Menma, who had already left, was unaware that Elder Mizuno Satoru had reached the very edge of his life, clinging to his last breath. That spirited appearance just now was clearly a case of terminal lucidity—a final burst of energy before the end.
The doctor had also advised that with proper rest, he might linger on for another day or two, perhaps even a bit longer. However, the huge emotional fluctuations he just experienced had consumed the last of the Elder's life force. Otherwise, if he could have held on just a little longer, as long as Mizuno Satoru appeared in person, the other Waterfall ninja remaining in the village would definitely have chosen to stand by Shibuki's side.
It was precisely because Mizuno Satoru knew he could no longer do this...
That he chose to entrust everything to Menma.
Not because he didn't want to choose otherwise, but because he had no choice.
Menma could guess this to some extent, but he thought the Elder was deliberately doing him a favor. Menma was a sensory ninja, but ultimately not a medical ninja; he couldn't accurately judge Mizuno Satoru's lifespan.
Not to mention that sometimes, human will can force the body to hold on for a while at the final moment. Menma naturally made an error in judgment.
Menma truly thought Mizuno Satoru was intentionally letting him take charge of the situation. But regardless of the reason, the result was ultimately the same.
At this moment, Menma's heart was full of thoughts about the upcoming action.
Coming here had already consumed nearly an hour.
Calculating the time, even with the previous delay, Suien should be leading that group of people directly to the vicinity of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Although it was slightly different from what he had anticipated...
The conversation with Shibuki, and especially with Elder Satoru, had gone far smoother than Menma had imagined. This first step could be said to have been taken successfully.
Next is to deal with this guy Suien.
Flickering to the entrance of the Hidden Waterfall Village's main gate...
With his immense sensory perception spreading out...
Menma could clearly "see" that not far away, Suien was leading dozens of subordinates, speeding rapidly toward them.
And at the main gate...
Shibuki was already standing at the very front, leading his only remaining ten-plus most loyal subordinates.
In Menma's perception...
There were no other ninja or civilian auras in the surrounding area.
Clearly, Shibuki had evacuated them in advance.
The Waterfall ninja brought here by Shibuki initially looked confused. Especially upon seeing the grim look on their leader's face, the doubts in their hearts grew heavier.
Just as a blue-haired man standing closest to Shibuki wanted to ask something...
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Suddenly.
From the direction of the entrance path...
Thirty to forty figures flashed into view. When Suien's figure at the front came into the sight of the blue-haired man and the others...
These Waterfall ninja's expressions instantly changed drastically.
"Suien!?"
"It's actually this guy coming back!?"
"How is this possible!?"
"Didn't the Leader say Suien was heavily injured and Jun-san had already led people to pursue him!?"
"What exactly is going on!?"
A look of shock appeared on everyone's face.
"Leader?"
"Lord Shibuki!?"
Everyone turned their heads at this moment to look at Shibuki standing at the very front. Further inside, some Waterfall ninja naturally sensed the return of Suien and his group. Some hesitated about whether to come over, while others decided to remain neutral to the end.
But regardless of their mindset, the current situation, on the surface, was Shibuki leading only a dozen direct subordinates to face Suien's group alone.
Shibuki didn't care about the different mindsets of his subordinates or the other Waterfall ninja further away.
The moment he saw Suien...
Shibuki stepped forward with a calm expression: "You came back after all. Did you plan to come kill me?"
"Hoho, it seems our weak leader has finally toughened up for once? The moment you drove me out of the village, you should have foreseen your future, Shibuki. This is your only end," Suien said loudly, looking at Shibuki with a very arrogant expression.
"Even at this point, do you still want to continue pretending? Suien, are you really unclear about the reason why you defected!?" Shibuki shouted sternly.
"Heh, pretending? No, I've always been like this, Shibuki. It's all your fault, and the fault of those old geezers! Where am I inferior to you!? Just because you're a wet-behind-the-ears brat, what right do you have to lead the ninja village!? Just because you're Leader Gongye's grandson!? Don't make me laugh! You aren't qualified at all!!!"
Suien spoke grimly, wearing an incredibly crazed and twisted expression.
He looked as if he wanted to swallow Shibuki whole.
Shibuki also revealed a look of anger and roared loudly: "Just for this position of Leader!? You would go to such extreme lengths, even colluding with outsiders!? Inciting a rebellion!? Are you worthy of the village? Are you worthy of Elder Satoru!?"
"Extreme? Worthy? It was those old things who wronged me first! That's right, I did it for the position of Leader. Shibuki, if you know what's good for you, kill yourself. Otherwise, I will make you wish you were dead!"
Boom!
The chakra that erupted...
The chilling aura that permeated the air...
From a general perspective...
Suien could indeed be considered a relatively strong ninja. Even if he was just an ordinary Jonin, in the vast ninja world, he was already an existence standing at the pyramid level. After all, even among the Five Great Ninja Villages, there were on average only a few Kage-level figures.
Jonin were the true representatives of top-tier combat power.
"Hoho, it seems I underestimated this guy. His strength is passable."
Sitting cross-legged on the roof of a building, Menma raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.
But on second thought, this was normal. He was one of the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Waterfall Village, after all. It would be strange if he didn't have such strength.
"Also, don't expect that old ghost Satoru to come help you. I've already sent people there to deal with that old thing. You have nowhere left to run now, Shibuki!"
Suien said with a hideous look, staring at Shibuki sinisterly.
The words he spoke...
"What!?"
"This!?"
Caused the faces of the other Waterfall ninja behind Shibuki to change drastically.
Only Shibuki regained his previous calm expression, as if he hadn't heard Suien's words at all.
"Since it's like this, then... you want the position of Leader? I am right here. Kill me, and the position of Leader is yours. Do you dare to fight me!? A fair and square duel to the death!"
Shibuki took a step forward. With chakra venting out as well, he looked at Suien opposite him with a sharp gaze.
Such a development... let alone Suien...
Even Menma, who was preparing to make his move from behind, was slightly stunned.
Oi, oi, oi, this isn't the script we agreed on, is it?
Menma widened his eyes, looking at Shibuki down below, and complained in his heart.