Just as Shinji and his team had just left, Mei Terumī received news that someone had been attacked and killed.
"Who did it?!"
"Unknown. By the time we found them, no one was left alive. But—"
"But what? Speak!"
"But some suspect it was Akagi's group. There was a conflict and contradiction between both sides in front of everyone. To root out the problem entirely, Akagi's group has both the motive and the ability to strike first."
Mei Terumī almost laughed out of anger after hearing this, and she also felt quite disappointed in some people.
"Akagi was under my surveillance the entire time. There's no way he could have done anything sneaky. As for the other two, I also asked around, and they said they basically never left, so it's almost impossible for them."
"Those who didn't leave might have been clones. And Akagi's group might not be just three people—there could be others who haven't been exposed. Otherwise, it's hard to believe they could complete such an efficient mission."
"All these are just your guesses."
Mei Terumī slightly frowned. If she were to throw mud at someone, she could always find a reason.
She might as well say that Akagi's group used space ninjutsu, and after killing the people, they instantly teleported back.
"I still think we should immediately send someone to arrest Akagi's group, since they are the prime suspects."
"No. Have you considered what the consequences would be if it turns out they didn't do it?"
Consequences?
What kind of consequences could there be?
They had already arrested them. Whatever result they wanted, it was up to them to decide!
Could they really let a few wandering ninjas turn the tables?
These words couldn't be spoken to Mizukage-sama anyway, because Mizukage-sama hated this kind of thing the most.
"Alright, enough talk. Immediately investigate thoroughly and find the culprit. As long as we find evidence, I will personally bring Akagi's group back."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
After the other person left, Mei Terumī began to think through all the possibilities.
Initially, when she heard someone suspect it was Akagi's group, she instinctively thought it was someone framing or deliberately throwing mud.
After all, if they wanted to kill those people, Akagi had the opportunity at that time, but he didn't.
Later, he even bargained with her, trying to fight for his own interests.
That behavior was completely uncharacteristic of a murderer.
On the other hand, why would Akagi's group do this?
If the news had been leaked a few minutes earlier, they would definitely not be able to leave, and even the rewards they negotiated earlier would become useless.
This was fundamentally contradictory.
So, Mei Terumī reasonably suspected that many people knew about the conflict between Akagi's group and the murdered victims, and thus deliberately killed people to frame Akagi's group.
Moreover, from what she heard just now, many people had already formed suspicions about Akagi's group without proper investigation, which undoubtedly proved that the 'murderer''s plan was very successful!
They exploited some people's dissatisfaction with Akagi's group, successfully shifting most of the attention away to hide their own involvement.
Mei Terumī felt that her reasoning was getting close to the truth. The only thing left was to find the real murderer.
But she couldn't completely rule out Akagi's group either.
What if Akagi's group really did the opposite and this was all a deception?
After careful consideration, Mei Terumī still decided to personally investigate.
Since Akagi's group was about to undertake S-rank missions, which were definitely of high difficulty, they would have to give their all.
If there was any hidden secret, it would inevitably be exposed.
And then she could further confirm whether they were innocent or not.
So Mei Terumī ordered her people to bring back detailed intel on those two S-rank missions and began to examine them carefully.
....
"When will we finally be able to rebuild the Evil God Cult?"
Hidan clasped his hands behind his head and asked somewhat boredly.
"Haven't I already told you? Once we gather ten people, we can officially rebuild the Evil God Cult. Otherwise, with just a few of us, what's the difference from just fooling around?"
Suddenly, Shinji's expression turned strange. "Are you asking when you'll become the cult leader?"
Hidan immediately widened his eyes and shook his head three times. "No, I didn't. You're talking nonsense, impossible!"
Shinji: "Tobi, what do you think?"
"Uh, I think if senior Hidan becomes the cult leader, then our Evil God Cult can disband in less than a month. Yay~!"
"Tobi, prepare to die! Eat my Evil God Run-and-Kill attack!"
"Waaah! Senior Shinji, save me!"
Sorry, I can't save you. The Evil God Run-and-Kill is too sharp, I really can't handle it.
Watching the two dogs frantically fighting, Shinji, as the old boss, couldn't help but show a knowing, perverted smile.
Based on the intel provided by the Hidden Mist, Shinji and his team arrived at that terrifying Mist Mountain.
The intel said that this mountain was called Mist Mountain because it was shrouded in thick fog year-round.
But because the mountain produced many precious medicinal herbs, it attracted many people to go up and gather herbs.
Even many surrounding villages relied on this Mist Mountain for their livelihood.
It was a place that was dangerous but not too dangerous.
But somehow, from some point, Mist Mountain had become a place of extreme danger.
Anyone who entered would disappear without a trace. Occasionally, one or two lucky ones would stumble out, looking as if they'd seen something extremely terrifying, going insane, but they would carry valuable medicinal herbs worth a fortune.
At first, some suspected that they were trying to monopolize the mountain's precious herbs, but all those who came out alive and returned home died suddenly within a few days, without exception.
This dampened some people's greed, and they hurried to report the incident.
To resolve this, the Hidden Mist kept sending people to investigate, but all went silent.
Until finally, they sent a Jōnin team of six, and only one middle ninja came out alive.
But even that survivor went insane, repeatedly muttering, "They're all dead, everyone is dead," "It's fake, you're all fake, I want to kill you all."
Even more puzzling was that what he brought out wasn't herbs, but some jewelry that looked very valuable.
As a survivor, the Hidden Mist immediately sent people to protect him.
However, just one day later, this middle ninja suddenly died without warning.
Having sacrificed so many people, they had basically gained nothing.
Helpless, the Hidden Mist declared the 'Mist Mountain Incident' a S-rank mission, hoping someone could resolve it, even if just leaving some useful clues.
After reviewing the detailed intel, Shinji was almost certain that a [Special Grade Cursed Spirit] was lurking on Mist Mountain. Whether it had activated its domain was still unclear.
But if they left it alone and let panic spread, this [Special Grade Cursed Spirit]'s growth rate and terror level would far exceed expectations.
Therefore, the best way to deal with these potential powerful Cursed Spirits was to strike swiftly before they fully grew.
Absolutely no dragging; the longer they delayed, the more terrifying it would become!
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