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A genius? Sasame pondered the thought. Even including characters from Boruto, the Hidden Mist Village seemed to lack geniuses. It was simply not the village of the protagonists. Sasame tilted his head, leaned close to her, and said, "We could always make one."
Terumi Mei stared blankly for a few seconds, then glared fiercely at him. Although the logic was sound, she had never seriously thought about having a child. But upon reflection, Sasame certainly made a compelling argument. Like breeds like. Sasame possessed Wood Release, and she had Lava Release and Boil Release. Theoretically, the Kekkei Genkai could be inherited. A child of theirs, if they inherited one, would undoubtedly be a genius.
For a moment, Terumi Mei was genuinely tempted. Her current reluctance stemmed from her position as Mizukage. Getting pregnant would be too complicated. After she stepped down, she could consider having one. Terumi Mei regained her composure and continued watching the matches. Frankly, Genin battles were quite boring for her; they were full of obvious openings. Yet, a few individuals did catch her eye, though unfortunately, they were all Hidden Leaf shinobi, particularly Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga. They all defeated their opponents with exceptional ease. Terumi Mei remembered that these three were all Sasame's students. This filled her with envy once more. Why couldn't she find students like that?
As Mizukage, she hadn't taken on any students herself, instead focusing on mentoring Chōjūrō and Suigetsu Hōzuki. But those two were far inferior to Sasuke Uchiha and the others. Still, what could she do? These were already the best geniuses her entire village had to offer. Terumi Mei sighed inwardly. She even felt like taking a page out of the Hidden Cloud Village's book and kidnapping talent, but her strength didn't permit it. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold onto them.
Just then, Terumi Mei's body suddenly tensed, and she grew flustered. Sasame's hand was slowly stroking her thigh.
"What are you doing?!" Terumi Mei whispered, gripping his hand. "Someone will notice!"
The entire arena held thousands of spectators, and they were in the most conspicuous position. Any anomaly would be instantly noticed. The intense thrill made Terumi Mei's heart pound.
"They won't," Sasame whispered back, having already placed a barrier. From the outside, their posture appeared to be that of normal spectators. Terumi Mei didn't know about the barrier. Even if she had, she wouldn't have indulged him. She glared angrily at Sasame, as their two hands played a subtle game of pursuit on her thigh. Terumi Mei was naturally no match for him. With a soft moan, her body relaxed. She leaned back in her seat, her eyes filled with a complex mix of panic, fear, and desire.
Sasame didn't go too far. He understood Terumi Mei's personality. Removing his hand from the highly sensitive area, Sasame cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry, I set up a barrier."
Terumi Mei gritted her teeth, her face flushed crimson. "You bastard!"
Sasame didn't dare speak, letting her curse him. A moment later, Terumi Mei recovered. She sat upright, straightened her clothes, and gave Sasame one more glare. She had definitely been completely offended this time. I'll have to work hard tonight, Sasame thought. Otherwise, things would get difficult for him later.
The third stage of the joint Chunin Exam successfully concluded its first day without incident. Only Kiba Inuzuka had the misfortune of facing Gaara. The rest proceeded normally to the second round of matches. The Hidden Leaf Village still had the largest number of contestants. The smaller villages either lost everyone or had only a single survivor. The Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist Villages only had three or four each. In total, there were just over twenty contestants remaining. The finals would finish the next day.
However, Sasame didn't plan to attend the second day of the exam. He had a trip to the Hidden Cloud Village to make. That night, after an intense session with Terumi Mei, he secured her agreement for his temporary absence. She didn't know the exact reason, only that he had urgent business. Since the Hokage's absence from the joint Chunin Exam wouldn't look good, Sasame arranged for Yūgao Uzuki to impersonate him for the day. Under normal circumstances, no one would notice the difference.
In the morning, Sasame got up. Terumi Mei was already awake. The night before, they had both held back, keeping things from getting too extreme. Sasame could have handled more, but Terumi Mei couldn't. If she were too exhausted, she would have to excuse herself from the Chunin Exam. Sasame was indifferent, but she had her own principles. Therefore, Sasame had to accommodate her, especially since he had angered her yesterday.
"What would you like for breakfast?" Sasame asked, standing by the doorway and watching her change.
"Anything is fine," Terumi Mei said, her face slightly flushed but showing no excess shyness.
