Mei Terumi

[Fifth Hokage Tsunade:]

[An emergency situation has been reported to your village...]

Mei Terumi picked up her pen and began writing almost without hesitation.

In this emergency, she didn't bother with beating around the bush or putting effort into crafting her words. She simply told Tsunade in the most straightforward language that Akatsuki had also come looking for the Three-Tails, that the Mist Ninja couldn't hold out any longer, and that they needed reinforcements.

Mizukage Mei Terumi is a bachelor, and Xin's tone is also very bachelor-like.

No way.

The Mist Ninja currently only has so much resources; injuring even one of them would be enough to make the Mizukage grieve for a long time. Moreover, given the Akatsuki's strength, if Mei Terumi doesn't personally intervene, the other Mist Ninja will simply die as many as they go.

Mei Terumi finished writing the letter, she was about to fold it up when she glanced at Chojuro, who was fast asleep on the bed. Her heart softened, and she added a sentence at the end of the letter.

[We have important personnel who are wounded and whose injuries are difficult to treat. We earnestly request your medical support...]

That's fine then.

Mei Terumi signed a few large, elegant characters at the end, then folded it up and handed it to Ao, who was waiting nearby.

The woman watched as Qing took the letter and hurriedly left, and couldn't help but sigh.

When Mei Terumi was the only conscious person left in the ward, even this strong leader of the Mist Ninja couldn't help but reveal a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

Mei Terumi leaned against the window, gazing at the setting sun outside, lost in thought.

She wasn't worried about whether Konoha would send reinforcements.

Based on Mei Terumi's understanding of Tsunade, that woman has a strong sense of the big picture; she wouldn't just stand by and watch Akatsuki capture the Three-Tails just to see the Mist Ninja suffer a setback.

She will definitely send help.

Mei Terumi's only concern was Chojuro's problem.

Konoha had no obligation to help the Mist Ninja treat their wounded.

"Tsunade... would she really be that kind?"

Mei Terumi clutched the beads on the curtain, murmuring to herself, her mind replaying the woman's temperament.

She only interacted with the Fifth Hokage once.

The only time the two met was a few months earlier, during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Mei Terumi recalled the scene from that time.

During that month, the so-called exams were just a side event; the real highlight was that the shadows of the three villages gathered together under the pretext of the exams to seriously discuss the alliance.

When Tsunade entered Konoha, the first impression she left on Mei Terumi was her face, which looked far too young for her age.

As a woman approaching her thirties, Mei Terumi's eyes nearly popped out when she first saw Tsunade's youthful and beautiful face; fortunately, what made her feel very balanced was that Tsunade was already over fifty and still single.

Hmph, no matter how pretty you are or how well you take care of yourself, you still can't find a man.

She felt a pang of jealousy, thinking sourly.

Of course, as the Mizukage, Mei Terumi's understanding of Tsunade would not be limited to such a superficial level as "a very well-maintained, ageless old woman".

In fact, Tsunade's clear thinking, flexible methods, and shameless politician side left a deeper impression on Mei Terumi.

The reason for this is that Tsunade forcefully rejected all of Mei Terumi's demands during the alliance negotiation meeting. In particular, her suggestion to bring back Yuki Haku and the Yuzuki Terumi family, along with other former Kirigakure Mist Ninja, to Kirigakure was ruthlessly dismissed by Tsunade, leaving no room for negotiation.

"One Ice Release ninja per village," "Yuki has been a member of Mist Ninja since ancient times"...

Mei Terumi argued her case so forcefully at the time.

Tsunade bluntly stated: Since you can't retain talent in the Bloody Mist and have allowed the Yuki and Terumi Clan members to join Konoha, then it's impossible to "return" them.

As for the saying "since ancient times"... Hmph, only strong villages have the weight to say that. Weak villages should just obediently "set aside their disputes"!

A barrage of sharp retorts and veiled sarcasm left Mei Terumi speechless.

The Mizukage still vividly remembers the slightly disdainful look on Tsunade.

However, the ignorance and darkness within the Bloody Mist, and the current weakness of the Hidden Kirigakure, are also facts. Being looked down upon by the Hokage, Mei Terumi could only bite her lip in despair.

Speechless.

Zabuza's body, with Haku's consent, was moved back to Kirigakure; the Kubikiribōchō was also returned—these two items had already been taken back to Konoha after Sakura Haruno and Orochimaru's battle in the Land of Waves (Chapter 1). Tsunade is very sensitive about "people," but quite generous about Ninja Blade; she made appropriate concessions after firmly rejecting the Mizukage's first two demands.

Of course, the Kubikiribōchō's performance was rather mediocre; a Ninja Blade with no other merits besides self-repair, the Lord Hokage didn't care much for it.

Moreover, the design of the Kubikiribōchō is too unconventional, and with such a large blade, Konoha cannot find a ninja who can wield it.

It's really a useless product.

Mei Terumi took more than just the Kubikiribōchō from Konoha.

She also brought back a large amount of medical equipment, including bandages, hemostatic patches, disinfectant patches, and even scrolls containing medical surgical procedures.

Tsunade even opened Konoha's medical-nin training institution, disseminating some advanced medical technologies; in return, Mist Ninja paid an equal price, including passing on a nearly lost core technology— Ninja Blade forging techniques—to Konoha.

Of all the costs, the heaviest was not these precious technologies, nor the Yuki and Terumi people.

Instead, Kirigakure abandoned its isolated overseas location and relative independence from other countries.

They chose to join the Konoha's war machine, to join the Ninja Village Alliance, and to fight together against the dangerous Akatsuki.

Mei Terumi did not have the misconception that the affairs of the mainland were irrelevant to her just because Kirigakure was easy to defend and had a unique geographical advantage.

