Terumi Mei dragged her exhausted body back to her residence. Right now, she truly was very tired.
Actually, it was not only now. It could be said that over these past few years, she had been far too tired, because Kirigakure's situation during these years had been far too terrible.
The changes in Kirigakure were truly so great that they were hard to imagine, and the troubles brought by these changes were also far too many.
The current Kirigakure could practically be described as a complete mess. It seemed that from the moment the Third Mizukage began carrying out the Bloody Mist policy, and then when the Fourth Mizukage expanded it, Kirigakure had already gone further and further down a road of no return.
Most fatal of all, Kirigakure had also suffered unimaginable destruction and impact.
A few years ago, that damned mysterious person came to the village. Not only did he make Kirigakure pay the price of over a hundred shinobi, he also killed Ao, heavily injured the Fourth Mizukage, and ruthlessly trampled Kirigakure's dignity into the ground—he destroyed the Mizukage Building!
Such a person truly made others feel terror, and such a person truly made others feel fear.
After he left, the Fourth Mizukage seemed to have suffered a huge impact because of it as well, and he continuously began doing some things that were hard for people to understand.
Or rather, his way of thinking had never changed. It was just that now, it had become even more extreme!
Kirigakure had always been surrounded by mist, but in the past, it was still possible to see the bright sun.
But now, this thick layer of dense mist seemed to have blocked even the sunlight, preventing the light in the sky from falling onto the Land of Water.
It was even more unable to shine upon every Kirigakure shinobi, and unable to shine into their hearts.
The current Kirigakure was cold and numb. Every person lived in pain, as if they were walking corpses.
Terumi Mei also hated all of this very much, and she worked hard, wanting to change all of this.
But reality very cruelly told her that everything she was doing now was futile.
Even her superior, her teacher, Elder Genji, was also unable to change any of this.
She truly did not know why Kirigakure had reached its current state, and she understood even less whether that Fourth Mizukage wanted Kirigakure to develop, or whether he wanted to lead it into the abyss.
But as a shinobi, aside from listening to orders, she no longer had any other choice.
Could it be because that guy heavily injured the Fourth Mizukage that he became like this?
Terumi Mei had thought about this question more than once in her heart, but she truly could not get an answer that felt reliable and satisfying to her.
She hated the current Mizukage, just as she hated the person who had attacked Kirigakure and killed Ao right in front of her.
But she knew she was powerless, because one was the Mizukage-sama who stood high above them, while the other was someone whose strength was powerful enough to ignore the entire village.
Neither of these two was someone Terumi Mei could deal with, and the destruction these two brought to Kirigakure was also unimaginable.
This was especially true of the Fourth Mizukage. As Kirigakure's highest leader, all of his policies could lead Kirigakure onto a road of no return.
Terumi Mei truly doubted whether the Fourth Mizukage still possessed the ability to continue controlling Kirigakure.
She was not the only one who had doubts. In truth, there were still quite a few people inside Kirigakure who doubted it as well, especially after the Fourth Mizukage had been heavily injured.
However, this Mizukage-sama seemed to want to prove himself, and no one knew how many people who opposed him, even entire clans, he had killed!
Within Kirigakure, everyone was now in danger, and everyone's hearts were truly filled with fear.
Over these past few years, first the Kaguya clan was destroyed, then clans large and small followed in their footsteps, and even the Yuki clan had been wiped out.
No one knew what the future would be like, and no one dared to guess what the future would become.
Unless someone could overthrow the current Mizukage, unless someone could use the proper method to make this Mizukage step down, Kirigakure's future would truly be difficult.
Terumi Mei let out a faint sigh. What she was currently doing under Elder Genji was actually something similar.
They were people who truly loved the village, and they truly did not want the village to continue like this.
They wanted to find the Fourth Mizukage's abnormalities, and they wanted to find some similar evidence. This was truly not easy, and it was also extremely dangerous.
If they were even slightly careless and were exposed, then what awaited them would be being directly branded with the title of "missing-nin."
They were all very clear about this point, but they had no choice but to do it, because they were very certain that if things continued this way, Kirigakure would truly be finished.
