Sincerity

"Cough cough..."

Mei Terumi woke up in the early hours of the morning, before dawn.

When she opened her eyes, she merely tilted her head slightly to survey her surroundings before frowning slightly as she pondered something.

Although his injuries looked terrible, none of them were fatal, and besides, they had been bandaged up.

But she didn't care about any of that at the moment. The steady breathing coming from just a wall away told her that she had achieved the first step of her goal.

"There's some credibility to what the Masked Man said..."

Thinking about it, her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the direction from which the breathing sound came, a hint of resentment appearing in her eyes.

If she hadn't known Kato Osamu would appear, she would be grateful right now, after all, he was her savior. But now, the man who watched her get badly injured before intervening was sleeping next door.

Despite trying to gain people's trust, Mei Terumi, who still retained some girlish sentiments, couldn't help but let out a soft hum.

"It seems you recognize me..."

Before the soft hum had even faded, a deep male voice rang in her ears. Mei Terumi was startled, her steady breathing vanished, and ripples appeared in the space before her as Kato Osamu's figure slowly materialized.

The slightly dilapidated hotel had dark, gray walls, with only a faint, yellowish candlelight. Kato Osamu's gaze held a scrutinizing and appraising quality as he leaned against the candlelight, casting a huge shadow that gradually enveloped Mei Terumi.

Do you think I shouldn't know him?

"The guy who assassinated the Fourth Mizukage, everyone in Mist Shinobi considers you their enemy..."

Suppressing a slight panic in her heart, Mei Terumi cleared her thoughts and looked at Kato Osamu. She had never been one to give in easily.

No, you're different...

"I see something different in your eyes... Mei Terumi ..."

"You completely gave up the moment you saw me, which means you seem to trust me a lot..."

"Are you sure I can save you from Jiraiya...?"

"Whether the people of Mist Shinobi are willing to admit it or not, there are quite a few people in this Shinobi World who can assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, even if they are very strong. Elite Jonin are not impossible, but there are very few in the ninja Shinobi World who can directly confront a powerhouse of Jiraiya's caliber..."

"Besides, you and Jiraiya have fought before..."

"Ms. Mei Terumi, you've investigated me, haven't you...?"

Kato Osamu's deep gaze made Mei Terumi's heart skip a beat. She knew Kato Osamu was not a simple person, but she didn't expect him to be so sharp-minded. Her brain raced, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

"Heh... The assassination of the Kage is a disgrace to Mist Shinobi. Investigating you, your information falling into the hands of Mist Shinobi people, and then eliminating you to wash away Mist Shinobi's shame—is that hard to imagine?"

"Very good... a very reasonable reason..."

"But Mei Terumi, you're missing-nin..."

Seeing the hint of mockery in Kato Osamu's eyes, Mei Terumi's eyes flashed with panic, but she still forced herself to remain calm and spoke.

"So, why did you save me, a missing-nin...?"

"Who knows... maybe he just wants to fight Jiraiya out of interest..."

Upon hearing this, Mei Terumi's lips curled into a slight smile. Mei Terumi, who had been at a disadvantage all along, seemed to want to retaliate.

"Well, who knows? Maybe it's just out of interest to investigate the man who left a deep impression on me back then..."

Kato Osamu stared intently at Mei Terumi, as if he could see right through Mei Terumi. Her smile slowly faded, and she pursed her lips, but still held her head slightly high, her eyes meeting his with a hint of stubbornness.

"So, Ms. Mei Terumi, are you an undercover agent?"

Kato Osamu's words caused Mei Terumi to lose all composure for a moment. She seemed never to have expected Kato Osamu to ask such a question directly. She opened her mouth slightly, but the sound seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say anything.

Her throat bobbed, a chill ran through her, and every hair on her body stood on end. She stared at Kato Osamu with disbelief in her eyes. Her carefully prepared plan had been seen through in an instant by the man before her.

"Hehe..."

Before Mei Terumi could react, Kato Osamu continued, "Although I don't know exactly what you and someone said, I roughly know what you want..."

"My whereabouts were leaked by that person, weren't they? To set up such a 'good show' for it, how clever of them..."

Quietly observing Mei Terumi's slightly stunned expression, Kato Osamu remained silent, simply staring at her expressionlessly. However, the more the atmosphere suddenly became still, the more Mei Terumi's emotions fluctuated.

