In the Mizukage Office in Kirigakure, Mei Terumi slowly set down the teacup she had been toying with. Her green eyes fixed on the Canopy Screen, her usual languid allure replaced by a rare gravity.
The overwhelming power on display showed her just how vast the gulf was between a legend and an ordinary person.
"So that's Madara Uchiha?" she murmured. "A man spoken of in the same breath as the First Hokage, one of the two who fought at the Valley of the End. His reputation was well earned."
She had watched her future self get knocked aside with ease, but felt little surprise or humiliation. Against power like that, any conventional resistance seemed futile.
"Ao." She turned to the one-eyed guard standing beside her. "What do you think?"
Ao's lone eye gleamed with analysis. "Violence as an art form, Lady Mizukage."
"With a body brought back by Impure World Reincarnation, he needn't fear exhaustion or injury. He can wield the full power he had in life, perhaps even surpass it."
"If our future enemies include something like that, conventional tactics will be almost useless."
"We need methods that target the soul, seal him away, or utterly destroy the reincarnated vessel. And..."
He paused. "This further confirms how dangerous Nine Nether, or whoever else is pulling the strings, truly is."
"They're gathering powerful forces from the living world, and they won't leave the dead alone either."
Mei Terumi nodded, tapping a fingertip lightly on the desk. "It seems promoting the Will of Water and strengthening the next generation won't be enough."
"We also need dedicated strategies and research to counter threats this powerful."
"Tell Chojuro to look through the village's writings on ancient Sealing Techniques and soul-related Secret Techniques. Even fragments might be useful."
She gazed out at the