Heat rose into the air as the lava's scorching temperature melted the snow into steam.
A cold wind swept past, scattering the steam. At that moment, three people were confronting one another in the forest.
Su Xiao glanced at Mei Terumi. Mei Terumi was a traditional ninja. Although her taijutsu was not weak, she relied on ninjutsu in battle and specialized in mid-range attacks.
As for the white-haired man standing before Mei Terumi, he had once been Su Xiao's cellmate. His name was Hozuki Zangetsu.
When Su Xiao first arrived in the Naruto World, he had been in a prison in Kirigakure Village, charged with attempting to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
Back then, Hozuki Zangetsu had been locked in the cell next to Su Xiao's. He was a hardliner from Kirigakure Village and a former subordinate of the Fourth Mizukage, while Mei Terumi represented the peace faction. Thus, Hozuki Zangetsu had assassinated Mei Terumi. Because Chojuro had desperately protected her, the assassination failed, and Hozuki Zangetsu was imprisoned afterward.
Originally, Su Xiao had thought that Mei Terumi had executed Hozuki Zangetsu. Now, it seemed that was not the case. Hozuki Zangetsu's loyalty was not to the Fourth Mizukage, but to Kirigakure Village. Mei Terumi understood this as well, so she announced to the outside world that Hozuki Zangetsu had died, while actually sparing his life.
Hozuki Zangetsu did not care whether Mei Terumi had spared him, nor would he become loyal to her because of it. However, after Mei Terumi took power, the situation in Kirigakure Village had indeed begun to improve. At the very least, the infighting had stopped, although the method used to end it had been somewhat bloody, killing more than sixty percent of the hardliners.
After noticing the changes in Kirigakure Village, as well as Mei