Does the Mizukage Seem Normal to You?

Chapter 47: Do you think the Mizukage... is still sane?

As the last Jonin died by the hand of Kakashi's Chidori, this elite squad was declared completely wiped out.

Only Terumi Mei remained, bound like a rice dumpling by Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains; unable to weave hand seals, she glared at them with pure hatred.

"Sealing Jutsu..."

Ignoring her gaze, Kushina wove hand seals, using a sealing technique to suppress Terumi Mei's ability to gather Chakra before retracting the Adamantine Sealing Chains that bound her.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hane scanned the surrounding trees, which had been destroyed in the fray, and gathered Chakra at his fingertips before stepping forward to perform a Tenketsu Strike.

Adding two layers of insurance was for the best.

"Yakumaru, set a Genjutsu on her. You should understand what to do."

Uchiha Yakumaru's eyes lit up. He locked eyes with Terumi Mei using his Three Tomoe Sharingan, and seeing Kushina look over, he explained: "I've placed a suggestion on her. As long as she attempts suicide, she will fall into a Genjutsu."

"..."

Kushina looked at Terumi Mei's pitch-black expression, patted her on the shoulder, and smiled:

"Don't worry, you couldn't even break free from my sealing jutsu, so there's no need to mind the technique they placed on you."

Feeling unable to gather even a shred of Chakra throughout her body, Terumi Mei kept a cold face. "Konoha's geniuses are as numerous as ever, aren't they?"

She glanced at the three youths before her—ninjas who were either her age or younger—who had easily dispatched her five Jonin companions.

However, she had been mentally prepared for this; anyone capable of following a Jinchuriki to protect her couldn't possibly be mediocre.

"Has Konoha sent you out because they intend to fight us to the death?"

"If your Third Mizukage hadn't gone insane, this war would have ended long ago." Kushina rolled her eyes, stepped forward to hoist Terumi Mei up, and began the journey back with the others.

"Alright, save your words for Minato when we get back. You should know quite a bit of intelligence regarding Kirigakure."

Powerful ninjas like Terumi Mei usually placed Cursed Seals on themselves to encrypt certain intelligence, making it difficult to extract information through simple Genjutsu interrogation; it was better to hand her over to the experts of the Yamanaka Clan.

Terumi Mei's heart sank. She wanted to use her hidden methods to commit suicide, but remembering the words of that Uchiha ninja, she forcibly cut off the thought and looked at Hyuga Hane.

Although the immense pressure from Kushina had prevented her from seeing them fight her companions, this youth had left the deepest impression on her during their brief contact.

The Hyuga Clan, a deep understanding of the Uchiha, the ability to skillfully utilize a companion's strengths—compared to Kushina, this person seemed more like the captain of this team... Why had she never heard of this person before?

"Since you've stepped onto the battlefield, you must be from the Hyuga Branch Family, right? I heard the Hyuga Clan modified the Caged Bird Technique. They were so nervous even though we never actually captured that Main Branch member. It seems they really want to enslave you for generations..."

Slap!

Kushina slapped Terumi Mei across the face, her expression grim. "Shut your mouth. Hane is not a slave!"

"Minato will change the Hyuga."

Uchiha Yakumaru's Sharingan, which he had retracted, subconsciously reappeared, staring daggers at Terumi Mei. However, noticing Hyuga Hane looking over, he averted his gaze and muttered:

"You are the opponent I acknowledge; a prisoner like her has no right to insult you."

Hyuga Hane nodded. "Thank you."

Uchiha Yakumaru's lips had just curled upward when they drooped again due to Hyuga Hane's next sentence.

"However, I naturally wouldn't care about such an obvious provocation from an enemy."

Hyuga Hane said slowly: "As a possessor of two Kekkei Genkai, being used as cannon fodder by your village and placed on the battlefield, only to be here trying to provoke me—you are certainly loyal."

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

"Obviously you." Uchiha Yakumaru put away his sullen mood and presented a united front. "Your Mizukage clearly doesn't care about the lives of people like you. We in Konoha are fighting three villages at once without losing the upper hand; do you really think a single Kirigakure can? You aren't that stupid, are you?"

"She isn't stupid; she's just clinging to fantasies because she doesn't want to believe it." Hyuga Hane shook his head.

"..."

Terumi Mei stared fixedly at Hyuga Hane and Uchiha Yakumaru, engraving both of their faces deep into her mind, her tone low: "Kirigakure will win."

The rest of the journey was silent; no one spoke again until...

"Kirigakure forces are surrounding us. There are many of them; it must be the signal flare she fired earlier that drew them here."

Hyuga Hane's eyes flashed, and he said to the group: "I will use the Flying Thunder God to send you back."

"Good." Kushina nodded, smiling at Terumi Mei, whose expression had just eased only to plummet again due to the sudden turn of events. "We aren't like you; we only venture this deep because we have a safety net."

Terumi Mei, however, only cared about watching Hyuga Hane, feeling horrified that yet another user of the Flying Thunder God had appeared in the Shinobi World.

At only 15 years old, she still held awe for the famous powerhouses of the Shinobi World. She was not as arrogant as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and she was even more wary of a powerhouse like the Fourth Hokage, who could single-handedly rewrite the course of a war.

She was the only one who had survived this time. If she couldn't pass this information on, Kirigakure would likely suffer losses because of it.

However, before she could think of a way to leave a message, she was sent away by Hyuga Hane using the Flying Thunder God.

Watching the entire squad get sent away, Hyuga Hane left a Shadow Clone behind before using the Flying Thunder God to return to the command post.

Back here, after a few more seconds, Hyuga Hane's Shadow Clone looked to the right.

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

"Indeed, the first time."

Yagura, with his baby face and calm expression, stepped out from behind a tree, staring into the eyes of Hyuga Hane's Shadow Clone. "But I suspect, this is not our first... collaboration."

Hyuga Hane nodded noncommittally, "I still have you to thank for that ambush on the Hyuga Main Family last time."

"So it really was you!" Yagura's tone sank, "I always found it strange that my subordinates managed to uncover intelligence on the Hyuga Main Family before they died, and even left behind a coded message."

"In the end, the ambush failed, and not only did we lose several ninja, but our Mist Village was also saddled with groundless accusations. Was that all your doing?"

"Don't be so heavy-hearted; the ninja sent to carry out that encirclement weren't your subordinates, were they?" Hyuga Hane chuckled lightly.

Yagura narrowed his eyes.

That was true. Since he knew the intelligence was problematic, he naturally wouldn't have sent his own men; he had simply fulfilled his duty by notifying the Third Mizukage, and whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with him.

"Did you leave that message at the spot where you defeated Terumi Mei specifically to show off to me how you've been playing the Mist Village for fools?"

"How could that be?" Hyuga Hane shook his head with a smile, staring at Yagura's calm expression as he asked in a low voice, "Do you think the current Third Mizukage... is still normal?"

"..."

Yagura's expression shifted as he gazed into Hyuga Hane's Byakugan, "What do you know?"

"Not much, but you... what are you willing to trade for it?"