Goodbye, Former Mei Terumi!

Land of Fire Capital, underground black market.

In the dark, damp passageways, rust, cheap alcohol, and sour sweat blended into a nauseating stench.

Mei Terumi lowered her conical hat, letting her loose cloak completely conceal her alluring curves.

Her emerald eyes warily swept over every shadowed corner.

This was the last hope for her and the Rebel Army.

As the representative of Kirigakure's Rebel Army, she had risked bringing all their operating funds into the Land of Fire Capital, all to purchase enough food and medical supplies to sustain Operation Dawn.

Reality, however, delivered her a resounding slap in the face.

"What did you say? Triple the price?" Mei Terumi kept her voice tightly restrained. "That wasn't the price half a month ago."

Behind the counter, a merchant selling Military Ration Pills picked his teeth, his gaze full of disdain. "Miss, what year are you living in?"

"Jobs are being advertised everywhere in the Land of Fire now, and wages are rising by the day. Even hauling bricks earns more than being a ninja."

"People have money in their hands now. How could prices not go up?"

The merchant spat out his toothpick and said impatiently, "That's the price. Buy it or don't. There's a line behind you, so don't hold up my business."

Mei Terumi clenched the money pouch hidden in her sleeve.

The hard touch of metal bit into her palm.

Still unwilling to give up, she went around asking at several more black-market shops.

The result was always the same.

The prices of every supply she needed had skyrocketed.

This little money could not even buy a third of the amount they had planned for.

Operation Dawn was a crucial mission they had spent a year planning, meant to rescue the families of several captured comrades.

Without sufficient supplies, the operation was nothing but empty talk, and those people would have only death awaiting them.

A middle-aged merchant who looked somewhat kind saw how lost she was and could not help offering a word of advice. "Little girl, stop struggling."

"The current Daimyo is practically a living god. He's cutting taxes, giving subsidies to injured and disabled ninjas, and even setting up talent cultivation programs for civilians."

"In the Land of Fire, as long as you're willing to work, you'll never have to worry about going hungry."

"No one will be doing this kind of business where you lick blood off the blade anymore."

The merchant's comforting words were like a knife, slicing through Mei Terumi's heart again and again.

She walked out of the black market, and the sunlight made her dizzy.

The broad streets were spotless, and the air carried the fragrance of grilled meat and sweet pastries. It felt like an entirely different world from the stinking rot of the underground black market.

People on the streets wore new clothes, their faces all carrying sincere smiles.

Several children ran past laughing, translucent candied hawthorns in their hands.

That vivid red hurt her eyes.

She thought of Kirigakure, that village shrouded in the Bloody Mist.

There, children only smiled during graduation exams, when they plunged Kunai into their companions' hearts—their smiles twisted and crazed.

Yet in the Land of Fire, smiles seemed to cost nothing. They could be seen everywhere.

Outside a fabric shop, a man with a broken leg was supported by his wife as he proudly showed off the compensation payment he had received to the neighbors.

A teahouse was packed with people, all talking animatedly about the New Daimyo.

"Did you hear? We civilians get a share of the genius cultivation funds too!"

"Lord Daimyo truly cares about us common folk!"

Every word of praise felt like a silent mockery of her homeland's misery.

She had always believed that rulers everywhere were equally cruel, differing only in degree.

She had believed that only resistance—only bloodshed and sacrifice—could bring true peace.

But everything before her left her speechless.

A country could be like this.

Under the rule of an enlightened sovereign, it could become prosperous, peaceful, and full of hope.

People truly did not have to live in fear. They could support their leader in pursuit of a better life.

The impact of that realization weighed far more heavily on her than the failure to procure supplies.

She staggered to the riverbank, gripping the railing as she breathed heavily.

The river reflected her pale face and those emerald eyes filled with confusion.

Why?

Why was the Land of Fire like this, while my homeland was hell?

She remembered her childhood friend, the boy so gentle that he would cry over an injured little bird.

He had once said with a smile that when the war was over, he would take her out to sea to watch the sunrise.

But because he possessed a Kekkei Genkai, he and his clan had been slaughtered as monsters.

The last thing she saw was the mangled remains of his body.

Not even a complete corpse had been left behind.

Hatred and unwillingness surged into her heart.

Karatachi Yagura had to die!

The bloody mist tyranny had to be overthrown!

Even if the price was everything she had!

But then she touched that shriveled coin purse.

Her expression fell again.

Without supplies, Operation Dawn would fail.

And failure meant her companions would die beneath the butcher's blade.

She could not accept such an ending.

She would rather die herself.

But she could not let her companions die in vain alongside her.

Never!

Mei Terumi's gaze slowly changed from confusion to pain, then from pain into grim resolve.

If death had no meaning, then what was the pride she had clung to worth?

That consort selection she had just heard about...

If her body and beauty were the only weapons she had to exchange for hope...

Then so be it.

A mad thought began to take root, swiftly consuming her mind.

The consort selection.

The Daimyo's consort selection that had spread throughout the entire city.

The decree said that anyone could participate, regardless of background.

Once chosen, their family would receive generous rewards.

Rewards...

If she were chosen, she did not want any damned honor. She only wanted money.

A great deal of money.

Enough to buy ten, a hundred times more supplies!

Trading one person's humiliation for the future of the entire Rebel Army, for the hope of saving Kirigakure.

This bargain...

Was worth it!

Once the thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed.

Humiliation, revulsion, and self-loathing instantly drowned her.

She could practically see a strange man's hands roaming over her body as he judged her with a picky gaze.

Her body trembled, and her stomach churned so violently that she nearly threw up.

But the trusting faces of her companions, the unwillingness in that young man's eyes even at death, and her homeland's endless darkness...

All of Mei Terumi's weakness and hesitation were burned away.

Pride?

Dignity?

Before the village's future, they were worthless!

She slowly straightened up and vigorously wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes.

When she raised her head again, there was not the slightest trace of confusion left in those emerald eyes.

Only resolve at any cost remained.

She tore off her loose outer robe, revealing the blue gown that traced her perfect curves.

She carefully combed her long brown hair, letting it fall to cover half her cheek, leaving only just the right touch of mystery and allure.

Looking at her beautiful reflection in the river, she gave a self-mocking smile.

Daimyo of the Land of Fire...

For Kirigakure, I will offer you everything.

I hoped you could afford the price.

She turned around and no longer looked at the splendor and light behind her.

Resolutely, she walked toward the distant sign for the Imperial Concubine Selection Ceremony registration office.

With every step she took, her heart ached a little more.

Yet her back remained perfectly straight.

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