Watching from afar as a pillar of light erupted above the camp, Hozuki Nagare's eyes narrowed. "What in the world are they doing over there? A battle between bijuu?"
An attack of this magnitude was something even he, as a jinchuriki, could only unleash if he lost control and transformed into his complete form.
As he muttered to himself internally, suddenly a small sun came flying straight toward him.
"What the hell is this?" Nagare's heart nearly stopped. Sensing the terrifying energy contained within that glowing sphere, he immediately turned to flee without hesitation.
But he wasn't fast enough. He was caught in the explosion of blinding light. In the next moment, a dazzling explosion erupted.
After a long while, when the radiance faded completely and the dust settled, Nagare climbed out from the ground looking disheveled, spitting out dirt as he made his way back toward the center.
"That was seriously scary. But actually, things turned out much better than I expected!" Nagare glanced around, slightly relieved.
Perhaps because he had moved away in advance, most of the Mist shinobi hadn't been too severely affected.
"Hmm? What's that?" Arriving at the central area, he spotted someone buried headfirst in the ground and a staff broken in two nearby. Nagare quickly approached and pulled the person out.
"Cough! After being pulled out, Yagura spent several seconds coughing up dust before finally catching his breath.
"What happened?" Nagare frowned, studying Yagura's bloodied face. "Did you and the others get caught in Seiki Shimaseki's attack?"
Yagura's face changed color repeatedly, alternating between green and red, before murmuring softly, "No… it was my own attack."
"Of course, it was you…" Nagare stared with wide eyes.
"It was just… my ninjutsu went out of control!" Yagura succinctly explained.
Nagare was momentarily at a loss for words. He stayed silent briefly before belatedly asking, "Oh right, where is Mizukage-sama?"
"He was killed by Seiki Shimaseki!" Yagura sighed despondently.
"What? Even Mizukage-sama…" Nagare's expression changed before he sighed again. "Mizukage-sama was getting old anyway, and Seiki Shimaseki really is absurdly strong. It's not surprising such a result occurred."
Yagura nodded in agreement. "That guy really was too strong!"
"Oh, by the way, where is Mizukage-sama's body?" Nagare looked around as he asked.
Yagura stiffened, stammering awkwardly, "It looks like… I destroyed it."
Nagare's mouth twitched slightly. That's… unfortunate.
All of this destruction… came from you?
...
Within just a few short days, the shocking news that the Mizukage had been killed rapidly spread throughout the entire shinobi world, leaving countless people stunned into silence.
In another era, perhaps this news wouldn't have caused such a strong reaction—after all, not everyone fully understood how powerful a Kage truly was.
However, the death of the Third Raikage had occurred less than three months ago, its impact still fresh in people's minds—the unforgettable sight of one man holding off thousands.
Under these circumstances, the killing of the Third Mizukage became particularly shocking, especially considering he had been decisively defeated within his own territory!
...
Cloud Village.
"Killed the Third Mizukage, huh?"
Ai asked with a complex expression.
"It wasn't just a kill - it was a complete and utter annihilation! Even more shocking, after taking down the Mizukage, he easily wounded Yagura from Water Mirror. Clearly, he still had considerable power in reserve!" Dodai added.
"Truly worthy of you, Seiki Shimaseki!" Ai picked up the Raikage's hat resting on the table, his voice solemn. "Even after becoming the Raikage myself, I still can't afford to slack off under your pressure!"
He knew without a doubt that he still had a long way to go before he could match his father's might. Since the Mizukage could match his father evenly, their power levels must be at least very close.
If Seiki Shimaseki could kill the Mizukage, then the opponent possessed the ability to kill him as well!
"Raikage-sama, you should keep sticking close to Killer B for the time being," Dodai whispered cautiously. "Even when bathing, sleeping, or using the restroom, never separate for a moment!"
Ai's face darkened. Even though he and B were brothers, this seemed excessively intimate?
Sensing his displeasure, Dodai quickly added, "Just consider it for Killer B's protection!"
With things said to this point, Ai could only agree with a darkened expression, "Go bring B here!"
...
Iwagakure.
"So the old Mizukage has been killed too?" Onoki absentmindedly rubbed the spot under his pants where his left leg used to be, letting out a deep sigh. "Looks like the young guns really are taking over now!"
The Jonin present all nodded earnestly.
Though they'd reached peace with Konoha, they could never forget the suffering that man had inflicted on them. During that time, they'd repeatedly planned revenge attacks.
Now hearing this news, their burning rage was doused like cold water, leaving only beads of cold sweat and lingering fear. They looked upon Onoki with deep reverence.
"Luckily the Tsuchikage backed down quickly; otherwise, we Iwagakure would be the laughingstocks now."
"That guy just keeps getting stronger," Roshi sighed bitterly. "Right now, he truly deserves the title 'Demigod' more than Sanshouo did!"
"As long as he's out there..." Kitsuchi grumbled reluctantly, "We'll probably have to depend on Konoha's decisions for the next fifty years!"
"It's still too early to draw such conclusions!" Onoki remained calm. "I lived through the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Yet here we are, having survived that time!"
"But isn't this different?" Kitsuchi hesitated. "Konoha declined because of ideological differences between Hashirama and Madara. Right now, Konoha doesn't have anyone who can match someone as powerful as Seiki Shimaseki!"
"Never reaching the top has kept us unified all these years!" Onoki's eyes were profound. "But Konoha is different - they decline once reaching their peak because without external enemies, they turn their attention inward against each other."
"Therefore, the best way to deal with Konoha is simply to wait!"
...
Sunagakure.
"Praise our Kazekage's farsightedness!"
"Good we allied ourselves with Konoha, otherwise we'd be the ones living in fear now!"
Hearing their flattery, Rasa almost allowed himself some prideful words - but before he could speak, he noticed something wrong with the direction things were heading.
"Truly deserving of being our former leader, Lord Shimaseki's power is incredible!"
"Kazekage-sama truly is far-sighted. He must have guessed Master Seiki's strength and therefore chose not to compete for the position of Allied Forces Commander!"
Rasa twitched his mouth in silence. Can you all be a little less obvious with your flattery? Seiki isn't even here right now!
"But still, Seiki really is extremely powerful!" Rasa sighed inwardly. Defeating the Third Mizukage, severely injuring the Third Tsuchikage—and he knew something others didn't: that Seiki had nearly destroyed the Third Kazekage's puppet.
By this calculation, among the Kages from each village, only the First Hokage and Raikage had been spared.
"You might just end up a legend like the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha," Rasa mused quietly. That's why everyone keeps praising Seiki so much.
After all, warriors at that level are no longer bound by any single village.
Thinking about this, Rasa tapped the table lightly.
Everyone's attention turned back toward him, looking questioningly.
"The war should be ending soon. The exchange program I discussed with Hokage before the war should finally begin," Rasa said while glancing sideways. "Pakura, you'll be responsible for inviting and accompanying Jonin Seiki."
Pakura happily accepted. "Yes, sir!"
Baki, sitting in the distant seat, couldn't believe his eyes. Wasn't this mission supposed to be his? He had barely earned his Jonin promotion during the final stage of the war!
So… love really does fade away, huh?
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