Bai and Zabuza

Kirigakure, once known as the Village of the Bloody Mist, now possessed a glimmer of vitality.

The streets had clearly been renovated; the original pothole-ridden stone paths were now paved smooth, and the number of shops on both sides had increased.

There were vendors selling vegetables, daily necessities, and even a newly opened dessert shop. A pink sign hung at its entrance, hazy within the mist like a flower blooming out of a swamp.

Occasionally, one could see adults taking their children out to play.

The laughter of children drifted through the mist, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the past.

Though smiles were still rare on the faces of the adults, it was not out of fear, but habit.

The people of Kirigakure were never ones prone to smiling.

Yet, their expressions now held a vitality that had been absent before—a certainty that "tomorrow will come."

This should have been a matter of course, but in this village, it felt nothing short of a miracle.

And the man who had brought about this miracle was currently walking through the streets of Kirigakure.

Uchiha Kou—no!

One of the most powerful figures in Kirigakure, the driving force behind the village's reforms, and the first Mizukage Aide in the history of the village, Shiina Sora, had returned to his loyal Kirigakure!

"Th-that is... Lord Sora?!"

A fishmonger who was packing up his stall was the first to spot him, the wooden bucket in his hand nearly dropping to the ground.

"Lord Sora, who is always behind closed doors, is actually... are you on break today?"

The vegetable vendor next to him hurriedly set down her scales.

"Lord Sora! Lord Sora! If you don't mind, please come into the shop and rest for a while!!"

The owner of the teahouse had already rushed to the entrance, clutching a rag for wiping tables, his smile so radiant it didn't look like that of a Kirigakure native.

Kou looked at the villagers of Kirigakure, who were staring at him with such fervent eyes they might as well have been raising their hands to sing a ballad, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He reached out to signal everyone to settle down, much like an old leader inspecting his territory.

Upon seeing the signal from Lord Sora, the villagers displayed a level of execution that was the complete opposite of the unruly rabble in Konoha.

Not a single person spoke out of turn, no one stepped forward to cozy up to him, and even the onlookers consciously retreated to a distance of three meters.

Kou couldn't help but compare them to that group of Konoha rabble who loved to bully others whenever they were bored, and his mood instantly relaxed quite a bit.

Look at the villagers of Kirigakure; they provided such ample emotional value!

Compared to them, that bunch of rabble in Konoha was simply unwatchable!!

As someone who had witnessed the entire process of the Konoha rabble cold-bullying the father of Kakashi, the Konoha hero Hatake Sakumo, it was difficult for Kou to have any good impression of them.

His gaze swept over the villagers who had returned to their work.

Looking at this village, which had undergone such significant changes since he first arrived, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion:

"Has it already been four years..."

Seven years had passed since the Nine-Tails Incident.

He himself had been away from Konoha for five years.

Not counting the year of training spent licking the experience points left behind by Old Madara while following that guy Obito, he had been in Kirigakure for four years.

Four years was enough for a dying village to regrow its flesh and blood.

Initially, Kou had actually proposed the idea of coming to Kirigakure to take over management as a way to stay away from that guy Obito, who only knew how to huff and puff all day, and "incidentally" to buy himself some time to develop in secret.

He had even prepared his excuses.

Something like, "Kirigakure is an important piece in the Eye of the Moon Plan," or "Let me go help you watch over that side while you focus on collecting the other Tailed Beasts."

But before he could even open his mouth to say the mountain of reasons he had prepared to persuade Obito, Obito had agreed immediately.

Kou: "???"

That's not right! You should be suspicious of why I'm making this proposal and say there's no need for it, and then I would present a series of development strategies like "How to develop Kirigakure to drive the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan,"

And then you would exclaim, "With your help, it is as if I have gained the aid of Wolong!" before agreeing to my plan with half-belief?!

What are you doing agreeing so quickly?! The Gal Ninja World shouldn't be like this!!

You're making me panic; give me back that heartless Uchiha Obito, damn it!!

Recalling the exhausting time when he first took office in Kirigakure, constantly keeping his nerves on edge to detect if that guy Obito was secretly spying on his thoughts, Kou couldn't help but shake his head in his heart.

Upon discovering that the guy really wasn't monitoring him in secret, while he felt puzzled, a glimmer of fantasy had also risen in his heart.

What if "Sage Two" could still be saved? What if... Uchiha Obito was still a good Uchiha?

Senju Lao Er: Suppressing laughter...

The Uchiha clansmen who had been "Candy Crushed": "Baka yarou!!!"

"Sigh..."

Kou couldn't help but sigh, silently letting go of that fantasy that never should have appeared in the first place.

"I originally thought that guy might still be saved, but looking at it now, it seems I was too deeply invested..."

"A leopard cannot change its spots. Rotten oranges will always be rotten; one must prepare countermeasures early."

Fortunately, over these years, he had taken many actions in secret, leaving himself a way out.

A flash of cold sharpness crossed his eyes, so faint and fleeting that it was like mist parted by a gust of wind, only to close up again in an instant.

"It seems I must make plans for that Mangekyo in Kakashi's left eye sooner rather than later."

He calculated carefully in his heart.

Just as Kou was about to step toward his hideout in the Mist, he seemed to perceive something, his gaze crossing the crowd to focus on two familiar figures ahead.

On the street, a "young girl" with long black hair and fair skin was currently watching a snow-white rabbit in a shop cage with large, dark eyes.

The rabbit huddled in the corner of the cage, its ruby-like eyes warily surveying its surroundings, its two long ears trembling slightly.

The child looked to be less than ten years old, his features so exquisite that if not for the boy's clothing, anyone would have mistaken him for a girl.

The rabbit's reflection danced in the boy's large eyes, his gaze so soft it seemed as if it could drip water.

The tall figure beside him spoke with a hint of impatience:

"If you like it, take it. We have training to do next; don't waste time here, Haku."

Hearing this, Haku looked cautiously at the tall figure beside him and said softly:

"Zabuza-sensei, is, is it really okay..."

"Tch, what a troublesome brat."

Zabuza, wearing his Mist flak jacket, looked at the kid staring at him with such longing, a flash of frustration crossing his eyes as he grumbled inwardly.

To think that he, the dignified Demon of the Mist, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and an elite of the Hidden Mist, had been reduced to babysitting...

His gaze fell upon Haku's delicate face, meeting those wet, pleading eyes.

That gaze was too clean—so clean that it made someone like him, whose hands were stained with blood, feel uneasy.

"When it comes down to it, why do I have to be the teacher of such a brat? What on earth was that lord thinking..."

Just as he was about to respond in his irritable mood, a teasing voice drifted into his ear.

"Don't always wear such a zombie face. You clearly like this child, don't you, Zabuza?"

"Ha?! What kind of joke is that? I only..."

Zabuza retorted instinctively.

A moment later, his body stiffened instantly.

"Wait, this voice!!"

He turned his head in a flash, and what met his eyes was that figure with the gentle smile.

Looking at the familiar figure before him, the expression on Zabuza's face shifted instantly from annoyance to shock, and he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Lord Kou!!"

Kou looked at Zabuza and Haku before him, smiling as he waved at them.