"What!?"
Shisui's expression darkened instantly. Beside him, the Konoha ANBU drew his sword with a metallic hiss, pointing the gleaming blade at Mei Terumi's throat.
"She betrayed our position!" he snarled. "She led the Kirigakure forces right to us for an ambush!"
Mei Terumi stood shocked, her emerald eyes widening. While she understood their reaction, the suddenness of the accusation left her momentarily speechless.
Her hesitation didn't soften the Konoha ANBU's resolve. With practiced precision, he swung his blade toward her exposed face.
"She didn't betray us."
Just as the blade was about to slice across Mei's delicate features, Shisui's hand shot out, clamping around his teammate's wrist with iron strength, halting the attack mid-strike.
"Think about it," Shisui said, his voice calm yet firm. "If she intended to betray us, why warn us at all? She could have simply guided the Kirigakure shinobi to surround the island while we remained oblivious."
Shisui's brow furrowed as he released his grip on his comrade. In his experience working against Kirigakure's ANBU for over a year, he knew their system was even more stringent than Konoha's. For Mei Terumi to tip them off was to place herself in extraordinary danger.
He turned to Mei, his expression softening. "I apologize for my companion's reaction."
Mei Terumi waved the apology away, her long auburn hair swaying slightly with the motion. Her beautiful face grew serious as she replied, "We don't have time for pleasantries now."
She reached for her ANBU mask, securing it over her features once more. "I'll intercept the Kirigakure ANBU and buy you time to escape." She turned to leave but was stopped by Shisui's hand on her shoulder.
"No," Shisui said, his voice dropping to a grave timber. "If we follow that plan, we might escape safely, but you'll be placing yourself directly in harm's way."
"We've reached the point of no return," Mei countered, her voice muffled slightly behind her porcelain mask. "With my status and position in Kirigakure, my life won't be in immediate danger."
She explained that not only did she have the entire Terumi clan supporting her from the shadows, but also a considerable number of loyal confidants within the Kirigakure ANBU ranks—operatives she had carefully cultivated over years of service.
"As long as there's no conclusive evidence of my communication with Konoha shinobi," she continued, "the Fourth Mizukage cannot take direct action against me."
"Of course I know that," Shisui replied, his black pupils swirling into scarlet as his Sharingan activated. Three tomoe slowly rotated within each crimson iris. "But if you're implicated in this, no one will ever have the chance to expose the Fourth Mizukage's true identity."
He stepped closer, his voice lowering. "Instead of helping us escape, you should distance yourself from this dangerous situation as quickly as possible."
Shisui's mind raced through the implications. If the Fourth Mizukage had already discovered traces of their infiltration, he might also be aware of their larger plans. Should Mei Terumi's involvement be completely exposed, any ruler—especially one as ruthless as Yagura had become—would eliminate such a threat to their position without hesitation.
Not only would her life be in genuine peril, but all her previous efforts to expose the truth would be rendered meaningless.
Mei's expression flickered as she processed Shisui's words. Though she desperately wanted to ensure the safety of Minato's envoys, she couldn't deny the wisdom in what he said.
"We appreciate your kindness," Shisui said, turning away and drawing his sword in one fluid motion. The blade caught the dim light as he glanced at his companion. "I'll make sure the Hokage knows of your contribution. Now, let's go!"
With a barely perceptible hand sign, both shinobi vanished in a blur of movement, disappearing from Mei Terumi's sight.
"Minato-senpai," she whispered to herself, "the people under your command are truly extraordinary."
Admiring Shisui's decisive leadership, Mei turned and darted toward the opposite side of the island. With her formidable skills and years of ANBU experience, evading the Kirigakure forces wouldn't prove too difficult for her. For Shisui and his companion, however, the situation remained precarious.
Shisui and his fellow ANBU operative moved at maximum speed toward their predetermined escape route, their forms little more than shadows among the mist-laden trees.
"Someone's directly ahead," warned the sensor-type ANBU at Shisui's side, his voice tense.
Before Shisui could respond, the air before them erupted in violent explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Flames tore through the foliage, forcing them to skid to an abrupt halt as intense heat washed over them.