Sasame looked away and cooked two bowls of ramen in the kitchen. Since they were in the Hidden Mist Village and staying at Terumi Mei's house, the kitchen was his to use freely. It didn't take long for the ramen to be ready.
"Itadakimasu!" They clasped their hands and began eating their breakfast.
"Given yesterday's matches, the top ranks will probably all be occupied by your Hidden Leaf Genin," Terumi Mei suddenly paused her eating and sighed.
"Why are you bringing that up again?" Sasame raised an eyebrow. "That's not like you." Terumi Mei rolled her eyes at him. She naturally wouldn't reveal her true feelings to anyone else.
"Solving this problem won't be easy," Sasame considered. "But I do have an idea."
"What is it?" Terumi Mei's eyes instantly lit up, and she looked at him expectantly.
"The emergence of genius depends partly on bloodline and partly on population size—quantity leading to quality," Sasame said slowly. "There's not much we can do about bloodlines for now, but you could consider recruiting shinobi."
"I'd like to," Terumi Mei frowned and asked, "But where can I recruit people? The other four great nations are no less capable than the Hidden Mist Village."
"Why focus on the Five Great Nations?" Sasame shook his head. "There are so many wandering shinobi in the ninja world. You could integrate them into your village."
Wandering shinobi varied widely in skill, personality, and morality. But if the Hidden Mist Village screened them and established appropriate rules, they could absorb a decent pool of people. Shinobi wandering outside the villages often lived difficult lives, constantly facing peril. Many would welcome a stable life. Before, the Five Great Nations ignored them because they were generally weak and useless.
Terumi Mei was thoughtful. How should I put it? The idea was useful, but limited, and would take a very long time. However, if she could accidentally acquire a few Kekkei Genkai users, it might be worthwhile. The Hidden Mist Village's former bloody rule caused a mass exodus or extermination of Kekkei Genkai clans. Although things were back to normal, the past was a strong deterrent for many to return. Now, with the joint Chunin Exam and attractive incentives, things might finally improve.
"I will consider it," Terumi Mei nodded.
Sasame actually had better ideas, which involved focusing on bloodlines. Being ruthless, he could exploit others' bloodlines. However, many prominent Kekkei Genkai clans were in the Hidden Leaf Village. Sasame wouldn't do that.
After breakfast, Terumi Mei put on her Mizukage's Cloak and left the house. Sasame returned to the Hidden Leaf Village's temporary residence and instructed Yūgao Uzuki to impersonate him at the competition venue.
He then appeared in the Hidden Cloud Village and met with Kakuzu.
"Let's go," Sasame said without unnecessary chatter. "You lead the way. We're going to capture Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."
Kakuzu nodded. Unrai Gorge was not far from the Hidden Cloud Village; it was a massive canyon. The terrain was quite open. Killer B often trained—or rather, rapped—there.
"No one is nearby," Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "He's certainly confident."
"This place is close to the Hidden Cloud Village. If we can't capture Killer B quickly, it will draw others out," Sasame said casually. "Of course, he has reason to be confident. He's a perfect Jinchuriki. Few people in the entire ninja world can defeat him."
"But that doesn't include us," Kakuzu said calmly, as if he and Sasame combined were invincible. That wasn't wrong.
Sasame chuckled. "Let's finish this quickly."
He slowly walked into the canyon. Kakuzu followed close behind. It wasn't long before Killer B spotted them.
"Who are you guys?" Sasame and Kakuzu were both wearing Akatsuki uniforms. Killer B hadn't seen them before, which raised his guard. But he didn't feel any sense of danger. His powerful strength gave him justified confidence.
Sasame didn't bother to answer. He simply clapped his hands together.
Sage Art: Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!
The ground swelled up, and countless trees erupted from the earth, rapidly transforming the canyon into a forest. Kakuzu was startled. Thankfully, he remembered this was his teammate and merely watched with malicious amusement as the fleeing Killer B panicked.
Killer B reacted swiftly. The instant he sensed danger, a massive cloak of red Tailed Beast Chakra erupted around his body. This allowed him to narrowly avoid the first wave of attacks.
"Wood Release?!" Killer B dashed through the air, his face filled with shock. All the powerful Wood Release users he knew were from the Hidden Leaf Village. And this absurd level of Wood Release... Could it be the Hokage, Sasame, himself? But that couldn't be. Wasn't Sasame currently presiding over the joint Chunin Exam in the Hidden Mist Village?
