"Big sister, I have to go to class now, so I can't stay with you…"
"Oh, that's fine. I'll walk you there."Mei Terumi smiled gently, her lips curving like a fox who smelled an opportunity.
She needed more information to confirm her growing suspicions.She assumed Hashirama arranging her to stay with this timid little girl meant he didn't mind her learning the basics of Kengakure's daily life.
Along the way, Mei observed the village with sharp, practiced eyes.
Kengakure was still crude and newly built, but the blueprint of a true shinobi village was unmistakable. A river divided the settlement into two distinct halves:
Ninja Activity Area and Residential Area.
Ninja Area
Tall structures—spaced far apart—stood on one side of the river.The Kengakure Tower dominated the skyline, flanked by:
a newly built academy
a small medical facility
several training grounds
Students carrying long swords quietly made their way to class, forming orderly streams of footsteps in the morning mist.
Residential Area
Across the river was an entirely different world.
Dozens of small houses, a patchwork of shops, drying laundry, and nets.The smell of drying salted fish drifted lazily over the river—so strong Mei Terumi felt it crawl into her hair.
Parents shouted reminders at their children:
"If it rains, bring the clothes in! Don't forget the fish either!"
Despite this, half the kids would forget anyway, and would end up crying at dinner during "punishment meals."
Compared to the quiet discipline of the ninja area, the residential district was bursting with life—and something else Mei didn't expect:
People.Many more people than she'd seen yesterday.
Winterflower spoke softly, almost apologetically:
"Because the bad guys from Kirigakure attacked yesterday… and Hashirama drove them away, people want to live closer to him."
It was only partly true.
Kengakure had begun creating a gravitational pull.
This country had been crushed for years under Gato's monopoly on trade.The poor had nowhere to go.No power.No future.
But after seeing:
Konoha vs Kirigakure's carnage
Hashirama annihilate the Kirigakure army
Kengakure shinobi fighting for the islanders
…people suddenly realized a new path existed.
If they had never seen light, they might have remained content in darkness.
If they had never witnessed resistance, they might have continued accepting oppression.
But now?
The smell of salted fish—their lifelong food—suddenly felt suffocating.
The fishing nets passed down for generations suddenly felt like chains.
People didn't want their children growing up with broken nets and broken lives.
So they came—one family after another—swarming to Kengakure, hoping to take the aptitude test, even if their chances were small.
Mei Terumi watched with a strangely complicated expression.
Kengakure Academy
The academy was nothing more than a large wooden hall—clearly a Wood Release structure.Mei felt a pang of envy.Building an entire academy with a single jutsu… this was the advantage of Hashirama.
Inside, students placed their long swords neatly on their desks.Whispers filled the room as they peeked at Mei Terumi at the doorway.
"Sister, I'll be going in."
"Mm. Go on, little Winterflower."
She waved and watched Winterflower scurry to her seat.
A voice came from behind her.
"It's nice, isn't it? Being able to graduate without killing each other."
Mei turned.
Haku stood there—long-haired, beautiful, elegant as ever.
"…Isn't that what you think too, Lady Mei?" he asked gently.
Mei frowned.Her opinion of him was low; he had defected from Kirigakure's tracking unit after all.
"What are you doing here?"
"Teaching," Haku said simply. "They need instructors."
Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Hashirama told me yesterday you didn't join Kengakure."
"That was yesterday," Haku smiled softly. "And we didn't join. Zabuza wouldn't fit in here—putting him in charge of students would be… dangerous."
"So I joined alone to teach."
"…Rare of you two to separate," Mei mocked.
The Zabuza–Haku duo had haunted Kirigakure's tracking unit for years.Even the intelligence department suspected that Haku—quiet, polite, unassuming—might actually be more lethal than Zabuza.
But today, he seemed perfectly content, almost happy.
"Partners don't need to stick together all the time," Haku replied gently. "Besides… I enjoy teaching."
Mei's hostility softened slightly.
Haku walked past her toward the classroom.
Mei suddenly turned.
"Haku," she called, "cherish your life here. I failed, but Kirigakure hasn't. Even at the bottom, we're still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
Haku didn't turn.But he answered.