"Sigh…"
Terumi Mei let out another faint sigh. Days like these were truly not easy to live through.
Aside from the Fourth Mizukage, that mysterious person who had disappeared without a trace had also always remained in Terumi Mei's mind.
Although that guy had never appeared again after that time, not a single Kiri shinobi dared forget the destruction he had caused.
This guy was the only person who had truly caused destruction to the mainland of the Land of Water after Kirigakure had been established for so many years.
And this guy was probably also the only person the entire Kirigakure did not dare forget, right?
"Long time no see, lady."
Just as Terumi Mei's heart was filled with emotion, she suddenly felt a faint ripple of chakra behind her.
After that, a slightly cold voice, one that was both strange and extremely familiar to her, rang out!
Hearing this voice, Terumi Mei immediately turned around with some vigilance, but when she saw the figure behind her, her entire person froze.
It was him, it was this guy!
In just an instant, the stunned look on Terumi Mei's face turned into anger, and without the slightest hesitation, she directly threw a punch at this figure.
"With a temper that bad, be careful or you won't be able to get married in the future."
This figure was naturally Natsuhiko, and he seemed to have long expected Terumi Mei to make such a move.
Facing this punch, he very calmly raised his hand and blocked it. At the same time, blue chakra light appeared on the five fingers of his other hand.
His five fingers quickly reached forward, and before Terumi Mei could react, they had already pressed against her abdomen.
In an instant, Terumi Mei felt her chakra being sealed, and she was completely unable to mobilize even a trace of chakra!
"You damned bastard!"
Terumi Mei cursed angrily, and she gritted her teeth, not caring at all that her chakra could not be mobilized as she once again swung her fist at Natsuhiko.
However, Natsuhiko moved faster than her. Just as her fist had barely been raised, Natsuhiko had already twisted her arm, forcibly making her body turn around once.
After that, Natsuhiko locked her hand behind her back, pressing it tightly against her back, while his other hand also clasped around her neck.
As long as she made even the slightest strange movement, Natsuhiko could twist her neck off in an instant!
"Whether I am a bastard or not is not important."
Natsuhiko spoke softly by Terumi Mei's ear, and he did not care at all whether the posture between them was somewhat improper.
"What matters is that I seemed to have kept my promise before. And your attitude does not seem like the attitude one should have toward someone who kept his promise…"
What exactly shamelessness meant and how it should be defined was something Terumi Mei had truly not understood very well before, but now she believed she knew.
The so-called keeping a promise from this guy's mouth seemed, on the surface, to have no problem. A promise like "I said I would kill your whole family, so I killed your whole family" was something he had truly said and done!
Taking a deep breath, Terumi Mei worked hard to calm herself down, and at the same time, she also had to overcome the fear in her heart.
The instant she saw Natsuhiko, anger had indeed broken through her reason, but after that anger, she deeply felt fear spreading through her heart.
After all, what Natsuhiko had done in Kirigakure could no longer be described simply with "he is a demon." Even if she hated Natsuhiko, she could not restrain that fear.
"Have you calmed down?"
Natsuhiko seemed to have sensed Terumi Mei's change, and he revealed a faint smile. "Being calm is a good thing. If you are too emotional when doing things, then you are not a qualified ninja."
"I do not need you to lecture me, you villain!"
Terumi Mei gritted her teeth as she spoke. Her expression was extremely ugly now, and there were still many questions in her heart.
"Why have you come here again? Does a damned guy like you have some evil plan that cannot be told to others again?"
"Do I need to report to you what I want to do?"
Natsuhiko raised his brow slightly, then directly released his hand, allowing Terumi Mei to regain her freedom.
After Terumi Mei broke free from Natsuhiko's control, she immediately pulled some distance away and looked at Natsuhiko with a guarded expression. She looked just like a cat that had been forcibly stroked.
Seeing her like this, Natsuhiko could not help but shake his head. The way she acted made it seem as if he had done something to her, but Natsuhiko truly had not done anything at all.
