Breaking Through the Building

Ye stepped forward, his black leather boots treading over bloodstained bluestone slabs as he climbed the broad stairs, his steady footsteps carrying upward.

Carrying the Executioner's Blade on his shoulder, Zabuza followed behind, the broad blade swaying lightly with each step. Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and remained half a step behind Ye.

Kimimaro and Haku, positioned on either side, moved without a sound as they escorted Ye deeper into the Mizukage Building.

Watching that black-clad back, Terumi Mei forcibly suppressed the pounding in her chest and followed closely with Chojuro and Ao.

No alarms sounded along the way, nor did any new guards appear. The entire building was unnaturally quiet.

Sunlight streamed through the corridor windows, scattering mottled shadows across the floor as the group's footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

As the symbol of the Land of Water's highest authority, the interior of this building was oppressively stifling. The heavy air clogged their chests and made breathing difficult.

After climbing the stairs to the top floor, the group finally stopped outside the Mizukage's office. At the end of the corridor, a massive oak door engraved with the Hidden Mist Village's emblem blocked their path.

The moment the group came to a halt, Ao, who had been walking at the rear, rushed forward. Veins bulged around his eyes as he pushed the Byakugan's perception to its limit.

After seeing through the heavy door, the entire office layout entered his view. The moment Ao saw what was inside, his expression changed.

"Lord Ye, don't go any closer!"

Ao quickly stepped in front of them, cold sweat already beading on his forehead.

"Something is wrong behind the door. Hundreds of high-explosive detonating tags have been pasted to the inner side of the door, and there are... extremely complex chakra sealing formations inside the wall beside it."

Staring at the door handle within arm's reach, his breathing noticeably quickened.

"The moment anyone touches the handle, this entire floor will explode!"

Hearing Ao's warning, Chojuro immediately shifted sideways and shielded Terumi Mei behind him. He gripped his weapon with both hands and stared warily at the dangerous door before them.

Kabuto stepped forward and held his hand half an inch from the door, carefully sensing the chakra flowing within. After confirming it for a moment, he nodded to Ye.

"My lord, Ao is right. This is a high-level chained trap. If we dismantle it by force, it will definitely trigger a series of explosions."

Kabuto swept his gaze around the doorframe, faint light from the sealing formations reflected in his lenses.

"How about... letting me dispel the technique?"

Dismantling traps was precisely the specialty of a spy-type ninja. For everyone present, it was also the safest approach.

With both hands still tucked into his trench coat pockets, Ye stood before the door and was about to speak when the system's distinctive high-frequency mechanical prompt suddenly rang out in his mind.

This prompt was even more urgent than before, every syllable carrying an intense warning.

"Ding! A cross-space-level high-risk target has been detected ahead. Host, make a choice immediately to deal with the unknown variable!"

"Option one: Accept your subordinate's suggestion and have Kabuto Yakushi carefully remove the seals, infiltrating silently. Reward: [Genin-Level Genjutsu Solution Guide]."

"Option two: Retreat ten meters and use a conventional high-power Water Release technique to blast open the door from afar, forcibly triggering the trap's explosion. Reward: [A-Rank Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique]."

"Option three: Reject mediocrity. With the force of thunder, completely shatter the entire wall along with the door, delivering the strongest deterrence to the mastermind hiding in the shadows. Reward: supreme offensive secret art [Indra's Lightning Fragment (instantly releases lightning imbued with destruction-level laws)]."

The system panel flashing through his vision made Ye's gaze shift slightly.

The power that stood above conventional ninjutsu was none other than Indra's Lightning Fragment. It contained the laws of destruction and was enough to become a true top-tier killing weapon.

There could be no better way to treat the person hiding behind the door.

"I choose three."

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye made his choice directly in his mind.

The reward arrived immediately. Violent energy surged into his body and rushed through his meridians, while the air around him began to tremble continuously.

Without retreating, Ye directly withdrew his right hand from his trench coat pocket.

"No need to make it so troublesome."

His low voice carried through the empty corridor, and everyone's attention turned toward Ye.

Dazzling purple lightning burst from Ye's palm, carrying an aura of destruction far beyond ordinary Lightning Release chakra.

Violent arcs of electricity continuously tore through the air. Their sharp shrieks overlapped densely, making everyone's eardrums ache.

Lightning climbed rapidly along his right arm, gathering in the blink of an eye into a roaring thunder beast with its head raised. Its blinding purple glow illuminated the entire corridor.

The terrifying heat and energy visibly distorted the surrounding space. The windows on both sides could not withstand the violent soundwaves and shattered on the spot.

Glass fragments scattered through the air, and shifting purple lightning reflected across the surface of every shard.

Kabuto Yakushi and Zabuza quickly retreated to widen the distance, while Kimimaro and Haku simultaneously moved back to either side.

Forced back several steps by the destruction aura rushing toward her, Terumi Mei only barely regained her footing after her back struck the corridor wall.

Aiming at the trap-covered oak door, Ye raised his right fist wrapped in blinding lightning and smashed it down without hesitation.

The instant his fist struck the door, a deafening boom swept through the entire floor, and even the floorboards beneath everyone's feet began to shake violently.

After smashing through the oak door head-on, the purple thunder beast pierced the entire wall, incinerating the hundreds of carefully arranged detonating tags behind the door into charcoal before they could explode.

The lock was melted through by the searing lightning, and the sealing technique was torn apart on the spot. The thunder that had yet to dissipate swept past the broken doorframe and continued ravaging the office interior.

Under everyone's gaze, the sturdy stone wall collapsed in sheets. Before the large chunks of rubble could hit the ground, the violent lightning ground them into fine dust.

Charred smoke mixed with crushed stone powder spread in all directions. The once spacious, gloomy Mizukage's office was completely exposed before everyone by the most direct means possible.

The pungent smell of burning rapidly filled the corridor. Residual purple arcs still danced among the broken wall and rubble, causing the light inside the office to flicker continuously.

That punch had left no room for restraint. It was also Ye's most direct provocation and warning to the mastermind behind it all.

Since the other side had set a trap behind the door, Ye would destroy both the door and the entire wall along with it.

As the rolling smoke and dust gradually dispersed, the scene deep within the office finally emerged, and everyone's gaze turned toward it at once.

Behind the large, luxurious Mizukage's desk sat a small figure with the body of a child.

The Hidden Mist Village's highest ruler, the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, sat there without moving.

He wore the Mizukage's ceremonial robe and held a peculiar iron staff in his hand, its tip adorned with a flower-shaped ornament.

Faced with the collapsing wall and the rampaging thunder, this renowned perfect jinchuriki displayed no reaction whatsoever.

Sitting blankly in the large chair, Yagura's limbs were stiff, his eyes unfocused. He did not even glance toward the shattered doorway.

Behind Yagura, a strange change silently began to appear in the air.

Layer upon layer of spiraling patterns suddenly appeared in the previously stable space. They spun faster and faster, while a dark fissure gradually split open at the center.

Chilly chakra seeped continuously from the distorted spatial rift, its intensity far surpassing that of ordinary ninja. The temperature inside the office also began to plummet.

Retracting his right fist, where arcs of electricity still danced, Ye stepped over the charred floor and strode into the ruined office.

His dark eyes locked firmly onto the constantly rotating spatial vortex ahead and did not shift away in the slightest.