In an abandoned village outside Mist, a group of people branded as 'rebels' by the Hidden Village had gathered.
As soon as Mei Terumi arrived, a crowd quickly surrounded her.
"Leader, did you catch him?"
At only seventeen, their leader already ranked among the top three strongest in Mist, and her abilities and character had earned her deep respect.
"No, I underestimated Kisame Hoshigaki's strength," Mei Terumi sighed. "Never would I have thought the last member of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist would die at the hands of his own subordinates!"
Mei Terumi's words sent a wave of shock through the group, followed by quiet contemplation.
"Never thought that shark-faced guy was actually that powerful!"
"It seems the legend of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist has truly come to an end!"
"But there was some unexpected gain. Before Kisame Hoshigaki fled, he tried to kill other members of the Cypher Division to protect the secret, yet they all miraculously survived and expressed willingness to join us, hoping we could help them take revenge!" Mei Terumi said, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
If just one or two survived, she could understand Kisame failing his mission. But all of them? That was just impossible!
Mei Terumi thought to herself, "Unless someone was following us and saved the ones Kisame tried to kill. Why would they do that…? Could it be someone from another village secretly helping us to weaken Mist during this chaos?"
Others didn't think that deeply into it. After all, since they hadn't participated in the chase, they figured Kisame Hoshigaki had simply made a mistake in the heat of the moment.
"Great! Now we can finally decrypt the intelligence we intercepted earlier!"
"They survived even against Anbu forces. It seems even Heaven is on our side!"
After the excitement, Ao quietly asked, lowering his voice, "Leader, are we really going to cooperate with those from Konoha?"
His Byakugan was stolen from him by Konoha's forces during the war. Naturally, he remained wary of Konoha, suspecting everyone as potential thieves of his Byakugan!
Mei Terumi nodded lightly, "The power of the Mizukage faction is too strong. If we want to assassinate the Mizukage and rewrite Mist's destiny, we must gain outside help... Don't forget how the Kaguya Clan, together with several other kekkei clans, launched a coup but were crushed without even making a ripple!"
The mention of the Kaguya Clan's failed coup sent a chill through the group.
Although those kekkei clans acted recklessly, the fact that they were so easily suppressed showed just how powerful the Mizukage faction had become!
"Ah, I wonder if the Third Mizukage ever anticipated this—that the Fourth, who inherited his power, would eradicate his own Ice Release clan!"
"Yeah, the Third Mizukage sure picked the wrong guy!"
"We were also deceived by that guy's outward appearance! Who could have guessed that Yagura, who seemed so enthusiastic before becoming Mizukage, would become a completely different person after taking office!"
"But still, joining forces with Konoha just feels so damn wrong!"
Mei Terumi surveyed the room. "Leaving us aside, haven't Cloud and Stone both suffered losses at the hands of Konoha? And yet, where are they now? Haven't they chosen to forget their grudges?"
"If we continue dwelling in past hatred, we won't even be able to preserve our status as one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, let alone seek revenge!"
"Of course, we also understand everyone's feelings. Our cooperation with Konoha will remain strictly confidential!"
This time, no one else spoke.
In truth, they also understood this principle—it was just hard to save face.
Seeing that no one continued to insist, Mei Terumi relaxed slightly. "Alright then, let's go meet our allies!"
A group of Mist shinobi followed behind Mei Terumi, deliberately widening their eyes as if to issue a silent warning to Konoha!
Inside another room, Kakashi and the others sat on high alert, cautiously observing their surroundings.
After all, they were on "enemy" ground, so they dared not relax—not even exchanging casual conversation.
Suddenly, the door pushed open.
A group from Mist, led by Mei Terumi, stepped inside.
The moment they entered, Kakashi and the others were stunned.
"What's wrong with these Mist shinobi? Do they have eye problems?"
Seeing that the Konoha ninja had been 'intimidated' into silence, the Mist shinobi who'd been deliberately widening their eyes nodded in satisfaction. One of them spoke, "Our leader has agreed to your request. However, you must also show us your sincerity!"
Kakashi replied gravely, "Didn't we already help draw the Mizukage's attention? This is a mutually beneficial arrangement!"
"It's not the same!" Mei interrupted. "Originally, we planned to build up more strength before attacking, but this cooperation has forced us to move up our preparations!"
"Additionally, Three-Tails has always been a vital asset to Mist. If you take it, it would be a major blow to our power!"
Kakashi frowned slightly. He couldn't wait a second longer, but despite his impatience, he took a breath and asked, "Then what do you want?"
Mei spoke seriously, "I want a promise from Seiki Shimaseki—to help us defeat the Mizukage!"
Without hesitation, Kakashi immediately refused, "Impossible! We can't make decisions for our senior!"
"In that case, we have no choice!" Mei sighed. "Your value simply cannot compare to Seiki Shimaseki's!"
At that moment, Mizuki suddenly said, "We agree!"
Asuma and the others looked at him in disbelief. "Mizuki, you—"
Mizuki replied calmly, "Before coming here, I consulted Seiki Shimaseki. He predicted the conditions you might propose, and this was one of them... His response was for me to accept."
"Senior!" Kakashi felt a surge of emotion in his heart—just as always, his senior remained unchanged, embodying the Will of Fire—burning even in the shadows!
"Now that's impressive!" The Mist side were stunned—they hadn't expected their opponent to see right through their plans!
Seeing the stunned and reverent expressions on the Mist ninja, Mizuki secretly contemplated, "Unlike The Fourth Mizukage, who despised Konoha, these people should be considered pro-Konoha... or more accurately, pro-Seiki supporters. If someone from their faction could become The Fifth Mizukage, perhaps Mist could become an ally to Sand."
At first glance, the attitudes of other villages might seem unimportant, but from what Seiki told him, things were already stirring beneath the surface of the shinobi world. The future would likely belong to alliances between villages.
Seiki's original intention had been to help him prepare, but Mizuki's thoughts had gone somewhere completely different: "Someone as bright as Seiki should be shared beyond Konoha for the benefit of the entire shinobi world. I should help more people realize the importance of this light for the sake of our world's future!"
Mei Terumi was also filled with excitement: "Great! Mist finally has hope for salvation!"
Having someone like Seiki Shimaseki as an enemy would definitely keep her up at night—but having him on her side was a huge relief!
P.S. Sorry everyone, my alarm didn't go off and I overslept (つД`). I'll definitely update three times tonight (of course, the third one will probably be around midnight again).
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