Boil Release and Lava Release: Terumi Mei's Test

The woman approached in high heels, each step steady and deliberate.

She wore a dark navy gown, her graceful figure hidden beneath the flowing hem and only faintly visible as she walked.

Not a trace of her usual allure remained on that mature, radiant face. There was only vigilance and scrutiny.

Beside her stood Chojuro, carrying the twin blades Hiramekarei, as well as Ao, who had just arrived from the watchtower.

Terumi Mei stopped ten meters in front of Ye.

Ao leaned toward her ear and swiftly recounted, in a voice only the two of them could hear, how Kisame Hoshigaki had been defeated in an instant.

After hearing the report, Terumi Mei stared at Ye for a moment, and her expression darkened further.

He had crippled Samehada barehanded and taken Kisame Hoshigaki down with one kick. A monster like this suddenly barging into the Hidden Mist Village was enough to disrupt the coup they had plotted for years.

"Your strength is remarkable. May I ask which faction you belong to?"

Terumi Mei spoke first, her clear voice carrying through the ruined street.

"This is the inner district of the Hidden Mist Village. We are handling our village's private affairs."

She did not look away, and her tone became firmer.

"If you are merely passing through, leave now, and we can pretend nothing happened."

"But if you insist on interfering in the affairs of the Bloody Mist Village, then do not blame us for showing no mercy."

Even after witnessing the destruction left ahead of them, Terumi Mei, leader of the coup faction, still refused to back down.

She could not show weakness at a time like this. A great many subordinates stood behind her.

Ye slipped his hands back into his trench coat pockets.

His gaze swept over Terumi Mei, Ao, and Chojuro one by one. His casual manner made it clear that he regarded the three of them as nothing more than stones by the roadside.

"You are the coup faction planning to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage's rule, aren't you?"

Ye's tone was calm, yet his words carried a condescending scrutiny.

Terumi Mei's breath caught, and the shock in her eyes could no longer be concealed.

Their deepest secret had been casually exposed by him.

"You've been sneaking around for so many years, yet you haven't even gotten near the Mizukage Building."

Ye shook his head, showing them no courtesy at all.

"That kind of efficiency is far too slow."

"Don't block my path. Today, this village answers to me."

Chojuro clenched his teeth at the contemptuous attitude, gripping the twin blades Hiramekarei on his back with both hands, ready to charge at any moment.

The last trace of restraint vanished from Terumi Mei's face.

As a renowned genius of the Land of Water, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Since negotiations had broken down, they could only fight and erase this unidentified, unstable factor completely.

"You arrogant brat, today I'll show you who truly calls the shots in the Land of Water!"

Terumi Mei rapidly formed hand seals before her chest, her ten fingers leaving layered afterimages.

Dog, Boar, Ram.

An immense amount of chakra surged madly toward her throat.

Her red lips parted, and a highly corrosive acid gushed forth, as forceful as a bursting flood, engulfing everything ahead.

"Lava Release: Lava Monster Technique!"

The golden acid gathered into a thick, massive wave in midair. Piercing hisses filled the air along its path as great clouds of white smoke billowed upward.

Acid of this intensity could melt solid steel into residue in the blink of an eye.

The acid wave covered an area more than ten meters wide, sealing off every route of retreat for Ye and his team as it crashed down upon them.

The system's mechanical prompt sounded right on cue.

"Ding. It has been detected that the host is under attack from Terumi Mei's Lava Release. Please make a choice."

"Option One: Use the Flying Thunder God Technique to lead everyone in retreat and temporarily avoid the attack. Reward: [Twenty ordinary explosive tags]."

"Option Two: Use large-scale Water Release to confront it head-on and demonstrate your ninjutsu prowess. Reward: [B-rank Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall]."

"Option Three: Remain where you are and use Susanoo to withstand it head-on, completely suppressing the opponent's Kekkei Genkai. Reward: Supreme passive [Mental Will Immunity: Completely ignores any genjutsu, mental hypnosis, or interference in the Shinobi World]."

Ye looked at the rapidly approaching wave of acid and made his decision at once.

"I choose three."

The supreme passive was immediately granted and took effect.

A cool sensation flowed into the depths of Ye's mind. The barriers around his soul and will were reinforced, becoming impregnable in an instant.

This was precisely the ability he needed right now.

Mental defense was indispensable when dealing later with the mastermind controlling the Mizukage.

The golden acid was less than two meters above Ye's head.

Zabuza and Kabuto Yakushi were prepared to use defensive ninjutsu, while Haku had already finished forming the hand seals for Ice Release, waiting only for Ye's command.

At the instant the acid was about to pour down, dark violet chakra erupted fully from Ye's body.

The astonishingly immense chakra stirred up a violent hurricane that swept through the entire ruined street.

The dark violet energy rapidly took tangible form. Several enormous bones condensed out of thin air, firmly shielding Ye and his team at the center.

Then, a purple skeletal arm more than ten meters long rose from the ground.

A terrifying pressure, like that of an ancient god, descended and blanketed the entire street.

Faced with the overwhelming Lava Monster Technique, the enormous skeletal arm made no unnecessary movements. It merely spread its palm and struck toward the sky.

The motion was absurdly casual, as if it were merely swatting away an irritating fly.

As the palm swung down, a violent gust swept outward.

A deafening boom scattered the billowing white smoke.

The massive acid wave, powerful enough to melt an entire street, was forcibly blasted apart by Susanoo's arm.

The uncontrolled golden acid splashed wildly toward both sides of the street.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The acid fell into the ruins, and successive corrosive hisses rang out. Countless bottomless pits soon appeared in the ground as pungent white smoke enveloped the area.

At the center of the attack, Ye still stood where he was. The space three feet before him remained spotless, and not a single drop of acid had touched his trench coat.

Terumi Mei's eyes widened, and her breathing faltered for half a beat.

Her proudest Kekkei Genkai killing move had failed to even breach his defense. It had been casually swatted away like a joke.

Chojuro and Ao immediately shielded Terumi Mei and led her backward, opening up a safe distance again.

Staring at the black-clothed youth still standing where he was, Terumi Mei clenched her back teeth until they ached. She raised her hands to form seals once more, preparing to unleash an even stronger Boil Release.

Ye did not give her another chance to seize the initiative.

His eyes, black just moments ago, turned scarlet in the next instant.

Black tomoe spun rapidly within his blood-red eyes before finally settling into the mysterious, intricate pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.