Chiba only needed one glance at Mei Terumi's expression to know exactly where her thoughts were drifting.
He couldn't help but tease her lightly.
"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Her face instantly flushed crimson.
"N-no, that won't be necessary!"
She straightened her posture, forcing herself to sound firm.
"Don't forget,we're still rivals!"
With those words, she turned and fled almost in panic, disappearing down the corridor as if afraid she might hesitate for even a second.
Chiba watched her retreating figure, a faint smile slowly forming on his lips.
…
Soon after, his thoughts shifted to the next,and far more important,matter.
The Rokubi Jinchūriki.
Utakata.
Chiba knew this man all too well.
In the original course of events, Utakata defected from Kirigakure after believing his own master intended to kill him.
But the truth was far crueler,and far more tragic.
His master had never meant to take his life.
He only wished to free Utakata from the curse of being a Jinchūriki by extracting the bijus.
Yet fear and despair twisted Utakata's understanding.
Believing himself betrayed by the one person he trusted most, he struck first,killing his own master,and fled the village.
In the end, his fate was no kinder.
Captured by the Six Paths of Pain, the Rokubi was extracted, and Utakata died alone.
Because Chiba knew all of this, he also understood where Utakata's true pain lay.
It wasn't hatred.
It was the conviction that even the person closest to him had abandoned him.
Before long, every candidate vying for the Mizukage position turned their attention toward the Rokubi Jinchūriki.
This was the final trial.
But unlike the previous tests, raw strength alone meant nothing.
The real challenge was simple,and far more difficult:
Finding Utakata.
Kisame's former superior, Fuguki Suikazan, acted immediately.
As a former ANBU captain,and once the direct overseer of the intelligence division,he mobilized his entire network without hesitation.
This was his specialty.
Mei Terumi, while lacking such an extensive intelligence web, had spent years among Kirigakure's upper ranks.
With the support of Ao, Bi, and other veteran jōnin, she too dispatched her own people to scour the Land of Water.
That left only Chiba.
Mangetsu Hōzuki glanced at him and asked calmly,
"Chiba-sama… are we not moving yet?"
By now, he had grown accustomed to Chiba's unhurried approach.
Chiba smiled faintly.
"We don't have the manpower they do."
"Trying to compete with them head-on would be pointless."
Mangetsu frowned slightly.
"Then what's the plan?"
Chiba replied evenly,
"Did you forget how I already knew the Yondaime Mizukage was being controlled?"
Mangetsu's eyes widened.
"That's right."
"Elder Genji pressured you to reveal your intelligence sources back then…"
"But you never did."
Realization dawned on him.
"…Which means we're actually the ones with the advantage."
Chiba nodded.
"Exactly."
Mangetsu took a breath, then asked the key question:
"Then according to your information…"
"Where is Utakata now?"
Chiba's gaze turned calm, almost distant.
"The Tsuchigumo Clan."
"The Tsuchigumo Clan?!"
Mangetsu Hōzuki couldn't hide his surprise.
He knew that clan well.
They were one of the oldest lineages in the Land of Water.
While their influence had never rivaled that of the Hōzuki Clan, their existence was steeped in mystery.
Rumors spoke of a forbidden technique passed down in secret,a jutsu of such overwhelming power that even the great clans treated the Tsuchigumo with caution and respect.
"How does Chiba-sama know this?" Mangetsu asked.
Chiba merely smiled, offering no explanation.
Of course, he couldn't explain.
This wasn't information obtained through spies or intelligence networks.
It came from something no one else possessed,knowledge of how the story was supposed to unfold.
Utakata, the Rokubi Jinchūriki, would one day take on a disciple.
A girl named Hotaru.
She was a member of the Tsuchigumo Clan.
And Hotaru had never once left her clan's territory.
Which meant there was only one possible explanation for how she met Utakata,
He had come to the Tsuchigumo Clan himself.
This conclusion was something no one else in the world could reach.
Only someone like Chiba, who knew the future, could piece it together so cleanly.
And so,
Chiba immediately set out, bringing Mangetsu with him, heading straight for the Tsuchigumo Clan.
Much like the Yuki Clan, the Tsuchigumo belonged to the Land of Water but were not directly under Kirigakure's control.
Before long, Chiba arrived within Tsuchigumo territory.
There, he met the clan leader,En no Gyōja.
By now, Chiba's name had already spread throughout the Land of Water.
When En no Gyōja saw him, his surprise quickly turned into excitement.
"You're the Chiba-sama who single-handedly suppressed the rebellion?!"
Chiba smiled calmly.
"Clan Leader, that's too much. We're both leaders of our people,there's no need to call me 'sama.'"
En no Gyōja waved his hand firmly.
"That won't do. You brought peace back to the Land of Water. Both shinobi and civilians owe you their lives."
"Whatever you need, Chiba,my clan will give its full cooperation."
Chiba's smile deepened.
"In that case, that's perfect."
"I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"The Rokubi Jinchūriki of Kirigakure,Utakata."
En no Gyōja frowned slightly.
"Utakata… I've heard rumors that he disappeared, but I haven't seen him myself."
"Or are you saying you've found traces of him nearby?"
"More or less," Chiba replied evenly.
"I'm confident he's somewhere around Tsuchigumo territory."
En no Gyōja straightened immediately.
"Then I'll have my people search at once!"
"Much appreciated," Chiba said.
As the clan leader began issuing orders,
A young girl peeked quietly in from outside the room.
Chiba noticed her instantly.
Startled, the girl froze, then hurriedly tried to hide, her face flushed red.
Chiba chuckled softly.
"If you want to look, there's no need to sneak."
Blushing deeply, the girl hesitated before stepping out into the open.
She was Hotaru,
The granddaughter of the Tsuchigumo Clan's leader.