Utter Surrender in the Hot Spring-Madam Mizukage, Please Restrain Yourself!
The scalding spring water, carrying the smell of sulfur, swirls and releases white mist in the bluestone pool.
Outside the wooden sliding door, the morning light had not yet fully risen.
Terumi Mei knelt by the pool, her curly hair damp with steam, a few strands clinging to her pale face. One hand braced against the pool wall, her knuckles white from the effort, and for the first time, an unconcealable look of surprise appeared in her emerald eyes.
The Boil Release and Lava Release within her body have gone out of control.
"Don't move."
Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, forcefully suppressing her Chakra that was about to go berserk.
He stood not far away, his pupils now pure white.
Under the Byakugan's vision, the meridians Terumi Mei's body were clearly visible. The two Kekkei Genkai powers that should have been clearly distinct were now forcibly twisted together, rampaging through her body.
Deep within that Chakra lay a black mark as thin as a hair.
That's not the technique of Hidden Mist.
It's more like a hook that's been buried for many years.
Wait until she is at her weakest, angrier, or most relaxed, then tighten your grip tightly.
Naruto's gaze darkened.
No wonder Terumi Mei her formidable strength over the years, has never been able to completely suppress the conflict between the two Kekkei Genkai. Someone had already tampered with her, and this person has an alarmingly deep understanding of her Chakra structure.
"Naruto..."
Terumi Mei gritted her teeth, cold sweat rolling down her forehead.
"The power within me is about to burst."
She was unwilling to show weakness.
She was even less willing to appear embarrassed in front of a boy who was much younger than herself.
This time, however, she couldn't even stand still.
The pool water began to boil, with bubbles bursting one after another. The surrounding bluestone cracked slightly from the high temperature, and even the lamps at the end of the wooden corridor swayed.
Naruto did not approach immediately.
He raised his hand, his five fingers spread wide.
Water, fire, wind, thunder, earth.
Five distinct types of Chakra transformed into five faint yet steady beams of light in his palm.
Terumi Mei's pupils suddenly shrank.
"All five attributes operating simultaneously?"
"Never mind that for now."
Naruto stared at her, his tone as arrogant as ever.
You now have two choices.
"First, keep holding on and wait for this force to tear your meridians apart."
"Second, my way."
Terumi Mei stared at him.
Why should I believe you?
Naruto grinned, but there was no hint of a joke in his eyes.
"Right now, the only person who can save you is me."
The air fell silent for a moment.
The sound of the hot spring water grew increasingly rapid.
Terumi Mei suddenly realized something—this boy had never been bluffing from the very beginning.
He had noticed the abnormality in her body long ago.
In fact, she saw it even more clearly than she did herself.
"... good."
She closed her eyes and spoke very softly.
I'll trust you this once.
Naruto stepped into the spring.
A ripple spread across the water's surface.
He didn't touch Terumi Mei's vitals; he simply put two fingers together and touched her forehead from a distance, while pressing his other hand into the pool water.
"Retract your breathing."
"Follow my rhythm."
"Inhale, three breaths."
"Stop."
"Put it back in."
Terumi Mei wanted to refute, but the power within her that was on the verge of exploding suddenly stopped.
An extremely steady Chakra spread out from the pool water.
The force did not forcibly suppress her Kekkei Genkai, but rather acted like an invisible net, gradually separating and organizing the rampaging Boil Release and Lava Release, and then guiding them back to their original meridians.
The excruciating pain did not subside.
But the chaos began to subside.
Terumi Mei a muffled groan, her shoulders and back tensed, and cold sweat poured down her forehead.
"Hold on."
Naruto's voice came from within the white mist.
"There's something inside you that's not helping you integrate power, but waiting for you to lose control."
Terumi Mei opened her eyes suddenly.
"What is it?"
Naruto did not answer.
Beneath the Byakugan, the black mark struggled frantically, as if sensing danger. It twisted like a living thing, trying to burrow deeper.
Naruto's eyes turned cold.
"Trying to run?"
The next moment, the five-colored light in his palm suddenly converged.
The spring water in the pool surged upwards with a roar, transforming into Terumi Mei. Outside the water column, flames rose; outside the flames, a gale swirled; and amidst the sound of the wind, tiny sparks of electricity crackled.
The five elements of Chakra are mutually restraining and mutually generating.
The black mark finally couldn't withstand it and was abruptly ripped out of Terumi Mei's meridians.
"They're out!"
Terumi Mei's face turned pale, and she almost lost her balance.
The moment the black mark left the body, it condensed into a pitch-black fragment in mid-air, emitting a piercing shriek.
Naruto raised his hand and clenched it.
The power of the five elements was instantly gathered.
The black fragment was firmly sealed in his palm, and after struggling for a moment, it fell completely silent.
At the same time, a cold system notification sounded.
[Ding! Unknown high-level seal remnant detected.]
[The host has successfully removed the Kekkei Genkai threat from the target "Terumi Mei".]
[Special Bond Achieved: Mist Pact]
[Rewards being settled--]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Immortal Technique - Yin–Yang Release Five Elements Body!]
[Effect: Allows free control over the five elemental Chakra and some of their derivative transformations, and grants extremely high resistance to five elemental Ninjutsu.]
Naruto slowly clenched his fist.
The five types of Chakra flowed through the meridians without any obstruction between them.
The power did not spiral out of control; instead, it became unusually quiet.
This kind of silence is the most terrifying.
Terumi Mei leaned against the pool wall, her breathing finally calming down. She looked up at the sealed black fragment in Naruto's palm.
"What... is that thing?"
Naruto withdrew his hand, not answering immediately.
He knew, of course, that this was no ordinary seal.
The black seal's Chakra fluctuations were too concealed, as if it existed specifically to lurk within a powerful being. More importantly, in the last moment before the black seal shattered, he clearly sensed a distant resonance.
The caster is still alive.
Moreover, the distance is not far.
"Some people don't want you to live and hold onto your position as Mizukage."
Naruto looked at Terumi Mei, his tone calm, yet sharp and undeniable.
"The Hidden Mist should investigate this matter."
"I will find that person too."
Terumi Mei remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled softly.
"You saved me, and you also saw the problems within the Hidden Mist Village for me."
"Naruto Uzumaki, what exactly do you want from me?"
Naruto turned around, his golden hair shining brightly in the morning light.
"I don't want your promise alone."
"I want to know which side to stand on when I need to Hidden Mist."
Terumi Mei watched his retreating figure, her emerald eyes narrowing slightly.
For the first time, she truly realized that what this boy wanted was never just power.
What he wants is the choice of the entire Shinobi World.
Just then...
Suddenly, three soft knocks came from outside the courtyard.
"Lord Mizukage"
The voice of the person outside the door was respectful and steady.
"The Elder Council requests that you return to the city immediately for a meeting."
Terumi Mei's expression changed slightly.
Naruto didn't turn around.
His Byakugan had already pierced through the wooden door, seeing the unfamiliar Chakra on the roof.
More than one person.
And that aura was exactly the same as the residual fluctuations of the black seal in his palm.
Naruto's lips curled into a slight smile.
"It seems we don't need to look for it anymore."
"The one who came to his death has come of his own accord."