Blood is Thicker Than Mist

Chapter 9

Mei Terumi drummed her fingers against her arms as she listened to the last informant relay their news. Her brow was furrowed deeply and, though she was listening, her mind was only half-focused. There wasn't a full assembly currently– as there were too many allies to fit into that small, abandoned building– but those who had gathered there had done so expecting Zabuza to be the one handling business. Some carried on as expected, some who despised her for her Kekkei Genkai shot looks at her when her back was turned, and the others were troubled by the intensity of her presence. They looked nervously at one another as Mei dismissively waved her hand once the informant had concluded. They had all, of course, inquired about Zabuza's presence at the start of the meeting. They had quickly dropped the subject when Mei's eyes twitched at the subject. Now that things were drawing to a close, some wondered if they should ask again.

Mei waved her hand again with a sigh. "Thanks for the update. If there's nothing else, then you can all go. Just be sure to make sure you're not seen."

Some left, while others remained to speak amongst themselves for a moment. The twins approached Mei and watched her carefully.

"So... where is our fearless leader?"

Mei's eye twitched again and she blinked, turning to them with her full attention as her nails pressed into her arm. "As I said," She spoke through gritted teeth. "Zabuza is indisposed right now."

Meizu chuckled and tilted his head slightly. "Oh? So you don't know where he is after all."

"He's on a mission." Mei's brows furrowed deeper and she resumed drumming her fingers. "He'll be back when he's back."

"He's late. He's never missed a meeting before." Gozu's eyes narrowed. "It wouldn't have to do with the rumor I heard about him bringing along some 'apprentice' on this mission, would it?"

Anger flashed in Mei's eyes and she gripped her arm tightly. "What did you say?"

"She's probably just mad with jealousy at the thought that he's holed up in some brothel to escape her irritating mood swings." Meizu chuckled again. "Everyone's known for a while that those two are fu–"

Mei gripped his throat tightly and, in a single fluid motion, slammed him against the wall with a threatening heat forming in her throat. She smiled slightly as she held him in place and leaned in closely to whisper. "Shut up or I'll kill you."

"Now, now, let's not fight amongst ourselves." A dark-haired man approached with a smile and he looked at Mei. "We're all a bit on-edge lately since some Kiri-nin have been mysteriously disappearing on missions and the Swordsman Kisame has defected, but we shouldn't let that go to our heads."

"Shove it, Gengo." Mei shot him a glare, then loosened her grip on Meizu and crossed her arms. "I noticed you were uncharacteristically quiet today. Don't you have anything to report?"

Gengo laughed and then smiled, putting a hand on his hip. "No, nothing much to speak of." He waved and spoke to several ninja as they left until the building was primarily empty, then he turned to Mei. "Although, I did hear some interesting talk."

"Interesting how?" Mei frowned. While everyone else found Gengo to be utterly charismatic, she mostly thought he was annoying, always putting on a show when speaking. While he had gotten them more allies, Mei could not fully trust him.

Gengo took a step closer to her so that she felt his breath on her face as he whispered. "That there may be a traitor in our ranks."

Mei's eyes widened slightly and she raised her brow. "Oh? What makes you think that?"