Mei Terumi, Rogue Ninja

Above the Land of Whirlpools, the barrier between Konoha and Kirigakure.

As night fell, leaving Shadow Clone, Uchiha Yoruro his true form, wearing a mask, and secretly arrived at the forest outside the city.

In the dark forest, Mei Terumi leaned against a large tree, panting heavily. Her body was covered in injuries as she looked at the ninjas surrounding her and gritted her teeth, revealing her anger.

"Mei Terumi, you, Mist Ninja, betrayed the village by selling out its information. The Fourth Mizukage has ordered the retrieval of your body."

Suddenly, the Mist Ninja from the same village turned against them, and judging from the situation, it was clear that these were not ordinary Mist Ninja, but rather Pursuit Squad from within the village.

"Damn it, what evidence of betraying village information?!"

Mei Terumi shouted weakly, unwilling to accept her fate. In truth, she knew that since the Mizukage had truly given this order, she had no chance to explain. So, she was simply stalling for time.

"Evidence? Both pieces of intelligence you provided were traps set by Konoha, which resulted in the loss of over fifty ninjas on the village's front lines."

Mei Terumi was completely bewildered. She had infiltrated the village as Spy and reported all the intelligence she had discovered in detail, but now she was being accused of betraying the village and colluding with Konoha to set a trap.

Especially the sudden betrayal, the poison on the opponent's blade greatly reduced her fighting strength, and she was panting heavily as her eyes gradually turned cold.

She's not stupid; this situation clearly indicates she's been framed, or someone is secretly trying to kill her.

Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique

Suddenly, she exhaled a large amount of mist, and instantly, the sounds of fierce fighting rang out from the thick fog. At the same time, the powerful clash of Ninjutsu caused the trees in the forest to rumble and collapse continuously.

At the other end of the forest, two figures appeared on the treetops, calmly gazing at the thick fog rising from the forest in the distance. Both of them wore masks.

"Kid, this is Mei Terumi, the Kirigakure Mist Ninja Anbu Ninja ambushed you last time. Here's her information."

The larger one was Suikazan Fuguki. He showed no shame for betraying his own village's ninjas, instead coldly continuing, "This is our Mist Ninja's territory. Kisame Hoshigaki is my right-hand man. Right now, Konoha has sent Shin'nosuke Sarutobi, and I need more people. I'll send them to you in a while."

Their transactions during this period were simple: Mei Terumi would report the information she had gathered to her superior, while Suikazan Fuguki would then pass the information on to Uchiha Yoru.

The two conspired to devise a plan: Konoha would use information about Uchiha Yoru to ambush Mist Ninja. After several victories, Shin'nosuke Sarutobi but feel secretly pleased, which at least proved that Uchiha Yoru was very cooperative with him.

The fact that Suikazan Fuguki's plans were repeatedly thwarted by Konoha's ambushes clearly indicates an intelligence leak, and all signs point to Mei Terumi the source of the information.

After several losses, the evidence is now overwhelming, and all signs point to this genius of the Anbu. In addition, as the Kirigakure has developed a sense of rejection towards Kekkei Genkai ninjas, the Fourth Mizukage of the village naturally took the opportunity to label this Anbu genius Rogue Ninja.

As far as the Fourth Mizukage, or rather Obito, was concerned, he would be happy to see Kirigakure, the Teuchi. Naturally, he wouldn't stop them; on the contrary, he would likely encourage them.

Furthermore, Mei Terumi is currently just a genius and not yet a Kage Level powerhouse at her peak, the Kirigakure Genji weighed the pros and cons and ultimately chose to remain silent.

An Elite Jonin wasn't worth the risk, and that's how Mei Terumi was branded Rogue Ninja.

"Mei Terumi!"

Looking at the intelligence in his hand Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but slowly curl the corners of his mouth into a smile. He didn't care what the changes would bring; he only wanted what was in his own interest.

The intelligence report in his hand contained only basic information about Mei Terumi. Suikazan Fuguki, standing beside him, said in a deep voice, "Mei Terumi is a member of the village's Anbu. All her information has been sealed; this is all the intelligence we have."

The intelligence was so rudimentary that it only included a name, gender, and approximate age, along with the details of the Anbu's missions; there wasn't even a single photograph.

"When will my Great Sword: Samehada?!"

The eyes of the Suikazan Fuguki had revealed showed a Murderous Aura, clearly indicating that his patience was nearing its limit. In contrast, Uchiha Yoru calmly put the scroll in his pocket.

"The next time you give away Kisame Hoshigaki, Great Sword: Samehada will return to you."

