Mei was addressing the increasingly restless crowd.

"Please remain calm and stay in your seats! We have a dangerous criminal that may still be in the facility! For your own safety, stay where we can see you!"

For everyone's sake, I hope the criminal's been stopped by now… she thought.

Just then, the team of Hunter Ninja returned to the arena through the waiting room and faced the Mizukage at attention. "Lady Mizukage! Unfortunately, we could not find the criminal anywhere on Ryujin Stadium grounds!" one of them said.

Mei bit her lip. "Then they've already escaped and are loose in the village… Expand your search!"

"No! Don't do that!"

Mei, Torasame, and the Hunter Ninja turned to the waiting room where they heard the interjecting voice to find Tia rushing into the ring with Yuri just behind her. "Lord Yuri?!" several fans screamed as he entered the ring and jogged up to his prize.

While Yuri retrieved his prize, Tia approached Mei. "What's the meaning of this, Tia?" the Mizukage asked with her arms crossed.

Tia whispered into the Mizukage's ear, "Call off the search; we know who the culprit is and Hozuki's group is chasing them down."

"I can't call the search off." Mei whispered back. "The moment the search ends and Yuri collects his prize, we have no justification for keeping the audience here while Suigetsu-kun captures the culprit."

"Yes we do."

Tia stepped a few paces back from the Mizukage's side, turned to face Yuri, and pointed Nuibari at him:

"Yuri Joki!I challenge you! Right here, right now!"

"Huh? Lady Tia and Lord Yuri are going to fight for third place after all?" a member of the audience wondered.

"Yeah… it's going to be awesome!" Kukyo said from beside them. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Soon the rest of the audience was chanting right along with Kukyo.

"I guess we don't have a choice…" Mei closed her eyes briefly before she opened them again and widened her smile. "Your wish is my command! Right now, Tia Terumi and Yuri Joki will participate in a very special exhibition match to determine who truly deserves Third Place! In this one battle, however, both participants will be permitted to use their prizes in action, and I will personally be their referee! Torasame Hoshigaki, Lord Daimyo's guard, clear out; the participants need their space!"

At her command, the ones disguised as the Daimyo's guard ran out of the arena and into the waiting room. Torasame followed after them, placing himself between the guard and the battle with Kabutowari drawn, its axe in his right hand and its hammer in its left.

"Don't worry, honourable guard! I shall protect you. We are brethren of a sort, are we not?" Torasame remarked as he looked back to them and grinned.

At the same time, Yuri finished opening his prize – Shibuki - and quickly got into the starting position with Tia, while Mei took Chojuro's starting position as the referee. The Mizukage then removed her hat with her right hand and raised it into the air.

After another second, she swiftly brought the Mizukage's hat down to the ground as she spoke a single word:

"Begin!"

[X-X-X]

Meanwhile, in the infirmary…

"I found him!" said Jugo, having just transformed into Sage Mode.

"Then lead the way!" Suigetsu replied.

With a silent nod, Jugo stood up and promptly ran out of the infirmary. Suigetsu, Chojuro, and Tenten followed him. They soon left Ryujin Stadium grounds altogether, but as soon as they passed the exit, Jugo's eyes twitched with distress and he stopped, prompting the others to stop in turn with confusion.

"Gekido's left my sensing range…" Jugo said.

"Which way was he going when you lost him?" Tenten asked.

"That way."

Jugo pointed in the direction he last sensed Gekido.

Chojuro followed Jugo's finger with his eyes. "Due north…"

"North… That's the direction his mom lives!" Tenten recalled. "Gekido's planning to run away and live with his mom again!"

"Let's go!" Suigetsu shouted as he dashed north, followed shortly by the others. "Gekido's small and carrying Hiramekarei with him… we have to catch him eventually!"

[X-X-X]

Gekido was consumed with a puff of smoke, unable to maintain his Transformation Jutsu any longer. Because of this, Hiramekarei was now too big for him to carry on his back; the tip of the blade was stuck in the pavement just behind him.

