Happy Ending

Mo Chen remembered that Kusagakure had been divided into two factions. He'd forgotten what they were called, but they were roughly an hawkish faction and a dovish one.

The hawks believed Kusagakure should do whatever it took to rise up and surpass the Five Great Nations. They were behind the Treasure Chest of Ultimate Bliss.

But the doves weren't all good-hearted, either. They wanted their country to become strong just as much; they simply preferred gentler methods.

Yet when it came to Karin and her mother, both the hawks and the doves were in complete agreement.

Almost no one in the entire Kusagakure felt any sympathy for them.

Ryūsetsu, speaking up for Karin and her mother now, was very much an outlier.

Even though Karin and her mother were the reason Kusagakure had ended up in such an awkward position, no one thought they had done anything wrong.

They weren't the ones who deserved to die. That was the culprit who had kidnapped Karin and her mother and caused all this.

"Do you know what you're saying? Just those words are enough for me to consider you a traitor to the village. I could have you treated as a rogue ninja, and no one would object!" the leading Grass Ninja roared.

Ryūsetsu had said things like this before. No one had paid attention back then because she couldn't do anything about it.

But now, in front of the Konoha Ninja, she hadn't just spoken out—she'd launched an attack and stirred up trouble for Kusagakure. That had crossed their line.

Ryūsetsu remained stubborn, snorting. "We have nothing in common, so we can't work together. If you've got the guts, kill me!"

Her childhood friend Wu Gou was gone for good. She'd lost all hope in the world.

"You really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" the Grass Ninja fumed. Several of them looked ready to attack on the spot.

"Wait!" Might Guy called out, stopping them. He turned to Ryūsetsu and asked, "I don't know what's going on in Kusagakure, but what does your business have to do with us? Why did you attack us?"

The Grass Ninja also realized there was a problem and paused for the moment.

Ryūsetsu's expression grew complicated. She sighed. "Sorry, but I still have nothing to say!"

"Insolence!" the leading Grass Ninja shouted. "After all this, you still won't come clean!"

"If Kusagakure is destroyed, it'll be because of you!" Ryūsetsu said with a mocking look.

"Bastard! She won't admit she was wrong. Just kill her!"

"She'll only cause trouble if we keep her around. She's not on the village's side."

"That kind of thinking is dangerous. There's no reason to keep her alive. She won't talk anyway, so just kill her!"

The Grass Ninja were furious, afraid that Konoha would punish Kusagakure over this. It would only make the village's already dire situation worse.

Mo Chen, however, seemed thoughtful. "Could it be that you're trying to use Konoha's retaliation against Kusagakure to indirectly save the village?"

Ryūsetsu's expression stiffened. Looking a little guilty, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

That was as good as admitting it, but the others hadn't understood what Mo Chen meant, and they began asking him to explain.

Mo Chen clarified, "With Ryūsetsu's strength, she would have to be an idiot not to realize she couldn't hurt anyone from Konoha. She came here intending to die."

"But even if she died, openly attacking a ninja from an allied nation would still be a serious offense. Konoha would definitely retaliate against Kusagakure, or even send people to demand an explanation."

"Once Konoha gets involved, our war with the neighboring country will be interrupted. Even if Kusagakure is on the brink of ruin, the neighboring country won't dare take advantage of us right now."

If Ryūsetsu had really been trying to assassinate them, her preparations couldn't have been so simple.

Mo Chen had known from the start that she'd come here to die, but there had to be a reason for it.

He hadn't understood what that reason was until Ryūsetsu had shown remorse toward Guy and the others. Then he'd guessed the truth.

Everyone present was stunned after hearing Mo Chen's explanation.

"Is that really true?"

The Grass Ninja struggled to accept it. Just a moment ago, they'd been shouting at Ryūsetsu and calling her a traitor, but now they realized they were the ones who'd made fools of themselves...

But Ryūsetsu had fallen silent, looking embarrassed. They knew Mo Chen had guessed right.

Might Guy glanced at Ryūsetsu and sighed. "Let her go. We won't pursue this matter, and we'll report everything honestly to Lord Hokage. But I can't guarantee what Lord Hokage will do."

Anyone who was willing to give their life for the greater good deserved respect.

The hostility Guy's team had felt toward Kusagakure over the human pills had also eased somewhat because of Ryūsetsu.

"Thank you for your generosity," the leading Grass Ninja said with a complicated expression. "But no matter what, we can't ignore Ryūsetsu acting on her own. I'll report this to the leader and let him deal with her personally."

Guy opened his mouth, but in the end he said nothing more. After saying goodbye to everyone, he left with the members of Team Three.

"Come on. We're going to see the leader!" the leading Grass Ninja said, taking Ryūsetsu into custody. "Even if you did it for the village, I still won't forgive you for speaking up for those ungrateful human pills!"

The others felt the same way. They believed it was only natural for Karin and her mother to repay them for taking them in.

"You're all hopeless!" Ryūsetsu snapped, then stormed ahead on her own.

The leading Grass Ninja turned to Mo Chen. "Kenta, you did a great job this time. I'll put in a good word for you with the leader."

Soon, Mo Chen was the only one left there.

"Too bad they didn't fight, but it doesn't matter!" Mo Chen felt a little disappointed.

He'd hoped the conflict between Guy and Kusagakure would escalate. Ideally, Guy the King would open the Seventh Gate and smash right through the village.

But seeing Ryūsetsu act like that had stirred his sympathy, and he couldn't help revealing the truth.

In the end, the Mo Chen who had stayed behind was only a clone, there to complete the mission the Third Hokage had given him.

He'd already avenged most of what Kusagakure had done to Karin and her mother.

As for the rest, he'd leave it to Karin to settle once she'd grown stronger.

That was, of course, assuming Kusagakure didn't fall before then.

The next moment, Mo Chen vanished from the spot.

The Chat Group was lively again by then.

Karin's livestream had ended not long after Mo Chen rescued her and her mother.

Tenten had also started livestreaming when she was attacked while leaving Kusagakure.

So everyone in the group knew roughly how the whole trip to Kusagakure had gone.

[Tenten: It's finally over. This mission really gave me a lot to think about.]

[ Karin Uzumaki: I never knew there was someone in Kusagakure who would speak up for me and Mom. Ryūsetsu, huh? I'll remember you!]

[Ino Yamanaka: I hope Ryūsetsu doesn't get punished too severely. Now that her real purpose has been exposed, at least they won't execute her.]

[Hinata Hyuga: I hope she'll be all right, too.]

[Tenten: Karin and her mom were rescued, Mo Chen didn't blow his cover, and we completed our mission. I'd say that's a happy ending.]

[Karin Uzumaki: Thank you, everyone. Mo Chen-kun has taken us to eat in a small town. I don't think I've ever been this happy. I'm looking forward to the future.]

[Karin Uzumaki: It's a shame I can't go to Konoha yet. Otherwise, I'd definitely thank you all in person.]

[Ino Yamanaka: There'll be a chance. Once you've settled down, we can visit you when we go on missions.]

[Hinata Hyuga: I didn't help at all.]

[Tenten: We're all sisters in the group. You don't have to be so formal.]