Chapter – 394 A Third Choice?

Kuroto had promptly commanded the Kazekage Puppet to transfer the Sky Castle from the boundary of Land of Rain to the shore of Land of Water after learning the details of the mission entrusted to him by Sandaime a few days ago, and it did not take him long to arrive at Ancor Vantian.

"Kuroto-sama!" – He was received with a bow by the Kazekage Puppet, Gaara, and Karin when he arrived at the air fortress.

"It appears that your etiquette education is going quite well," Kuroto observed thoughtfully, looking at the kids bowing politely to him.

They exchanged nods.

'It seems Karin's presence has rapidly helped him get over his father's loss...' Kuroto also noticed Gaara's demeanor is considerably more cheery than usual. 'But, on the other hand, his father didn't really play the role of father for him, so it's not so weird.'

Anyway, since Kuroto is rarely present at the Aerial Fortress, it has become their playground; aside from basic training and academics, the two spend most of their time playing some type of game, which Kuroto, of course, organizes to hone their shinobi talents.

For young children, mental training is essential, and the best way to build their interest in them is to use activities that are ultimately 'fun.'

Kuroto arrived at his laboratory after a few more brief chats with the two children. He then used Tenseigan Soul Descend to transfer his soul into Tsukihi Clone as quickly as possible and then fled the air castle after getting clothed.

…

Kirigakure.

The figure of a young girl with black hair and ebony eyes, dressed in a wet ragged old grey cloak, tough clothes with bandages underneath, can be seen going through the silent streets of Kirigakure in the low light of early dawn.

Her walking speed is very slow, and she appears to stagger every two steps as she takes in the views of the village.

Kirigakure's environment is extremely different from Konoha's prosperity for a variety of reasons; there are few shops in the village, and the number of customers visiting these shops can be counted on a single hand. The residential area is gloomy, with all the windows shut, and the streets are lonely, but not too lonely, with a few beggars or inebriated guys spotted here and there. A few starving orphan children can also be found wandering the streets.

The woman spotted someone surreptitiously glancing at her as she crossed a few streets.

'Sigh...' - The woman turned and wandered down a dark alleyway with a helpless sigh.

A few seconds later, a group of men appeared on both sides of the passageway, encircling the hapless woman.

"W-what do y… you people w… want from m… me…?"– she inquired, her voice weak and terrified, especially after seeing those Swords.

The one in front of them drew his sword from its sheath and took a step forward.

The woman panicked as she sensed the men's danger and staggered a few steps backward; at that point, the ragged fabric covering her face slid down, revealing her stunning look to the men in front of her.

"Whistle…" - The man in charge of these soldiers whistled in awe of her beauty and grumbled, "Such beauty... A wonderful candidate for Courtesanship. Heck, she would even be a good fit for becoming a Geisha, or even a Concubine, if properly educated; given her beauty, aristocrats would be prepared to pay a high price to spend even a single night with her... It's unfortunate that she appears to be physically crippled; we'll have to make some plans to address that issue, or perhaps we won't; I suppose, given current trends and high-class society's priorities, her impairment could be an advantage as well."

"Yes Banchou," one of the goons at his side said, "I heard the upper class is into this kind of thing lately, so having her amuse the nobles will be rather beneficial for us."

'I had expected them to be Kiri Shinobi targeting me for being a suspected spy, but I never thought such a circumstance to emerge, I guess women have to deal with these kinds of problems too, huh?' the woman said, her face awkward as she realized what these men wanted to use her for. 'It's no surprise that many of them get violent. It is only natural for someone to become violent if they are considered as nothing more than an object, a potential candidate capable of fulfilling the need of other men, or if they are continually scrutinized by lusty eyes wherever they go.'

"Young girl, your beauty is inhuman," the leader remarked, coughing. "It would be a pity to let you die of hunger on the streets," he continued, "therefore I am offering you a bargain, and of course, you have no right to refuse it, else a destiny worse than death will await you."

"B... Banchou-sama, what's the deal?" - the woman inquired, her voice tinged with apprehension.

"Come with me, and I'll help you discover your true worth," the leader offered.

"T... True worth?" B... but-" – the woman was about to say something when the Banchou interrupted her.

"Look, girl, you just have two choices... Either you come with me voluntarily and without resistance, or we break your legs totally and take you with us violently... Which will it be, your choice?!"

"T... then... the third option!" - the woman exclaimed, summoning all her bravery.

"Huh? What about the third? Didn't you hear what I said? I only gave you two options; there is no third option here!" – the leader remarked, frowning.

"I... I know... that's why I said the third option!" the woman responded, nodding.

"Banchou, aside from being physically crippled, I believe she also appears to have some brain or hearing problems?" one of the goons speculated.

"I believe—!" – But before the Banchou could accept, he overheard lovely demon whispering, "The third option is to turn around and walk away! Make a U-turn and walk away! Turn around and walk away!"

All of the thugs' eyes, both those in front and behind the woman, went dark the next minute, and they, too, muttered, "Turn around and walk away!"

They then followed instructions, turned around, and went away.

The defenseless woman standing in the middle of the lonely dark street had vanished by the time the last of them went away, leaving no evidence of her presence behind.

…

"Phew...," said someone in a dark alley in Kirigakure at the same time. If my Kage Bushin had battled or killed them, there's a chance I'd have been spotted by other Kirigakure Shinobi, but with Genjutsu, things are a lot easier." — murmured Tsukihi as she encased a Kirigakure Anbu Kunoichi's body in a storage scroll.

This Anbu Kunoichi is the younger sister of the Jonin Watatsumi had killed earlier, and since his memories were retrieved, the sister's identity as a Kirigakure Anbu was also revealed.

Using her is obvious, Uchiha Tsukihi sent her a message informing her of her brother's injuries; despite Kunoichi's vigilance, love for her brother won over, and the worried Kunoichi arrived promptly; as a result, she died.

With her body imprisoned inside a scroll and her memories read by Tsukihi using her Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Uchiha Tsukihi donned the Anbu Kunoichi's garb and used Transformation Jutsu to transform herself into the Kunoichi.

Because this Kunoichi is currently off duty, Tsukihi took advantage of the opportunity to visit an Izakaya that this Kunoichi frequents when she feels like drinking Sake.

She went to the second floor and sat at the window, where she could enjoy a good view of the Mizukage Building after ordering her usual.

She had a strange gleam in her eyes when she looked at the Mizukage Building.

According to the reports sent to Sandaime Hokage by Morino Ibiki's team, a coup d'état in Kirigakure might occur at any time, resulting in a civil war.

Tsukihi, on the other hand, discovered that the security of the Mizukage Building is fairly... casual, in contrast to the security of the Hokage Office when the Uchiha Clan was organizing a coup.

Mizukage does not appear to be making any preparations for coping with the Coup d'état, based on his relaxed security.

'If our spies have heard of the coup, it's unthinkable that Obito, with Zetsu's intelligence-gathering powers, are uninformed of such information. Is he planning to leave the Kirigakure?' - Tsukihi pondered, then shook her head, 'I don't think he'll quit the Kirigakure that easily, especially in light of the fact that, aside from Suna, Konoha, and Kumo, even Amatsukami is on the hunt for Akatsuki.' Kirigakure might be more useful to him than it has ever been.

So, what exactly does he plan to do? Is there anything he's planning in order to deal with the coup? I'm curious as to what he's thinking right now.

Is he planning to leave the Mizukage and Kirigakure? Or does he aim to make a fool of Momochi Zabuza by taking this occasion to put an end to everyone's notion of a coup d'état? 'Or does he have a third option in mind?'

.

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