Mei was moving as fast as her body would allow, pushing herself to the limit despite the toll on her stamina and safety. The night had already fallen by the time she reached the so-called village. In reality, it was little more than a cluster of old houses, most appearing one strong gust of wind away from collapse.

Her eyes scanned the area quickly. Among the dim, lifeless buildings, one house stood out. It was the only one with light spilling from its windows. Mei pulled the hood of her cloak over her fiery red hair, which always made it really difficult to maintain stealth, and approached the house cautiously.

Peering through the window, she saw three figures inside. An older man sat slumped at a table, his face lined with exhaustion and fear. His bruises and tattered clothes told Mei all she needed to know: he was the fuinjutsu master she had come to rescue.

The two others in the room sat with their backs facing Mei. She closed her eyes briefly and concentrated, sensing the chakra within the house. One of the figures inside was a jōnin, and the other a chūnin. She extended her focus further and found four additional chūnin scattered throughout the house, two of whom were stationed at the entrance.

There was also a faint civilian presence—so weak it was barely detectable. Mei didn’t dwell on it for long. What mattered now was extracting the seal master alive, and the presence of these shinobi made that far more complicated.

Pressing her ear closer to the wooden frame, Mei tried to make out their conversation, but the voices inside were muffled, too faint to discern. Time wasn’t on her side. She crept closer to the entrance, her mind racing through scenarios.

[If they sense me coming, they’ll kill him before I can stop them. I can’t afford even a single mistake.]

Mei paused in front of the door, assessing her options. The house had only one window, which made sneaking in impossible as the front door was the only way in. A direct assault was her only choice.

[Overwhelm them. Fast and hard. Before they even know what hit them.]

With that decision, Mei raised her leg and delivered a powerful kick. The door shattered inward with a deafening crack as Mei burst inside. Her hands moved instinctively, disposing of the two chūnin guarding the entrance with fluid, calculated strikes. They dropped instantly, almost unnaturally easily.

Without wasting a moment, Mei charged toward the room where the fuinjutsu master had been.

Bursting into the room, she froze momentarily at the unexpected sight. Alongside the jōnin and chūnin she had anticipated, there were two more chūnin—and a child.

One of the chūnin held the boy by the collar, a kunai pressed firmly against his small neck.

Mei’s heart sank, her mind scrambling for a solution. She could take down any one of them in a flash, but saving both the seal master and the child simultaneously was another matter entirely.

“Please, save the boy,” the old man begged, his voice breaking as tears welled in his eyes. “Even if it costs my life, save my child.”

Mei’s teeth clenched as she scanned the room, her sharp blue eyes darting between the captors.

Her gaze stopped on the jōnin—a middle-aged woman standing calmly amidst the chaos. She had long blond hair tied loosely behind her. Her piercing blue eyes gleamed with confidence, and her toned physique was evident even beneath her standard shinobi attire. The woman smirked, as if sensing Mei’s hesitation.

“You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble, intruder,” the blond woman said, her voice calm but laced with malice. “You should’ve stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of.”

Mei’s green eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands,” she said coolly. “Release both of them, and I’ll let you go. That’s my promise. Refuse, and I’ll kill every single one of you.”

There was no doubt in the room that she could back up her threat, Mei was clearly above the jonin level after all.

The blond woman sneered but tried to bargain. “I’ll let you take the boy, but this man stays with me,” she said, pointing to the seal master.

“Please, take my child and go,” the old man begged. “They need me alive—they won’t kill me. Save him, please.”

Mei’s jaw tightened. Her mind raced as she assessed the situation. Leaving the old man behind wasn’t an option, but she couldn’t ignore his plea to prioritize the boy’s safety.

“Alright,” Mei said reluctantly. Without hesitation, she began walking toward the child.

The blond woman raised an eyebrow, she wanted to protest Mei approaching the kid but decided to not risk it and take the win. She signaled her subordinate to release the boy. The chunin complied, shoving the child forward. The boy stumbled but quickly ran toward Mei.

As the child reached her, Mei’s hands moved in a blur, forming a single seal. An earth clone appeared beside her and scooped up the boy, holding him securely.