"Then let Kirigakure cherish its remaining days as one of the Five Great Villages."
It struck Mei like a slap.
She snapped, "How long until you all start moving against Kirigakure?!"
Haku didn't respond.He stepped into the classroom, tapped the table, and introduced himself:
"Hello everyone. I'm your new teacher—Haku. Today, we begin the practical course: assassination."
The students straightened their backs nervously.
"First lesson. Simple question."Haku smiled tenderly.
"Is there someone you want to assassinate?"
The students murmured.
"Oh? Cardo? That many of you?" Haku laughed softly. "Good. He must be a very bad person."
He placed his hands behind his back.
"Your graduation exam will be to assassinate Cardo. If you fail, you stay in the academy."
A brief pause.
"What? Oh—no. I don't have a boyfriend. I'm a boy."
The classroom fell dead silent.
Mei Terumi didn't learn anything she wanted.
She turned and walked away.
Kengakure Tower – Top Floor
Mei searched the village afterward, trying to find Hashirama to confront him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
She stood at the top of the newly built nine-story tower—another Wood Release structure—watching the village below for half an hour.
Nothing unusual.
No hidden patrol units revealed themselves.
No secret guards approached.
The back mountain was crowded with villagers taking the aptitude test again.Mei was curious about the test's actual methodology—but every time she approached, a sharp pain seized her heart.
The seal.
It prevented her from entering.
The entire Kengakure Village…was a prison for her.
And she wasn't even free to walk around her prison.
Meanwhile — Somewhere in the Land of Waves
In a dim, isolated room, Tsunade's eyes fluttered open.
Her mind was foggy.Her vision blurred.A candle flickered nearby.
A white-coated figure moved back and forth before her.
"Orochimaru…?" she muttered, old memories clashing with reality.
The figure paused slightly.
When her vision finally focused—
Her heart froze.
"…NEIKI!!"
She lunged—or tried to.
But her body didn't respond.
Her arms and legs were bound, and strange black senbon pinned her chakra points.
Her mind cleared instantly.
She remembered everything.
Neiki infiltrating the ship.Neiki ambushing her with genjutsu.Neiki dragging her away—
"You bastard—what happened to my people?!" she roared.
"Why bring me here?!"
"You ask too many questions."Neiki didn't even look at her as he inserted a long needle into her arm.
Tsunade gasped.
Her blood drained into the syringe.She felt her strength fade instantly—worse than usual, because her already fragile nerves couldn't handle the sudden blood loss.
"You…" she growled weakly.
"I'm very interested in your body," Neiki said calmly.
Tsunade froze.
"…My body?"
"Yes. The body chosen by Shikkotsu Forest."
He dripped her blood into a container and sealed it with practiced precision.
"That's why you brought me here?"
"No," Neiki replied. "This part is just for storage. I have other uses for you."
Tsunade's eyes darted around the room.
There were:
jars containing Byakugan
scrolls with Sharingan seals
preserved body tissues
strange green liquid radiating life force
Her stomach tightened.
This was Neiki's lair.
His trophies.
His research.
She clenched her fists.
"…Are we still in the Land of Waves?" Tsunade asked.
"No," Neiki answered casually.
"I don't believe you."
"You're forcing me to kill you."
"I'd love that," she spat.
"Such childish tricks." Neiki sighed.
Tsunade fell silent, letting her body try to recover from the blood loss—her regenerative ability dulling the dizziness.
Looking at Neiki in his white coat…the resemblance to Orochimaru was almost mocking.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Three days."
Tsunade's heart stopped cold.
"…The battle at Konoha—?"
Neiki's hands paused.He lifted his head and stared at her.
The long silence made her skin crawl.
"…Say something," she demanded—almost like a young girl fearing bad news.
Neiki resumed working.
"To avoid Konoha's surveillance, Kumogakure took a hidden route through Sunagakure and launched a surprise attack."
Tsunade's pupils contracted violently.
Neiki spoke without emotion:
"Konoha has fallen."
He set down his tools.
"Jiraiya retreated with the remaining forces from the Iwagakure front."
"His whereabouts… are unknown."
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