Argh… I'm stuck!

At that moment, Gekido noticed that his house - Suigetsu's house – was on the side of the road to his left. On instinct, he ducked through Hiramekarei's strap he had over his shoulder and proceeded to run again, but before he could make even a few steps he heard a voice calling out to him from behind:

"Gekido! Stop!"

Suigetsu's voice made Gekido freeze with fear. While he remained motionless, Suigetsu, Chojuro, Tenten, and Jugo surrounded him from four directions. Chojuro also lifted Hiramekarei off the ground and placed it as his back once more.

"Gekido… we know what you did." Jugo said.

"Forging a copy of the Kiba and ruining Suigetsu's prize with it… Eating one of my Soldier Pills without my permission… stabbing Chojuro in the back and impersonating him…" Tenten added, her voice sullen.

"Why did you do all those things?!" Suigetsu asked.

"Why?"

Gekido's voice notably darker than any time he'd ever talked before. "The reason for everything I did is the same… to make my wish come true."

"Your wish?!" Suigetsu's eye twitched, wracked with confusion. "Your wish was to punish the people that killed your father! I don't see how any of your crimes has to do with that!"

Gekido turned to face in between Suigetsu and Chojuro. "One word will put everything into perspective. After I say it, everything will make sense…"

Everyone was filled with dreadful silence awaiting Gekido's word. It was so quiet in fact, that Suigetsu could hear his own heartbeat within the suspense.

After a second or so of waiting and Gekido taking a deep breath, he finally uttered the word that would change everything:

"Nashiken."

"Na-shi-ken? ... No… You don't mean? ...!"

Suigetsu's jaw dropped as he started to shiver in terror.

"Yes."

Gekido pointed to Suigetsu with one hand and Chojuro with the other. "My father's name was Ikonokori Nashiken. My full name is Gekido Nashiken! And you two killed my father!"

"So this whole time you -"

"Yes, Ms. Tenten." Gekido looked back to her with narrow, hate-filled eyes. "From the very beginning my wish was to imprison Suigetsu-Senpai and Chojuro-Senpai… and Sasuke Uchiha too!"

Jugo's eyes widened. "You were going to have Sasuke imprisoned as well?"

"He gave Suigetsu-Senpai permission to kill my father, so he's just as guilty as the ones that took his life personally! He should have gotten his pardon revoked for accessory to murder right then and there!"

"Actually… killing your father wasn't a crime. Not in that case." Chojuro interjected. "Your father was already marked for death by the village for killing Sir Mangetsu and escaping prison during the Fourth Ninja World War. Since I was there, Gekido-kun, killing your father was not a case of murder… it was a case of assisting me in completing my mission."

"That's just semantics! If you kill someone, then you're a killer! Why should the victim's past matter? A life is a life all the same! The only difference between your actions and Father's was that you got a legal excuse and he didn't!"

No one could respond to Gekido's rant. No one could rebut it.

Someone eventually did speak up, however. It was Tenten:

"Sometimes we have to kill people in our line work… We're ninja, after all… That's just how the system works, Gekido-kun…"

"Then it's a broken system! If being a ninja means it's okay to kill people just because somebody higher up says so, then to hell with ninja! At least Father never made any excuses for what he did; he was a remorseless murderer and a thief by his own admission… Ninja, on the other hand, delude themselves into thinking they're any better just because 'it's for the village' on top of it! A system that values loyalty over human life isn't one I want any part in!"

"But you became a ninja yourself!"

"And I told you why already, Ms. Tenten! The only reason I became a shinobi was to save Father! His obsession with Hiramekarei made him an enemy to the Hidden Mist and it was only a matter of time before ninja would hunt him down and kill him! I wanted to become strong enough to save Father from being murdered by the corrupt system called 'Ninja'! I had no intention of ever becoming a permanent part of the village… I was going to quit the moment I got what I wanted!"

Everyone was silent once more.

