Uninvited Guest

"The ruins of the Land of Whirlpools?!!"

Uchiha Kou feigned great surprise, his mouth slightly agape as he said in disbelief:

"Hasn't that place been thoroughly ravaged by you lot in Mist, in league with Stone and Cloud, for ages now?

Everything that could be looted has been looted, and whatever couldn't be taken was either destroyed by the Uzumaki themselves before their nation fell, or destroyed by you."

"The Land of Whirlpools is nothing but a ruin that has been picked clean countless times over. Is there even any point in going there?"

Mei Terumi lowered her head in shame as she listened to Kou's words.

Her cold, beautiful face was now filled with undisguised remorse.

Although Kou's words did not explicitly name Mist, just hearing about the tragedy that had befallen the Land of Whirlpools made her, as a Mist ninja, feel ashamed from the bottom of her heart.

While it was true that no one in this Ninja World was clean, and the profession of a ninja had nothing to do with justice or peace—being born to feed on war—aggression was still aggression. No matter how high-sounding the excuses, they could not negate that bloody reality.

The reality was this: she, a ninja from the enemy nation that had destroyed that country, was once again stepping onto this land—a land deeply wounded by her own home—all to secure benefits for her village.

Her actions were incredibly despicable; Mei Terumi was well aware of this.

But she had to do it, for the future of Mist, and for the ideals she shared with her comrades.

Even if it meant betraying her own conscience, even if she were to die in the most miserable way in the future, she would not have a single regret.

She... had already steeled her resolve.

Kou observed Mei Terumi's state, a flash of complex emotion deep within his black eyes.

He sighed inwardly.

But he didn't offer any words of comfort, instead continuing to feign confusion as he analyzed the situation calmly:

"Could it be that something has gone wrong with your Mist Village's Three-Tails Jinchuriki, and you're looking for an Uzumaki clan member to be the next host?"

"Setting aside the state of your Fourth Mizukage, the remaining members of the Uzumaki clan have long since scattered to every corner of the Ninja World. That place is a no-man's-land now.

If you're harboring the thought of finding an Uzumaki there, I'd advise you to drop it.

Only a fool would stay in that place. If there were any left, you or Konoha would have found them long ago; there would be no need for us to go looking."

Mei Terumi managed to lift her head, a hint of regret flashing in her emerald eyes:

"Regrettably, our Fourth Mizukage is doing just fine.

The goal of this mission is not to find any members of the Uzumaki clan."

"Then what is this mission for..."

"As for the specific details, let's discuss them once we reach the Land of Whirlpools."

Mei Terumi cut off Kou's questioning, casting a meaningful look at him with her emerald eyes.

She did not intend to reveal everything about the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools from the Warring States period to him right here.

After all, they were only in a temporary employer-employee relationship.

If she were to disclose all the information now, she found it hard to believe that a guy like Uchiha Kou wouldn't start harboring ulterior motives.

Rather than being on guard against his potential schemes from the start, it was safer to reveal the information bit by bit and observe his reactions.

Although she would have to explain the full intelligence to him sooner or later, she had to keep the initiative firmly in her own hands.

Seeing that Mei Terumi was unwilling to say more, Kou did not press the issue.

He looked at her guarded eyes, a glimmer of satisfaction flashing deep within his own black pupils.

Not bad. She has a sense of caution.

She is worthy of being someone who will become Mizukage in the future.

But on the surface, he put on an annoyed expression, furrowing his brows and speaking with a sarcastic tone:

"So guarded against me? It seems like this is a big deal.

Aren't you afraid that I might get greedy, stab you in the back, and claim the mission objective for myself?"

"You won't do that."

Mei Terumi stated firmly, her emerald eyes filled with confidence.

"Oh? How so?"

"You are a member of the Akatsuki organization now."

Mei Terumi's voice was steady:

"Although I don't know much about Akatsuki, from what I understand, the organization has a terrible reputation because of a few past missions where the employers ended up dead, and it is desperate to improve its standing in the market.

My mission is a top-tier, high-value contract. As long as Akatsuki is an organization striving for progress, they won't allow you to make any mistakes on this job."

Her gaze rested on Kou's face, filled with both scrutiny and certainty:

"I am a high-ranking official of Mist, and I have already reported the detailed circumstances of this mission to a trusted comrade."

If something happens to me, he will spread the news of "Akatsuki member Uchiha Kou murdering high-ranking officials of the Mist Village" throughout the entire Ninja World.

He will also seize this opportunity to unify the voice of the Mist Village and consolidate it.

"At that time, you will face Konoha and a Mist Village whose public outrage has been ignited.

Being hunted by two great ninja villages simultaneously, for someone like you who loves life, this should be quite a big trouble."

Looking at Mei Terumi, who had a confident expression before him, Kou suppressed a smile, his lips twitching slightly.

He pretended to sigh, raised his hands, and struck a pose of surrender:

"Alright, alright, you win. You're right, I won't do anything to you.

After all, you're my biggest client. The money I earned from you is enough for me to live a carefree life for many years. How could I bear to lay a hand on you?"

Mei Terumi: "..."

Although what this guy said made sense, why did it sound so uncomfortable to her!!

