Time to Go

Meanwhile, at the ruins of the Mizukage Building

"Empty... did it not exist from the very beginning?"

From beginning to end, only... Uchiha Kuro?

Mei Terumi's voice was slightly hoarse as she repeated what Kou had just said.

She glanced cautiously at Kou, her words no longer filled with the previous intensity and resentment, but even tinged with a trembling, almost pleading tone:

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

Meeting Mei Terumi's cautious gaze, as if a single negative answer from him would awaken her from this nightmare, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

Is Mei Terumi stupid? Absolutely not.

She is not only not stupid, but extremely intelligent.

Having experienced everything that had just happened, this woman had already pieced together the general truth in her heart.

Even now, she still cannot accept it, still cannot acknowledge the cruel truth that she has vaguely seen but is unwilling to confront.

"It means... exactly what it says."

After a long silence, Koko finally shifted his gaze from Mei Terumi to the silent ruins, and calmly confirmed again:

"Shiina Sora and Uchiha Kuro are the same person from beginning to end."

"The identity of Shiina Sora is nothing more than a disguise created by me and that guy who secretly controls the Fourth Mizukage, to make it easier to control and utilize the power of Mist Village Mist Village."

"... The guy who controlled the Fourth Mizukage?"

Mei Terumi suddenly looked at Karatachi Yagura, who was lying on the ground, as if she had suddenly realized something, and repeated incredulously...

"That's right, shortly after Yagura succeeded as the Fourth Mizukage, he was already being controlled."

Following her gaze, Koko looked at the unconscious Fourth Mizukage beside him and explained in a low voice:

"After that, all the ruthless decisions he made against the Reformist Faction and pushed the Mist Village back into the Village of the Bloody Mist were not of his own will."

Everything was orchestrated by the person secretly controlling him.

"From beginning to end, he was nothing more than a puppet to be manipulated by others."

And I, or rather, "Shiina Sora," wasn't much better than him.

As he spoke, he gazed at Mei Terumi face, which had completely lost its color but still stubbornly clung to the last vestige of her defiance:

But now, it's all over.

The guy behind him, I just killed him.

He's free, Mist Village is free, and I... am free too.

He paused, observing Mei Terumi's expression, and said in a low voice:

"And Shiina Sora, this false existence that has been maintained in order to exploit Mist Village, has lost its reason for continuing to exist."

"Lie."

He was taken aback.

You... you're lying!

Mei Terumi stared intently at Koto, her voice no longer trembling, but instead becoming more intense than ever before:

"If everything you said is true, then you have no reason to put on this show with us under the guise of an 'empty' identity!"

If you had revealed your true colors nine years ago and wiped us all out, it wouldn't have affected your plans to exploit the Mist Village!

There was clearly an easier way, but you chose the most troublesome and pointless one!

So everything you've said is a lie—"

At this point, Mei Terumi suddenly stopped.

She lowered her head slightly, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes gradually faded away.

"No... it's not all a lie."

"You are indeed empty, there is no mistake about that."

I absolutely cannot be wrong... absolutely, there's no way I could be wrong."

"Mei Terumi- sama!"

Kimimaro stood to the side and called out softly with concern.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the figure who had always been the first to break the silence in such moments, and whose few words could put everyone at ease again.

However, when his gaze fell upon that unfamiliar profile, Kimimaro was immediately taken aback.

I can no longer seek answers from "Master Kong" as I used to.

Looking at the rare display of softness and vulnerability in Mei Terumi before him, he swallowed hard, as if he wanted to say something.

But the words he used to be able to say as "Kong" were now stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

Kou remained silent for a long time, finally managing only a self-deprecating laugh, tinged with an inexplicable sense of loss.

I really don't have that qualification anymore.

"What... should you say?"

After a long while, Mei Terumi raised her head again, her eyes slightly red, but not a single tear fell.

"How can I believe you're empty when you're not saying a word?"

"... Sorry, the real me is just such a bastard."

He sighed, awkwardly raised his hand, and scratched the back of his head.

"I know perfectly well that Uchiha Kuro is a bastard!"

Mei Terumi pursed her lips tightly, forcefully turning her still reddened eyes away for a moment:

"But—the fact that you apologize to others as soon as you realize you're in the wrong after only a couple of sentences is just like the you I know."

Kou, who had been scratching his head awkwardly, suddenly froze for a moment.

He didn't speak, he just lowered his hand.

"... Tell me."

Mei Terumi met Kō's eyes without flinching, gradually suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her mind under the weight of reason, and spoke softly in the tone Kō knew best:

Tell me everything about "emptiness"... no, everything about Uchiha Kuro.

I will judge for myself whether what you say is a lie or not, based on every single word you say!

Looking into Mei Terumi's stubborn eyes, I was momentarily lost in thought.

"Mei Terumi... she really is amazing."

Mingming was still unable to accept this cruel reality, having just suffered a blow so heavy it could have crushed her.

Even so, she managed to maintain the last shred of clarity, preventing herself from being completely overwhelmed by those surging emotions.

She continued to try, desperately wanting to ask for the truth that might be more painful to her than the deception itself.

Even if the truth would leave her scarred and broken.

"I'm a little... envious of her strength."

Almost out of control, Kou thought to himself.

If only I, back then, overwhelmed by reality and fear, could possess the same strength as her...

Don't let momentary emotions overwhelm you, don't choose to escape, but calm down and try again with all your might.

Who knows, things might turn out differently later?

Kō suppresses his inappropriate sentiments and looks solemnly at Mei Terumi and Kimimaro before him, preparing to tell them everything about Uchiha Kuro, starting from where they first met.

However, just as he was about to speak, a surge of information rushed into his mind, and all the warmth in his dark eyes was instantly replaced by a cold and solemn expression!

His mouth, which had just opened, slowly closed again.

It's time for me to go.