The situation didn't allow him time to think. Countless vines and branches rushed toward him from below. From Sasame's perspective, Killer B looked like an ant struggling in the ocean, clearly in great peril.
A cold glint flashed. Killer B slashed his seven swords at the vines, but his efforts were useless. The immense force rattled his arms. In a moment of distraction, the vines wrapped around his swords and began to spread. Killer B didn't hesitate any longer. His body suddenly swelled, and boundless chakra sprayed outward. The vines that were closing in on him were instantly blown back.
Boom! The Eight-Tails emerged. Its massive size dominated the scene. It waved its hands and eight tails against the oncoming forest, creating a temporary stalemate.
Seeing this, Sasame formed hand signs again.
Sage Art: Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!
A seed sprouted in front of him and instantly grew into a massive dragon. It shot into the sky, rocketing straight toward Killer B, or rather, the Eight-Tails. The Eight-Tails was completely helpless now. Too many vines and branches were relentlessly tangling it up. Its immense body and chakra, once its proudest advantages—unbeatable against most shinobi—had now become liabilities, making its movements difficult. The Wood Dragon quickly bound it. The Eight-Tails roared in anger, attempting to break free, but a look of terror suddenly flashed across its face. It realized that its chakra was being rapidly absorbed by the Wood Dragon. A feeling of weakness washed over it. In that moment of hesitation, it was submerged by countless vines and branches.
In an instant, all that remained in the canyon was a gigantic green mound of wood.
Kakuzu gasped. Does Sasame feel even more ruthless than before? Is he just playing around? That was the only explanation he could think of. Does a powerhouse like this truly have no hidden agenda for joining the Akatsuki? But it wasn't his concern. He wasn't particularly loyal to the Akatsuki; he was only interested in whether it helped his lucrative business ventures.
Sasame activated the Sky Net Device. He had to hand the Eight-Tails over to the Akatsuki eventually, but first, he would absorb some chakra. A tremendous amount of chakra flowed from the Wood Dragon into the Sky Net Device. The Eight-Tails' massive form quickly shrank, leaving behind the unconscious Killer B.
"Take him and go," Sasame glanced at the distance, where lightning was flashing. Clearly, the Eight-Tails' earlier roar of agony had drawn the attention of the Hidden Cloud shinobi.
"Be careful," Kakuzu also noticed the group rushing toward them. He had no desire to fight so many people. With a flash, he landed in front of Killer B, grabbed his collar, and fled.
"Stop!" A booming voice rang out. The Fourth Raikage, engulfed in a lightning aura, sped straight toward Kakuzu.
Sasame's mind moved. The Wood Dragon quickly blocked Kakuzu's path and lunged at the Fourth Raikage.
"Damn it!" the Fourth Raikage roared. Lariat Fury Thunder Axe! He raised his leg and smashed it down onto the Wood Dragon. Boom! The Wood Dragon actually staggered for a moment. But it was useless. The Fourth Raikage's face changed as he realized something was wrong. This Wood Release was far too ridiculous. But he had to save Killer B. The Fourth Raikage retreated slightly and commanded, "Darui, take your men and go after Killer B!"
Darui would be the future Fifth Raikage. Notably, he inherited the Third Raikage's black lightning style. Furthermore, he possessed the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai. Storm Release, a fusion of Lightning and Water Nature Transformations, gave his lightning jutsu the advantages of water, making it easier to control. Darui was currently the Fourth Raikage's bodyguard. In the original story, he was praised by the Raikage as his "second hand." Despite all these accolades, Darui, as the Fifth Raikage, was actually quite mediocre, far inferior to the Third and Fourth Raikages. He didn't even inherit the title of 'A' held by the Hidden Cloud's strongest shinobi.
Sasame glanced over. Besides Darui, there were many other shinobi, all Hidden Cloud Jonin. Among them was Samui, whose body was comparable to Tsunade's, who had interested Sasame before. The only unfortunate thing was that he didn't see the dark-skinned secretary, Mabui. But considering her role, it was normal for her not to be on the battlefield.
Sasame contemplated this as his hands formed seals again. He naturally wouldn't let Kakuzu be caught. Under his control, the silent forest suddenly sprang to life, sending countless vines shooting out once more.
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