The courtyard was silent.
The butterfly that had appeared out of thin air rested on a dead branch, its wings fluttering now and then.
Juzo Biwa knelt on one knee, the Kubikiribōchō laid across before him, his posture humble.
Chiba Ran stepped forward and helped him up. "Stand. There's no rule here that says you have to kneel."
His voice was soft, yet brooked no refusal.
"Yes, my lord."
Juzo Biwa straightened, but kept his head bowed.
The sight of something being created from nothing had utterly shattered his pride as a shinobi.
Once he was standing, Chiba Ran handed him a cup of tea. "Besides you, there's another little rat hiding among the Land of Water delegation. Who is she?"
Juzo Biwa froze for a moment, then understood.
He knew who his lord meant.
"My lord... do you mean Mei Terumi?"
Juzo Biwa spoke the name, his voice dry.
From the moment he had knelt, nothing about Kirigakure could remain secret any longer.
"Mei Terumi..."
Chiba Ran lightly tapped his fingertips against the teacup, a smile curling at his lips.
So it really was her.
The future Fifth Mizukage.
He silently repeated the name in his heart.
To the people of this world, Mei Terumi was merely a somewhat renowned genius at present.
"I've heard of her." Chiba Ran's voice carried a hint of inquiry. "A once-in-a-century genius of Kirigakure, born with two Kekkei Genkai? That's rare even in the Shinobi World."
He cleverly disguised his foreknowledge.
Yet those words stirred a storm in Juzo Biwa's heart.
Two Kekkei Genkai!
Even in Kirigakure, that was classified information known only to a select few, all to protect Mei Terumi from being caught up in the Bloody Mist Village!
How did he know?
Could Konoha's intelligence network have already infiltrated Kirigakure's upper ranks?
A chill rose within him.
Juzo Biwa became even more thankful for the choice he had made tonight.
"Yes, my lord is well informed."
Suppressing his shock, Juzo Biwa said, "She possesses both Lava Release and Boil Release."
Seeing that he had not concealed anything, Chiba Ran nodded in satisfaction.
"Someone like her should be staying in Kirigakure. Why did she sneak all the way to the Land of Fire Capital?"
Chiba Ran was genuinely curious.
Although he knew the broad course of future events, he did not know the details, which was why he was curious.
"My lord, Mei Terumi came this time to raise supplies for the Rebel Army."
"The Rebel Army?"
"Yes."
Juzo Biwa nodded. "It is a force jointly led by Elder Genji, the former Mizukage's guard, and her."
"They cannot endure the Bloody Mist tyranny and intend to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage and rebuild Kirigakure."
Chiba Ran tapped his fingers against the table, thoughtful. "An elder and a gifted young woman... Their strength doesn't sound like much."
Juzo Biwa answered honestly, "It isn't."
"Most members of the Rebel Army are from Kekkei Genkai clans that have been excluded and hunted down under the tyranny of recent years, along with some Civilian Ninja who can no longer endure the Bloody Mist Village."
"They have no equipment, no supplies, and even less money."
"Mei Terumi disguised herself as a guard and risked her life infiltrating the Land of Fire Capital, hoping to use the money she had saved to buy a batch of military rations and ninja tools on the black market to bring back."
Chiba Ran nodded and commented, "She has guts. That makes her someone worth noting."
Then he asked, "Do you think she might be willing to serve me?"
Juzo Biwa was stunned.
He instinctively looked up and met Chiba Ran's eyes, immediately understanding.
His lord did not merely want his blade. He wanted Mei Terumi herself as well.
He fell silent for a moment before firmly shaking his head. "Impossible."
Chiba Ran asked, "Oh? Why are you so certain?"
"She's different from me."
Juzo Biwa's voice was heavy. "I'm a rotten man. I gave up on this world long ago. I only wanted to find somewhere to wait for death, or die in a way that meant something."
"But Mei Terumi... she's an idealist."
"She truly loves Kirigakure. She believes she can change that hell through her own efforts and save everyone trapped in the Bloody Mist."
"She will resist Karatachi Yagura, but she will never betray Kirigakure."
"To make her pledge loyalty to the Land of Fire would mean making her destroy her own beliefs with her own hands."
"She would die."
Juzo Biwa said with certainty, "Before that happened, she would choose death first."
"Interesting." Chiba Ran smiled.
The more she was like that, the more interesting it would be to conquer her.
