The command halted my steps on the cobblestone street. Hearing this, I could only helplessly turn around. "Is there something else?"
Mei crossed her arms, her index finger tapping repeatedly on her arm. Her eyes studied me with the scrutiny of an experienced kunoichi. She still seemed to feel that I was suspicious.
"I'm Mei. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you in Kiri before."
This is becoming troublesome. I weighed my options quickly. Drawing attention would compromise the objective, but acting too evasive might raise more suspicion.
I didn't want to get entangled with her, but since I was currently disguised as a commoner, I could only answer honestly. Might as well use a fitting name for this situation.
Mei closed her eyes and tried to recall. The slight furrow between her brows deepened as she searched her memory. I could tell from her expression that she'd never heard of me.
Although Kiri was large and it wasn't unusual for her not to know everyone, just in case, so I should be safe.
I maintained my civilian facade as I continued my route through the village, adjusting my plans on the fly.
And just like that, another person joined me on my marking mission.
Passing through a bustling commercial street, I secretly planted another mark. Since Mei was watching me, I had to rely on Shukaku to perform the Shadow Seal Manipulation discreetly from within my robes.
I glanced at Mei, who was holding two skewers of dangos and happily devouring them. The sweet sauce dripped down the side of her mouth, which she wiped away with her sleeve.
Is this really the future Mizukage? I suppressed a smile, noting how her guard seemed to drop around food.
I considered my own stealth to be good enough, but wasn't her being a bit too careless?
Time passed slowly, and now accompanied by Mei, I had walked through nearly half of Kiri. The village architecture was a maze of circular buildings and arched bridges spanning crystal-clear canals.
As we strolled down a street bathed in the glow of the setting sun, at some point, all the people around us had quietly disappeared. The once-crowded marketplace emptied in mere minutes.
No children running, no merchants calling, just silence.
Oh, they've made their move. I felt the air shift as chakra signatures converged around us.
Suddenly, Mei spoke: "Hey, Tobi."
I turned to look at her, half a step behind. "What is it?"
Her posture had changed, no longer casual.
"You seem like it's your first time in Kiri. You're not from here, are you?"
I gave a bright smile. "Haha, didn't I tell you? I came to Kiri with a merchant caravan to do business."
Mei returned an equally big smile. "Haha, you never told me that."
As soon as the words fell, silence took over.
So this is how we're doing this. I shifted my weight imperceptibly, channeling chakra to my fingertips.
The next moment, Mei leaped backward, her fingers forming hand signs at lightning speed.
"Water Prison Technique!"
She spewed a torrent of water from her mouth, forming a stream that shot toward me. The water twisted and expanded mid-air, aiming to engulf me completely.
At the same time, many hidden Kiri ninjas revealed themselves and quickly surrounded me. They dropped from rooftops and emerged from shadows.
The screech of my Chidori echoed through the street. Chakra surged through my arm, transformed into crackling electricity.
Water and lightning collided in a spectacular display, creating a cloud of steam that momentarily obscured everyone's vision. I used the cover to reposition myself, creating distance between me and the closest attackers.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Frowning, she asked, "Who are you really? 'Tobi' isn't your real name, is it?"
Before I could respond, a short, baby-faced man appeared beside her with a Body Flicker. He stood firmly, his staff held at the ready as he said seriously, "White hair and powerful, no hand signs for the Lightning Release technique… you must be the Leaf's Gale, Ryouma."
"What?" Mei exclaimed in surprise.
Many of the Kiri ninjas nearby were also visibly stirred by his words. Some exchanged nervous glances while others gripped their weapons tighter.
It was inevitable. My name was no longer just some faceless name among the ranks.
From my first time on the battlefield, I'd created astonishing results. Intelligence agencies from every village had already marked me as one of their highest-priority targets.
Naturally, Mei was no exception. In fact, every new generation ninja of her time had more or less heard about me.
Since my identity had already been exposed, I figured I might as well stop pretending.
I straightened up, dropping the civilian act entirely. My chakra, previously suppressed, now flowed freely, creating a palpable pressure that made some of the weaker ninjas step back a bit.
Though there were still a few locations left unmarked, I had never intended to blow up the entire Kiri in one go.
Too much of anything was as bad as too little.
Like eating too much ice cream in summer, the first bite refreshed, the dozen spoonful numbed your tongue, and by the end, you couldn't taste anything at all.
Destruction lost its purpose when it became mindless consumption.
My goal now was simply to bring an end to the war between Konoha and Kiri as quickly as possible.
Yagura raised his iron staff horizontally and took a combat stance, his feet shifting on the wet cobblestones for better traction. His eyes never left mine as he loudly demanded, "What's your purpose for sneaking into Kiri?"
Honestly, he was asking such a pointless question. So, he was probably buying time.
I sensed additional chakra signatures moving through the village, more teams, most likely.
Otherwise, the Third Mizukage wouldn't have issued the order to abandon all missions upon encountering me. Space-time ninjutsu was just too unreasonable, whether to flee or stay was entirely up to the user.
What seemed to surprise Yagura, though, was that I actually answered him. "Since she spent so long walking around with me, I'll tell you. You all know what I did to Suna, right?"
Yagura frowned slightly.
Back when I had just debuted and hadn't even learned space-time ninjutsu yet, I had teamed up with Minato to systematically bomb and destroy numerous key facilities in Suna.
The operation had been devastating.
Realizing what I meant, his pupils shrank. He should now understand my true intent.
Combined with the coded signals Mei had been subtly sending, likely about me wandering around the village aimlessly, it all should make sense for him.
Yagura immediately called over a Kiri ninja. "Hurry! Evacuate the villagers, all districts!"
The ninjas disappeared in a blur, racing to spread the warning. Around us, others maintained their defensive formation, ready to engage at the slightest provocation.
Mei stepped forward and asked, "And you're just kindly telling us your plan now?"
She had been shadowing me under the guise of shopping, always keeping a close eye. Logically, I shouldn't have had the time to plant tags or marks.
I shrugged helplessly, what a world, where even telling the truth wouldn't be believed.
"Well, fine. It's true I didn't tell you out of goodwill for her. The real reason... is because... I don't know know. Maybe I felt like being nice today?"
Let them evacuate the civilians. My quarrel wasn't with them.
And of course, Yagura didn't believe me one bit, but since the villagers needed time to evacuate, he had no choice but to try and stall me, right?
I didn't mind either. My goal had always been to destroy Kiri's facilities, not to slaughter innocent civilians.
But standing around doing nothing was starting to feel dull, so I casually asked, "By the way, what's that sealing technique you guys secretly set up around the area? Some of the nodes look familiar."
I glanced at the subtle chakra patterns forming beneath our feet. The seal was complex – concentric circles with interlocking kanji characters, designed to create a powerful containment field.
Yagura's face twitched slightly. I thought he wouldn't give me an answer, but surprisingly, he replied, "That's classified Kiri information. I'm afraid I can't tell you."
Though their seal had been exposed, the preparations were already complete. I was just a bit too late.
Yagura decisively raised his hand to issue the command.
Five Kiri ninjas stood at five positions and simultaneously formed hand signs. Their chakra surged in perfect synchronization, feeding the growing seal matrix.
The sealing formula spread from under the feet of each Kiri ninja, flowing like water and rapidly covering the area. Blue light rippled across the ground as the characters expanded and connected, converging into a massive seal that spanned the entire street.
Seeing the technique successfully activate, he let out a breath of relief.