Elsewhere.
Tsunade, who was sound asleep in the inn replenishing her energy, was woken by a strange creature gurgling beside her.
She opened her eyes and saw a Slug Sage split-body struggling as it gurgled at her arm.
"Slug Sage?"
Tsunade immediately came to full alert and could not help but pause.
The Slug Sage split-body, seeing Tsunade awake, slowly exhaled in relief and hurriedly said, "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya has started harassing Uzumaki Naruto again. This time he really seems intent on abducting Uzumaki Naruto directly. There are now more than one hundred thousand split-bodies surrounding him; he dares not act rashly for the moment."
Hiss!
One hundred… over one hundred thousand split-bodies… even if she summoned with all her strength, she could not summon so many!
How could there be so many Slug Sage split-bodies in Konohagakure?
Could it be that it and Uchiha Keizumi have been plotting some secret scheme together?
Could these more than one hundred thousand split-bodies only be a part of those hiding within Konohagakure?
Tsunade stared in astonishment for a second, then suppressed her curiosity, and her face immediately became serious.
"Jiraiya really doesn't know when to quit!" Tsunade said, full of disappointment, shaking her head. "He's been completely fooled by those toads; whatever those toads say he believes…"
"Shizune!!!"
Tsunade directly shouted to wake Shizune, who had been dozing nearby. Startled, Shizune hurriedly opened her eyes, shook off her sleepiness, and immediately stood up.
Tsunade put on her clothes and said to Shizune, "Take all the ninja tools and come with me to meet that fool!"
Shizune, completely puzzled: "Huh? Fool? Who is that?"
Tsunade finished dressing, flung open the door, and without looking back said, "Jiraiya!"
Shizune was immediately taken aback.
Tsunade's posture made it look as if she were not going to reminisce with Jiraiya at all, but rather to go fight him.
She realized the seriousness of the situation.
She hurriedly grabbed several ninja tool pouches and clumsily followed behind Tsunade.
"Since those toads won't give up, drive them out of Konohagakure!" Tsunade said with a cold pretty face, and, guided by the Slug Sage split-body, ran off in a direction.
"Konohagakure belongs to the people of Konohagakure, not Mount Myōboku's Konohagakure! If those toads keep sticking their claws in… we'll chop off their claws!"
If she was going to decide to become the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade naturally could not allow those toads to run amok in Konohagakure.
After all, she had long disliked those toads; a bunch of toads that had lived for so many years should stay in Mount Myōboku and keep to their training, not wander the shinobi world stirring up trouble every day.
If one didn't know, one might think the entire ninja world was being run by Mount Myōboku!
"Tsunade-sama, wait for me—"
Shizune panted as she caught up.
…
"Hey, Demon of Kirigakure, there's been word of the whereabouts of the rogue-ninja Biwa Jūzō. That guy actually dared to set foot on the Land of Water; after defecting he still had the nerve to return. Hehe…"
In Kirigakure, a fully armed Kirigakure ANBU shinobi said to the masked "Kirigakure Demon" Momochi Zabuza who had just put on an ANBU mask: "I heard… you're very interested in Biwa Jūzō's Kubikiribōchō."
"Now, the Mizukage has decided to lead the ANBU personally to hunt down the rogue-ninja Biwa Jūzō. If you sincerely pledge loyalty to me, perhaps, if I'm pleased, I'll hand the Kubikiribōchō over to you."
A dangerous and cruel look flashed in the eyes beneath Momochi Zabuza's mask; he slowly, coldly lifted his head and cast a glance at the other party.
At some unknown point, the ninja blade at Momochi Zabuza's waist had already been drawn halfway.
A chilling aura of killing intent radiated from his whole body.
Even though Momochi Zabuza did not say a single word, this gesture of his still made the speaking Kirigakure ANBU's expression change on the spot; he then unobtrusively stepped back a pace.
"Hey, Demon, don't act rashly!" Beside them, another ANBU immediately stepped out to stop the two from clashing: "If we haven't taken down Biwa Jūzō yet and we lose someone to infighting, the other shinobi villages will laugh at us when word gets out!"