Only after this woman had pulled enough distance away, yet had not actually escaped the range of Natsuhiko's control, did he continue speaking.
"Do not worry. I did not come here this time to cause trouble for your Kirigakure. After all, if I really wanted to do that, you could only watch."
Natsuhiko's words made Terumi Mei extremely unhappy, but for a moment, she did not know how to refute him.
Because the strength this guy had shown when he came here a few years ago had indeed proven that he feared nothing.
Several years had passed, and Terumi Mei's own strength had improved greatly, so how could she be sure that this guy in front of her had not improved at all?
"However, the main reason I came here this time is to make a deal with you, or rather, with the people behind you."
Natsuhiko thought for a moment, then revealed a faint smile before slowly speaking.
"A deal?"
Hearing Natsuhiko's words, Terumi Mei could not help but frown. In her eyes, Natsuhiko was a demon-like guy.
Making a deal with someone like this, was that not no different from making a deal with a demon?
"Yes, a deal."
Natsuhiko nodded lightly, then found a place and sat down. His gaze stared at Terumi Mei as he smiled and said.
"I have heard that your Kirigakure has not been having an easy time lately. That Mizukage of yours seems to have gone mad, gathering his power back into his own hands, right?"
Terumi Mei did not answer. This question was truly not easy for her to answer. Even if the Mizukage's current actions were inhumane, this was still an internal matter of Kirigakure.
To put it another way, this was only Kirigakure's own internal strife, and it had nothing to do with outsiders!
Natsuhiko was a true demon, and the harm he had caused Kirigakure could be said to be too many to write down. No matter what kind of information it was from inside Kirigakure, they should not waste even half a word on him.
"If you do not say anything, I will take it as your silent agreement. In fact, that is also the truth, is it not?"
Natsuhiko did not care about Terumi Mei's attitude. He shook his head very calmly and then continued speaking.
"I want to meet your Kage, alone and in secret, and I can guarantee that your Kage will come back alive.
As the deal, I will also give you some things, things you need and things that are necessary…"
Speaking to this point, Natsuhiko paused slightly. His expression became even more unclear, and his next words also made Terumi Mei's eyes widen slightly.
"If I have not guessed wrong, you should be thinking of ways to deal with the Mizukage, but at the same time, you are also guarding against the Mizukage finding some bad evidence and then making a move against you.
Then I can guarantee that after this meeting, within a limited number of years, you people will be able to stand on equal footing with the Mizukage in the true sense.
You can find ways to gather strength, and he will not make a move against you. As for how you fight after that time passes, that will be your own business."
"What do you think of this deal?"
After saying this, Natsuhiko did not speak anymore, and only looked at Terumi Mei before him with a smiling face, while Terumi Mei now looked rather frightened.
Because she discovered that the person in front of her was not as simple as a demon. This guy did not hide his evil goal in the slightest!
In the end, Terumi Mei was still someone who could become Mizukage in the future, and the Elder Genji had also carefully trained her, so her mind could be said to be extremely flexible.
Natsuhiko had only mentioned the content of the deal, and she already knew what Natsuhiko wanted to do—this was simply a naked attempt to split their Kirigakure from the inside!
He made it sound nice, saying he was giving them a chance to develop their own strength and fight against the Mizukage's madness, but what kind of result would their fight against the Mizukage cause?
Clearly, it would split the village, and that would heavily strike at Kirigakure's own development.
This guy did not want Kirigakure to get better at all. The fact that he could make such a deal clearly meant that he had something on the Mizukage, and that he must know some things.
If he truly wanted to help Kirigakure, would it not be better for him to directly give them that handle, so they would have the chance to reasonably push the Mizukage down without using a method that caused internal loss?
But this guy did not plan to do that at all, and he did not have the slightest thought or intention of doing that. He simply wanted Kirigakure to constantly consume itself from within!
Thinking of this, Terumi Mei's heart was truly filled with resentment, but she was very clear about one thing, and that was that she really did not have much right to choose.
This guy had come to find her, which meant he hoped Kirigakure would remain chaotic. Otherwise, he could have gone directly to the Mizukage himself, then revealed some of their matters.
