Kaito's Doubts, Tsunami's Secret!
Zabuza guessed what Gato was thinking as he approached the massive pile of money. Without hesitation, he reached into his pouch, pulled out a sealing scroll, and began storing the ryo within it.
The process took nearly five minutes, requiring ten sealing scrolls to contain all the cash. Once finished, the entire pile had vanished into storage.
As expected, behind the money pile lay Gato's safe. With a swift, forceful strike, Zabuza shattered the lock, pried it open, and reached inside to pull out a bank passbook.
Curious, he flipped it open, his eyes scanning the numbers—only to be left utterly stunned.
"Thirty billion ryo…"
Even Zabuza, a man who had always dismissed wealth as meaningless in the grand scheme of his ambitions, found himself momentarily dazed.
Thirty billion ryo—an absurd fortune. To put it into perspective, the Hidden Mist Village's annual income barely reached 1.5 billion ryo. This single sum was enough to fund Kirigakure's military and infrastructure for the next twenty years.
"...Tch."
Regaining his composure, he swallowed hard and tucked the passbook into his chest. As tempting as this fortune was, it meant little to him in comparison to his true goals.
With the money secured, Zabuza swiftly made his way back. Meanwhile, Kaito was attending Inari's funeral.
Though many villagers had despised the boy for his outbursts and weak nature, they still gathered to pay their respects. Even Kazuo, a man who had been injured in a recent skirmish, cast aside his grudges and attended despite his bandaged arm.
After a simple, rushed burial, Tazuna steeled himself and resumed preparations for manually constructing the bridge.
Kaito, however, quietly slipped into a secluded room, sitting cross-legged on the floor as he waited.
"Squeak… creak."
The door opened. A figure stepped inside, freezing upon seeing Kaito already present. For a moment, her pupils shrank, but she did not scream.
"Miss Tsunami, you're back."
Kaito turned, facing the woman who had just entered. The owner of this room—Inari's mother, Tsunami.
"…Mr. Kaito," Tsunami said cautiously. "What brings you here so suddenly?"
She was sharp. Instead of accusing him of trespassing, she carefully chose the word "visit."
"It's nothing," Kaito said, voice calm. "I just wanted to tell you that I killed Inari."
Tsunami blinked. Then, to Kaito's surprise, a slow smile crept across her lips.
The smile grew wider. Stronger. Until finally, she let out a laugh.
"…So that little brat is finally gone," she said, exhaling in relief. "I always wondered how he died so suddenly. And to think it was you…"
She bowed deeply toward Kaito.
"…I truly am grateful."
"Actually, I'm not his mother, and I don't know who his mother is!"
Hearing Tsunami's words, Kaito raised his eyebrows. This revelation truly surprised him.
"It's unexpected, right? The truth is, I was unable to conceive, so my father-in-law arranged for my husband to have a child with another woman to continue the family line. That's how Inari was born."
Tsunami's voice wavered slightly, but she continued. "At first, everything was fine. But over time, his personality started to change. He became withdrawn, bitter… and one day, he even tried to attack me."
"I told my father about it, but he didn't believe me. He thought I was overreacting." She let out a bitter laugh. "What a great father, huh?"
Hearing this, Kaito nodded. Tsunami wasn't lying.
He hadn't used any direct ninjutsu to control Inari—just a genjutsu to bring out his subconscious thoughts. But what he hadn't expected was the sheer depth of darkness inside the boy.
For a child to harbor such violent thoughts… it sent a chill down his spine.
"You believe me?"
Tsunami looked at Kaito in surprise. Most people dismissed her concerns, but he actually believed her.
"Of course I do. I already disliked Inari," Kaito said coldly. "He acts like a coward but still finds the nerve to mock others. Someone like that… doesn't deserve to be here."
He sighed. "That's why I used illusion to draw out the darkness in his heart. But even I didn't expect him to be this extreme."
Tsunami frowned, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "Extreme? How extreme?"
Seeing her reaction, Kaito smirked and shook his head. "Haven't you heard the saying—curiosity killed the cat?"
Tsunami rolled her eyes but leaned closer. "I'm not a cat. I'm just curious."
Kaito hesitated before finally relenting. "Fine. Inari wanted to kill everyone… and then take his own life."
Tsunami gasped, her body trembling slightly. She had always believed Inari resented her, but she never imagined his hatred extended to everyone.
"This is insane…" she murmured.