Target: Land of Whirlpools Ruins

The clamor inside the restaurant continued unabated.

A moment later, Mei Terumi seemed to have composed herself, the ripples in her emerald eyes gradually subsiding.

She looked at Uchiha Kou before her with a complex expression.

Though it annoyed her, she had to admit that Uchiha Kou was right.

He had indeed pointed out her shortcomings; this guy who reminded clients to pay attention to details before a mission began had truly fulfilled his duty.

Perhaps... I misunderstood him?

Mei Terumi reflected in her heart, a flicker of contemplation flashing through those emerald eyes:

After all, no matter how much of a jerk this guy seems on the surface, he is, at the end of the day, a powerhouse who made a name for himself during the Third Ninja World War and is a recognized elite.

While his character might be trash, his professional competence should at least be beyond doubt.

At the very least, judging by the advice he had just given her, he was truly serious about the mission.

Thinking of this, Mei Terumi hesitated for a moment.

Her lips parted slightly, and the word "thanks" circled in her throat before she finally managed to speak:

"Tha..."

"Gulp, gulp, gulp—hic!"

Kou raised the bowl and drained the remaining soup.

He slammed the bowl onto the table with a dull thud, let out a satisfied burp, and a look of pure bliss spread across his handsome face.

Kou looked up, caught the hesitant expression on Mei Terumi's face, and a look of realization dawned in his black eyes.

He reached out a hand and held it up before her:

"You don't need to say it, I understand."

Mei Terumi: "?"

Wait, what exactly do you understand?!

A sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

"Waiter, order!"

Kou raised his hand, his voice ringing out, piercing through the restaurant's din and landing precisely in the ears of the busy waiter nearby:

"Two more bowls of seafood ramen, put it on her tab!"

Mei Terumi's eyes widened, her cold, beautiful face filled with undisguised shock:

"Wait, no? I..."

Kou shook his head, cutting off what Mei Terumi was about to say, his fingers tapping against the tabletop with a crisp sound:

"I knew it the moment I saw your expression—you must be hungry!"

He put on an understanding look and said considerately:

"I get it~ girls are often too shy to ask.

I'm very empathetic, you see; letting a client go hungry is the kind of incompetence I simply couldn't commit."

Mei Terumi opened her mouth, at a loss for words.

After holding it in for a long time, she finally said weakly:

"Two bowls is too much, I can't eat that much."

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say!!"

Kou's eyes lit up instantly, his voice filled with the glee of a scheme successfully executed.

Mei Terumi: (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ)

"Ah... I let it slip."

Kou's smile froze on his face; he instinctively covered his mouth, but it was already too late.

Mei Terumi's face had turned dark.

"So this was your goal all along, you jerk!!"

Mei Terumi growled in a low, angry voice:

"I knew it! You really are a total bastard!!"

Kou looked at her flushed, angry face, a flicker of guilt flashing in his black eyes.

He was silent for a moment, and then—

"...Hehe!" ❛‿˂̵✧

The corners of his mouth curled up into a sly, mischievous grin.

"Hehe your head!!"

Mei Terumi's voice was mostly drowned out by the clamor of the restaurant, but the gnashing, resentful tone behind her words could not be suppressed.

A moment later.

"The taste of this ramen... is indeed quite good."

Mei Terumi set down her bowl and chopsticks, looking at the empty bowl before her, and wiped her mouth with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

The noodles were chewy, the broth was rich, the chashu was tender, and the delicate aroma of the seaweed melted on the tip of her tongue.

She had to admit that this shop's ramen was popular for a reason.

A trace of imperceptible contentment appeared on her cold, beautiful face.

She silently noted the name of the shop in her heart:

After this mission is finished, I must bring Sora here to try it.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

Uchiha Kou looked at her with a grin, his black eyes filled with smugness.

Mei Terumi's face flushed slightly, and she gave a small cough, her voice carrying a hint of unnatural stiffness:

"Ahem, it's... it's alright."

Uchiha Kou glanced at the empty bottom of the bowl in front of Mei Terumi.

Amused.

"What are you looking at!"

Mei Terumi's voice suddenly rose.

Her cheeks turned slightly red, whether from shyness or annoyance, it was hard to tell.

Seemingly unable to stand Uchiha Kou's teasing gaze, Mei Terumi instantly put on a serious expression, the light in her emerald eyes turning earnest.

Her voice dropped, low enough that only the two of them could hear:

"Let's end the small talk here. Now... we should be able to discuss the mission, right?"

Uchiha Kou also put away his teasing expression, the light in his black eyes turning steady.

Using that flamboyant persona to liven up the atmosphere could indeed make their interactions less awkward.

But if he remained that lackadaisical when it came to serious business, it would only have the opposite effect.

Having worn this mask for so many years, Uchiha Kou knew exactly what to do and what not to do.

Mei Terumi looked at Uchiha Kou's serious demeanor, a flash of surprise crossing her emerald eyes.

The surprise was faint, fleeting, and immediately returned to calm.

But in her heart, she felt a bit more recognition for the man named Uchiha Kou before her.

...Though that was only because his previous behavior had lowered her expectations so much.

Mei Terumi spoke earnestly in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"You should first understand that the location of our mission is not within the borders of the Land of Water."

Uchiha Kou said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Is there any need to state the obvious? Since you chose Mist Harbor as the meeting point, it's clear we're taking a boat out of the Land of Water, right?"

His tone was lazy, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

Although Uchiha Kou knew the answer, he still feigned curiosity and asked in a languid tone:

"So, where are we going to carry out this mission? Miss Employer?"

Mei Terumi was silent for a moment.

Her fingers traced lightly across the tabletop, and a complex emotion flickered in her emerald eyes:

"Our destination is an island located in the southwest of the Land of Water."

"An island?"

Uchiha Kou pretended to be very surprised, his brows furrowing slightly as his gaze turned serious:

"There are many islands in the southwest of the Land of Water. Why don't you be a bit more specific?

Is it the smallest one? Or... the most famous one?"

Mei Terumi observed Uchiha Kou's expression, her emerald eyes full of scrutiny.

She looked at his eyes, his brows, and every subtle change in the expression on his handsome face.

Uchiha Kou did not show the anger she had anticipated, only a faint curiosity and a logical follow-up question.

Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the Land of Whirlpools had once been a staunch ally of Konoha.

During the Second Ninja World War, while Konoha was bogged down in the conflict, Mist Village had taken advantage of the situation to openly join the fray and send troops to attack Konoha.

In reality, they had secretly allied with Kumogakure and Iwagakure, launching a blitzkrieg with the combined strength of the three nations to assault the Land of Whirlpools, successfully annihilating this formidable enemy right on their own "doorstep."

Although Iwagakure and Kumogakure had also participated, the mastermind behind the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools was, without a doubt, the Mist Village.

Although Uchiha Kou was a missing-nin, he had, after all, once been a ninja of Konoha.

His reaction to the Land of Whirlpools still required some probing.

Mei Terumi knew that Kou was a clever man and understood the hidden meaning behind her words.

Seeing that Kou's reaction remained natural, she stopped probing further and said straightforwardly:

"The destination of our mission this time is the Land of Whirlpools.

To be precise... it is the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, which has already been destroyed."