Kill the Envoy!
The Suikazan Harisenbon died a swift and decisive death.
Sakura Haruno's final thrust was incredibly fast, giving her opponent no time to react. In its last moments, the Harisenbon didn't even have time to struggle effectively, merely futilely pressing down on Sakura's shoulder before being pierced through the heart.
Seeing the Harisenbon die a gruesome death beneath its opponent, the expressions of the Mist Ninja present were rather grim.
Although the Harisenbon is not as strong as his brother, the previous holder of Samehada, he is still considered one of the best Jonin in Mist Ninja. There are not many ninjas standing here who are confident that they can defeat him!
They lost so easily...
Even Mei Terumi's eyes flickered a few times. Although Suikazan Harisenbon was a staunch opponent and she wished he would die sooner, he was still Mist Ninja. To be killed so easily by Konoha ninja made her lose face.
Moreover, the Fifth Mizukage knew very well that the girl on the sidelines was actually Ninjutsu -type ninja, yet she defeated her opponent with slashing techniques! Even if she inherited Tsunade's Monstrous Strength, it was still beyond her expectations that the Suikazan Harisenbon was defeated so easily.
Has the gap between Mist Ninja and Konoha grown that large?
She stared intently at the battle scene below, her mind racing. In an instant, many thoughts surged through her mind, including the idea of killing this Konoha envoy, but she suppressed them one by one.
Pakura exchanged a glance with her, her eyes flickering with a questioning look at Mei Terumi. The Suikazan Clan had lost a high-ranking ninja, putting them in disarray. It was time to begin their mission. They would use the pretext of a meeting to distract the opposition, while Pakura and the others would stab them in the back!
The Fifth Mizukage glanced left and right, making a decision in an instant.
She nodded, about to speak aloud, when her pupils suddenly contracted as she looked at the Grand Elder opposite her!
The Grand Elder looked extremely pale. He had thought that even if the Suikazan Harisenbon didn't defeat its opponent, it would at least have the upper hand. He never expected that it would be killed in just a few moves!
"Useless!" he cursed inwardly, his face darkening, but his mind was perfectly clear, and he didn't hesitate for a moment—the plan couldn't be abandoned because of this!
He suddenly raised his hand high and shouted angrily, "Attack!"
At a command, several ninjas suddenly jumped out onto the field, their Chakra surging and their mouths bulging!
Mei Terumi Chakra startled and instantly raised her chakra, using the defensive Ninjutsu "Water Release: Water Formation Wall" to protect herself and her trusted confidants!
But she guessed wrong.
The enemy who suddenly attacked was not targeting her, but rather Sakura Haruno on the field!
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire!" "Lightning Release: False Darkness!" "Water Release: Water Gun Cannon!"
Four powerful Ninjutsu instantly enveloped the entire area: a raging wind bullet, a blazing fireball, leaping lightning, and rapidly shooting water droplets completely blocked Sakura Haruno's escape routes, forcing her to take the enemy's attacks head-on!
"Damn it!" Mei Terumi's eyes suddenly turned cold; she had already guessed the Grand Elder's plan!
She frantically channeled her Chakra, moving the Water Formation Wall onto the field in an attempt to stop their attack; but it was too late. She could only manage to block the Water Gun Cannon and could only watch helplessly as the remaining powerful Ninjutsu bombarded Sakura Haruno!
Pakura's eyes widened in fury. The enemy had timed it perfectly, choosing the exact moment Sakura Haruno killed the Harisenbon, when everyone was surprised and somewhat relaxed! Even Mei Terumi herself probably couldn't stop so many high-level Ninjutsu in this situation...
A Chakra- infused ice blade shot out from below the field, severing the weakest Lightning Release. Its remaining force propelled it into the air, its destination unknown. The remaining fireballs and wind projectiles, however, were now unavoidable!
Sakura Haruno remained indifferent, watching the two Ninjutsu attacks approach and envelop her completely without flinching or dodging, standing quietly.
Chakra circulates rapidly--
Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!
With a deafening boom, two extremely powerful Ninjutsu exploded on the field, sending gusts of wind and waves of heat surging outwards. Only a huge crater remained on the field, and the girl's figure had vanished without a trace.
Fragments of the long knife and charred bits of flesh and bone were scattered all over the ground.
"Dead?" The ninjas watching from the sidelines were immediately stunned!
If Konoha Ninja dies in a fair fight that she herself proposed, then there is room for argument; but in this case, she died from a premeditated sneak attack!
"Shattered to pieces!" The Grand Elder sneered, and with two powerful Release Techniques, everything on the field was reduced to ashes!
Mei Terumi closed her eyes slightly, lost in thought.
Her trembling eyelids hinted at her turbulent emotions.
After a long while, she opened her eyes, her sharp, knife-like gaze fixed on the old man, and asked, "Elder, what are you doing?"
"Lord Mizukage, can't you see? I'm helping everyone make a decision!" The First Elder spoke politely, but without any real respect, calmly saying, "If we kill the Konoha envoy, we'll only have the option of becoming enemies of Konoha left, and then there'll be no need for everyone to argue!"
The Mist Ninja were in an uproar, and even many ninjas who supported the Elder's faction were somewhat doubtful: they supported closing the country's borders and biding their time, not offending Konoha!
"Are you courting death...?" The Fifth Mizukage clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her tone icy cold, a murderous aura erupting from her. A whirlwind of Chakra swept around her, ready for battle at any moment!
"Hehehe, Fifth Mizukage, are you sure you want to make an enemy of the Suikazan Clan at this time?" The First Elder chuckled coldly, waving his hand to Mei Terumi's actions. "If that happens, the Mist Ninja will be plagued by internal strife and powerful enemies from the outside. Their destruction is just around the corner!"