Eventually, Chojuro spoke up:

"You're… you're right, Gekido-kun. There are things wrong with the system as is… and it was wrong of me to kill your father because of them. He may have been a murderer and a thief, but your father deserved a chance to start over, just like Suigetsu-kun and everyone else. I… want to fix the problems with the system that led to your father's death, Gekido-kun. It will take a long time, but if I become Mizukage, then maybe I'll be able to change things..."

Gekido's eyes widened with pleasant surprise. "You really mean that?"

"Yes."

Suigetsu took a deep breath, and then he apologized in turn:

"I'm… sorry too. Gekido, when I had your dad on the ground, I seriously thought that no one would care if he died… I had no idea he had a family. That's no excuse for what I did, of course… Come to think of it, I think your dad was trying to tell me about you in his final moments, but he was too injured to say anything… Instead of giving Chojuro the okay to land the killing blow, I should have had Karin heal him so he could tell me the whole story. Maybe seeing his enemies giving him mercy might have changed his mind too… I'm sorry… I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you."

"Thank you…"

At that moment, however, Gekido turned his back to Suigetsu. "… but you don't need to do anything more. You already helped me grant my wish; I wanted to make you two pay for what you did to Father, and now you have. So I'll just leave and go back home with Mother like I originally planned… She's already at the northern border waiting for me, since I told her about my plans at the start of the hour break… There's nothing left for me in this village."

"Hold on." Suigetsu solemnly objected. "Before you go, I have to know. From the very beginning you were using us to make your wish come true… Does that mean that our friendship was a lie?"

In response to the question, Gekido turned to face him once more and smiled with a stream of tears coming from both eyes:

"I wish our friendship was a lie! I wanted to complete the first round by myself so that I wouldn't get attached to you… but I had so much trouble attacking you because even though you killed my father, you still became my friend! And when Torasame-san defeated Yuri-Senpai in one punch, I got really scared that you might lose… That's why I ran back here and got my fake Kiba. if you couldn't win for me and make my wish come true, then I could still make you suffer by sabotaging your prize! But then Chojuro-Senpai walked in on me, and I was forced to stab him from behind… It then occurred to me that I could become Chojuro-Senpai and use his position as referee to give you an easy win… I tried to stop the fight early even though I knew Torasame-san had more in him, but you ended up thwarting me... And when we said goodbye right before the prizes, I could have exposed myself and demanded my wish like I planned before, but I didn't… I didn't want you to go to prison along with what I had in store for you in the prize box! You said it yourself when you spoke to Torasame-san: having one set of memories doesn't mean the other ones go away!"

"Oh yeah… you heard all that, didn't you?"

After a second of contemplation, Suigetsu continued. "There's still something I can do for you. I can escort you to your mom and take you both out of the country."

"What are you saying, Suigetsu?!" Tenten objected. "Gekido might be a child and a victim in all this too, but he's still a criminal! He needs to do his time!"

"And he will. But in the Hidden Leaf, not the Hidden Mist. They're better equipped to give Gekido the psychological support he needs. And there's someone very special I want him to meet while he's there, someone with experience loving and hating the same person at the same time. As the Hidden Mist's ambassador for the Hidden Leaf, I have the authority to make those arrangements."

Suigetsu then pointed to his own forehead protector.

"That's right..." Jugo said. "Your wish was to reinstate as a Hidden Mist ninja and become its ambassador for the Hidden Leaf."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "So Suigetsu has Temari's job now?"

"Yeah," Suigetsu confirmed as he approached Gekido and grabbed his left wrist with his right hand. "Now if you don't mind, I've got a prisoner to escort. This is where we split up. Jugo, Tenten, say hi to Queen Otohime and take notes about Samehada while you're at Ryugu Castle for me, would you?"

"What's he talking about, Jugo?" Tenten asked as she faced him.

"I'll explain once we meet back up with Killer B and Torasame."

"As for you, Chojuro…" Suigetsu smiled, "Become a great Mizukage."