"As expected of the Bloody Mist," Shisui muttered, eyes narrowing as he observed their handiwork. "They're methodically dismantling the traps we laid."
He had known from the beginning that conventional traps wouldn't be enough to deceive Kirigakure's elite forces. That had never been his primary strategy.
The sensor-type ninja beside him closed his eyes briefly, extending his awareness outward. His eyes snapped open. "There are more than fifty enemies surrounding us," he reported grimly. "And judging from their chakra signatures, none of them are ordinary shinobi."
"Is that so?"
Shisui's expression darkened, his voice taking on a subtle tremor—not from fear, but from a cold, simmering rage. The situation they faced now eerily mirrored what had happened to Kakashi and Rin years ago.
Back then, Kirigakure ANBU, manipulated by some unseen hand, had gradually forced those two into an impossible situation. Rin Nohara, the girl who always wore a gentle smile, had died as a result of that manipulation—another victim in some shadowy conspiracy.
"Someone's coming!" The sensor shinobi's urgent warning cut through Shisui's thoughts.
Dark silhouettes emerged from the dissipating flames, their movements precise and predatory.
Five Kirigakure ANBU descended upon them, their killing intent palpable in the air. True to their brutal training, they attacked without hesitation or warning.
Facing these enemies who struck with the ferocity of wild beasts, Shisui's eyes grew cold. He held his sword in one hand while forming a seal with the other.
"Uchiha Style: Wind Sword!"
His figure vanished like a ghost, only to reappear an instant later—but now there were five identical Shisuis rushing toward the enemy.
The Kirigakure ANBU, elite as they were, braced themselves to engage one opponent each. Just as the two sides were about to clash, each Shisui split again, becoming two.
Ten afterimages!
This unexpected multiplication momentarily startled the Kiri ninjas. Before they could adjust their strategy, all ten images disappeared from their sight.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
In the next heartbeat, the five Kirigakure ANBU found themselves engulfed by countless flaming blades materializing from all directions.
"How is this possible?" one of them gasped, eyes wide with shock behind his mask. None of them had even witnessed how Shisui had initiated his attack, yet they were already surrounded by his overwhelming offensive.
They frantically swung their swords in defense, but the flaming blades were too numerous, too dense. Even as they instinctively formed a defensive formation, their coordination quickly crumbled under the onslaught.
A black flash sliced through the chaos, and crimson blood bloomed across one ANBU's chest. His companion turned just in time to see a gleaming edge before his throat was severed in a single clean stroke.
The remaining three barely had time to register what had happened before their expressions froze in death.
Having dispatched all five Kirigakure ANBU in a matter of seconds, Shisui knew better than to linger. He immediately signaled to the sensor-type ninja, abandoning their planned route in favor of a more direct path through the enemy's weakest point.
They hadn't gone far before another group of Kirigakure shinobi intercepted them. Without hesitation, Shisui launched into attack, cutting them down and breaking through their ranks.
"So that's Shisui of Konoha," remarked a deep voice from behind them. "His teleportation truly lives up to its legendary reputation."
Shisui glanced back to see a tall figure unwrapping the bandages from an enormous blade. As the last bandage fell away, intense chakra radiated from the strange weapon, which suddenly expanded in size.
"Hiramekarei," Shisui whispered in recognition. "You're one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist."
This opponent would not fall as easily as the others. But time was running out—once Kirigakure completed their encirclement, escape would become impossible.
In one fluid motion, Shisui reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist and pulled out a sealing scroll. He threw it forward, the scroll unfurling in mid-air as he pressed his palm against its surface.
"What's this guy planning?" The swordsman's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched Shisui extract a second sword from the scroll.
Now dual-wielding, Shisui held a blade in each hand. With startling coordination, he began executing two completely different sword styles simultaneously—his hands moving independently of one another in a display of masterful swordsmanship.
"Uchiha Style: Blast Flame Dance!"
"Hurricane Blade!"
The twin techniques erupted from his swords, a devastating combination of fire and wind chakra converging on his formidable opponent.
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