Momochi Zabuza said coldly, "Isn't Kirigakure known for infighting? Trash who only keep shouting with their mouths off will only hold me back during missions."
The ANBU mocked by Momochi Zabuza was immediately enraged as well.
"Bastard… don't think that just because you're called the Demon, you really stand above others! In terms of seniority you're my junior! How are you speaking to your senior!" The other party also set a hand on his ninja blade, ready at any moment to cross hands with Momochi Zabuza.
"Stop!"
Only when a rather young-sounding voice suddenly rang out did all the rather agitated Kirigakure ANBU fall still.
The Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, holding a black hooked staff, was seen walking over at a measured pace.
This Fourth Mizukage was the focus in any crowd.
Because his short height of only 1.43 m and his face that looked too childlike and too similar to a minor, in a place like the Blood Mist of Kirigakure, appeared especially out of place.
"Mizukage-sama!"
A group of Kirigakure ANBU immediately stopped their agitation, bowed their heads, and welcomed the arrival of this Fourth Mizukage.
Even someone like Momochi Zabuza, with an unruly nature, also frowned and slid his ninja blade back into its sheath.
His ill-intentioned gaze lingered on Karatachi Yagura's body for a moment, then he withdrew his eyes.
"The rogue-ninja still hasn't been captured, and you're going to start infighting here?" Karatachi Yagura cast a glance at Momochi Zabuza: "Zabuza, I do not want this to happen again, especially in the course of the mission to hunt the rogue-ninja Biwa Jūzō!"
Momochi Zabuza slightly lowered his head and, unwilling at heart, perfunctorily replied, "…Yes."
Karatachi Yagura looked again at the assembled Kirigakure ANBU.
At present, the total number of Kirigakure ANBU added up to more than 30.
In earlier times, it would certainly have been more than this, but in recent years, even among the Kirigakure ANBU quite a few shinobi had chosen to defect.
Now these 30-odd people were the most elite ANBU of Kirigakure.
Each one was someone who could be called a Kirigakure murder demon!
Placed on the stage of a shinobi world war, they were all meat grinders on the battlefield, the most dreaded nightmares in the hearts of the enemy.
"Move out!"
Karatachi Yagura ordered expressionlessly.
"Yes!!!"
…
At the same time.
In the distance.
"Mizukage-sama and the ANBU have already departed…" Watching the figures in the distance vanish in an instant, Terumī Mei withdrew her gaze, rubbed her brow, and murmured, "It's only dealing with one defector from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—does it really require the elite ANBU to mobilize in full? Does it really require the Mizukage himself to personally take the field?"
Beside her, Ao, known as the "Byakugan Killer," interjected, "Don't you think Mizukage-sama has been very strange these past years? His way of handling things is completely different from back then… Sometimes it still gives us a familiar feeling, but at other times it feels foreign, as if he's become an entirely different person."
Terumī Mei turned her head toward Ao, frowned, and said, "Don't you possess the Byakugan? If it's you, then as long as you use your Byakugan to look at Mizukage-sama, you should be able to tell if something's off, right?"
Ao shook his head and said helplessly, "There are always Kirigakure ANBU guarding around Mizukage-sama. If I were to rashly remove my eyepatch and use the Byakugan in front of him…"
"I'm afraid those bloodthirsty Kirigakure ANBU wouldn't even give me a chance to explain before tearing me to pieces. Unless we can find a proper opportunity."
Terumī Mei nodded in sudden understanding.
Then, somewhat worried, she said, "I don't know why, but ever since Mizukage-sama left, I've had a bad feeling. My eyelid keeps twitching."
Ao thought for a moment and said seriously, "Eyelid twitching usually means your eyes are fatigued; you should let them rest properly."
Terumī Mei sighed. "I've always wondered how you ever found someone and got married. This is basic women's intuition!"
Although Ao's face was expressionless at this moment, it was clear from his eyes that he completely did not understand.
Terumī Mei couldn't be bothered to keep talking to him.
She said, "I'm going to follow and see what's really going on. If you want to come, you can come along."
Ao froze.
Before he could react, Terumī Mei had already leapt away and disappeared within moments.
Ao's mouth twitched. "This woman really is damn decisive."