That money, it was her savings accumulated over many years, and a large part of it was saved by her father and mother when they were alive for her to start a family...

Mei Terumi felt her heart bleeding. She silently apologized to her parents in her heart:

"I'm sorry, Father, Mother, please forgive me. This is all for the future of the Mist Village..."

Seeing Mei Terumi looking somewhat dejected, Kou was taken aback.

"Why is she so down? Is she really that attached to that money..."

He thought for a moment, then shook his head and decided to change the subject.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Kou's voice returned to its previous relaxed and casual tone:

"Speaking of which, when are we leaving? You should have a ship scheduled to pass through the Land of Whirlpools, right?"

Hearing Kou's words, Mei Terumi seemed to remember something and instantly snapped out of her dejected state. A hint of panic flashed in her emerald green eyes.

She glanced at the watch on her wrist somewhat flusteredly.

11:25 AM.

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, there was still half an hour, there was still time!

She glared at Kou with unconcealed resentment in her emerald green eyes.

It was all this guy's fault. The original plan was to briefly discuss the itinerary and then depart, but who knew he would be so slow, almost causing her to miss something important!!

Mei Terumi secretly warned herself in her heart:

"I can't be influenced by this guy anymore, or I'll really be ruined."

She immediately stood up, her movements crisp and decisive, with an undeniable resolve:

"There's still half an hour, we must leave immediately!"

"Is there a need to be in such a hurry?"

Kou tilted his head, his black eyes filled with confusion:

"With our speed, that distance would only take a few seconds to cover."

"With you, there are too many unexpected things!"

"We must guard against potential problems!"

"This is slander, pure and simple slander!!"

Kou protested indignantly:

"I'm going to report you to the Land of Water!"

"Go ahead and report."

Mei Terumi glanced at him coldly:

"The Minister of Justice in the Land of Water is my uncle."

"Trespassing on the Heavenly House~~"

"What are you shouting about? Be quiet!"

"Sumimasen."

The two bickered back and forth very naturally, walking towards the door.

The door to the restaurant was a wooden sliding door, its handle worn to a smooth sheen.

Mei Terumi reached out, about to push the door open.

The door was pulled open from the outside.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway.

It was a middle-aged man, so burly he looked like he could split the doorframe.

He wore a wild mane of long white hair that draped over his shoulders like a lion's mane.

On his forehead sat a Konoha headband, the spiral symbol engraved upon it, though the character for "oil" stood out with particular prominence.

The man wore a red haori and wooden geta sandals, his entire being radiating a bold, unconstrained aura.

His face was flushed, his eyes unfocused, and his gait unsteady; he swayed as if he might topple over at any moment.

A heavy scent of alcohol permeated the air, wafting from his body and spreading across the entrance of the restaurant.

"Hahaha, Tsunade, Orochimaru, what did I tell you? Hic!"

He laughed loudly and let out a drunken burp, the sound echoing through the restaurant and drawing side-glances from the surrounding diners.

"This new ramen shop is pretty good, right!! That kid Minato recommended it, hic... it's super awesome!!"

His voice was slurred, as if he were speaking to someone behind him, yet there was nothing there.

Mei Terumi watched the drunken giant before her, frozen in place for a moment.

"He... he is..."

She looked at the man, feeling a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

That face... she had seen it countless times in intelligence reports.

Jiraiya.

One of the Konoha Sannin, a top-tier powerhouse who had shaken the ninja world during the Second and Third Ninja World Wars.

A deep sense of wariness welled up in her heart, but it was immediately overtaken by a stronger emotion—confusion.

Why was Jiraiya here?

This was the Land of Water, the territory of the Mist Village.

A top-tier ninja from Konoha, appearing brazenly in the port of an enemy nation, and drunk to the point of collapse?

Her gaze instinctively shifted toward Kou beside her, seeking some kind of answer.

Then, her body stiffened.

Because she saw the expression on Kou's face.

That handsome, playful, and irreverent face was, at this moment, looking uglier than she had ever seen it.

His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he had encountered something he never should have.

"Why..."

Kou whispered in his heart, his black eyes locked onto the drunken white-haired sot before him:

"Why is he here..."

One of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind at lightning speed:

"Is Jiraiya's appearance here a coincidence? Or was it deliberately arranged by someone?

Nagato? Or Obito? Or is it... just a simple chance encounter?"

He wasn't sure, but he knew one thing.

Getting involved with Jiraiya at this critical juncture was definitely not a good thing.

"Hmm?"

Jiraiya seemed to have sensed something.

His body paused slightly, and those eyes, previously unfocused and hazy, suddenly sharpened in an instant.

His gaze landed on Kou.

Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly.

The contraction was subtle, so subtle it was almost imperceptible, but Kou caught it.

He saw the instantaneous shift in Jiraiya's eyes from hazy to clear, the sudden switch from drunken stupor to alertness.

"You are..."

Jiraiya's voice was no longer slurred or drunken; it carried the deep, calm composure of a powerhouse.

His voice rose a few notches, his tone filled with irrepressible surprise:

"Kou!!"

His eyes widened slightly, and his face, flushed from the alcohol, now wore an indescribable expression.

There was shock, there was gravity, and there was a complex, nostalgic look—as if he had encountered an old friend he hadn't seen in many years.