w how to make mischief," he commented simply. Uchiha Madara disliked Zaraki Kita, and vice versa. She treated vexing Madara as entertainment—enough to frustrate him without provoking lethal retaliation. Nagato turned a blind eye; he didn't like Madara either. Still, contacting him so late clearly meant business.
"Do you need help?"
The help she sought was informational, not manpower. Nagato had to maintain his outward neutrality.
——Temporarily get him moved elsewhere.
Hmm, that's feasible.
"How long?"
——A week should suffice.
A week wasn't difficult; a few simple B-rank missions could handle it.
"No problem."
Nagato's response was prompt and efficient. By noon the next day, Zaraki Kita confirmed that Madara had left the Kirigakure. A week was all she had—enough time for careful planning.
Locating Terumi Mei's imprisonment wasn't hard. While Zaraki Kita didn't know the Kirigakure's layout entirely, her expertise in stealth and tracking made pinpointing Mei's confinement trivial. Daytime entry was unwise, so she waited until nightfall.
Fortunately, without Mei as a political threat, Mangetsu's guard had loosened slightly, though patrols remained. One swift hand strike to a guard's neck sent him collapsing. Zaraki Kita then entered the relatively luxurious cell, where she finally found Terumi Mei. The cell was spacious; Mei, in a blue cloth robe, sat gracefully on the cot. Her fiery hair was neatly arranged, and she bore no sign of imprisonment or despair.
"Who are you?"
Mei's voice was light, feminine, and soft, yet her hostility was imperceptible. She appeared gentle and beautiful, but Zaraki Kita remained on alert. After all, the same light, soft voice had been deadly when Mei once broke someone's neck with a smile.
——I'm here to rescue you.
Zaraki Kita signed the message. Realizing Mei likely didn't understand sign language, she reached for paper and pen—yet the soft voice spoke again.
"Rescue me?"
Wow, people from Kirigakure really are versatile.
——You understand me?
"Obviously."
——Good, that makes it easier.
Zaraki Kita shook the key in her hand. Mangetsu had confined Mei but hadn't kept the key himself—making it very simple for her to obtain it from a guard.
The iron door clicked open, yet Mei didn't step out.
"Someone who won't even show their face comes to rescue me—should I take this as another kind of trap?"
She spoke ambiguously, half-smiling.
Zaraki Kita admitted—Mei was formidable. She removed her hood, revealing a relatively gentle face and snow-white hair that exuded harmlessness. This brief revelation distracted Mei; she hadn't expected a woman beneath the hood.
"You're not from Kirigakure?"
——No.
"Then why frame me?"
Remarkable—she guessed instantly.
——Because I despise Uchiha Madara.
Mei looked confused.
Zaraki Kita was being unusually honest.
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
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