"So it's finally time to act?"
Naruto curled his lips into a slight smile. With a snap of his fingers, he dispelled the thousand-plus Shadow Clones training in Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
"Of course. I've been waiting for this day."
With memories from his previous life, he knew this period was precisely when Mei would take action against the Yondaime Mizukage. That was why he'd chosen to hide in Kirigakure.
And as expected, Mei was planning to lure the Yondaime Mizukage out of the village.
"But Menma-dono, how did you know for sure that Mei would lure the Yondaime Mizukage out of Kirigakure?"
Guren looked at Naruto with admiration, as if he had prophetic powers.
Naruto smiled but didn't answer.
The Yondaime Mizukage was the Jinchūriki of the Sanbi Isobu, and not just any host—he was a perfect Jinchūriki.
Yet in the original timeline, after the Yondaime Mizukage died, the Sanbi was seen living freely in a massive lake.
This made no sense from the perspective of Kirigakure's interests.
After all, even if the Mizukage died, they could always train a new Jinchūriki.
As for whether that was cruel… Naruto sniffed the bloody scent in the air and thought—cruelty was never a concern in Kirigakure's decision-making.
Which left only one possibility.
That in the original, Mei must have fought the Yondaime Mizukage.
Maybe he escaped. Maybe he released the Tailed Beast himself. Maybe Uchiha Obito intervened...
Only something like that could explain why Isobu ended up roaming free.
Seeing Naruto unwilling to answer, Guren didn't press the matter.
Uchiha Izumi, however, looked puzzled. "It's just one Mizukage and two elite jōnin. Do we really need to make such a fuss?"
Naruto strode forward calmly and replied, "Never underestimate any hidden village. The Five Great Nations didn't last this long without having some trump cards."
"But once the Yondaime Mizukage is dead, we won't need to be so careful. Mei isn't Mizukage yet, after all."
With that, he pushed open a portal in the air.
"Guren, Izumi, Suigetsu, Kimimaro—let's go!"
The group answered respectfully and followed Naruto's lead.
—
Outside Kirigakure, deep in a forest.
Staring coldly at the short figure ahead—who held a wooden staff in hand and appeared youthful—Mei's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
"Yondaime Mizukage-dono… do you even realize you're being controlled?"
At her words, the Yondaime halted in his tracks.
The moment he turned his head, his body erupted in violent chakra—the chakra of the Sanbi Isobu.
Mei and Ao's eyes narrowed in shock.
They saw the Yondaime Mizukage's eyes—the distinctive pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
They didn't believe for a second that he'd awakened the Sharingan himself.
He was clearly under the Mangekyō Sharingan's control.
"Damn it…" Mei's eyes burned with fury. Without hesitation, she shouted:
"Attack!"
She had originally hoped to test whether the Mizukage retained any consciousness.
But it seemed that even mentioning the word "control" triggered some kind of mental failsafe.
Which made him go berserk immediately.
Following her command, Ao focused his Byakugan directly at the Mizukage's eyes. His veins bulged as he roared:
"Genjutsu Kai! (Genjutsu Release!)"
He was using the Byakugan's ocular power to forcibly dispel the Sharingan's influence.
At the same time—
In the Land of Rain, Amegakure.
Inside a shadowy room, Uchiha Obito's expression changed as he suddenly glanced in the direction of Kirigakure and sneered coldly:
"So you've finally noticed? But it's too late."
During the years he'd controlled Kirigakure, he had ruined the village to the brink of collapse.
Even if the Mizukage were freed, the village wouldn't recover any time soon.
In his Moon's Eye Plan, Kirigakure was already discarded.
With this in mind, Obito sent one final command to the Yondaime Mizukage:
"Lose control completely. Kill everyone you see!"
After doing so, Obito's thoughts drifted to another matter.
His gaze fell upon the map in front of him, his voice frosty.
"Namikaze Menma is in Otogakure…?"
He thought of the blond youth he saw in the Uchiha compound.
That young man not only knew the secrets of Akatsuki but possessed terrifying power, and now had begun recruiting subordinates…
Most crucially—through various channels, he found himself unable to uncover the youth's true identity.
This man was like a riddle shrouded in mist.
He hadn't made waves yet, but in a few years—perhaps less than five—he would become a major threat.
Obito tapped his desk in contemplation before finally making a decision.
"Zetsu, come here!"
—
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
Outside Kirigakure, the Yondaime Mizukage—who looked like a teenage boy—let out a guttural, inhuman roar.
His face twisted, blood-colored chakra boiling off his body.
Within seconds, a red tail appeared behind him.
And his body continued to swell with power.
Mei's expression changed drastically as she watched the rampaging Mizukage in horror.
"No way… I never even sensed the Uchiha ninja nearby—how did he go berserk like this!?"
Ao knew Mei still lacked experience, so he quickly reminded her:
"Mei-dono, no matter what, we must contain the Mizukage. We can't let him charge into Kirigakure!"
Mei quickly regained her composure and nodded through gritted teeth.
As an elite jōnin, she understood just how devastating a Tailed Beast rampage could be.
If the Yondaime charged into the village like this, few could stop him. The damage would be catastrophic.
And if he unleashed a Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bomb)?
Kirigakure might literally be blown off the map.
Without any further hesitation, the mature beauty Mei took a deep breath, raised her delicate fingers to her crimson lips, and exhaled a white mist:
"Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu!" (Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique)
White mist surged forth, and everything in its path was melted and dissolved.
Even the hardest rocks hissed and dissolved into puddles of water.
Bathed in the white mist, the Yondaime Mizukage let out an anguished, inhuman scream.
His skin melted away, revealing raw, bloody muscle beneath.
"Shhh! That woman's terrifying!"
Hidden inside the unseen dimensional portal, Suigetsu involuntarily shivered at the horrifying sight of the Mizukage's mutilated body.
He cast a fearful glance at Mei.
She looked beautiful—but her methods were brutal.
"Menma-dono, what kind of jutsu is that? It's insanely strong…" Izumi stared at Mei in disbelief.
The shinobi world heavily favored men. Few female ninja were truly powerful.
She had thought this woman was just a pretty face, someone Menma fancied.
She never imagined her strength would inspire fear.
From within the space portal, Naruto stood beside Mei, eyes scanning the mature beauty. With a smile, he explained:
"That's not a jutsu. It's a Kekkei Genkai, most likely a fusion of wind and water nature transformations."
"It's called Futton (Boil Release). That white mist is an extremely concentrated acidic vapor. It can corrode almost anything. Even your clan's Susanoo might not withstand it…"
"If I had to say, her combat power right now is probably above the current Uchiha Shisui."
(End of Chapter)
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