Upon hearing this, Suikazan Fuguki immediately revealed a murderous intent. "Kid, my patience has its limits. Don't push me!"

"This is intelligence from within the towns of the Land of Whirlpools."

Faced with Suikazan Fuguki's rage, Uchiha Yoru calmly pulled out another piece of information he had prepared beforehand. He knew he couldn't just keep demanding; he had to give the other party a little something in return.

After obtaining all the information about Konoha, Suikazan Fuguki's anger subsided somewhat, but he still snorted coldly and put the information into his pocket after only glancing at it.

"Next time, I'll wait for you to bring Kisame Hoshigaki, and I'll bring my Great Sword: Samehada with me."

Uchiha Yoru spoke calmly, explaining that his elaborate scheme against Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki had two purposes.

The first objective was to test the waters against future Kage Level powerhouses: one was a key member of the Akatsuki, and the other was the future Fifth Mizukage.

So, these two are both supposedly people with Destiny. What would happen if he got involved and forced them to rebel? What would happen if he subdued them? He wanted to give it a try.

His second purpose was to leave himself a way out. After all, there was no turning back once he had done something, and if he failed in Konoha, he would face the prospect of fleeing to the Shinobi World.

As the saying goes, "Even a hero needs three helpers," and Xiaotian's group knew how to organize their forces, let alone him.

"Kid, I hope you won't disappoint me next time!"

Suikazan Fuguki revealed a cruel look in his eyes. He had already made up his mind that if the other party still wanted to use this to restrain him, then he would let this brat know the power of anger.

Uchiha Yoru also sneered inwardly. He was well aware that the cooperation between the two sides was inherently fragile, and the slightest carelessness could lead to a complete breakdown in relations.

"It seems your target has escaped."

As the two were talking, the thick fog in the distance gradually dissipated, and the sounds of fighting ceased. Instead, they saw in the distance the figures of the Mist Ninja chasing after the Anbu.

Seeing this, Suikazan Fuguki smiled coldly, while Uchiha Yoru shrugged and laughed indifferently, "It's alright, just leave the Kekkei Genkai ninja's body."

Between Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki, he preferred Kisame, the pure ninja. After all Mei Terumi was able to become the Fifth Mizukage, and her intellect and methods were extremely remarkable.

Subduing this person would be too much trouble, and he would also need to be wary of her in the future. So Mei Terumi were to be killed by the Mist Ninja, he would only need to collect her body.

"Cold-blooded brat."

Suikazan Fuguki said coldly, then added in a deep voice, "Recently, too many Kekkei Genkai ninjas have died or gone missing on the front lines, which has already attracted the attention of some people in the village."

It was clear that he had begun to lose interest in cooperating with Uchiha Yoru.

Uchiha Yoru shrugged and casually said, "It's alright. Just say that according to the investigation, we suspect we've discovered traces of Sannin, one of the Legendary Orochimaru."

After exchanging a glance, seeing Uchiha Yoru's mocking gaze, Suikazan Fuguki couldn't help but curse him inwardly as shameless.

They really do bring up their teacher whenever there's trouble. One reason is to intimidate him, implying that he has powerful backers, and the other is to use this as an excuse to appease the Hidden Kirigakure.

After all, the major ninja villages in the Shinobi World are aware of Orochimaru's situation. He is obsessed with the research of Forbidden Techniques and has conducted Human experimentation, so it is normal for him to appear on the battlefield to collect Kekkei Genkai ninjas.

A night breeze rustled through the treetops, and under the moonlight, the figure of Suikazan Fuguki gradually disappeared. Before leaving, he gave Uchiha Yoru a warning and ferocious look.

"Next time, I'll bring my Great Sword: Samehada!"

As the figure disappeared, Uchiha Yoru gazed at the bright moonlight, a smile appearing on his face as he murmured to himself, "Mei Terumi, what a pity. Let the heavens see if your fate is truly sealed."

"If you perish here, then in consideration of the Destiny you provided, I will collect your body. If you are not destined to die, I will try to see how much Destiny I can gain by subduing a future Mizukage."

A night breeze swept by, rustling the treetops, and the figure had long since vanished without a trace.

The sky was just beginning to lighten in the early morning, and a light mist still hung in the air in the woods.

"Hello? Hello, wake up, are you alright?"

A drop of dew fell between her brows. At the call of a familiar voice, Mei Terumi slowly opened her tired eyes. As her blurry vision gradually cleared, a familiar face appeared before her.

"Are you alright? You have so many injuries, and you were swept up by the river."