If that happened, the Mizukage's surveillance of them would become even stricter, and they would have even less chance to push the Mizukage off the stage.
They might not even be able to ensure their own safety, so how could they make Kirigakure great once again?
Either cooperate, and Kirigakure would become chaotic, or refuse to cooperate, and Kirigakure would completely fall into the abyss.
With these two choices placed in front of Terumi Mei, it truly made things extremely difficult for her. Only after a long while did she grit her teeth and ask.
"How can I trust you? And how can you guarantee that after you meet the Mizukage, he will not turn his spear around and start a war with us?"
"Sorry, you do not have the right to choose. Besides, I am not so low as to deceive you, after all…"
Speaking to this point, Natsuhiko slowly walked in front of Terumi Mei and looked at this woman whose body was constantly trembling before him.
A smile appeared on the face half-covered by his mask, and then he reached out and lightly hooked Terumi Mei's chin.
This action was very provocative, but Terumi Mei did not resist at all. Perhaps she knew that she could not resist at all.
Natsuhiko looked at this woman before him who was gritting her teeth, and the smile on his face became even brighter. Then he slowly moved his head close to Terumi Mei's ear, and only then did he softly say.
"After all, doing what I say is my ninja way…"
...
"Is that how it is?"
Inside an office in the newly rebuilt Mizukage Building, Elder Genji sat on his seat and quietly looked at Terumi Mei, who was half-kneeling before him.
Early this morning, Terumi Mei had rushed to his office and asked to meet him. To him, this was not something especially rare.
But this time, Terumi Mei's expression looked a little too serious, and she even requested that everyone, including the Anbu, be dismissed.
This made Elder Genji become slightly alert. He did not suspect Terumi Mei, because this girl had been personally raised and trained by him.
He guessed that Terumi Mei might have discovered something incredible, which was why she was being so careful.
Therefore, he dismissed a portion of the more obvious people, but at the same time, he also left one person hidden inside the office.
This person's concealment technique was extremely advanced, and unless one was a ninja with very strong sensory ability, it would be impossible to detect his presence.
Necessary precautions still had to be taken. Elder Genji was cautious by nature, especially because the things they were doing now were truly matters that would cost them their lives if discovered!
However, after Terumi Mei told Elder Genji everything that had happened last night, Elder Genji's heart was filled with shock, and beyond that shock, he also somewhat regretted why he had left that Anbu ninja behind.
How could this kind of matter, this kind of major issue that concerned the future direction of Kirigakure's internal affairs, be casually allowed to be known by others?
Especially since this was something planned, something from which the future split of Kirigakure could clearly be seen, it was even less something that could be easily known by others!
In the end, that Anbu could still be considered one of Elder Genji's own people, and right now, he was even more focused on the deal given by that damned demon.
The things Terumi Mei could think of, he could naturally think of as well, and he had even thought more quickly about what choice in this matter would be better.
He could tell that the damned guy truly had them in his grasp.
Because, to put it simply, they did not have any room to choose at all. Either they obediently cooperated with that guy's actions.
This would lead to a true internal split within Kirigakure, but at least there would still be a buffer period that allowed them to make preparations, and in the end, they could find a way to reasonably and properly overthrow the Mizukage.
Or that guy would go to the Mizukage himself. In that case, Kirigakure might be able to avoid internal chaos, but the Mizukage would hunt them down and block every path, leaving them with nowhere to hide.
The final result would be that although internal consumption would be avoided, they would all be doomed, while this Mizukage, who clearly had problems, would lead all of Kirigakure into the abyss!
Of course, it was not as if there were no other choices, such as launching an attack right now and finding a way to deal with the Mizukage.
But the consequence of that would be that they would also be finished. After all, if they succeeded, they would become rogue ninja, and if they failed, they would be even less than nothing.
Thinking of this, Elder Genji could not help but take a deep breath. This choice looked like it was not difficult, but in truth, there was not a single option that was truly good.
It could be said that this was choosing between something bad and something even worse, and the choice they could make was only that one.
"I understand. You have worked hard, Mei."