The blond woman’s eyes narrowed. “What are you—”

But before she could finish, the boy and the clone flickered away, disappearing into the night. She had taken the boy far enough to safety before the clone dispersed.

The moment the clone disappeared Mei made her move, charging toward the old man. She wasted no time. A single lava ball burst from her palm, incinerating the chunin standing closest to the seal master.

The blond woman’s face twisted into rage. “What are you doing? We had a deal!”

Mei smirked, her emerald eyes gleaming. “I changed my mind,” she said, her voice as sharp as the heat rising in the room. Her hands flew through a series of seals.

“Lava Release: Lava Dome!”

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The molten rock erupted from the ground, forming a dome of searing heat around the room.

The two remaining chunin scrambled, their movements panicked as the temperature soared. One charged at Mei, hoping to stop her before she could attack again, but a swift kick from Mei sent him flying into the molten barrier. The lava consumed him in seconds.

The blond woman growled and launched herself at Mei, her fists glowing faintly with chakra. She closed the distance in an instant, her taijutsu sharp and precise. A flurry of punches and kicks rained down on Mei, forcing her to dodge and weave.

“You think you can beat me in close combat?” the blond woman sneered, her strikes relentless.

Mei deflected a punch aimed at her face and countered with a sweeping kick, but the woman leapt back, avoiding the blow.

“I don’t need to beat you in taijutsu,” Mei said calmly, forming another set of seals. “I just need to burn you.”

With that, Mei unleashed a lava whip, its molten length snapping toward the blond woman. The woman ducked and rolled, closing the gap again. Her speed was impressive, and she managed to land a solid punch on Mei’s shoulder, forcing her to stagger.

But Mei recovered quickly, spinning and releasing a burst of steam from her mouth. The woman was caught off guard, the scalding mist enveloping her and forcing her to retreat.

“This is the end,” Mei said, her voice cold.

She formed one final sequence of seals. “Lava Release: Molten Wave!”

A surge of molten rock erupted from the ground, sweeping through the room like a deadly tide. The blond woman tried to jump clear, but the wave was too fast. It struck her mid-air, and her scream was swallowed by the heat as she fell.

As the heat began to dissipate, Mei turned to the seal master, who was standing tall now, his expression was a mix of surprise and admiration.

“Are you hurt?” Mei asked, her tone softening.

The man shook his head, offering a faint, almost apologetic smile. “No, I’m not hurt. But I do owe you an apology for testing you like this.”

Mei’s eyes widened as the room, the heat, and even the lingering scent of burning wood melted away. The surroundings shifted and warped, returning to the familiar sight of the room where she had first found the note. Her body tensed as she realized what had just happened.

“So, all of this was… genjutsu?” Mei’s voice was calm, but there was a hint of dejection in her expression. She wasn’t angry, just mildly irritated that she had fallen for it.

“Now, don’t look so defeated,” the old man chuckled, his tone carrying a mix of amusement and pride. “Meruem must have told you I’m a seal master, but what that old geezer doesn’t know is that I’ve progressed quite a bit since the last time he saw me. I’m a grandmaster now. So, putting a child like you under genjutsu, especially when you’re standing under my roof, isn’t exactly a challenge.”

His words carried an air of self-satisfaction, as if he couldn’t help but boast.

Mei decided to ignore the old man’s taunt and instead asked. “How do you know who I am? And how did you know I was coming?”

The old man waved a hand dismissively, as though the answers were obvious. “You’re quite famous, dear. Red hair, blue eyes, and that fiery personality of yours, it’s hard not to recognize Terumi Mei.” He chuckled again, his shoulders shaking slightly. “As for knowing you were coming? That’s a different story. I didn’t.”

Mei frowned, “Then how—”

“The scene you witnessed? That was a rush job,” the man interrupted with a grin, clearly enjoying himself. “I couldn’t create a true jonin-level illusion in such a short amount of time. I barely had enough time to slap together what you saw.”

His tone shifted, as if he were genuinely dejected about his own handiwork. “Ah, it’s such a shame. If I’d had more time, I could’ve made it much more convincing.”

