Yōkō held the kunai upside down and thrust it downward into Mei's skull.
Since he couldn't bring himself to kill Kyōi, then he had to be ruthless and kill her sister.
In truth, Yōkō had ample opportunity to prevent Kyōi from being seriously injured by her sister.
But he did nothing, just waited.
It was only at the last moment, when her sister was about to kill her, that he rushed out to stop the murder.
If he had rashly killed Kyōi's sister, Kyōi would have hated him instead.
Blood flowed from Mei's forehead, past her ears, and down her neck.
Kyōi had wanted to raise her hand to stop him, but Yōkō gave her no chance to intervene.
Her abdomen and throat throbbed with pain.
Thinking about how her sister had been determined to kill her just moments ago, Kyōi suddenly felt that her sister was a stranger.
She had long forgotten what her sister was really like.
That child from her memories, the one with two bouncing pigtails who always followed her around, had died deep within her mind.
Perhaps all her efforts for her sister these past years were just for the sister she imagined in her mind.
The rewards and payments for her spy work went directly to her sister, making Mei think everything was her due.
Mei's corpse fell. Yōkō pulled out the kunai, and brain matter seeped from the crack in the skull.
This way, even the Yamanaka clan wouldn't be able to extract any information, and the spy investigation report could be written entirely as he saw fit.
Mei's characteristics as an Iwa-nin were more pronounced, making it easy to fabricate a story.
Yōkō turned around and gently laid Kyōi down, saying in a low voice:
"It's over, Kyōi. It's all over.
You've been abandoned by Iwagakure. Ōnoki attributes part of the failure to the faulty intelligence from you spies.
Ōnoki isn't some broad-minded hero; on the contrary, his dwarfism makes him somewhat paranoid. He won't change any of his decisions, nor will he admit any mistakes.
Forget Iwagakure, forget your sister. Stay in Konoha.
I have connections high up; I can cover for you for a while."
If covering up becomes impossible... Yōkō thought to himself, if it becomes impossible, to protect myself, I'll have no choice but to come and kill you prematurely.
The cruelty of the shinobi world materialized in this moment.
No matter how much Yōkō liked Kyōi, if forced to choose between her and himself, he would only choose himself.
Yōkō tore open the clothing around Kyōi's abdominal wound, exposed the injury, and began treating it while saying:
"Tomorrow at noon, you must open the shop for business, acting as if nothing happened.
No matter how much the abdominal wound hurts, you have to endure it.
The wound on your neck is simpler; just wear a choker to hide it.
Hmm... yes, a choker. Quite appealing, I like it."
Kyōi lay on the ground, tears streaming continuously.
She cried for herself, for her sister, for her own useless sacrifices, for her sister's heartlessness in trying to kill her.
She also cried for all the Iwagakure spies who had died around her.
In the face of the village's hatred, everyone's deaths became worthless.
In the end, the one who saved her was actually a stranger from Konoha.
"What is your name?"
"My name?" Yōkō replied while applying medicine, trying to recall. "What name did I tell you last time?"
"Kōji."
"Then Kōji it is."
Kyōi knew Yōkō wouldn't tell her the truth, so she didn't press further.
Who asked her to be a spy? If one person in Konoha was willing to protect her and let her live, she was already satisfied.
Kyōi stared blankly at the night sky visible through the gaps in the tree canopy and said, "Tell me, why must there be mutual killing? Why must there be war? Why must there be enemy villages? Why must there be so much death?"
Yōkō said:
"In the shinobi world where strength is revered, everyone thinks they can make others bow and obey with the kunai in their hand.
The problem is, too many people think that way.
Every one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages thinks that way, and the Kage-level shinobi think that way too.
There is war between villages, and there are life-and-death internal struggles within villages.
Where there are people, there is conflict.
This question is too grand, Kyōi. You just focus on living well; it's not a question for you and me to consider.
Perhaps one day, when I become the strongest shinobi in the world, I can try to reduce the killing a little."
Yōkō didn't even believe his own words; it was just to deceive the young woman.
However, he was now quite interested in the position of Anbu Chief.
The Hokage was extremely busy, handling myriad tasks daily. The Anbu Chief could mix personal agendas into their work, capable of doing many things and influencing many people.
The Hokage couldn't possibly personally oversee all Anbu missions and would inevitably need the assistance of the Anbu Chief.
The next day, Kyōi opened the izakaya door promptly at noon.
No one came to arrest her. It seemed as if she had truly become an ordinary villager of Konoha, running a small izakaya.
This kind of life wasn't so bad.
In the afternoon, someone suddenly walked in and called out, "Proprietress, get me your best sake! And a plate of braised beef!"
Kyōi was momentarily dazed. It was him. He walked in and stood at the entrance, smiling at her.
At this moment, she found him even more handsome than before, heart-stirring.
Kyōi blushed and retreated.
After eating and drinking, and considering that Kyōi was still injured and couldn't do much at night, Yōkō left the izakaya and went to Konoha Hospital.
At Konoha Hospital, both Black Gorilla and White Ram had completed their surgeries.
Black Gorilla had removed his mask, revealing a round-faced, chubby man who looked very similar to other Akimichi clansmen.
Black Gorilla's wife was also from the Akimichi clan; they were probably distant relatives.
Clans had strict genealogies recording the kinship of clan shinobi to avoid inbreeding.
Black Gorilla said to his wife, "Please step out for a moment. I need to discuss some matters with my friend."
Black Gorilla's wife didn't know he was in the Anbu. By calling Yōkō a friend, not a subordinate, he maintained his cover.
Yōkō couldn't help but glance at Black Gorilla's wife. Her chest was substantial, even more impressive than Tsunade's.
Truly worthy of the Akimichi clan, masters of the Body Multi-Size Technique. They specialized in this area; even the Senju clan would have to admit defeat here.
After the room was empty, Yōkō said, "Squadron Leader, I'm temporarily acting as Squadron Leader, but many tasks are hard to carry out with so few people in the squadron."
Black Gorilla looked at his heavily bandaged leg and said:
"I can be discharged in about half a month, and I should regain combat capability in another month and a half.
Princess Tsunade's medical ninjutsu is truly exquisite. My aunt said the other doctors at Konoha Hospital wouldn't have been able to save this leg.
Wait for me for a month and a half. During this time, you all should rest as well. I doubt Battalion Commander Yellow Dog will assign you any major tasks.
Once I'm out, I'll rebuild the Black Gorilla Squadron from scratch."
Yōkō nodded repeatedly. So, for the next month and a half, his safety was guaranteed.
The thought was a little exciting.
It was the 12th today; the resurrection chance for this lunar cycle was used up.
If he could survive until the 14th of next month, he would use his golden finger to proactively stir up some trouble.
It hadn't been easy; every month since his transmigration, he had faced life-threatening dangers.
No wonder Uchiha Itachi would massacre his clan for peace. Peace was too precious; war could easily turn people into beasts.
...
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(End of Chapter)