Destination: Land of Bears

Mizukage's office.

Only Mei Terumi stood before the Mizukage.

"Tomorrow, I'm sending you and that kid to search for the ninja swords."

Mei Terumi was taken aback, but she did not ask any further questions and agreed.

The Mizukage turned around to face Mei Terumi. "Do you know why I'm sending you with that kid?"

"Your purpose, Lord Mizukage, is naturally to ensure the ninja swords are brought back without fail," Mei Terumi answered.

"That is one reason. The other is for you to find a way to eliminate him outside. He can die out there, but he cannot die in Kirigakure."

The Mizukage spoke coldly.

Mei Terumi's eyelids twitched. She nodded faintly without speaking.

She naturally understood what the Mizukage meant.

If Long Ye died outside, they would have countless excuses. They could simply claim that he had been killed in an ambush by rogue ninja while searching for the ninja swords with her.

Long Ye's figure appeared in her mind, along with the scene of the two of them in the forest back then.

She hesitated several times before finally speaking.

"Lord Mizukage, would eliminating him affect our relationship with Konoha...?"

"That is not something you need to concern yourself with. You only need to carry out my orders."

Mei Terumi fell silent.

The Mizukage suddenly smiled.

"The Third Hokage is someone who places great importance on the bigger picture. Otherwise, he would not have made such enormous concessions during the peace talks. We only need to give that kid a justified death. It will not affect the benefits we gain from Konoha."

His gaze settled on Mei Terumi's face.

"In today's match, you clearly did not go all out. Your strength is indeed restricted within the village, which is why you could not take down that kid for so long. But outside, he is absolutely no match for you."

As he spoke, he produced a scroll from behind his back.

"To be safe, take this."

"That kid's Body Flicker Technique is fast. If he tries to flee, you may not be able to catch him. This can prevent him from escaping. Once activated, it will catch him completely off guard."

"Remember, that kid must die. He has great potential and will surely become a pillar of Konoha in the future. Eliminating him early will bring Kirigakure nothing but benefits."

Without another word, Mei Terumi reached out and accepted it.

Long Ye had originally intended to leave the same day after delivering the letter, but he was forcibly kept for another night.

The reason was that it would be more convenient to set off tomorrow in search of the ninja swords.

Naturally, Kirigakure had not arranged proper lodgings for him. His room was exceedingly shabby, and no one cared whether he had anything to eat.

Long Ye did not care either. Missing one meal would not kill him.

At that moment, a measured set of footsteps came from outside the door.

Through the broken crack in the door, Long Ye saw a pair of long, shapely legs.

He was very familiar with those legs.

Without knocking, Mei Terumi pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a plate of exquisitely prepared sushi.

She wore a smile. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Not really. I only escaped disaster today thanks to your help. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have known how to get away."

Long Ye's gratitude was sincere.

"You don't need to thank me. I'm from Kirigakure, and I only consider Kirigakure's interests. Why would I care whether you live or die?"

Mei Terumi placed the food on the table.

"I have some unfortunate news for you. Someone will be accompanying you tomorrow."

"That someone wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" Long Ye asked curiously.

"You're rather perceptive." Mei Terumi smiled.

"This is clearly a delightful matter. Why do you call it unfortunate, miss?"

Mei Terumi ignored the latter half of his words and seized on the first half instead.

"Delightful? Is acting alongside me a delightful thing to you?"

Her smile blossomed like a flower, and a hint of seductiveness gleamed in her eyes as her pale finger lightly brushed across her lips.

"Of course..."

Long Ye did not have any particular designs on her. He simply enjoyed teasing her.

It was like encountering a dazzlingly beautiful flower. One would instinctively stop to admire it, without necessarily needing to pluck it and claim it for oneself.

"That's true. Carrying out a mission with an outstanding man is also rather romantic. Perhaps it may even become a precious memory in the future..."

"I imagine you must be hungry. I won't disturb your meal."

Mei Terumi turned and headed for the door.

Long Ye glanced at the sushi on the table and asked with a smile, "Don't tell me you made this yourself, miss?"

Mei Terumi paused and turned her head slightly. "What? Do you want to eat something I made myself?"

"If possible, I see no reason to refuse."

Long Ye used his usual teasing tone.

"Hopefully, there will be a chance someday."

Mei Terumi disappeared through the doorway.

After listening to her footsteps fade away, Long Ye rose from the bed and walked to the table. He picked one up and tossed it into his mouth.

He was not worried that it was poisoned.

They still had use for him, so there was no reason for them to poison his food at this point.

Moreover, he believed that as long as the Mizukage could not bear to give up the benefits from the peace talks, he would never allow Long Ye to die in Kirigakure.

Early the next morning.

When Long Ye left Kirigakure, Mei Terumi was already waiting outside the village.

"If we're looking for ninja swords, we need clues. Do you have any leads?" Long Ye asked as he approached her.

"Yesterday, just before you and I fought, I received intelligence on the location of one of the ninja swords." Mei Terumi was dressed especially beautifully today.

Long Ye's eyes lit up. No wonder she suddenly made that proposal yesterday. She had already found a lead.

"Does the Mizukage know?" Long Ye asked curiously.

"Lord Mizukage has always valued results. Where the ninja sword is does not matter to him. What matters is whether it can be brought back to Kirigakure."

Long Ye nodded. "Who has the sword now, and how strong are they?"

"It is currently in the hands of the S-rank rogue ninja Raiga Kurosuki. He was once one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. As for his exact strength..."

Mei Terumi pondered briefly.

"I may be able to defeat him, but killing him will not be easy."

Long Ye nodded inwardly.

In the history he knew, Raiga Kurosuki would die ten years after the end of the Third Shinobi World War, after being defeated by Naruto's team.

Now that he had heard Mei Terumi's assessment of the man's strength, Long Ye had a clear idea.

Raiga Kurosuki's strength had most likely reached Near-Kage Level as well.

Though they were both Near-Kage Level, Mei Terumi's strength clearly stood at the peak of that tier, only one step away from Kage Level.

That was also why she could succeed as the Fifth Mizukage after the Fourth Mizukage's death.

Having understood his opponent's strength, Long Ye felt somewhat more confident.

The key was that this time, he was not fighting alone. He had a powerful fighter beside him, so he only needed to provide support. There was no need to charge into battle and risk his life over Kirigakure's affairs.

"Let's go! The destination is a little far away. He is currently hiding in the Land of Bears. To keep him from fleeing again, we need to travel day and night..."