In Mei Terumi's eyes, the other person was clearly that hateful Uchiha Yoru's face. Just as she was about to make a move, she suddenly realized that she couldn't move even her fingers.

Beneath her stiff body and groggy mind, Mei Terumi quickly regained her composure. Looking at Uchiha Yoru's hateful face, she feigned a gentle smile, but she knew all too well his ruthlessness; she had nearly died at his hands twice.

"Me~"

With a hoarse voice, the pain from the sharp knife stinging her throat caused her immense suffering, while Uchiha Yoru feigned a gentle demeanor.

"You must have been caught up in the war as well; this is the cruel reality of war."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru had a gentle smile on his face as he sighed and spoke of the cruelty of war, but in Mei Terumi's eyes, it was a feeling of resentment. You almost stabbed me to death on the battlefield, twice at that.

"My name is Kōbe Yoru. Don't worry, my carriage is right next to me."

Kōbe Yoru?

Only then did Mei Terumi notice the difference in the other person's attire. Gone was the former flamboyance; beneath the simple ninja clothing, her hair was slightly curly, and her ninja sword was slung behind her back.

It's a complete transformation; there's also the so-called Kōbe Yoru that the other party mentioned!

In an instant Mei Terumi realized that Shin'nosuke Sarutobi had replaced the Uchiha on the front lines of Konoha, so it seemed that the Uchiha had been relegated to this place.

In an instant, she began to quickly analyze the current situation. She was now clearly listed as Rogue Ninja by the village. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a dull pain, but more than that, she was furious. She was determined to find out who had framed her.

"I... my name is Ming. Our caravan has been attacked."

With a weak voice, Mei Terumi managed to speak haltingly, and at the same time, she felt the mask on her face shatter during last night's battle, revealing her true appearance.

Instantly, a cold laugh rose in her heart. Kōbe Yoru! Even if you turned to ashes, I would still recognize you, Uchiha Yoru! You may not recognize me, but I certainly do.

"Don't speak yet, let me treat you first."

Kobe Kōbe Yoru showed a concerned smile, as if he were a kind person, and began to bandage the other person's wound.

What was their purpose in disguising themselves like that? And why did they save her? Was it because of her beauty? No.

Just as Mei Terumi was secretly guessing the other party's purpose, Kōbe Yoru, while bandaging her wounds, said softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm a blacksmith. I've heard that this place is rich in Fine Iron and Chakra Metal, so I've come here to buy some."

"By the way, are you from around here?"

Kōbe Yoru's seemingly casual question instantly made Mei Terumi realize that he wanted to find out if she was a local. If so, the other party wanted to use her identity to infiltrate the area without being suspected.

After instantly guessing the other party's thoughts, Mei Terumi said weakly and hoarsely, "I'm from Nishiyama Village, but our village was destroyed in the war some time ago."

As she spoke, a sadness crept onto her face, but she also saw a flicker of joy in Uchiha Yoru's eyes when he heard that she was a local.

Really!

"It's alright. Your injuries are quite serious, and you seem to have been poisoned as well. Let me help you to the carriage first."

Beneath Uchiha Yoru's gentle and kind smile, the two harbored ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Mei Terumi was severely injured and deeply poisoned, rendering her completely immobile. She could only pretend to be an injured ordinary person—that was her role.

Uchiha Yoru plays the role of a blacksmith who comes here to purchase Fine Iron and a little Chakra Metal.

In Mei Terumi's eyes, the other party needed to use her identity to infiltrate the city, and she also wanted to take this opportunity to hide herself and make plans after she recovered from her injuries.

Moreover, the other party clearly did not know his identity.

Mei Terumi feigned weakness, pretending to have fainted again, while Uchiha Yoru, observing Mei Terumi, had his own plans in mind.

The injuries are quite severe, but the inability to move is due to the toxins he extracted from his own body a few days ago—enough to give you a hard time.

The goal was to subdue the future Fifth Mizukage, but given that the latter was now Rogue Ninja and the chances were practically nonexistent, he was not someone as easily subdued as Guren.

Since you weren't destined to die, perhaps I can add you to the script I've carefully crafted this time. I've already set the stage, and I'm just waiting for the supporting characters to take the stage one by one. I hope you won't disappoint me.

He also wanted to see how many Luck Coins he could accumulate by subduing the Kage of the five future Five Great Ninja Villages.

I originally planned to release all my drafts this month on May 1st, but luckily I was selected by Yuewen. I didn't expect to be chosen at all.

I'll be going to Shanghai for a week-long training program at Yuewen from the 22nd to the 27th, but don't worry, thankfully I have this batch of drafts saved up, so updates will be normal.