Mingyou Vanished?

"I understand, Lord Raikage!"

"Understood, Lord Raikage!"

For a moment, the Land of Lightning ninja stationed throughout the area—those skilled in Fire Release and those skilled in Wind Release—rapidly began forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Plain Burn Technique!"

"Fire Release: Garuda!"

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

As the ninja unleashed one technique after another, waves of fire surged into the sky. Powerful gusts swept through, accelerating the air and making the flames burn even fiercer.

The Fourth Raikage's idea proved truly effective. Under the scorching currents of hot air, the dense mist quickly dispersed.

At least within the courtyard, they could now clearly see what was around them.

"Hmm? Where is Uchiha Mingyou?"

With eyes like blazing torches, the Fourth Raikage shot toward every high point like a rocket, searching for Mingyou's whereabouts.

Most of the other Land of Lightning ninja did the same, scanning left and right in hopes of finding Mingyou.

But unfortunately, Mingyou seemed to have vanished into thin air.

No matter how hard they searched, it was all in vain.

"Darui, is there any flaw in the barrier?"

The Fourth Raikage's voice boomed like thunder as he summoned Darui over and questioned him about the barrier.

If the barrier had truly been breached and Uchiha Mingyou had already escaped, then continuing to waste time here would be meaningless.

"No, Lord Raikage. The barrier remains intact. The people maintaining it are all stationed outside, so they couldn't possibly have been attacked."

Darui shook his head, denying the possibility.

"Damn it, find him for me!" The Fourth Raikage was so furious that his features nearly twisted together as he punched the wall beside him.

Bang—

With a thunderous crash, the concrete brick wall was blasted open with a huge hole.

"Yes, Lord Raikage."

The Land of Lightning ninja immediately nodded in agreement, not daring to delay in the slightest.

If Lord Raikage truly flew into a rage, they might end up being punished as well.

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

For a moment, figures continuously flickered and leaped through the spacious Lord's Manor.

Some rushed into every room to search carefully, while others climbed onto rooftops and shaded their eyes as they looked around.

Quite a few had even jumped into the lake to investigate, wanting to see whether Mingyou might be hiding underwater.

"This little fellow is really interesting."

Mei Terumi covered her mouth and chuckled.

Mingyou had played the Land of Lightning ninja around in circles, and she found it quite amusing.

"Hehe, Sister Mei Terumi, you flatter me."

Chōjūrō, who had been following beside her all along, suddenly grinned happily.

"Chōjūrō? You..."

Mei Terumi was somewhat baffled. Why had this little fellow, who usually called her Lady Mizukage, suddenly changed the way he addressed her?

She even vaguely sensed that something was off about this Chōjūrō. The usually shy boy would never speak to her like this.

"Shh... That's right, it's me, Uchiha Mingyou."

Mingyou made a silencing gesture, signaling Mei Terumi to lower her voice so as not to attract the attention of the nearby Land of Lightning ninja.

"When exactly did you...?"

Mei Terumi's expression changed in shock. Chōjūrō had been following beside her the entire time and had never left.

She had not even noticed when Chōjūrō had been switched out.

"Don't worry, Sister. Chōjūrō is fine right now. He's doing well."

Mingyou explained softly, telling her to let down her guard.

After Mingyou had killed quite a few Land of Lightning ninja earlier, he had taken advantage of an opening from Chōjūrō and sucked him into the Kamui Dimension.

"Oh? You really are an interesting little fellow. Aren't you afraid I'll summon Lord Raikage over here?"

A smile curved Mei Terumi's lips as her beautiful eyes looked at Mingyou teasingly.

"I'm not." Mingyou shook his head, not taking her joking words seriously at all.

Or rather, Mingyou was completely confident.

Since Mingyou had escaped once, he could certainly escape a second time. That was his confidence in his own strength.

At the same time, Mingyou could see Mei Terumi's intention to win him over.

How could Mei Terumi possibly let such a good opportunity to make Mingyou owe her a favor slip away so easily?

Mei Terumi studied Mingyou for quite a while, yet she never found any flaw in him.

In the end, she sighed softly and asked, "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"You know." A meaningful smile appeared on Mingyou's lips. "Take me out."

Mei Terumi frowned slightly. "Little brother, this is very risky. What makes you think I'll help you instead of informing Lord Raikage?"

Facing Mei Terumi's question, Mingyou did not panic. He smiled confidently. "I believe Sister is a smart person and won't pass up this chance to befriend the Uchiha."

"And as you can see, the Uchiha Clan is being condemned by everyone now. We need a place to gain a foothold."

"Fine, I agree to your request." A flash of delight passed through Mei Terumi's eyes. This was exactly what she had been waiting for Mingyou to say. "But now isn't the best time to leave. I hope you can wait patiently for a while."

"Alright." Mingyou nodded and readily agreed.

This was the Fourth Raikage's most sensitive period. He would not overlook a single detail here, determined to dig out Mingyou's hiding place.

If Mei Terumi requested to leave the barrier at this time, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Of course, it was not as though Mingyou had no way to break the barrier and leave.

With so many powerful ninjutsu at his disposal, getting out was not difficult for Mingyou.

It was just that the Uchiha Clan had truly become a target for all. First, they had defected from Konoha; then Mingyou had offended Ōnoki; and now the deeply calculating Fourth Raikage was opposing them.

No matter how he looked at it, the situation was unfavorable to the Uchiha.

Could he take the Uchiha Clan members back to the Land of Waves and continue living there? That was absolutely impossible as well.

That place was already known to the Fourth Raikage. Before long, he would likely send many spies to the Land of Waves to investigate.

Therefore, Mingyou's current choice was to form ties with either the Fourth Kazekage or the Fifth Mizukage.

But this was merely a friendly relationship; it did not mean the Uchiha would truly become dependent on the Land of Water or the Land of Wind.

Although the Land of Wind covered a vast area, its environment was equally harsh. Sandstorms raged there year-round, making it unsuitable for habitation.

The Land of Water had the most remote terrain. Though it was the smallest of the Five Great Nations, it was also the safest.

Because it lay deep within the ocean and was surrounded by numerous islands, it was extremely difficult for others to attack.

That was why Mingyou chose to cooperate with Mei Terumi, and it could also be considered a favor he was offering her to build goodwill.