"Unifying the shinobi world…"
Terumi Mei locked eyes with Senju Haruto, studying his gaze. His eyes were bright, steady, and utterly free of doubt—filled instead with unwavering confidence. He didn't seem like a man declaring some earth-shaking ambition. No… it was as if he were talking about something trivial, something no more difficult than brushing dust from his sleeve.
Mei wanted to laugh. She wanted to scoff at this man's naivety, to mock the absurdity of such a dream.
And yet… she couldn't.
For some reason, when it came to this man, her lips refused to curl into ridicule.
Not only that—she could sense something even stranger. Momochi Zabuza, of all people, wasn't following Haruto out of fear or forced submission. No… he genuinely believed in him.
This was Zabuza. A man who had dreamed of overthrowing the Mizukage, who carried ambitions as sharp as his blade and a pride that refused to bend. Had his coup succeeded, he would never have allowed another to sit in the Mizukage's chair. He would have taken the seat himself, reshaping Kirigakure according to his own ideals.
And yet, here he was… abandoning that lifelong dream to follow Senju Haruto.
"Zabuza… do you truly believe that this man can unify the shinobi world and bring about true peace?" Mei finally asked, her throat tight as the question slipped out. She simply couldn't understand. What kind of power—what kind of charm—could make a man like Zabuza abandon his own nindō to follow a Konoha shinobi?
Zabuza hesitated, then spoke honestly:
"If Lord Haruto really accomplishes such a miracle, then yes… I want to see that world. A world where shinobi no longer need to kill one another out of hatred. A world where people can trust each other from the bottom of their hearts."
"A world where children aren't forced to slaughter each other."
"And if nothing else—I can use Lord Haruto's power to finally end the Bloody Mist."
He let out a slow breath. To him, Haruto was no ordinary man. If Haruto judged him for speaking his true thoughts, then he wasn't worth following in the first place.
"…I see."
Terumi Mei gave a small nod. She could accept that reasoning. But that didn't mean she was about to hand Kirigakure over so easily. Her hands blurred into seals once more, calling forth her kekkei genkai.
Lava Release: Acidic Monster Jutsu!
A tide of searing, corrosive acid surged toward Senju Haruto like a net closing from every direction. If he couldn't handle even this, then he was no man worth fearing.
"So, it comes."
Haruto whispered under his breath, opening his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Unlike ordinary Mangekyō, this evolution freed him from the threat of blindness.
In an instant, Susanoo erupted from the water's surface, enveloping him in its towering defense. But Haruto wasn't careless—he knew Terumi Mei's bloodline limits. Her Lava Release was said to have once melted through even Madara Uchiha's Susanoo.
So, Haruto bolstered his Susanoo with chakra from the Three-Tails, enhancing its durability.
Mei's chakra reserves were vast, far beyond the average shinobi, but even she couldn't sustain an endless flood of jutsu. After a few breaths, she was forced to halt her technique.
And then she froze.
The acid mist, her most trusted weapon, the power that had melted through every defense she'd ever faced—hadn't even scratched Haruto's Susanoo.
"Terumi Mei… it's time to wake up."
As their eyes met, Haruto unleashed the power of his Eternal Mangekyō, cutting through the genjutsu that had been placed upon her by another.
And just like that, the illusion shattered.
Her true self snapped back into focus. Memories crashed over her in waves—the blood-soaked reign of the "Bloody Mist," the countless tragedies she had allowed, no, caused.
"…What… what is this…?"
Her voice trembled with horror. Her feet faltered against the water's surface.
How could it be? She had always loved Kirigakure with all her heart. And yet… she had turned it into a living hell.
The weight of it broke her spirit in an instant. She couldn't even focus chakra into her soles. With a splash, her body toppled into the water below.
The sudden collapse left Zabuza and the others dumbfounded.
What had Haruto just done?
All he'd done was stand there, his Sharingan glowing, defending against her jutsu. And yet the Mizukage herself had fallen into panic.
"Genjutsu?"
Yamato muttered suddenly, recalling the Sharingan's fearsome power to cast illusions. "Did Haruto defeat her with genjutsu?"
But Haruto only shook his head.
"No. I didn't place her under genjutsu. I removed the one she was already trapped in."
"…What do you mean?" Zabuza frowned deeply.
"Just now, I realized Terumi Mei had been under a genjutsu this entire time. A powerful one. In all my knowledge, there's only one man capable of casting such a thing—controlling even a Kage through illusion."
Haruto paused, then spoke the name that had long become taboo.
"Uchiha Madara."
The truth was, Haruto had freed Mei not just for her sake—but to draw Madara into the open. By creating the shadow of a great enemy, he could make the world realize one thing: only unity could protect it.
"Madara Uchiha? But… wasn't he long dead?" Yamato's face went pale, his breath sharp as the words left him.
"No. He lives." Haruto's tone was grave, deliberate. "When I helped Naruto tame the Nine-Tails' chakra, I encountered the Fourth Hokage within his spirit. He told me the truth of the Nine-Tails' attack years ago. It was Madara behind it."
He let his words sink in, carefully weaving his tale.
"And now… after seeing Terumi Mei, I am more certain than ever that Madara still walks this world."
Haruto sighed, as though burdened by the weight of it.
"Understand this. I don't seek to unify the shinobi world out of ambition alone. I do it for peace… and to gather the strength needed to defeat Uchiha Madara. Only together can we hope to overcome him."
In truth, it was little more than an excuse. Whether Madara was alive, or just Tobi masquerading in his name, Haruto was more than ready to deal with him. If Madara himself were to crawl from his grave… Haruto would ask him if he wanted to dance—on his own tombstone.
But that wasn't the point. By invoking Madara's name, he gave his crusade two justifications.
First—for peace.
Second—for survival. He didn't want to unify the shinobi world, no—but against Madara, there was no other choice.
And sure enough, as Haruto spoke the name, silence fell. Yamato, Zabuza, even Haku—they all froze, shaken to their cores by the thought that Madara Uchiha might still be alive.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei wasn't about to drown in her own water release. Within moments, she steadied herself, bursting from the lake's surface.
Though her heart still reeled from the revelation of the Bloody Mist, she was, after all, the Fifth Mizukage. She couldn't—wouldn't—simply hand her village over.
She steadied her breath, then looked Haruto squarely in the eye.
"You really are a remarkable man, Senju Haruto…" Mei's lips curled, her tone a blend of admiration and defiance.
"But don't forget—the woman standing before you is none other than the Fifth Mizukage."