Do You Think the Mizukage Is Still Sane?

Chapter 47: Do You Think the Mizukage... Is Still Sane?

With the last Jonin dying at Kakashi's hands to his Chidori, the elite squad was wiped out.

Only Terumi Mei remained. Kushina had bound her up like a dumpling with Adamantine Sealing Chains, leaving her unable to form Hand Seals as she glared at them with hatred.

"Sealing Jutsu..."

Ignoring her glare, Kushina formed Hand Seals and used Sealing Jutsu to seal Terumi Mei's ability to mold Chakra. Only then did she withdraw the Adamantine Sealing Chains binding her.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hane looked around at the trees that had been almost completely destroyed. Chakra gathered at his fingertips as he stepped forward and used Tenketsu Strike.

Better to be extra cautious.

"Yakumaru, put her under Genjutsu. You know what to do."

Uchiha Yakumaru's eyes lit up. He met Terumi Mei's gaze with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. When Kushina looked over, he explained, "I planted a suggestion in her mind. If she tries to kill herself, she'll fall into a Genjutsu."

"..."

Kushina looked at Terumi Mei's pitch-black expression and patted her shoulder with a smile.

"It's all right. You couldn't even break free of my Sealing Jutsu, so don't worry about the techniques they used on you."

Feeling that she couldn't gather even a trace of Chakra, Terumi Mei said coldly, "Konoha's always had plenty of prodigies."

She glanced at the three youths before her. They were all around her age, or even younger, yet they had easily taken down her five Jonin comrades.

But anyone assigned to protect a Jinchuriki couldn't be weak. She had been prepared for that.

"Did Konoha send you here because it intends to fight us to the death?"

"If your Third Mizukage hadn't gone mad, this war would've been over long ago." Kushina rolled her eyes, walked over, and picked Terumi Mei up before heading back with the others.

"All right, you can tell Minato whatever you want when we get back. You must know plenty of Kirigakure's secrets."

Powerful shinobi like Terumi Mei often placed Cursed Seals on themselves to encrypt certain information. Ordinary interrogation with Genjutsu wouldn't get them much, so it was better to hand her over to the experts from the Yamanaka Clan.

Terumi Mei's heart sank. She wanted to use a hidden method to kill herself, but remembering what the Uchiha shinobi had just said, she forced herself to abandon the idea and looked at Hyuga Hane.

The immense pressure of facing Kushina had kept her from seeing the fight between the others and her comrades. But after their brief encounter, this youth had left the deepest impression on her.

The Hyuga Clan knew the Uchiha well, and he could make expert use of his comrade's abilities. More than Kushina, he seemed like the leader of this team... Why had she never heard of him before?

"Since you've joined the battlefield, you must be from the Hyuga Branch Family, right? I heard the Hyuga Clan changed the Caged Bird Technique. We never even captured that Main Branch member, yet they're already so nervous. Looks like they really do want to enslave you for generations..."

Slap!

Kushina struck Terumi Mei across the face, her expression dark. "Shut up. Hane isn't a slave!"

"Minato will change things for the Hyuga."

Uchiha Yakumaru's Sharingan, which he had put away, appeared again as he glared at Terumi Mei. But when he noticed Hyuga Hane looking over, he averted his eyes and muttered, "You're an opponent I respect. A prisoner like her has no right to insult you."

Hyuga Hane nodded. "Thanks."

Uchiha Yakumaru's mouth had just begun to curve upward when Hyuga Hane's next words made it droop again.

"But I'd never fall for such an obvious attempt by the enemy to drive a wedge between us."

Hyuga Hane spoke slowly. "She has two Kekkei Genkai, yet her village has thrown her onto the battlefield as cannon fodder. And she's still trying to sow discord here. How loyal."

Terumi Mei's gaze sharpened. Ignoring the burning pain in her face, she said in a low voice, "Who are you calling cannon fodder?"

"Obviously, you," Uchiha Yakumaru said, putting his frustration aside to join in against their enemy. "Your Mizukage clearly doesn't care whether any of you live or die. Konoha is fighting three shinobi villages at once and hasn't fallen behind. Do you really think Kirigakure can win on its own? You can't be that stupid, can you?"

"She isn't stupid. She just has hopes she doesn't want to give up," Hyuga Hane said, shaking his head.

"..."

Terumi Mei glared at Hyuga Hane and Uchiha Yakumaru, etching both their faces into her memory. In a low voice, she said, "Kirigakure will win."

The rest of the journey passed in silence. No one spoke again until...

"Kirigakure shinobi are surrounding us. There are a lot of them. They must have been drawn here by the signal flare she launched earlier."

Hyuga Hane's eyes flashed as he spoke to the others. "I'll use Flying Thunder God to send you back."

"Okay." Kushina nodded. Terumi Mei's expression had just begun to ease, only for the situation to take another sudden turn. Kushina smiled at her. "We're not like you. We came this far because we had a way to get back safely."

Terumi Mei, however, could only stare at Hyuga Hane, shocked that another Flying Thunder God user had appeared in the Shinobi World.

At just fifteen, she still held the famous powerhouses of the Shinobi World in awe. Unlike the arrogant Seven Ninja Swordsmen, she was wary of someone like the Fourth Hokage, a man who could single-handedly turn the tide of a war.

She was the only one who had survived this time. If she couldn't get the news out, Kirigakure might suffer losses because of it.

But before she could figure out how to leave a message, Hyuga Hane sent her away with Flying Thunder God.

After sending everyone in the squad back, Hyuga Hane left behind a Shadow Clone and then returned to headquarters with Flying Thunder God.

A few seconds later, the Shadow Clone of Hyuga Hane looked to the right.

"This is our first time meeting, isn't it, Lord Yagura?"

"Yes, the first time."

Yagura, whose baby face bore a calm expression, stepped out from behind a tree and stared into the Shadow Clone's eyes. "But I think this isn't the first time we've... worked together."

Hyuga Hane gave a noncommittal nod. "I should thank you for the ambush on the Hyuga Main Family last time."

"So it really was you!" Yagura's voice turned low. "My subordinate somehow learned about the Hyuga Main Family before he died and even managed to leave a coded message. I always thought that was strange."

"The ambush failed, we lost several shinobi, and Kirigakure was saddled with a baseless accusation. Was all of that your doing?"

"Don't sound so grave. Your subordinates weren't among the shinobi sent to capture them, were they?" Hyuga Hane said with a light laugh.

Yagura narrowed his eyes.

That was right. Since he knew the information was suspicious, he naturally hadn't sent anyone. He had simply done his duty and informed the Third Mizukage. What happened afterward had nothing to do with him.

"You deliberately left a message at the place where you defeated Terumi Mei. Was it just to gloat about how thoroughly you've played Kirigakure for fools?"

"Of course not." Hyuga Hane smiled and shook his head. Looking at Yagura's calm expression, he asked in a low voice, "Do you think the Third Mizukage is still sane?"

"..."

Yagura's expression shifted as he studied Hyuga Hane's Byakugan. "What do you know?"

"Not much. But what are you willing to trade?"