Yagami pulled up the mission logs for Black Ape Squad.
Active assignments still on the list included: guarding the Uzumaki princess, probing the Hidden Rock Village spy network, and several missions Yagami had not taken part in.
He immediately found a familiar name: Qiaoyi.
Sure enough, Qiaoyi's identity as a spy had indeed drawn the Dark Anbu's suspicion. But for the sake of the trap that night, low-risk suspected spies like Qiaoyi had been left untouched.
In Qiaoyi's dossier there was also Yagami's name.
Monkey Squad had surveilled Qiaoyi and reported suspicious activity tied to "Fox." Black Ape had written a note beneath, saying Fox appears to be investigating Qiaoyi privately. Later, Yagami had, with Black Ape, discovered a Cloud Village spy at Qiaoyi's tavern and then tracked that spy to rescue Princess Kushina.
At the end of the file, Black Ape concluded: Fox is fine, no further suspicion needed. If Fox were a spy, what target would be more valuable than the Uzumaki princess?
I see, Yagami thought. By chance and misunderstanding, the Anbu had done a lot behind the scenes.
Yagami called for Purple cat to pull reinforcements from Root to refill Fox Squad and Black Ape Squad.
After Purple cat went to Root to pick out newcomers, Yagami left the Anbu base and headed for Qiaoyi's tavern, Tsurugetsu.
Tsurugetsu had a "closed" sign today.
Yagami thought, that big-breasted, scatterbrained woman. Closing now is almost admitting she's in trouble.
Luckily, Black Ape's squad had been temporarily disabled. If not for that, Qiaoyi might already be in an interrogation room.
"Open up!"
A woman's voice came from inside.
"Sorry. Not serving tonight!"
"It's me."
There was the sound of chairs being moved.
The door opened. Yagami saw Qiaoyi, her clothes rumpled, her eyes full of desperate fear like a frightened kitten.
"Closed, huh. Tonight I only serve one customer."
Yagami walked in on his own.
When Qiaoyi shut the door she followed him in, timidly asking, "Where have you been these past few days? Why haven't you come to see me?"
Her mind raced. With the trap on Ushiga Mountain and the defeat of the Hidden Rock forces, Qiaoyi thought her life as a spy might be over. Maybe both Leaf and stone would have no use for her.
"Did you go help at Ushiga Mountain?" she asked.
Yagami turned and looked down at Qiaoyi.
For a moment she panicked, then forced herself to meet his gaze stubbornly.
A shame, Yagami thought. Qiaoyi already seemed resigned to dying.
"Of course not. With my strength I wouldn't be in those front-line missions. I'm glad I didn't go. Stone lost six elite jonin, over thirty jonin, and more than three hundred chuunin. Delightful."
Qiaoyi's whole chest trembled.
Her lips curled. She was on the brink of collapse.
Yagami said, "Bring me a bottle of sake. Whatever tomorrow brings, tonight we should enjoy ourselves. Right?"
"Whatever tomorrow brings." Qiaoyi swallowed hard and finally said, "Yes. Whatever tomorrow brings, it's tomorrow's problem."
Qiaoyi flung herself on Yagami and pinned him to the sofa.
On the couch, on the table, behind the counter, every time Yagami tried to take control she fought like a madwoman and then ended up pinned beneath him.
Qiaoyi was wild with release. Yagami could not resist and surrendered to the moment.
Her waist was rock-tight, no fat anywhere. Like a carved statue. Yagami briefly remembered an earlier reward option he had once seen—"bulk physique: giant rock body." Perhaps the way Stone trains produces bodies like this.
Afterward, while Qiaoyi slept curled against his chest, Yagami quietly picked up a kitchen knife and hesitated.
To remove any risk of suspicion, he should now kill Qiaoyi. No mercy, just cut ties.
She lay with her face on his chest and murmured, "If only… if only I could follow you…"
Yagami put the knife down. He wrapped his arms around Qiaoyi's smooth back and held her close.
When he finally slept, Qiaoyi got up and quietly cleaned him, covered him, and left by the back door. She stole one last look at the counter and walked into the night. She knew it: everything tied to the Hidden Leaf was over for her.
Yagami woke with a start. Qiaoyi had left the tavern and walked toward a park in the south district.
"Park" was generous—this was mainly greenery and a thick stand of trees. In the dark, anyone outside the trees could not see within.
Qiaoyi searched the base of each large tree for the Hidden Rock signal.
After an hour she found the mark and waited at the signposted tree.
Soon someone crawled out of the bushes.
"Mei? Is that you?"
Her sister rose slowly from the ground.
"Big sister, your mission is over. Come back to the village with me."
Qiaoyi's face showed no joy.
Her intelligence had led to a crushing defeat. Uzumaki Mito showed no sign of failing. The supposed death was false. Qiaoyi knew that even if she returned, Stone would subject her to brutal interrogation.
Still, for Mei's future inside the village, Qiaoyi had to go back.
"All right, sister. Let's go home."
Mei threw herself at Qiaoyi and hugged her.
In the deep trees of the park, two sisters clung to each other for strength.
Then a kunai plunged into Qiaoyi's belly.
Qiaoyi stared at Mei in disbelief and despair.
"Sister! You shouldn't have betrayed the village. The village issued a kill order. All the Leaf spies have turned traitor!"
Qiaoyi cried, "Mei, I'll go back with you. If I can clear things in the interrogation room, you won't be blamed."
But Mei hardened. To dispel suspicion she had to personally present her sister's head. Only that would prove her loyalty.
She stepped back, shoved the kunai deeper into Qiaoyi's abdomen, then pulled another kunai and drove it at Qiaoyi's throat.
Qiaoyi laughed.
All those years of effort had moved only herself.
Mei's eyes were iron. This was what the village had made of her.
The kunai pierced Qiaoyi's throat.
A large hand grabbed Mei's wrist.
Mei shockingly realized the kunai had only penetrated half a centimeter. Seals flared over her body, binding every joint.
Yagami smiled with satisfaction. He had not used his Self-Binding Cursed Seal in a long time, but it was still effective.
He gripped Mei's chin and examined her coldly.
"Nice. The Stone spy looks very like you, so they used that to plant her in Konoha and run many operations. That could be believable. But you die here, Hidden Stone spy."