Kawasaki shrugged. "Relax. I promise I won't let the Uchiha and Konoha come into conflict."
"However," he added, pausing midway through his sentence to deliver a preemptive warning, "you should be mentally prepared. Your teacher might not be as kind and gentle as she appears..."
Tsunade was silent for a moment before waving a weary hand. "I understand."
With nothing more to say, Kawasaki gave a final wave and left the hospital.
..
Meanwhile, on the battlefront in the Land of Water.
Ever since Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, had fired off a Tailed Beast Bomb, the Hidden Mist Village had reined in their aggressive assaults. Instead, they had shifted to probing attacks with small-scale squads.
But Killer Bee never made another appearance.
Mei Terumi concluded that his injuries had likely not yet fully healed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fired a single Tailed Beast Bomb without entering the battle himself.
This time, Mei was determined to launch a night raid. Tonight, she vowed, she would dismantle the Hidden Cloud's base of operations.
Thus, Mei led thirty of the Mist's most elite shinobi, along with allies like Kisame, on a grand march toward the Cloud's stronghold.
"Everyone, watch your step!" Ao warned in a hushed voice. "There's a Seven-Jewel Seal trap about ten paces ahead."
"It's triggered by a tripwire."
As he spoke, Ao guided the team around the trap from the side, leaving two members behind to disarm it before rejoining them. He wanted to ensure their path of retreat wouldn't be compromised.
Relying on Ao's Byakugan and the assistance of several other sensory ninja, the group weaved through a field riddled with seal traps.
"Lady Mizukage, something feels wrong. We haven't seen a single Cloud ninja this entire time," Kisame Hoshigaki remarked, his brow furrowed as he carried his precious Samehada on his back.
Kisame had been having the time of his life these past couple of days. He was already an elite jonin, and with Samehada in hand...
We're running out of time. No matter what, we have to find out what's going on today.
Recently, Kisame Hoshigaki, Jūzō Biwa, and Zabuza Momochi had earned the Hidden Mist a great deal of prestige, distinguishing themselves with meritorious service. Mei was overjoyed, silently thanking the venerable master who had returned such capable shinobi to her village.
Among the three, Kisame was undoubtedly the strongest. Wielding Samehada, he was brimming with chakra. When he attacked, he often unleashed large-scale Water Release techniques, always leading the charge at the very front. With Samehada's help, most ninjutsu posed little threat to him. In terms of kill count, no one could compare to Kisame.
Unfortunately, Kisame Hoshigaki was no longer truly a Mist shinobi, and from his attitude, it seemed he had no intention of returning to the village. Mei could only shelve the issue, hoping to find another solution in the future.
The Cloud's behavior today was indeed strange, but according to intelligence from their naval scouts, the main Cloud forces were still some time away.
Mei steeled her resolve. Tonight, she had to eliminate or capture at least one Jinchuriki. Otherwise, the Hidden Mist Village would find itself in grave danger. She couldn't bet everything on the leader of the Akatsuki.
The group soon arrived near the encampment established by the Cloud.
Ao activated his Byakugan, peering inside.
"Lady Mizukage, it's empty. The Cloud shinobi aren't here."
Mei's brows knitted together. "Ao, check the coast. See if you can find any trace of them by the sea."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Ao pushed his Byakugan to its limits, rapidly consuming his chakra. He extended his field of vision farther and farther until, finally, he spotted the Cloud forces near the beach.
"Lady Mizukage, I've found them!"
"The entire Cloud contingent is on the beach."
Mei's expression hardened as she waved her hand forward. "All units, move out!"
Their target: the Cloud shinobi on the coast.
...
On the coastline.
The Cloud shinobi had set up a temporary camp. Their original force of over two hundred had been whittled down by more than thirty under the Mist's fierce attacks in recent days. Later, they had adopted guerrilla tactics, using various traps to slow the Mist's advance, which helped reduce their daily losses.
They chose to camp by the sea because many of their number were wounded. If the Mist discovered their position now, the casualties would be catastrophic.
Therefore, after a discussion between Yugito and Killer Bee, they had begun transferring personnel to the beach the day before. Even their ships were docked nearby. If the situation turned dire, they could evacuate immediately.
After all, no one had expected both Jinchuriki to be so severely injured.
The curse on Yugito Nii's body was gradually weakening, and with the powerful regenerative abilities of her Tailed Beast, she could just barely manage to fight in a partial transformation. The duration, however, would be short.
As for Killer Bee, he had re-opened his wounds by forcing a full transformation to fire the Tailed Beast Bomb two days prior. He was once again bedridden.
There was another reason they were here... the Raikage would be landing at this location.
...
The Land of Water battlefield.
As the Cloud shinobi lay in wait, they suddenly found themselves enveloped in a dense fog.
"It's the Hidden Mist Technique!" C shouted a warning. "Stay alert!"
All the Cloud shinobi instantly drew their weapons. Two of them began channeling chakra into a generator. As it powered up, a massive fan, taller than a man, began to whir. The blades spun faster and faster, unleashing a powerful gale that blew directly into the fog.
The encroaching mist was instantly dispersed. As the wind continued to howl, the Mist shinobi were exposed under the moonlight.
C's heart sank. The woman at the front must be the Mizukage. The fact that she was personally leading the charge meant tonight would be a difficult battle.
"Everyone, be careful! That woman is likely the Mizukage!"
Samui's team tensed. The Cloud's current situation was not ideal. They had no idea how powerful this newly appointed Mizukage was. Could they possibly hold her off?
On the other side, seeing their Hidden Mist Technique rendered ineffective, the Mist shinobi immediately switched to a direct assault.
Mizukage Mei Terumi led the charge, flanked by Zabuza and Jūzō to her left, and Kisame and Ao to her right.
Mei opened her mouth and unleashed a wide-ranging Water Release jutsu.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
With a surge of chakra, Mei drew a massive volume of water from the nearby sea, coalescing it into a colossal sphere that descended from the sky. The sphere was enormous, and it burst in mid-air. Though not lethal, it drenched every single Cloud shinobi.
Mei's intention was to prevent them from using their Lightning Release techniques effectively. Seawater was an even better conductor than regular water.
Mei's hands flashed through a different set of seals.
From the ocean beside them, a tremendous dragon of water surged forth.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive water dragon rose from the surface, crashing sideways into the Cloud shinobi's ranks, sending them scattering in chaos. However, the dragon's scale was so vast that Mei's control over it lacked finesse. Before it could wreak much havoc, the partially transformed Yugito shattered it, turning it back into countless gallons of seawater.
The Cloud shinobi retreated, dodging the attacks. Soaked to the bone, they prepared to engage the Mist in close-quarters combat.
It was then that Mei Terumi revealed her trump card.
She leaped into the air, her cheeks puffing out.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"