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Chapter 46 — Sneaking into the Village, No Shooting Allowed
The sea shimmered under the pale morning light as a merchant ship, heavy with cargo, slowly approached the docks.
Takeda stood at the bow, cautiously watching the opposite shore.
The pier was sparsely staffed, yet still maintained a sense of order. Several Kirigakure shinobi were inspecting goods and keeping things under control.
This was one of the trading docks of Kirigakure — a port that, along with the village itself, had been sealed off for more than ten years.
A few years ago, Ao had discovered something unusual about the Fourth Mizukage. One of the Five Kage of the ninja world — controlled entirely by genjutsu.
Shocked, he quickly reported it to the village elders and Mei Terumī. Together, they succeeded in overthrowing the Fourth Mizukage, and Mei was chosen as the Fifth Mizukage.
From the moment she took office, she ended the Bloody Mist era and reopened the village to the outside world, working hard to rebuild trade and diplomatic relations.
But the years under Obito Uchiha's manipulation had left Kirigakure in ruins — its finances shattered, its talents drained, and its bloodline clans nearly wiped out.
It would take at least a decade to recover fully.
Takeda was a traveling publisher who specialized in selling novels and classic literature. He had opened bookstores in many nations and hidden villages.
Now that Kirigakure was open again, nobles from the Land of Water had asked him to reopen the village bookstore.
This was his third trip delivering stock — and despite his professionalism, unease lingered deep inside him.
The infamous "Bloody Mist" reputation still haunted every merchant's mind — tales of cruelty, slaughter, and endless bloodshed.
If not for the assurances given repeatedly by the Land of Water's nobles and the Fifth Mizukage herself, he would never have dared to set foot in this blood-soaked village again.
The ship finally docked.
A Kirigakure chūnin with a scarred face led three young genin toward them.
"Mr. Takeda, welcome back to Kirigakure."
"Thank you. I'll be troubling your team again this time." Takeda forced a steady smile despite his nerves. "I brought more books than before — payment will be a third higher than last time."
The scarred chūnin didn't react much, but the three genin's eyes brightened at once.
Kirigakure's long isolation had left resources painfully scarce. These three were among the first graduates since the Bloody Mist era ended — rookies who survived on simple escort jobs for a bit of pay.
After years of brutal infighting, most adult shinobi were cold and silent. Only the new generation still carried a spark of youthful energy.
Takeda stepped closer, pulled a book from his coat, and discreetly handed it to the scarred chūnin while blocking the genin's view.
Their eyes met briefly, and a knowing, suggestive smile flashed between them.
"Ahem…"
The scarred chūnin kept a straight face, accepted the book, and tucked it into his pocket without even looking.
For an instant, the pink cover peeked out — its title read:
— Icha Icha Paradise.
Though Takeda had only dealt with this chūnin a few times, he already understood the man's tastes well.
Beneath that stern, frosty exterior was a deeply repressed soul with a very particular fondness for certain reading material.
Probably years of the Bloody Mist's oppression hadn't helped.
"This is the final volume before the author's death. No more after this…"
What a pity.
Both men sighed with identical regret.
A masterpiece beloved across the shinobi world — unfinished forever.
No doubt countless innocent young men would spend sleepless nights, pounding their chests in despair.
"All right, let's get to work. Unload those crates from the ship."
"Yes, sensei!"
The three genin moved swiftly, hauling boxes from the deck onto the wagons, opening them for inspection along the way to ensure nothing was missing or out of place.
One of the girls stepped into the cabin. "Huh? There's a book on the floor."
She picked it up, frowning.
"Those two really are careless. If something goes missing, our pay's getting cut."
She double-checked the floor and corners to make sure no other books had fallen, then placed the one in her hands into the nearest crate and loaded it onto the wagon.
Creak, creak…
Along the muddy road, Takeda and his assistant led the horse-drawn wagons filled with books. The scarred chūnin's team escorted them slowly toward Kirigakure.
Over an hour later, they reached the village gates.
The three genin could barely hide their excitement — the mission was nearly complete. Once paid, they could finally afford new tools and better equipment to strengthen themselves.
The scarred chūnin, meanwhile, reached for the Icha Icha Paradise in his pocket, eager to read it the moment he had the chance.
But there was another restless soul among the cargo — or rather, inside the cargo.
To be precise, inside one of the boxes — where Konan and Alex currently hid, transformed into books.
Kirigakure might have suffered years of decline, but it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages — not to be underestimated.
Even with Konan's current strength, taking on the entire village head-on would be difficult. Unless one's power reached beyond Kage level, any major village could drag even the strongest shinobi into a war of attrition.
After leaving the Sky Ninja Fortress, Konan had flown around the outskirts of the village. Unlike Konoha, Kirigakure lacked a full-scale barrier, but it had its own warning and detection systems — enough to make stealth infiltration nearly impossible.
So she had no choice but to disguise herself as a book and attempt entry through the main gate.
Konan held her breath, preparing for the final security check.
Alex, on the other hand, believed in quiet infiltration — sneak in softly, don't draw fire.
But if they were discovered… then there'd be no choice but to force their way through.
One of the Ōtsutsuki bloodlines — the Shikotsumyaku of Kirigakure — was something he was determined to obtain.
And the Hyōton of the Yuki clan wouldn't be bad either. If he could get his hands on that, it would be an incredible boost to his strength.
At the gate stood several Kirigakure guards — one of them a jōnin.
He pressed his right hand to his chest, forming a special seal, concentrating on every being entering the village.
A sensory-type shinobi.
No one — person or object — could escape his detection.
Takeda swallowed hard, leading his horse past the jōnin, crossing into Kirigakure first.
Then came the scarred chūnin and his three students — all cleared without issue.
Finally came Takeda's assistant, pulling the last wagon — the one carrying Konan and Alex.
Alex sensed the wave of detection chakra outside and was already prepared.
The surface of the "book" suddenly sprouted countless white threads, tightly wrapping the entire cover, sealing away all traces of Konan's transformation chakra.
Whether they could sneak into Kirigakure undetected…
Would be decided in this single moment.