Mei Terumi to the side, relaxed slightly upon hearing her team leader's words.
Regardless, they were all teammates, and teammates that Mei Terumi herself acknowledged. If she could, Mei Terumi would not want to, and would not like to, see her teammates die in front of her.
Especially today.
If Qi Zhen were to die in battle.
Mei Terumi would also feel guilty; if she could have dealt with that Chunin sooner, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
This also includes Qing, who was personally assigned this mission by the team leader. At first, he thought everything was under his control.
At most, it's a B-Rank Mission.
Unexpectedly, it eventually evolved into one of the more difficult levels even within the A-grade category.
To put it bluntly, this can be considered a dereliction of duty on Qing's part.
'I'm still not mature enough.'
Qing shook her head inwardly and said.
Although the mission encountered unexpected events that far exceeded expectations, it's not really anyone's fault. However, as the Jonin was in charge of the team, Ao still felt that he had to take the main responsibility!
"Let's take Qi to a safe place for treatment first!"
The battlefield was a scene of utter devastation.
The mission is not completely over yet.
But these matters will have to be put on hold for now.
Leaving aside Kei, who was already seriously injured and in a coma, even Ao, who had regained some mobility, needed further treatment. Since none of the four members of the team knew Medical Ninjutsu, the only option was to transfer him to a nearby town base and treat him in the most traditional way!
"Yes, Teacher Qing!"
Mei Terumi immediately nodded, then stepped forward and carried Kei on her back. The two figures, one tall and one short, each leaped and headed towards the eastern coast of Kujiraai Island.
Their team desperately needed to rest and recuperate there.
Furthermore, this location is exactly the same location that Kisame Hoshigaki had left from earlier.
Qi, who was already in a deep coma, had no way of knowing any of this.
He is now completely cut off from outside information.
This feeling of being on the verge of death is like sinking into endless, eternal darkness. The suffocation and panic that arises is a feeling that no human being, or even any living being, would want to experience.
The pursuit of hope for life.
This is the instinct of any living being!
The double blow from being struck by Jiu, coupled with the damage to his internal cells caused by excessive release of his ice power in order to fight Jiu, truly brought Qi to the brink of death.
That kind of feeling that instills extreme fear.
It will truly be deeply etched into the depths of Qi's soul.
And it was after an eternity of time, as if groping in the depths of hell, in the endless cold and darkness, that ray of light was finally found again.
Then, the body's intuition gradually returned.
When Qi regained consciousness, after a low groan, his slowly opening eyes were met with an unfamiliar ceiling. His gaze was slightly dazed and confused. He slowly turned his head and looked at the oil lamp shining brightly beside his bed and the pitch-black night view outside the window.
After a short buffer period.
That was the light that was slowly returning.
Where is this?
Qi's softly uttered words and his subconscious attempt to struggle to his feet, however, caused his wounds to flare up due to the slightly violent movements. The tearing pain that quickly spread through his nerves made Qi's expression change abruptly, and sweat beaded on his forehead, making his face paler.
"This is a house on the eastern coast of the island. Your injuries have only received basic treatment. It's best not to move around too much, Minazuki Kei!"
Suddenly.
These were the cold words that rang out.
The moment it entered my ears.
Qi followed the sound and saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
That iconic shark face, and that massive cleaver carried on his back—this man is none other than Kisame Hoshigaki, another teammate of Qi's squad!
"Heh, it's Kisame. Looks like I'm lucky to still be alive."
He smiled weakly, a beautiful smile curving his lips.
"Snort!"
Seeing Qi's feigned ease, Kisame snorted softly, but a very deep and special meaning was clearly revealed in his eyes when he looked at Qi.
There was surprise, admiration, envy, and even a deep sense of resentment.
Just like the shock that Kei had brought to Mei Terumi and Ao before.
When Kisame Hoshigaki learned that Jonin had almost single-handedly killed a Kumogakure, he could hardly hide the shock in his heart.
The more talented a person is, the clearer they understand what Jonin means in the Shinobi World, let alone a Jonin Kumogakure!
For Kisame Hoshigaki, who considers Kei a target he must defeat, this is truly a very impactful thing.
However, Kisame Hoshigaki will not be discouraged by this and will not give up on his goal.
The higher Qi's talent, the stronger Qi's power, and the more valuable he is to defeat and surpass!
You can say that!
At this moment, in this lifetime, Kei has undoubtedly become Kisame Hoshigaki's first guiding light in life. Unless Kisame Hoshigaki can completely defeat Kei one day, his gaze will definitely remain fixed on Kei.
"How's Ao-sensei doing? And Mei Terumi? Did the mission fail?"
After adjusting his breathing slightly and gradually stabilizing it, Qi turned his head slightly to look at Kisame Hoshigaki and asked softly.
"Teacher Ao isn't too bad either, at least she's a bit better than you. Mei Terumi, now you're helping Teacher Ao with the finishing touches, cooperating with the Fuyuki Castle who came in person!"
Kisame Hoshigaki maintained his indifferent demeanor and spoke in a flat tone.
After the entire Cloud Ninja squad led by Hato was killed in battle (the two Genin who went to intercept Kisame Hoshigaki were also swiftly killed by Kisame Hoshigaki ),...
The plan to restore the kingdom of Matou, the prince of the Land of Whales, was destined to fail!
Without the support of ninjas, and with Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki of Team 7 maintaining almost full fighting strength, it's impossible for Matou's other subordinates to help Matou achieve his plan!
The Fuyuki Castle also responded immediately upon receiving the news.
He personally led most of the city guards of Fuyuki Castle to Kujiraai Island.
During the ten hours that Qi was unconscious, the situation on the island was completely brought under control. Matou, the mastermind, and his subordinates were all captured!
This also directly signifies the successful completion of the first 'C-level' mission for Qi's Team 7!