Although she was a woman, as the village's leader, she possessed all the necessary magnanimity and vision.

In the long run, this is the most advantageous thing for the Mist Ninja to do.

Mei Terumi never expected that the benefits of the alliance would become apparent so quickly, and that she would be able to utilize the strength of her allies so soon.

She was not pleased with her foresight.

--The Mizukage preferred that Konoha's support be completely ignored in the capture of the Three-Tails.

"Waaah..."

Mei Terumi was deep in thought, a groan from her hospital bed suddenly interrupted her reverie.

Where... am I?

Chojuro's hoarse and weak voice came from the bed.

You're awake.

The woman smiled with delight, stepped forward, took Chojuro's scarred hand, and said softly, "Don't worry, this is a village. You're safe now."

"Mizukage... Lady..." Upon seeing Mei Terumi, he was somewhat excited, gripping her hand tightly, and said haltingly, "It's Sasori of the Red Sand... and Kisame...!"

"Chōjūrō has already told me about those things," Mei Terumi sighed. "Since Akatsuki has also gotten involved in the Three-Tails' matter, it's beyond our control. I've already written to Tsunade for help."

"Kuro, don't worry."

Chojuro breathed a sigh of relief, and his body, which had been strained to straighten up, immediately collapsed onto the bed.

"Very good..."

After a moment of silence, Mei Terumi suddenly asked, "How did you escape? And Kisame should be dead by now!"

A few months ago, Konoha reported that Akatsuki had fought with the Konoha Anbu escorting the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki —namely, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke— while they were retrieving her.

The message shared from Konoha clearly stated that Sakura Haruno had already defeated Kisame Hoshigaki.

Sakura Haruno... Mei Terumi certainly remembered this Ice Release ninja who had fought alongside her not long ago. She believed that the Konoha girl wouldn't lie.

So, who exactly is that Kisame?

"He is indeed dead," Chojuro said weakly. "So what I'm facing is... a puppet with Kisame's appearance and Ninjutsu."

Mei Terumi was slightly taken aback.

"Human Puppet?" she quickly realized and asked in a deep voice.

"That's probably it..." Chojuro nodded with difficulty, "That puppet has at least seventy or eighty percent of Kisame's strength."

However, a puppet is not a living person.

No matter how well Sasori manipulates his Kisame's power in life, nor can he control Water Release with the same ease and mastery. A Wind Release puppeteer paired with Water Release Human Puppet would be formidable in both offense and defense in direct combat, but against Chojuro, who is focused on stalling for time and then making his escape, he becomes somewhat unpredictable.

It's amazing that Chojuro barely escaped with his life.

"Turning teammates into Human Puppet...?"

Mei Terumi narrowed her eyes slightly, walked to the door, and snorted coldly, "Just like Akatsuki's style."

"Alright, I understand. From now on, you should rest well and recover from your injuries, Chojuro. Hmm?"

She waited a moment, but received no response from Chojuro.

Mei Terumi turned her head with a puzzled look and saw Chojuro struggling to sit up, stubbornly looking at her.

"Mizukage," the man asked in a low voice, a shadow of unease hidden in his eyes, "Does this mean... I'll never be able to be a ninja again?"

Mei Terumi's gaze unconsciously fell on Chojuro's empty trouser leg.

It is very difficult for a disabled person to become a ninja.

She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet Chojuro's dim gaze, which held a hint of hope.

"Don't worry about your injury, we'll heal you."

Mei Terumi turned and left.

His movements were somewhat clumsy.

In the ward where the woman was away, there was a deathly silence, with only the patient's heavy breathing remaining.

Konoha.

The letter from the Mist Ninja requesting reinforcements has not yet arrived.

--In fact, when Sakura Haruno, Naruto, and Sasuke finished lunch and arrived at Training Ground No. 9, Chojuro was still leading the Mist Ninja Anbu in their first search.

Therefore, before setting off for the Land of Water, the three of them had some time to do pre-mission training and practice.

The most basic requirement for so-called "training together" is to understand your teammates' fighting styles and new special moves.

For example--

"Mangekyō Sharingan awakened!"

"Secret Technique - Susanoo!"

Sasuke could now use these two techniques with ease, and naturally, a purple giant nearly a hundred meters tall was formed.

Wow!

The imposing, massive body and the oppressive aura of Chakra caused Naruto to involuntarily take a step back in surprise and exclaim in astonishment.

"I told you before, the Sharingan evolves into the Mangekyō Sharingan..." Sasuke leaped onto the giant's shoulder, looking down at Naruto with a slight smile, "So, this is the power of the Mangekyō."

"Amazing..." Naruto looked up at Sasuke, his head held high, speechless with shock.

"That's not all!" Sakura Haruno patted Naruto and laughed, "Based on Susanoo, Sasuke can unleash even stronger forms and Ninjutsu. Even if you mastered the Six-Tails' Tailed Beast form now, you'd still be no match for him!"

"But we'll talk about that later. I'll show you my new strength too!"

"Isn't it just Sage Mode?" Naruto scoffed.

"Hmph."

The girl shook her head, pulled a scroll from her bosom, waved it at Naruto, and smiled mysteriously, "Wait a moment..."

What is she going to do?

Naruto frowned, somewhat puzzled, as Sakura Haruno mysteriously disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

You'll find out soon enough.

Sasuke jumped down from the purple giant's shoulder and said calmly.

His Mangekyō Sharingan possessed exceptional perception, and he quickly spotted two slender, shadowy figures emerging from the shadows of the forest.

"She's here."

[That's all for today, I went out for nothing. I owe ten updates, and I haven't paid back the chapters I owed for the donations last month either, so starting tomorrow I'll be writing in a dark room to make up for the missed chapters.]