Elder Genji weakly shook his head. He had already made his choice.
"This matter truly does not leave us with much room to choose. Making you bear and face this matter has truly been hard on you."
"No, Elder Genji, this is Kirigakure's matter, and I also have a duty I cannot refuse!"
Terumi Mei shook her head, and she gritted her teeth as she spoke.
"It can only be said that this demon is too hateful. A person like him will pay the price sooner or later, I swear it!"
Looking at Terumi Mei's expression, Elder Genji could only weakly shake his head.
He really did not have much interest in discussing a topic like making him pay the price. Leaving aside whether they had anyone who could do it, just the strength that guy had shown several years ago made it hard to say that anyone could truly do it.
Even if there really was someone who could, this guy came and went like a ghost. Even if they wanted to find him, they might not be able to find him at all.
So in Elder Genji's view, rather than getting tangled up in useless things like that, it was better to think about more practical matters.
For example, they had obtained time, and if the Mizukage truly stopped paying attention to them, then how they could quickly gather their own strength was the most important thing.
"Enough. There is no need to think too much about those things."
Elder Genji shook his head, and his expression turned serious as he spoke.
"I will arrange what comes next, and after I have arranged it, I will tell you.
"That guy will probably only contact you, so during this period, satisfy all of his requests as much as possible."
"I know you hate him, and I hate him as well. None of us will forget the harm he brought to Kirigakure!
"But the most important thing is still the stability of Kirigakure. The village is our root, and there is no doubt about that.
"When Kirigakure is stable in the future, we will make that guy pay the price!"
"Yes, Elder Genji!"
After hearing Elder Genji's words, Terumi Mei immediately lowered her head and answered in an extremely firm tone.
Indeed, the village was their root. Only after the village became stable and secure could they think of ways to take revenge on those who had once brought harm to the village.
"Hehe."
But right at this moment, a soft laugh suddenly rang out inside the room, and in that instant, both Elder Genji and Terumi Mei felt the hair on their bodies stand on end.
"Thud."
Immediately after, a black shadow suddenly fell to the ground, and Elder Genji instantly knew that this was the Anbu he had left inside the room!
He did not know how this person had been killed, nor did he know when that mysterious guy had entered this room.
But he knew that if that mysterious person wanted to kill them, they would probably already be corpses!
Fear silently spread through both of their hearts...
...
Standing calmly beside a lake in the Land of Water, Natsuhiko's entire body was wrapped in a black robe, and on his face was a mask that exposed the lower half of his face.
At this moment, there was not the slightest chakra fluctuation around his body, and he looked just like an ordinary person.
However, his entire body seemed to have merged into nature itself, and no matter who saw him, they probably would not be able to ignore him.
From the time he set out for the Land of Water until now, Natsuhiko had already been away for more than a month, but he was not too worried about Konoha.
After all, his shadow clone was still there, and if anything happened, it would notify him immediately.
Besides, nothing was likely to happen in Konoha right now. Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were both there as well, and Natsuhiko trusted them completely.
Konoha remained peaceful, while things in Kirigakure were also progressing largely according to Natsuhiko's expectations.
Ever since he killed that hidden Anbu operative in front of Terumi Mei and Elder Genji, the resolve of the two had clearly strengthened.
Although Natsuhiko did not pay much attention to Kirigakure's internal affairs, he had been staying at Terumi Mei's residence during this period, so he still picked up on quite a few things.
As for the choice Elder Genji and Terumi Mei made, he was not surprised in the slightest. After all, a certain minister or prime minister had long since made a perfect teaching example through Sir Humphrey.
Between a bad choice and an even worse choice, no matter who it was, they would choose the relatively better option.
After all, everyone was not mad, and things had not become that absurd yet.
The reason Natsuhiko did this was also very normal. He did not want Obito to have an easy time, and at the same time, he did not want Obito to have time to run to the Land of Rain.
Obito hated Kirigakure to an extreme. Ever since he inherited Uchiha Madara's political legacy in Kirigakure, he had begun to grow even more excessive in causing damage inside Kirigakure.