Chojuro replied with a confident salute. "I will, Suigetsu-kun! Make sure you give Gekido-kun all the help he needs on your end."

"Will do!"

Suigetsu let go of Gekido and faced north once more. "Come on, Gekido! Your new home awaits us!" he said as he broke into a jog.

Gekido started running after him. "Yes, Senpai!"

[X-X-X]

And so the Strongest Under the Mist tournament came to a close. Suigetsu may have been the Grand Champion, but everyone was victorious in some way. Tia and Yuri became famous nation-wide for their incredible battle that ended the tournament in addition to winning the swords they wanted. Chojuro returned to his work with a newfound ambition to become Mizukage, which more than pleased Mei. Kukyo and the rest of the village, meanwhile, rekindled their respect for Suigetsu and earned an ally in him; he entered the tournament a traitor and left it a hero.

Jugo, Tenten, and Killer B found their way to Ryugu Castle - the Shark Senjutsu School - with the guidance of Torasame and his brethren, and while they were there they restored Queen Otohime's faith in humanity and convinced her to let Killer B keep Samehada. After that, Torasame brought the Water Daimyo and his guard back safely to the surface, and remained the Daimyo's bodyguard for the time being with a well-earned sword to help him accomplish his duty.

Gekido, on the other hand, managed to punish the people who killed his father in a way he never anticipated, and made bonds with people he never thought he could, one of those being Suigetsu himself. As for Suigetsu, he was the biggest winner of all. In addition the Kiba he won his status as a ninja was reinstated, and with it he won a job, his brother's headband, and the village's recognition and fame. But more importantly than all of that, he won something else…

"Senpai, this is Mother!"

Gekido was excitedly shouting from in between them at the northern-most corner of the village.

"Hello, there… Mrs. Nashiken…" Suigetsu meekly offered a handshake, struggling to make eye-contact with the woman in front of him. "I killed your husband… sorry…"

Mrs. Nashiken happily took Suigetsu's hand. "No hard feelings, Hozuki-kun. I know that my husband wasn't innocent himself, and you had a right to be angry for what he did to your brother. And my son made sure you paid for what happened, so I consider everything even. Besides, you might be my husband's murderer, but you're also my son's friend. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to help him the past few days."

"Uh… You're welcome, Lady…"

Suigetsu tried looking into Mrs. Nashiken's eyes, but pulled his hand away from her and shied away once more, partially because of embarrassment and partially because he couldn't handle the power of her warm yet terrifying gaze.

"Come on, Senpai, Mother! Let's go to the Hidden Leaf!" Gekido suggested. "The sooner we get there the sooner I can finish my sentence and walk free again!"

Gekido then ran toward his mother and hugged her across the waist, eagerly rubbing his head in between her breasts.

"He's completely different around you…" Suigetsu observed with shock.

Mrs. Nashiken smiled as she returned her son's embrace. "I'm his mother; what do you expect? We show a different side of ourselves to everyone we know. From my understanding you've been a lot softer with my son than you are with almost everyone else. And I'm sure there's someone you're even nastier with than usual!"

"You have that right." Suigetsu smiled in turn. "I wouldn't trade that one away for the world."

"We've chatted idly long enough, haven't we, Hozuki-kun? Please lead us to the closest pier."

"Sure thing…"

Suigetsu nodded and started walking even further north and to the west. With Gekido still in her arms, Mrs. Nashiken followed.

Wow… Gekido's mom is really amazing… She's such a nice lady that I can't even imagine a dick like Nashiken scoring her… Then again, a dick like me managed to score a woman like Karin, so I guess anything's possible… Suigetsu thought.

Along the way Suigetsu turned his head back briefly to check on Gekido and Mrs. Nashiken. Gekido had left his hold on his mom and was walking on his own, holding his mother's hand. But what caught Suigetsu's attention the most was Gekido's face: he gave the warmest and brightest smile Suigetsu'd ever seen from him before.

That smile warmed Suigetsu's heart, and he found himself smiling back.

Yeah… Being the hero really paid off.