Terumi Mei

"Two are standing in the trees, and two are hiding in the bushes. Judging by their Chakra, one of them is a Jonin. I've confirmed there are no sensory ninja, and we haven't been spotted."

After getting the intel from Hyuga Hane, Kushina charged straight ahead.

The others followed.

Under the Byakugan, the Mist Village Ninja's positions were clear.

One Jonin. Why be so cautious?

A golden figure flashed by. The Jonin lasted only a few seconds before the frenzied Kushina wrapped him in Adamantine Sealing Chains and slammed him into the ground. He stopped breathing.

His three subordinates watched their leader get killed in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, they scattered in three directions, hoping Kushina wouldn't come after them.

"Three o'clock. Ten o'clock."

After calling out two directions, Hyuga Hane vanished from where he stood to take down the fastest runner. Kakashi charged toward one of the others with his blade in hand, while Yakumaru had already formed his hand seals.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

As if he had run straight into it, the Mist Village Ninja was swallowed by the massive fireball, becoming a charred corpse.

"That's the first time I've seen a ninja taken out by a Great Fireball. He was a Genin, right?" Yakumaru clicked his tongue, looking a little bemused.

The Shadow Guard had completely overwhelmed them. Fighting such weaklings was no fun.

"One Jonin, one Chunin, and two Genin."

Hyuga Hane returned with the Mist Village Chunin still alive and tossed him to Yakumaru. "Use Genjutsu to question him. We should be able to get some intel on this area."

Yakumaru looked at him in surprise, then thoughtfully did as he was told.

So this was experience. Hyuga Hane and the Uchiha must have worked together many times on the Mist Village Battlefield. They killed their enemies outright, while the others had left this one alive as soon as they saw an Uchiha in the squad.

"..." Kushina blinked, looked at the Jonin she had killed, then at the Genin Kakashi and Uchiha Yakumaru had taken out. She nodded as if nothing had happened. "Hane really thought this through."

Outnumbered and facing the enemy—she certainly wasn't the one who'd made a mistake!

Kakashi rubbed his left eye and watched the Chunin under Yakumaru's control, his gaze flickering.

"The troops in this area are commanded by Lord Yagura. Among the Jonin, there's Hozuki... and Jonin Terumi Mei."

"Terumi Mei. Yagura."

Muttering the two names, Uchiha Yakumaru finished off the Chunin with a Kunai. "I remember they're both elite Jonin of the Mist Village, right?"

"That's right. Yagura is also well known in the Mist Village, and he might become the next Mizukage," Hyuga Hane said quietly.

Yagura, huh...

"They sound like two worthy opponents," Yakumaru said with a grin.

"Enough. Get ready, and let's continue the mission."

Seeing that the Chunin had known some useful intel, Kushina felt a little guilty about killing the enemy Jonin outright. She cleared her throat and let Kakashi and Yakumaru take the lead, then slowed down to fall back alongside Hyuga Hane.

Once Kakashi and Yakumaru had gotten some distance away, Kushina spoke up.

"If you have any suggestions when we run into enemies again, let me know beforehand."

"Didn't you serve as a Jonin instructor? Learning what each team member can do, then imagining situations where they can make the most of their abilities, is the bare minimum..."

Seeing Kushina's brow twitch and Chakra roil around her, Hyuga Hane's mouth twitched. He said nothing more.

Got it. She'd probably only claimed she'd served as a Jonin instructor offhandedly, or she hadn't met the average standard for one.

When Hyuga Hane fell silent, Kushina pouted.

She had served as a Jonin instructor, but with Anbu guarding her at all times, had she ever felt like figuring out this sort of thing?

Her habit was to take out the enemy first...

She was this excited today because there were no Anbu watching her!

For the first time in over a decade!

As Hyuga Hane and the others continued their mission, the Mist Village forces in the area dwindled rapidly. After noticing something was amiss, two squads ran into each other.

"Six ninja ahead. All Jonin! There's a sensory ninja with them, and they're approaching." Hyuga Hane suddenly sped up and moved in front of the others.

"An elite squad," Yakumaru said with a grin. "Looks like we'll get a proper fight. Give me two."

Ignoring him, Hyuga Hane turned to Kushina. "The one leading them is Terumi Mei. She has the Kekkei Genkai Lava Style and Boil Style, both with extremely powerful attacks."

As he spoke, several specially made Kunai appeared in his hand. He threw them in different directions.

"Leave her to me," Kushina said with a smile, her whole body glowing with golden light.

With sensory ninja on both sides, they met quickly. A kilometer vanished in the blink of an eye.

Not long after Hyuga Hane had warned them, the other squad was already only three hundred meters away. They could see each other.

"Red hair, that intense Chakra... and there are Hyuga and Uchiha ninja with her..."

Terumi Mei spotted the squad approaching from afar, and her pupils contracted.

The Uzumaki Clan? The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?

Thinking this, she turned to one of the ninja beside her, her expression grave.

"Fire a distress signal at once!"

Her subordinate didn't hesitate and launched a flare into the sky.

"She's cautious. We'll have to end this quickly."

Kushina frowned. Chains emerged from her back and lashed toward the enemy ninja.

They had already ventured a little too deep. There were no reinforcements here.

They had Hyuga Hane's Flying Thunder God as a safeguard and didn't need reinforcements, but this was the first big fish they'd encountered. They had to catch her.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Terumi Mei retreated, her expression turning grave.

A Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, and the legendary strongest one at that—the Nine-Tails... How many exchanges could she manage against her as she was now?

Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!

She didn't dwell on it for long. Terumi Mei's expression quickly returned to calm, and she exhaled white acidic mist that gradually spread.

The others withdrew from the area as quickly as possible. Kushina relied on the Tailed Beast's power to remain inside for a moment, but soon retreated from the area shrouded in acidic mist, her expression growing more serious.

In that brief moment, the mist had already eaten through the golden Chakra Cloak around her. If she stayed any longer, her body would be attacked.

The acidic mist was extremely corrosive.

After sparing that side only a glance, Hyuga Hane focused on the five Jonin across from him.

Terumi Mei hadn't reached her peak yet, and against Kushina at the height of her strength, she had little chance of winning. There was no need to worry about her.

"Take them out quickly. We don't have much time."

At that, Uchiha Yakumaru stopped talking about dividing up the enemies. He pulled out a scroll and unfurled it, then took out an assortment of Shuriken and Kunai connected by wires.

Kakashi also opened the Sharingan in his left eye.

"Hah? You think you can beat us? You three brats..."

The Jonin couldn't finish. His body stiffened, and he crumpled to the ground.

The four Mist Village Jonin watched Hyuga Hane, who had appeared behind him without them noticing, and retreated in disbelief.

Hyuga Hane silently picked up the Flying Thunder God Kunai on the ground and vanished again.

It was hard to set an effective trap when you ran into the enemy by chance, but Flying Thunder God made it possible.