"What! Lord Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, is being controlled by Genjutsu!"
Nakamura Iku appeared shocked, and in truth, he really was.
A Mizukage controlled by Genjutsu for so many years! If it's true, just how powerful is the person or organization behind it? It's simply unthinkable!
If this person came to Konoha... would the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi be spared? What about Lord Danzo?
This intelligence must be reported back as soon as possible!
"Correct, we have already confirmed this. It is the key to our victory in this civil war: to find any way possible to break the Fourth Mizukage's Genjutsu."
Mei Terumī still found it somewhat hard to believe whenever she spoke of it. But she was the one who noticed it, and Ao confirmed it, which was how she managed to convince Lord Gensui and the others to start this civil war.
"No wonder that Kirigakure Ninja at the harbor said there was more to the story. The Fourth Mizukage controlled by Genjutsu... I see. So, are there any suspects?"
"We're not sure. If we knew, we wouldn't be in such a passive position. Ah, we've arrived. This is our current base."
As they spoke, the group reached their destination.
The fog-shrouded forest suddenly opened up, as if they had stepped into a hidden paradise. Even the air felt refreshed and filled with fragrance. In the distance, under the bright sunlight, were stretches of rice paddies where children around four or five years old played in small groups.
But this beautiful scene raised doubts in Amane's heart, and then she suddenly realized something.
[Heh, a Genjutsu, huh? Interesting, very interesting.]
"Little Amane, what do you think of this place?"
Mei Terumī leaned down, trying to keep her eyes level with Amane's to show friendliness as she asked.
"One..."
Amane didn't quite dare to meet Mei Terumī's gaze, but her eyes kept darting back. Finally, her grip on the corner of Nakamura Iku's clothes tightened visibly.
"It's alright. No one here will hurt you. Didn't I say earlier that we could even teach you Ninjutsu if you want?"
As she spoke, she gave Amane a pat on the head.
He just blushed.
"I'll arrange for someone to take you to rest later. Look at how dirty you are; a girl needs to take proper care of her appearance."
She was about to have someone lead Amane away when Amane finally seemed to react. Closing her eyes tightly, she suddenly hugged Nakamura Iku.
[Take this! The crystallization of watching countless works in my past life and being tempered by the system in this one! Performance Style: Peerless Acting!]
Facing Amane's behavior, Mei Terumī smiled and looked at Nakamura Iku.
"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. I'll come find you in a bit."
Saying this, Nakamura Iku shook his clothes to gently push Amane's hands away, then followed Mei Terumī further into the distance.
[Hmm, let me think. The way to handle this situation changes depending on the relationship between two people. Since it fits my current identity, I'll go with that act.]
Amane watched Nakamura Iku's receding figure. She slowly raised a hand, but it only reached halfway before dropping down along with her head.
A textbook performance of body language!
Meanwhile, outside the Genjutsu, Nakamura Iku looked dissatisfied, his hand on his sword as if ready to perform an Iaijutsu strike! Mei Terumī, standing before him, gestured for him to calm down while signaling Ao, who was using his Byakugan, to see if he was finished.
In reality, Amane was about to be led away by a Kirigakure Ninja, who was also the one casting the Genjutsu.
"Truly paranoid suspicion."
"Please understand; otherwise, we wouldn't be doing this so openly in front of you."
"Do you think this blade at my waist would have stayed sheathed otherwise? Never mind. But this child will come with us to meet Lord Gensui now, and she must stay with me afterward. Your Genjutsu Ninja will be controlling her anyway, so she won't be able to know anything, right?"
Seeing Mei Terumī's hesitant expression as she started to speak, Nakamura Iku cut in: "We have already shown our sincerity. Depending on the type, Genjutsu can have side effects. Right now, I find it hard to trust that you won't do something even worse to this child."
After saying this, Nakamura Iku flickered forward to steady Amane's pace, but he didn't break the Genjutsu; instead, he remained in a standoff.
The meaning was clear: we've cooperated enough. If you can't even grant this request, then we'll settle this by force! Nakamura Iku certainly had the confidence to take Amane and leave this place!
Mei Terumī and Ao exchanged a subtle glance, then agreed.
After meeting Lord Gensui, the two sides discussed many details. Once it was confirmed that Nakamura Iku possessed extraordinary strength, Lord Gensui, in order to win over this combatant, gave them a luxurious house without hesitation.
Regarding compensation for the persecution of the Bloodline Limit Clans, Lord Gensui was a bit vague, making empty promises. However, it was indeed inappropriate to discuss this now since the war wasn't even over, but there was still hope.
And so, after leaving Lord Gensui's manor, Nakamura Iku and Amane, who was now freed from the Genjutsu, headed toward the so-called luxurious house.
Meanwhile, a discussion began inside Lord Gensui's manor.
"Confirmed to be trustworthy?"
The man called Lord Gensui was hunched over, looking about five years older than the Third Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"From what we can see, they are trustworthy. There isn't the slightest flaw; all their words and actions are perfectly reasonable and logical."
Ao's brow furrowed tightly.
"I see. Then use them. Use them as needed, and treat the child accordingly. Let the discussion about those two end here; there's no need for further testing, just normal surveillance."
Lord Gensui's words made Ao's brow furrow even deeper. He felt something was wrong, but he was at a loss for words.
"Lord Gensui, but those two are just too flawless, aren't they?"
Even Ao wanted to ask himself what he was saying.
"Don't make that face. You should focus on getting into the right state of mind. After all, the key to breaking Yagura's Genjutsu lies with you. For that, we need manpower—specifically, skilled hands to create that opportunity for you."
Mei Terumī understood Lord Gensui's meaning. Regardless of whether those two had ulterior motives, they only needed to focus their efforts on Ao.
In that case, why refuse the combat power of a Jonin?
Ao nodded, then pressed a hand to his right eye. To this day, he still felt fortunate for his luck during the last Great Ninja War; otherwise, the current state of the Hidden Mist Village would be truly hard to imagine.
"Is the Kaguya Clan still refusing to change their minds?"
At this, everyone's expressions darkened.
Of all the Bloodline Limit Clans in the Hidden Mist, why is your clan's skull filled with nothing but solid bone?
This was what everyone was thinking. However, those present were all people of status and couldn't just blurt it out like that ordinary Kirigakure Ninja before.
"Sigh, in that case, let's eliminate the Kaguya Clan first; otherwise, our losses will be even greater. Once they are gone, the only thing standing in our way will be that mysterious mastermind."
Lord Gensui expected to feel pain in his heart after saying this, but instead, everyone—himself included—felt a sense of relief.
Well, it seemed everyone had indeed had enough of them.