His goal was to make Kirigakure fall into the abyss, while what Natsuhiko wanted to do now was to pull Kirigakure up a little.
Obito's current advantage lay in his absolute control over the Mizukage, and also in the fact that no one had discovered his actions.
But for Natsuhiko, a transmigrator, this kind of thing could not be any clearer, and he could completely use this matter to make Obito unable to look after both ends.
He would force him, for no reason, to have one more enemy in Kirigakure, and within the set period of time, he would have no way to make a move against this enemy.
Then the only thing he could do would be to think of every possible way to pull in more people who were willing to follow the "Mizukage" before this enemy fully grew stronger.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly have any spare time to go to the Land of Rain and cause trouble for Nagato?
Similarly, that guy Black Zetsu was also a problem, but Obito's intelligence might not really be enough to outplay an old fox like Elder Genji, so Black Zetsu naturally had no way to leave easily either.
Besides, Natsuhiko did not mind adding another layer of insurance for Black Zetsu, making it so that he completely could not place his attention on the Land of Rain.
In that case, Nagato's freedom would become much greater, and at the same time, while maintaining his position as the leader of the Akatsuki, he could also serve as a blade for Natsuhiko even better.
"As long as I press these two guys firmly into Kirigakure, then there will be more interesting things. In fact, if the curse mark is thoroughly researched, I can even make a move on the Land of Rain!"
The Land of Rain truly did not have many resources, and with that heavy rain that never changed all year round, it indeed brought trouble to many more projects.
But one thing had to be mentioned: this place had such rich water resources that, as long as they were guided well, Natsuhiko might even be able to use them to make a huge profit!
After all, the Land of Rain was a small nation that connected the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Earth. The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth both lacked water.
Moreover, this country's geographical position also determined that its strategic value was extraordinary, and Natsuhiko really did not mind properly driving this country's development, if they truly submitted.
Shaking his head slightly, Natsuhiko could not be bothered to keep thinking about these things. A road had to be walked step by step, and a meal had to be eaten bite by bite. Right now, the most important thing was still to deal with Obito and the others.
"He has arrived," At this moment, Natsuhiko suddenly raised his head slightly, because he had already sensed that someone was coming.
Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, quietly appeared around Natsuhiko. He still had that expression that was calm to the point of even seeming somewhat dazed.
It seemed that on his face, one could never see any clarity. That kind of daze was just like a puppet.
Natsuhiko did not know how Elder Genji had explained things to this guy, and likewise, he did not want to know those messy details, because they truly had no meaning to him.
Natsuhiko calmly turned around, and as he looked at the person before him, a trace of wicked amusement suddenly rose in him. Raising his head slightly, Natsuhiko spoke with a faintly arrogant tone.
"You're here?"
"Yes, I'm here. But you shouldn't have come."
Although he did not fully play along, it still sounded fairly decent. Karatachi Yagura quietly looked at Natsuhiko without showing any emotion.
"I do not know why you got mixed up with those people, and they even hid it from me by saying they had important intelligence to report.
"I never thought they had already betrayed Kirigakure and mixed themselves together with a dangerous person like you."
"Is that so?" Natsuhiko looked at Karatachi Yagura with amusement, then slowly spoke with a meaningful tone.
"I wonder, if I use Yin-Yang Release, will I be able to make this person wake up?
"Speaking of which, this guy really is pitiful. No matter what, he can still be considered the Kage of a major nation's ninja village.
"But now, he can only serve as a puppet on strings. That really is something that makes people feel sad."
After saying this, the chakra throughout Natsuhiko's body had already begun to ripple, and a pale golden tailed-beast cloak had appeared around him.
Not only that, the Yin-Yang Release inside his body also began to gather within him. Powerful chakra shot into the sky, and the originally calm lake surface became stormy and turbulent at this moment.
"Are you two rats going to come out on your own so we can have a good talk, or am I going to drag you out and make you talk to me properly?"
As his voice fell, Natsuhiko slightly turned his head and looked in another direction.
And not far away in that direction, Obito and Black Zetsu were already covered in cold sweat.
...
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