Chapter 128 (Patreon)

Obito was merely a pawn chosen by Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara.

If Obito were killed, Black Zetsu would undoubtedly be enraged. If he then manipulated Nagato into attacking Konoha, who in the village could possibly stop him?

Roy had no intention of sacrificing Konoha merely to protect Kirigakure.

“I’ll say it again. Now is not the time to confront the Masked Man or the forces behind him,” Roy said. “Kirigakure may have to endure some hardship for a while, but that is still better than drawing their full attention.”

He paused before continuing.

“Let me remind you of something. Their shadows can be found behind both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, they are preparing some kind of plan, and the Masked Man is essential to its success. They will never stand by and allow us to kill him.”

“What? That’s impossible.”

Mei immediately rejected his claim.

“If an outside force had interfered with both Shinobi World Wars, there is no way all Five Great Shinobi Villages could have failed to notice even the slightest trace.”

“Is that so?”

Roy looked directly at her.

“Near the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Kirigakure attempted to release the Three-Tails inside Konoha. Do you truly believe that was the Third Mizukage’s own plan? Or did someone else place that idea in his head?”

Mei’s expression changed.

“What are you implying? Are you saying someone was controlling the Third Mizukage as well?”

“I don’t have any evidence, but I believe there is a strong possibility.”

Roy calmly explained his reasoning.

“Tailed Beasts possess tremendous destructive power, but without a jinchūriki, they cannot use that power effectively. At the time, Konoha’s Yellow Flash was still alive. Even A and the Eight-Tails’ jinchūriki failed to defeat him when they fought together.”

His gaze sharpened.

“How much damage do you think an uncontrolled Three-Tails could have caused to Konoha? If Konoha managed to capture it instead, Kirigakure would permanently lose one of its most valuable military assets.”

Roy folded his arms.

“If you were the Third Mizukage, would you give away one of your village’s greatest weapons for nothing?”

After hearing Roy’s analysis, Mei felt a chill travel down her spine.

She had still been young when the operation took place, but she had read the reports concerning the Third Mizukage.

Why had he approved such a reckless plan?

A single Konoha genin, Might Duy, had opened the Eight Inner Gates and killed four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Who could guarantee that Konoha didn’t possess other hidden experts?

Anyone capable of becoming Mizukage could not possibly be a fool.

No village in the shinobi world could fully understand the true depths of Konoha’s strength. Against such an unpredictable enemy, sending a valuable Tailed Beast deep into its territory should have been unthinkable.

Even the veteran jinchūriki of Iwagakure and Kumogakure had restricted their activities to the front lines.

Was it because they had no desire to attack Konoha itself?

Of course not.

They simply didn’t dare venture that deeply into the Land of Fire.

“That is why the forces behind the Masked Man must not be underestimated,” Roy continued.

“The Third Shinobi World War consumed far too much of the shinobi world’s strength. What every village needs now is time to recover.”

“Since Yagura is safe, Kirigakure should focus on training the kekkei genkai shinobi it already possesses. Everyone knows that their growth is generally much faster than that of ordinary shinobi.”

Even a relatively unremarkable kekkei genkai could place a shinobi far above their peers once it awakened.

Most kekkei genkai users could defeat several ordinary shinobi of the same rank. Investing resources into their training was both faster and more effective than attempting to raise the same number of ordinary shinobi.

The clearest example from the original timeline was Sasuke.

After only a month of training, Sasuke had attained the same unweighted speed that Rock Lee had required years of relentless effort to achieve.

An ordinary shinobi without a kekkei genkai could train until their body collapsed and still fail to make that much progress in such a short time.

As Mei’s expression continued to shift, Roy gave her another warning.

“You managed to drive the Masked Man away once because you possessed information about his abilities. He won’t make another attempt against the Fourth Mizukage immediately, but he will certainly do everything possible to discover where that information came from.”

Mei’s expression became grave.

“That means you and Genji are currently in greater danger than Yagura Karatachi. That is why I warned you not to expose yourself.”

Roy’s tone grew more serious.

“When you return to Kirigakure, you must keep everything you learned here secret. If the Masked Man discovers that you know about not only him but also the forces supporting him, they may stop at nothing to destroy Kirigakure.”

Mei stared at Roy resentfully.

