Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Something Isn’t Right

"Can we trace the evidence found at Fuguki’s place further up?"

"His residence, his office, his private contacts—the Intelligence Department has turned everything inside out," Ao replied, his voice kept very low. "Everything we found points only to him. He leaked intelligence privately; the motive is unclear, there is no handler, and there are no leads pointing to anyone higher up."

Terumi Mei frowned. "Are you saying everything Fuguki did was his own idea?"

Ao nodded, but he didn’t stop there. His gaze drifted away from Terumi Mei, settling on an uncertain point in the distance as if he were grappling with a thought he couldn’t quite resolve.

Standing to the side, Kitahara Kaede noted the expression. Ao hadn’t come simply to deliver a report; he was troubled by something that didn’t add up.

"You feel that something isn’t right," Kitahara Kaede said.

Ao glanced at him, not denying it. "Something isn’t right."

Silence fell over the street for a few seconds.

Terumi Mei spoke first, her pace slightly slower than usual. "When Zabuza failed his assassination attempt on Lord Yagura and defected, the village went into total lockdown. The ANBU, the ports, the waterways—everything was searched. The screenings alone took nearly half a month."

She paused. "This time, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen is dead, Kisame has defected, and he’s left the Land of Water with Samehada."

Ao’s gaze returned to her.

"Logically, this should be far more severe than the Zabuza incident. Yet, the village’s reaction has been noticeably restrained. There is no lockdown, no expanded screenings, and the pursuit effort is weaker than it was last time."

Terumi Mei turned to Ao. "Ao-senpai, you were looking toward the administration building earlier. Do you think someone is suppressing this matter?"

Ao remained silent for a few breaths before nodding.

"I suspect as much. But it’s just a suspicion; I have no proof." His tone grew heavy. "You both know the consequences of speaking out on such a matter in this village without evidence."

Terumi Mei didn’t respond. She knew all too well.

Kaede spoke up, his tone casual, as if merely following the thread of conversation. "Ao-senpai, what kind of man was Fuguki?"

Ao paused. Terumi Mei also turned to look at him.

"When looking at an event, it’s not enough to see what someone did," Kaede continued. "You have to see who they are, why they did it, and what they gained from it." He looked at Ao. "He betrayed the village’s intelligence. What did he get in return?"

Terumi Mei picked up the thread. "Fuguki was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and held authority over ANBU deployments. His status was already high. He didn’t lack money, and he already had power. What could he possibly be after?"

Ao didn’t answer immediately. After a long moment, he spoke.

"Lord Genji once mentioned that Fuguki was ruthless and extreme in his methods, but at his core, he was..." He chose his words carefully. "...someone who was extremely loyal to the village. He believed in sacrificing the few to protect the many, which is why he repeatedly ordered Kisame to eliminate witnesses."

As the words fell, the atmosphere between the three of them shifted.

Terumi Mei’s reaction was even faster than Kitahara Kaede had anticipated. "Someone extremely loyal to the village... why would he betray it?"

She stared at Ao. "If he truly was that kind of person, the logic of his actions doesn’t hold up."

Another beat of silence. Terumi Mei’s brow furrowed slightly. Her lips parted, then pressed shut again.

"Unless," she murmured, "he didn’t feel like he was betraying the village at all."

The tension in Kitahara Kaede’s mind eased slightly. She had reached the conclusion on her own.

"Continue," he prompted.

Terumi Mei didn’t speak immediately; she was thinking.

From an outside perspective, Fuguki’s actions were an act of treason. But if he were the type of man who would sacrifice the few to save the whole, then the intelligence he leaked wouldn’t be treason in his own eyes.

So, what was the purpose of that intelligence?

She quickly reviewed Fuguki’s position in her mind. Authority over the Cipher Division. The most core intelligence link in the village. A person in that position could see things that those below him could not. And looking upward, there was only one person in the entire village who could give him orders.

The Mizukage.

She took a sharp breath. "In that position, Fuguki could see things others couldn’t."

Her speaking pace slowed further, as if she were weighing the implications of these words even as she uttered them. "If he discovered a deeper problem within the village, but found it impossible to solve from the inside..."

"...he sent the intelligence out to use external forces to force the problem into the light."

Ao’s expression changed. This deduction implied that the person Kisame killed might not have been a simple traitor. They might have been someone who saw something, found no way out within the village, and ultimately chose the wrongest possible method to deal with it.

Pedestrians passed by in the distance, but the three of them remained motionless.

Kitahara Kaede added one final point. "Then what did he discover?"

Terumi Mei spoke slowly. "Something is wrong... with Lord Yagura."

When he took office, he stood on the high platform and spoke of changing the village’s systemic flaws. But since then, every decree he issued had been colder than the last. The ANBU spiraling out of control, Zabuza’s assassination attempt, Fuguki’s anomalies—it all lined up.

Ao remained silent for a long time. "I will go confirm this."

Terumi Mei asked immediately, "Should we tell Lord Genji first?"

"No," Ao shook his head. "Suspecting the Mizukage and reporting it without evidence is, at best, a political attack and, at worst, a direct catalyst for a purge." He looked at Terumi Mei. "I will handle this alone. If the judgment is wrong, I will bear the burden alone. Once we have concrete evidence, we will go to Lord Genji together."

Terumi Mei started to say something, but Ao cut her off.

"Genji trusts you deeply. Do not take unnecessary risks in a matter like this."

Terumi Mei closed her mouth. She understood. Ao was protecting her.

Kitahara Kaede didn’t say much more, only adding, "If someone truly is influencing the Mizukage’s will, they might not be focusing solely on Lord Yagura himself." He looked at Ao. "When you confirm this, don’t just look at him. Look for the breakpoints in the flow of information around him."

Ao gave him a deep, searching look. He didn’t ask why Kaede had thought of that. He simply nodded and turned toward the administration building.

The sound of his footsteps gradually faded.

Kitahara Kaede and Terumi Mei walked side-by-side back toward their residences. Terumi Mei remained silent for a long time. Only after they had walked a great distance did she speak, her voice very soft.

"How long have you been investigating this?"

Kitahara Kaede glanced at her. "I just happened to see a few things."

Terumi Mei didn’t ask further, but she didn’t believe him.

From recommending Ao, to pointing out Fuguki, to handing her the thread leading to Yagura today—none of it felt like a "coincidence."

Terumi Mei looked at his profile. Her lips moved, but she said nothing more.