He revealed a vicious smile, "Are you sure you want to let Kirigakure and the Land of Water perish for the sake of an outsider, Lord Mizukage!"
The true intentions are revealed when the true story is unleashed!
This was the Grand Elder's plan.
It's simple and brutal, but killing the messenger, whether in this world or in Sakura's previous life, is an effective way to make someone make up their mind...
The elder waved his hand, and a group of ninjas, scattered across the audience, stood up and walked over to him.
The situation on the field instantly became clear: all the die-hard loyalists of the Suikazan lineage stood on the side of the Grand Elder. In addition to his clansmen and relatives, this also included the ninjas who had been secretly recruited by the Grand Elder. At this moment, they all openly declared their stance!
On the other side were the ninjas who supported the Fifth Mizukage, and their numbers were even greater than those on the other side.
The remaining ninjas, however, did not have a clear stance, and they happened to be the most numerous, making up more than half! The existence of these people was one of the reasons why Mei Terumi dared not use too harsh and ruthless methods to attack the Suikazan faction: she needed to win their approval.
At this moment, these neutral ninjas, while emotionally and instinctively supporting the Mizukage, were rationally swayed by the elder's words.
The fact that Konoha's envoy died in full view of everyone means that Mist Ninja has completely broken with Konoha!
At this point, it's pointless to hold one's own people accountable for the sake of an enemy's messenger...
The Fifth Mizukage's policy of peaceful opening up was declared a failure!
Mei Terumi's face was ashen, her expression constantly shifting.
She stared at the ninjas beside the Grand Elder, uttering names one after another. "Haruta, Kabaka, Yuchi... Madoka, you've all become his lackeys!"
Mei Terumi had long known that the Suikazan Clan's influence had extended to every corner of Mist Ninja, but she hadn't expected that even key personnel had been won over by them...
They actually stood up so brazenly... Mei Terumi coldly stared at these people, thinking to herself, "It seems the Suikazan Clan wants to settle everything here and now, and they're not afraid of her settling scores later!"
After a while, no more ninjas stepped forward from the audience, and the number of people on both sides was about the same.
At this moment, the elder, who had been keeping a straight face, finally revealed a satisfied smile.
Although it was a bit risky to expose all their strength and hidden pieces at once, the plan went very smoothly, and everything proceeded as they had anticipated!
The number of ninjas on his side was enough to make the Mizukage hesitate to act rashly.
Even if Mei Terumi is incredibly powerful, she can't possibly suppress so many ninjas on her side. If she were to forcibly take down the Suikazan Clan, the battle would become protracted, inevitably leading to internal strife among the Mist Ninja. A fragmented Mist Ninja be unable to withstand the watchful eyes of Konoha, resulting in its demise... Mei Terumi's personality, she would absolutely not make such a choice!
Therefore, Mei Terumi had no choice but to tolerate what had happened and compromise with them...
The Grand Elder pondered in his heart.
On the other hand.
After a moment of reflection, the neutral ninjas present realized that the Fifth Mizukage's policies had completely failed, and the village could only continue down the path of the Great Elder's policy of isolationism.
The Grand Elder gave Mei Terumi a cold glance. Their plan went far beyond this! Forcing the Mizukage to admit what they had done was only the first step; the second step was to completely resolve the Mizukage's problem...
As he was thinking this, he opened his mouth to continue, but then he saw Mei Terumi, whose face had been tense, suddenly reveal a faint smile.
The Grand Elder's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding arose within him!
Did something unexpected happen?
"I was just racking my brains trying to figure out how to capture you all without missing a single one..." She smiled faintly, a hint of dangerous murderous intent in her smile, "But I didn't expect you to actually step forward and expose yourselves! Now, I don't need to come up with any messy plans, nor do I need to deal with you with my hands tied!"
The elder's eyes widened immediately. "You, what?"
"I've long since grown tired of these ridiculous plans..." Mei Terumi's Chakra surged as she clenched her fist and said coldly, "I'm going to unleash my power here and crush you all in one fell swoop!"
"You... you've disregarded the bigger picture!"
Mei Terumi sneered. Who was really disregarding the bigger picture? She said coldly, "Elder Suikazan, you've misjudged two things. First, you misjudged my strength... Did you really think this rabble could hold me back? I only tolerated you multiple times because I wanted to deal with you in the most damaging way possible for the Mist Ninja, not because I'm truly afraid of you!"
Her Chakra surged wildly, her long, wine-red hair flew high, and for the first time, she fully displayed the Mizukage's power in front of everyone!
The aura, as deep and unfathomable as a prison, caused the Grand Elder to take a step back, a chill running down his spine; at that moment, he finally understood how Mei Terumi had killed Karatachi Yagura!
It wasn't as those scoundrels imagined—that he could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers...
"So this is what a 'Kage' level ninja is like..." he murmured.
"The second thing you misjudged," she said, looking at the Grand Elder and the ninjas behind them as if they were a bunch of chickens and dogs, "Was the strength of Konoha's envoy, Sakura Haruno."
"Could it be...?" someone uttered in disbelief.
"Yes, she is also a Kage-level ninja." The Fifth Mizukage said calmly. From the fleeting glimpse of the battle just now, she could tell that this girl possessed energy no less than her own!
Mei Terumi turned her gaze to the area outside the arena, to the direction she had carefully explored when she closed her eyes earlier.
There, a pure and sharp Chakra quality resonated with her from afar.
Mei Terumi nodded.
A streak of silvery water shot out from that direction!
(First update! Guaranteed 1 update. I'm going to the hospital this afternoon, I'll write more when I get back tonight, so only two updates this time.)
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