Chapter 119: I Just Missed You, So I Came to See You!
Watching Terumī Mei's actions, Oborotsuki grew curious.
"What's so alarming about Kumogakure?"
"They shouldn't be playing any little tricks at a time like this, right?"
Even as he said this, something else crossed Oborotsuki's mind.
Kumogakure was a village that worshipped strength.
Those highland warriors who loved fighting and proving themselves had continued sending troops to skirmish with Konoha—thousands of miles away—for several years even after the Third Great Ninja War ended.
They had even tried to kidnap Hyūga Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan, during an official envoy visit to Konoha…
Recalling these events, Oborotsuki gradually understood the root of Terumī Mei's concern.
Sure enough, Terumī Mei spoke seriously:
"Kumogakure has always been cunning, and they still are."
"I'm worried that this large-scale mobilization—ostensibly to protect their jinchūriki—might be a cover for something else…"
Terumī Mei added by way of explanation.
"You haven't forgotten how the Third Great Ninja War started, have you?"
Her rhetorical question made Oborotsuki nod.
"Of course I remember."
"The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure went missing. Sunagakure lost its backbone, and Kumogakure seized the opportunity to invade."
"So it seems… I really do need to go take a look myself…"
Oborotsuki turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.
Seeing him about to walk out just like that, Terumī Mei froze for a second. She opened her mouth to say something—but before she could, Oborotsuki turned back around.
"By the way—what would you like to eat?"
"I heard the highland specialties of the Land of Lightning are pretty good."
"…Just focus on the mission, seriously!"
Terumī Mei helplessly shook her head.
Only this guy could still be in the mood to joke at a time like this.
Everyone else was already tense and under crushing pressure.
"Don't worry—I'll be back soon. Try not to miss me too much."
Oborotsuki grinned cheekily, then flashed away and left the office.
Go conduct a detailed investigation in Kumogakure? He had no need for that.
He simply activated Flying Thunder God, made a quick trip to Kumogakure, confirmed they weren't secretly plotting war against any target (such as Kirigakure), and immediately left the Land of Lightning.
He soon arrived in the Land of Fire.
Right now, the most important thing was to see how far the drama in Konoha had progressed.
The moment Oborotsuki appeared at Uchiha Fugaku's house, he heard a long, heavy sigh.
"Sigh…"
He shook his head and sighed along with it.
"Who's there?"
Uchiha Mikoto's body jolted. She spun around and looked toward the door.
The tightly closed door might as well have been made of air.
Sunlight from outside cast the tall, slender silhouette of the man onto the door panel.
"It's him…"
Mikoto recognized Oborotsuki's figure at once. While a wave of relief washed over her, a glimmer of hope also appeared in her eyes.
She hurriedly turned, opened the door, and stepped outside—only to find Oborotsuki standing there with his Decapitation Greatsword on his shoulder, looking at her with a playful, teasing smile.
Every time Mikoto saw this handsome man with his roguish, bad-boy grin, her heart would race chaotically.
She knew perfectly well he wasn't a good person—yet she couldn't stop herself from talking to him.
This contradictory feeling only made Mikoto's already chaotic thoughts even more confused.
She wanted to immediately ask Oborotsuki whether he really had a way to help the Uchiha clan through their crisis, but she didn't know where to begin.
After hesitating for a long moment, the only thing that came out was:
"You… why are you… here again?"
"Why am I here again?"
"Maybe… because I felt how much you missed me?"
Oborotsuki pulled out a chair, sat down carelessly, propped both feet on the table, and looked at the beautiful mature woman in front of him with amusement.
"Hōzuki Oborotsuki, about what you mentioned last time…"
Mikoto hesitated, then stopped herself.
"What?"
"My prediction came true?"
Oborotsuki asked knowingly.
Mikoto gently shook her head.
So far, the Uchiha clan hadn't yet reached the point this man had predicted before—but their situation was hardly any better.
Sunagakure's envoys were still waiting for the Uchiha clan's response.
Her husband Fugaku had left early in the morning with Shisui.
They were likely going to negotiate with Sunagakure's envoys.
But the specific outcome was still unknown. Mikoto could only wait anxiously at home, feeling deeply uneasy.
That sense of panic and helplessness was something she had never experienced before.
She didn't know whether it was her so-called sixth sense,
But she had a strong feeling that something bad was about to happen…
While she was at a complete loss, Oborotsuki appeared.
"I don't think I ever told you what my profession is, did I?"
Oborotsuki asked with a meaningful look, seeing Mikoto shake her head in silence.
"No."
Mikoto's eyes brightened slightly. She thought Oborotsuki was about to reveal some secret to her.
But Oborotsuki only gave a faint "Oh":
"That's good then."
"…So why did you come this time? What do you want to say?"
Mikoto asked in confusion, a little disappointed.
"I didn't come to say anything. I just missed you, so I came to see you."
Oborotsuki grinned wickedly.
"You—don't say things like that…"
Mikoto immediately looked away in embarrassment, not daring to meet his eyes anymore.
This man was far too improper.
Right now her heart was filled with worry for the Uchiha clan's future, yet he acted as if he couldn't feel any of her pressure or pain at all.
He was still cracking jokes—how ridiculous!
"But why is my heart beating so fast?"
Mikoto felt her heartbeat accelerate and couldn't help but ask herself inwardly.
"Is this man… really that frightening?"
At that moment, Oborotsuki spoke again.
"The trouble the Uchiha clan is facing right now has no peaceful solution."
"I mean—if you're hoping to resolve this crisis peacefully…"
"You… you already know?"
Mikoto looked at him in shock.
She hadn't said anything—how did he know?
Oborotsuki responded with a deep, meaningful smile:
"The Land of Water—home of Kirigakure—is also one of the Five Great Nations, don't forget."
"If we didn't even have this level of intelligence capability, how could we call ourselves one of the Five Great Nations?"
This rhetorical question silenced Mikoto.
Indeed, each of the Five Great Nations' ninja villages was the strongest in the world. Every village was full of talent.
Kirigakure, isolated overseas, was especially mysterious and unpredictable.
But whether they had the ability to gather such classified intelligence wasn't important right now.
Mikoto's expression calmed. She looked straight into Oborotsuki's eyes.
She took a deep breath:
"Since you already know the current situation of the Uchiha clan… then you came here this time because of that, right?"
"Is it really impossible for the Uchiha to achieve peace?"
Mikoto asked softly, the words Oborotsuki had spoken earlier—half playful, half serious—echoing repeatedly in her mind.
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