"Why... why..." Mei Terumi's voice was noticeably different, with a slight tremor.

'He knew everything!' Kato Osamu, and Mei Terumi realized that everything had probably already been seen through.

No matter how much I pretend or how much I try to explain, it's all in vain. In the other person's eyes, I'm just like a clown talking to himself.

She had imagined countless scenarios of her undercover mission failing, such as a tragic scene where she shouted "Fire at me!" amidst countless enemies, or a story of unwavering integrity where she would rather die than reveal any information.

But I never imagined that before I could even take the first step, my idea would be stillborn.

"How did you know you were an undercover agent? Or why didn't you let Jiraiya kill you? Or how did you know you had contact with a certain masked guy?"

Kato Osamu chuckled softly and slowly walked to Mei Terumi's bedside. Each step he took felt like a heavy hammer pounding on her heart, like a condemned prisoner about to be executed. Mei Terumi's breathing quickened slightly, and her figure was suddenly enveloped by a huge shadow, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

'Am I going to die...' The bandages wrapped tightly around her body were nothing compared to the pressure exerted by the man in front of her. It was as if she was being bound by an invisible aura, which was choking her and making it hard for her to breathe.

"Are these... important?"

There was no Kunai to pierce her throat, nor a longsword to sever her head. Kato Osamu slowly placed his hands over Mei Terumi's body, and a ball of green light shimmered in his palms.

A warm touch and a tingling sensation of flesh growing made Mei Terumi tremble slightly. The surging emotions brought a blush to her face, and her gaze lingered on the man in front of her, her eyes filled with confusion and complexity.

"Why... why did you save me...?"

Mei Terumi asked the question again, her feelings were completely different. Perhaps what she really wanted to ask was, why not kill her? She was an undercover agent...

"I've considered a few methods. One is to use a secret technique to directly control your mind and turn you into a puppet for my use. Another is to play this 'undercover game' with you, making you pass on some false information to Mist Shinobi. Once Mist Shinobi suffers heavy losses, you will eventually be considered a traitor. The third is to just kill you and end it all."

Kato Osamu's hand gently stroked Mei Terumi's back, and her back, which was originally covered with rough wounds, gradually regained its smoothness and suppleness. His voice was low, as if he was just talking about some trivial matters, but Mei Terumi, who was lying on the bed, couldn't help but tremble.

"But sometimes, perhaps sincerity is the most important thing."

"You should understand that the Akatsuki is not monolithic, and I am not a staunch supporter of the Akatsuki. I don't mind some insignificant information leaking out..."

"You'll be my teammate, I've given you sincerity, and I hope you'll reciprocate with sincerity too..."

Kato Osamu chuckled, flipped Mei Terumi over, removed the bandages, and slowly began to glow green in his hands.

Mei Terumi still seemed somewhat bewildered. This was a path she had never imagined. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but when her eyes met Kato Osamu's briefly, she suddenly fell silent—those eyes, looking at her body, were as if they were merely looking at a piece of moving flesh.

At this Mei Terumi was perhaps experiencing a slight fever and flushed face due to the stress response caused by the growth of flesh and blood, but her heart was sinking lower and lower.

"The death of Karatachi Yagura might be a good thing for Mist Shinobi..."

"Although Zabuza wasn't strong, he had a burning love for Mist Shinobi, just like you, willing to die a hundred times for it..."

Mei Terumi gave a soft hum, and when she heard Kato Osamu mention Mist Shinobi, she couldn't help but raise her eyes and look directly at Kato Osamu.

"So what do you want...?"

Mei Terumi's eyes were fixed on Kato Osamu, her face slightly flushed, yet strangely solemn.

Having spent years dissecting and studying human anatomy Kato Osamu knows every vulnerable and sensitive point of the human body. All his actions are aimed at completely shattering Mei Terumi's defenses, whether it's her previous words or her subsequent actions. Once a person's bottom line is broken, it is very difficult to rebuild it.

The green light in Kato Osamu's hand suddenly disappeared, Mei Terumi couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. The seriousness in her eyes instantly crumbled, and her eyes welled up with tears. She turned her head away.

"I'm a good person..."