shrine? What's this all about? Does this Shrine have Ninjas too?

Kakuzu's gaze deepened. No matter what, this child couldn't be allowed to live. "Who exactly are you? If you're not one of us..."

"How about I point you in the right direction?" Mokushō interrupted him with a smile, "Why don't you go to Konoha and become our finance minister? I think you're quite good at making money."

Kakuzu frowned. "I would never betray my homeland."

But they will betray you.

Kakuzu flew into a rage: "You—"

"I know Takigakure is a wonderful place," Mokushō, as if reminiscing, "Like a paradise, where the people are all very kind."

"And you still dare to slander them!"

"Don't be in such a hurry," Mokushō said calmly, looking at him. "Tell me, what is the purpose of your operation this time?"

You think I'd tell you?

"You know even if you don't say it, it's all to ignite the fuse so that we can attack the Land of Whirlpools with a suitable pretext."

Kakuzu frowned.

What exactly is this person trying to do?

"So what if it is? This matter is already set in stone. Even if you control me, it won't slow things down. Everyone is looking forward to it," Kakuzu said calmly. "I took this mission because they offered enough money and promised to give us a share of the profits. As long as it makes my country better, I'm willing to do it."

How well can a small country truly be considered to be doing?

"What's the meaning?"

Mokushō's face was obscured by a mask, making it impossible to see his features, but Kakuzu clearly sensed the change in atmosphere. "Why do you think your mission targets include Hashirama Senju, whom you have no chance of defeating?"

Kakuzu frowned.

"Kakuzu, I know what you possess. Regardless of whether you successfully assassinate Hashirama Senju, those great Capital will not let Land of Waterfalls go. The Land of Fire is merely acting as the executioner."

Kakuzu stupid; he immediately understood what Mokushō meant.

His meaning was that regardless of whether he succeeded or not, or rather, regardless of whether he assassinated Hashirama Senju or not, the Land of Fire would receive intelligence that he intended to assassinate Hashirama Senju, and therefore issue a kill order. If he returned to the Land of Waterfalls, it would bring utter destruction to the Land of Waterfalls.

So how do we break this deadlock?

He was labeled a traitor, stripped of his earthly Earth Grudge Fear, and expelled from the country.

This is the only way. Kakuzu was grim. He understood that even the kindest person would make this choice when they heard that one person's existence threatened the safety of the entire country.

"Your country can't protect you," Mokushō said calmly. "You will definitely be forced to 'defect,' so I advise you to give up the idea of assassinating Hashirama and instead join Konoha. Although the Land of Waterfalls will become a vassal state of the Land of Fire in the future, it will be a good thing for you."

"But how could an outsider be allowed to be the Chancellor of the Exchequer?"

Mokushō raised an eyebrow, realizing he had persuaded him, but the problem was that Kakuzu didn't want to give up his identity Land of Waterfalls: "Then let's change to another position, one that allows travel between the two places. By the way! How about the Chamber of Commerce President?"

Kakuzu at him strangely. "Hey, I'm Ninja, not a businessman."

"What does it matter? Can't Ninja be a merchant?"

Why do you think I would agree to this?

"I told you, you look like you know how to make money."

Kakuzu fell silent. "I seem to know how to make money? How did you figure that out?"

"So who exactly are you?" Kakuzu asked again. "You've already seen through me. If I didn't even know your name, I would feel terrible."

Mokushō suddenly laughed, "Who do you think I am?"

The laughter was light and airy, yet it seemed to enter Kakuzu's ears from all directions.

Kakuzu felt a blur before his eyes, and the person sitting opposite him had become Hashirama Senju.

The man with flowing black hair and gentle features was smiling at him, just as the rumors described.

He sprang up almost instantly, the chair tipped backward, and he retreated to the wall, the black threads in his sleeves unfurling like a swarm of snakes floating beside him, poised to strike.

But when he looked again, there was no Hashirama Senju. The area opposite him was deserted; even the boy was gone. Only the Tavern Keeper of the Izakaya peeked out from behind the counter, looking at him with surprise. "Sir, are you alright?"

There was no reply from the Kakuzu. After a long period of vigilance, no signs of attack were detected. Only a series of soft, triumphant laughs echoed around.

It seemed to come from very close by, yet also as if it drifted in from a very far place.