"Tell me about Kirigakure's current state."
He changed the subject. "Is Karatachi Yagura really that hated?"
At the mention of that name, Juzo Biwa clenched his fists, bone-deep hatred igniting in his eyes.
His voice dropped low, as though he had to force every word out of his throat.
"My lord, you cannot imagine it. Kirigakure is no longer a shinobi village. It is a living hell."
"The name Bloody Mist Village was built upon the lives of us Kirigakure shinobi."
"My lord, do you know what our ninja academy graduation exam is?"
Of course Chiba Ran knew, but he did not speak.
After all, hearing it from someone who had experienced it was more real than simply hearing about it.
Juzo Biwa continued, "The ninja academy graduation exam is to make classmates slaughter one another! Only those who kill their own companions are qualified to graduate!"
"Countless talented children did not die on the battlefield. They all died at the hands of their own people!"
"He also wants to purge every Kekkei Genkai clan, calling them remnants that threaten the village's stability!"
"The Kaguya Clan was exterminated. The Yuki Clan's members died or fled... Anyone with special power is treated as an aberration and hunted down!"
"The entire village is filled with suspicion and fear. Neighbors report neighbors, subordinates betray superiors... No one lives like a human being."
"The ridiculous part is that his reason for doing all this is supposedly the village's purity and stability."
By this point, Juzo Biwa's body was trembling violently with rage.
Chiba Ran listened quietly, his heart utterly unmoved.
He naturally knew that Karatachi Yagura was merely a puppet under someone's control.
The one pulling the strings was Obito Uchiha.
"If that is the case, why not join the Rebel Army?" Chiba Ran asked his next question. "With your strength, you would surely be a great help to them."
The anger faded from Juzo Biwa's face, leaving only profound sorrow. He gave a self-mocking laugh.
"It's useless."
"What would killing one Karatachi Yagura change?"
"Those elders supporting him from behind the scenes, those clans seeking to climb higher, would immediately put forward another Karatachi Yagura."
"The name would change, but the substance would remain the same."
"As long as Kirigakure's man-eating rules remain, it will not matter who becomes Mizukage. The outcome will never change."
"Elder Genji wants to change things. Mei Terumi wants to change things too. But they are too naive."
"They always want to patch things up, making insignificant changes to roots that have already rotted beyond saving."
"But I..."
His hand tightened around the sword hilt, despair shining in his eyes.
"What I want is to dig out those rotten roots, along with everything growing above them, and burn it all clean with one fire."
At last, Chiba Ran revealed a satisfied smile.
That was more like it.
A demon driven to the end of the road, one who had fallen completely into despair, should possess such resolve.
"Then why are you willing to believe in me?"
Chiba Ran looked directly into his eyes. "What makes you think I won't become the next Karatachi Yagura? Just because of what I showed you earlier? You rejected me before."
Juzo Biwa fell silent.
He raised his head and looked at the butterfly resting on the dead branch.
He recalled everything he had seen since entering the Land of Fire Capital.
Broad, level streets.
Civilians with smiles on their faces.
Workers freely sweating away, their eyes still bright.
It was something he had never seen in the Land of Water—a thing called hope.
"I don't believe in anyone."
Juzo Biwa spoke slowly, his voice hoarse.
"I don't believe in you either!"
"Your power... is so great that it frightens me. But I have 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 no need to worry that when they wake up tomorrow, their homes will be gone."
"You... are building an entirely new world. A world I cannot understand, yet one where people can live like human beings."
His gaze returned to Chiba Ran, filled with reverence.
"Destroying everything is easy."
"What is difficult is building a new city atop the ruins."
"My lord, you possess the power to destroy everything, yet you use it to establish order."
"I am willing to gamble once."
Chiba Ran rose to his feet and made a welcoming gesture.
"Then congratulations. You made the right bet. Welcome aboard!"
"From today onward, remain with the delegation. Keep yourself hidden and do not expose yourself."
"I'll send someone to contact you. His codename is Shadow."
"What you need to do is tell him every scrap of intelligence in your mind about Kirigakure, without leaving out a single word."
"Yes, my lord!"
Chiba Ran waved his hand.
"Go."
Juzo Biwa bowed his head in salute. Without another word, he hoisted the Kubikiribōchō over his shoulder and vanished into the night after several leaps.
Only Chiba Ran remained in the courtyard.
Before you continue