Mei’s lips twitched as she fought back a smile. [Is he seriously upset that he didn’t make the fight harder for me?] She folded her arms, the faintest trace of amusement flashing in her eyes.

“You’ve got quite the nerve, don’t you?” Mei said dryly, though she couldn’t help but find his peculiar attitude amusing.

The old man raised his hands in mock surrender. “Nerve? My dear, I prefer to call it confidence.”

“Since you seem to know so much about me,” Mei said, deciding to move past his theatrics, “then you should already know why I’m here.”

The old man sighed, “Yes, I do. And my answer is no. While it’s true you passed my little test—and quite impressively, I might add—I highly doubt Takimura will be able to provide the resources I need. And let’s not ignore the fact that joining you would put me right on Kirigakure’s wanted list.”

His words were blunt, as if it was the most natural and obvious thing in the world.

Mei’s gaze hardened slightly, but she didn’t interrupt as he continued. “However,” he added with a small, mischievous smile, “since I like you, I’ll tell you about another seal master who might be interested in joining your little village.”

Mei deliberated for a moment. She hated the idea of returning empty-handed, especially since she was trying to build her reputation, but she also understood when to cut her losses. If she pressed him too hard, he might refuse to help altogether—and then she’d lose both him and that new seal master the old man mentioned.

“So there’s no way to convince you, is there?” Mei still tried however it was clear in her voice that she had surrendered.

“None,” the old man said with a smile. “At least not now. Perhaps someday I might reconsider, but not today. That said, I’ll make you a promise—I won’t join the Mizukage, either.”

Mei raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“The seal master I’m referring to,” he continued, “is a promising young disciple of mine. I’ve been teaching him for a while, but lately, he’s been restless. He’s not like me—he craves company, adventure, and purpose. I recently sent him out to explore the world, and I’ll mark his location on a map for you. He’s green, yes, but he’s good. Very good.”

His chest puffed up slightly with pride, as though he were speaking of his own child.

Mei stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Fine. I’ll take what I can get.”

“Smart girl,” he said, grinning as he pulled a rolled-up map from a drawer and spread it on the table. His finger traced the contours of the coastline before tapping a spot. “Here. This is where you’ll find him. Convince him to join Takimura, and you might just gain a valuable ally.”

Mei leaned over the map, memorizing the location before straightening. “I’ll give it a try. But don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, old man. I’ll be back someday, and you’ll join us then.”

The grandmaster chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. “I look forward to it, dear. Now go on—don’t keep my student waiting.”

Mei turned to leave, her cloak swishing behind her, but just as she reached the door, the old man’s voice stopped her.

“Oh, almost forgot,” he said casually. “My disciple’s name is Uzumaki Yko.”

Mei froze mid-step, her heart skipping a beat. Slowly, she turned to face him, her expression a mixture of shock and disbelief.

“Uzumaki?” she repeated.

The old man grinned like a cat that had caught a particularly juicy mouse.

[Uzumaki... The strongest clan in fuinjutsu. If he’s inherited even a fraction of his clan’s genius, then I might’ve stumbled on an even bigger treasure than this smug old grandmaster.] Mei’s thoughts raced, her earlier frustration vanishing as her heart began to pound with excitement.

Without another word, she flipped her cloak’s hood up to cover her fiery hair, her movements swift and determined. A moment later, she disappeared into the night, flickering toward the location marked on the map.

[I need to get there as soon as possible. There’s no way I’m letting this chance slip through my fingers.]

**

A/N -

I realized we’ve been focusing on Kaoru a bit too much lately, and it’s slowed the plot down. Don’t get me wrong—Kaoru getting stronger is important and fun to write about, but for the story to really move forward, we need to explore the other characters as well. There’s a whole world out there with their own struggles, strengths, and stories, and from time to time I’ll give them the spotlight.

Things are about to get more dynamic!

Character Notes:

Mei - Ambitious - “If I bring Uzumaki with me, I might strengthen my position in the council”

The Grandmaster - Smug Chaos Bringer - “I could not create stronger illusions, such a shame… shame indeed.”

Uzumaki Yko - Uzumaki In Hiding - “What is this odd feeling? Did that old geezer get me into trouble again?”

**