“If they’re really that dangerous, why did you tell me about the people behind him?”

“You were the one who insisted on asking. I had no intention of telling you anything at first.”

“You—!”

Mei clenched her fists.

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll trace the information back to Konoha through me?”

“We don’t have another choice. We have to take that risk.”

Roy’s expression remained calm.

“Konoha might not yet possess the strength to eliminate the Masked Man and everyone supporting him, but protecting ourselves shouldn’t be a problem.”

“On the other hand, if Kirigakure falls into their hands, powerful shinobi such as Jūzō Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki will become weapons they can use against Konoha.”

“As I thought.”

Mei glared at him.

“You bastard. You’re using Kirigakure to divert the Masked Man’s attention away from Konoha.”

“You’re looking at the situation too narrowly.”

Mei lowered her head, preparing to argue, only for Roy to continue before she could speak.

“Think about what has already been preserved. Your Mizukage remains free from the Masked Man’s control, and Kirigakure’s kekkei genkai clans have not yet been destroyed.”

Mei fell silent.

His words were infuriating, but he wasn’t wrong.

She had been the one who immediately assumed the worst.

Then again, what woman wouldn’t be suspicious of a man who had declared during their very first meeting that she would never be able to get married?

Mei had failed to obtain the detailed information she originally wanted from this visit to Konoha.

However, she had learned something even more important.

Kirigakure’s policies needed to change.

The village could no longer continue treating its kekkei genkai clans as threats. Those clans were essential if Kirigakure wanted to recover its strength and survive what was coming.

Furthermore, even if Kirigakure couldn’t openly form an alliance with Konoha, its attitude toward the village needed to change.

Konoha was indeed worthy of its reputation as the first hidden village ever established. Its strength and foundations were far beyond what Kirigakure could currently match.

“One final question,” Mei said. “What is your name? And why didn’t you appear before me in person? Why did you use the Spirit Transformation Jutsu again? Did you think I would attack you while we were inside Konoha?”

Roy rolled his eyes.

“You consider all of that one question?”

Mei stared at him without answering.

“My name is Roy,” he said. “As for everything else, figure it out yourself.”

Before Mei could respond, Roy left her consciousness.

The instant he reappeared, Kushina gave him a questioning look.

“It’s handled,” Roy said.

Hearing that, Kushina released the soundproof barrier.

If she had maintained it much longer, Mei’s two escorts might have lost control and attacked.

The moment Mei had suddenly fallen silent, both Mist jōnin had attempted to form hand seals. Shikaku and Fugaku immediately restrained them, and if Kushina hadn’t intervened, blood might already have been spilled.

Konoha was currently focused on development and recovery. The last thing it needed was a new conflict with Kirigakure.

Mei’s consciousness returned to her body just as the soundproof barrier disappeared.

She noticed everyone watching her and swallowed the words she had still intended to say to Roy.

“Hokage-sama, thank you for Konoha’s hospitality.”

Mei paused before adding through clenched teeth, “And please convey my gratitude to Roy-san.”

Her tone made Kushina curious about exactly what Mei had experienced inside her consciousness.

At the very least, Mei had returned without an extra blade lodged in her body.

Shikaku and Fugaku were even more curious.

They searched their memories repeatedly but couldn’t recall anyone named Roy living in Konoha. There wasn’t even a shinobi in the village with a similar-sounding name.

“I’ll pass along your thanks,” Kushina replied. “Now that your business is finished, why not take some time to look around Konoha and experience our village’s customs?”

“No. I need to return to Kirigakure as soon as possible.”

Mei then appeared to remember something.

“However, Konoha is currently establishing commercial partnerships with the other hidden villages, correct? I will leave my two companions behind to discuss the matter with your representatives.”

“That would be perfectly acceptable. Konoha welcomes merchants and business partners from throughout the shinobi world.”

Kushina smiled as she escorted the three visitors out.

When she returned, she found Shikaku and Fugaku waiting for her, both visibly curious.

Kushina offered no further explanation.

Although they desperately wanted to know what the Hokage and Kirigakure’s representative had discussed, the fact that Kushina had used a soundproof barrier made it obvious that the conversation was confidential.

Neither of them was Danzō, and the Fifth Hokage was not Hiruzen.

They knew better than to pry into a secret the Hokage had deliberately chosen not to share.