Soul Interrogation

The rebellion in Mist Shinobi seemed to occur without warning; at least in the eyes of most civilian ninjas, the area was still in chaos even when the sun rose the next day.

The Genji in charge of Mist Shinobi, was assassinated by rebels from the Taketori Family.

The Taketori Family fought a great battle against the Terumi Family and the Hōzuki Clan. The Taketori Family was destroyed, Terumi Family and the Hōzuki Clan were severely weakened.

missing-nin Demon of the Hidden Mist of Zabuza Momochi and initiates sweeping reforms to restore order.

Terumi Family, Zabuza in her assassination attempt on Mei Terumi and subsequently defected...

In just over half a month, the rebellion in the Mist Shinobi Village seemed to have gradually subsided, but its effects seemed to continue.

"Damn it! They've wrecked Kirigakure like this..." Even as the uncrowned Fifth Mizukage, Zabuza the intelligence in his hand, still felt an endless surge of anger, and a complex expression reappeared in his eyes.

During the years that the Genji, or rather the person behind the scenes, was in charge of Mist Shinobi, the Blood Mist Policy the Mist Shinobi were even more severe than before. There were infighting between superiors and subordinates, and infighting among peers. Countless Kekkei Genkai families and ninjas were purged, and the number of Mist Shinobi ninja casualties was no less than that of the Third Shinobi World War.

The peaceful period did not bring even the slightest recovery to Mist Shinobi...

"Why..."

He sighed deeply. Having suffered the inhumane rule of two generations of rulers, Mist Shinobi was on the verge of collapse. He loved this land deeply and would not stand by and watch it continue to sink into ruin.

He also underestimated the prestige he had gained from his past feat of assassinating Karatachi Yagura in Mist Shinobi; at least when he wanted to do something truly for the village, there wasn't much resistance...

"No matter what you want to do, Mist Shinobi will never yield!"

He harbored a deep resentment, realizing that his position Mizukage was likely part of some scheme they had orchestrated. From the moment he received news of the chaos in Mist Shinobi to his Mist Shinobi there, and witnessing the mysterious figure leave Mist Shinobi, all that remained before him was a lifeless Genji and the shocked gazes of ordinary ninjas who had arrived.

He seemed to understand this almost blatant 'open conspiracy' in an instant.

Should he abandon his current Mist Shinobi and continue to let his beloved village suffer? He asked himself honestly, and he couldn't do it.

But when he thought of Kato Osamu, and what that man had once said, 'Why can't you be the one to change Mist Shinobi?', he finally understood what he meant...

"Zabuza- sama..."

"In any case, now you can finally realize your dream and change this country..."

Haku had a slight smile on his face. He didn't care about the life or death of anyone in Mist Shinobi, but the Zabuza could return to this land and realize his long-cherished wish filled Haku with a heartfelt joy.

"Bai... you're right. Whatever they want to do, we'll have to face it eventually. Now, let's do our best. Mist Shinobi has never feared any enemy..."

Zabuza and gently rubbed Haku's head. Perhaps he himself didn't realize that returning to the village he had longed for day and night seemed to have dispelled much of the pent-up emotions in his heart...

"However, Lord Zabuza, the heir of the Terumi Family Mei Terumi you and defected, seemingly intending to do something else..."

"It seems the Terumi Family doesn't trust you..."

"So it's Mei Terumi? She seems to be the most talented ninja in the Terumi Family..."

"However, the Terumi Family is not the kind of foolish family... Mei Terumi's assassination attempt is most likely just a farce."

A clumsy trick might fool ordinary people who are unaware of the truth, but it won't fool those people. They won't believe that the heir of a powerful clan in the Mist Shinobi Village would commit assassination on a whim...

"So, she probably sensed something, or perhaps she has some special mission that requires the identity of a missing-nin..."

"Is this how they intend to investigate who's behind this? The Terumi Family is truly ruthless..."

Zabuza paused, pondered for a moment, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and whispered something in Haku's ear. A strange look flashed in Haku's eyes.

"In that case... it seems we need to help them..."

"Kato Osamu, that man must be connected to the person behind it all..."

It was three months later that Hiruko obtained the last Kekkei Genkai — Swift Release.

Even with all five types of bloodstains present, he was still no match for Kato Osamu. Hiruko seemed to have already anticipated this outcome and showed little emotional fluctuation. Instead, he fixed his gaze intently on Kato Osamu's black Soul Blade.

His intuition told him that this seemed to be a completely new power, but he temporarily suppressed his thoughts, wanting to see first the research results of the 'Number One in the Shinobi World' that Kato Osamu had mentioned.

After traveling at a rapid pace for nearly three years, Kato Osamu had not returned to Kusagakure. When his figure suddenly appeared in the attic of Kusagakure, Rin was startled.

"Ah, Xu-kun, you're finally back..."

Lin seems to have grown up a bit, but she's still a little one. She seems a bit more lively than before, and there are more smiles on her face.

After a moment of surprise at seeing Kato Osamu, a smile returned to her face as she looked around at Kato Osamu. Seemingly finding it somewhat novel, Kato Osamu couldn't help but ruffle her hair.

"Is Dou there?"

Lin rolled her eyes at him, but still nodded. Kato Osamu didn't linger and headed straight for the laboratory nestled in the mountains. Nearly three years had passed; he wondered how far Kabuto's experiment had progressed...

"There's a guy named Hiruko downstairs; he'll probably be staying here from now on. Lin, could you find him a room first..."

"Oh? Someone else has joined?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Kato Osamu's eyes, but his mind was more focused on the progress in the laboratory, so he didn't say anything more and slowly opened the laboratory door.

"Lord Kato! You're finally back!"

Only he and Kato Osamu could enter this laboratory without hindrance. The moment the door made a sound, Kabuto felt a surge of excitement.

It's been three years!

It's been three years!

The man who dumped a mountain of research tasks on him and then walked away has finally returned!

As soon as Kato Osamu entered the laboratory, Kabuto stared straight at him, his eyes filled with excitement and a hint of resentment. Kato Osamu understood that it was a bit too much to have Kabuto do such tedious research alone here for three years.

"It seems like Dou has grown a bit taller..." A smile played on her lips as she gently ruffled Dou's hair.

"Lord Kato!" Any lingering resentment had likely vanished. Kabuto looked at Kato Osamu, paused slightly, and a long-held conflict flickered in his eyes.

At that moment, Kato Osamu's smile seemed to finally embolden him, prompting him to ask a question that made Kato Osamu freeze in place.

When will Lord Kato marry Nonō's mother?