Chapter 44: Night Visit to Kirigakure, Oborotsuki's True Purpose!
Terumī Mei casually took out her key and opened the door.
Sure enough, she saw a figure leaning against the wall near the table, arms folded.
The massive Decapitation Greatsword rested diagonally beside him.
"Hōzuki Oborotsuki, you've got some nerve—sneaking into the village like this."
Mei smiled ambiguously, closing the door behind her and slowly walking toward Oborotsuki.
"I came to check if you spilled my secret."
"Don't you trust me at all?"
"So… you're here to silence me for good?"
She said with a teasing smile, but a trace of wariness rose in her heart.
Everything she knew about Oborotsuki came mostly from outdated Kirigakure intelligence.
But reality had already proven those reports were completely obsolete.
The man before her now was nothing like the profile.
A ninja is called a ninja for one primary reason: "shinobi" means "to endure."
Mastering disguise, suppressing emotions, hiding true feelings—the ultimate goal is always the same: complete the mission.
The person laughing and joking one second can become the most ruthless killer the next.
That's what it means to be a shinobi.
So—late at night, Hōzuki Oborotsuki sneaking alone into her room…
Honestly, the possibility that he came to eliminate her couldn't be entirely ruled out…
In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Mei's mind.
Of course, she leaned more toward the idea that Oborotsuki had some other purpose.
That's why she remained calm and composed on the surface—patiently engaging him in conversation.
At that moment, Oborotsuki finally spoke:
"You're so beautiful—how could I bear to kill you?"
"Smooth talker."
Mei smiled charmingly as she reached him. She casually sat on the table: "So… what exactly did you sneak in here for?"
Her beautiful eyes curiously studied the roguishly handsome man before her, trying to read the answer from his words and demeanor.
Suddenly—Oborotsuki vanished.
The next instant, he reappeared less than thirty centimeters in front of her.
Their faces were almost touching.
Oborotsuki leaned in and sniffed: "You've been drinking?"
His sudden closeness made Mei instinctively lean back, her heart beating faster.
But she quickly regained composure, took a deep breath, and replied without missing a beat:
"What? Do I need your permission to drink now?"
She smiled seductively.
"Of course not, but…"
Oborotsuki playfully reached out toward her exquisite face.
But the next second, his teasing grin froze. He stared in shock as the beauty before him slowly melted away.
"Giggle giggle…"
"You're really cute, you know that?"
"How do you like my clone?"
Mei's laughter came from the side. She covered her mouth, laughing so hard her body swayed.
The "Mei" in front of Oborotsuki had completely turned into a blue water clone—"splash"—dissolving into a puddle.
"Hmph…"
Oborotsuki thought to himself: Wait till you see how satisfied you'll be with my "clone."
On the surface, he calmly withdrew his hand, patted it, and shrugged nonchalantly:
"Is this how you treat your future husband? Can't even let me touch you?"
"Handsome, I never said I'd become your wife, okay!"
"As a concubine."
Oborotsuki corrected her with a grin: "You said it yourself during the day—if I beat you, you'd marry me."
"I already told you that was a joke… And besides, you two ganged up on me. That's not fair."
Mei awkwardly dropped her smile, clearly unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer.
Seeing Oborotsuki's half-smiling, half-teasing expression, her eyes darted around before she changed the subject seriously:
"Alright, enough nonsense. You didn't come here in the middle of the night just to flirt."
"What do you really want?"
This girl really is sharp, Oborotsuki thought with quiet admiration.
But outwardly, he stayed completely unserious:
"I came to propose to you. At dawn, I'll go explain everything to the Fourth Mizukage. We'll get married tomorrow—how about it?"
Mei froze for a second, unable to tell whether Oborotsuki was joking or serious.
A few seconds later, she frowned deeply:
"Stop messing around! What are you actually here for?"
It seemed she was starting to lose patience—and maybe even getting a little angry.
She gave the impression that she could no longer play along.
Oborotsuki shook his head helplessly with a tsk-tsk:
"I tell the truth and you don't believe me—what am I supposed to do…?"
"Enough—your little girlfriend is already pregnant, right?"
"And you're still fooling around like this. Is that really okay?"
Mei gave a slightly awkward smile, trying again to shift the topic.
This guy kept harping on her earlier words—it was starting to make her nervous.
Marriage? It's still way too early…
Mei thought silently.
"Men can have multiple wives—what's wrong with that?"
Oborotsuki asked with total confidence.
Mei neither agreed nor disagreed—she simply didn't bother responding.
Right now she had no interest in continuing the joke. She just wanted to figure out Oborotsuki's real purpose as quickly as possible.
Seeing her lose interest, Oborotsuki stopped teasing.
He dropped the smile, looked straight into her eyes, and said seriously:
"I can return to Kirigakure—but I won't serve under anyone."
"What… do you mean by that?"
Mei was stunned. She stared at him in confusion:
"Are you saying you want to become Mizukage?"
The thought made her heart sink. Her gaze instantly sharpened.
If that was really his intention, this man had just become an extremely dangerous figure.
The Mizukage selection had strict requirements. It wasn't something anyone could just claim—especially not a missing-nin who suddenly returned saying he refused to serve under anyone.
Was he planning a coup inside the village?
Mei's expression grew even more grave.
"What I mean is—I won't be anyone's subordinate. I'll be a freelance shinobi. I'll accept missions from the village when I feel like it. If Kirigakure faces a crisis and the pay is good enough, I'll step in."
Oborotsuki's explanation made Mei exhale slightly in relief. The huge weight in her chest eased a little.
Her tense expression softened. She let out a long breath:
"You almost scared me to death."
"If you were planning to seize the Mizukage position, I'd have to take you down right here."
"I have zero interest in that seat."
Oborotsuki waved his hand dismissively.
"So you really intend to return to the village?"
Mei asked hesitantly.
"Why would I lie?"
"Fine. I'll report your conditions truthfully to the Fourth at dawn."
"But… why the sudden change of heart?"
Mei looked at Oborotsuki curiously.
Yagura had already given her full authority: as long as any surviving Hōzuki clan member wished to return, any condition was negotiable.
So she wasn't worried about that part.
She was simply curious why Oborotsuki had suddenly changed his mind.
Oborotsuki only gave her a mysterious, knowing smile. He didn't answer.
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