Chapter 551: Mei Terumi's Action
The waves suddenly rose higher.
The reefs near the coast were swallowed by the rising sea waves, and a few loose stones clattered under the impact of the seawater.
"Did you feel it?"
Rondo's eyes moved, his brows suddenly frowned slightly, his expression solemn, and he said in a deep voice.
He was tall and thin, wearing a grey-white Anbu uniform, with a cold and stern face. He was exactly one of the Mist Ninja guides who led Haruno Sakura and the others to this sea area not long ago. After parting with Sakura earlier, they retreated to the nearest coastline to wait for Haruno Sakura and her team to return from battle.
"Ah?" Choujuurou was stunned, hurriedly squatted down, and put his ear against the damp reef. After listening for a moment, he said with excitement in his voice: "This is... the sound of battle! They started fighting?"
"That's right, I sensed Haruno Sakura's chakra, from an extremely far place." Rondo had a stern expression, nodded slightly, and said coldly, "To actually be able to feel her fighting at this distance..."
He gazed at another wave of even higher sea waves not far away, coming from afar like a white line, then pulled Choujuurou up from the ground, his heart trembling slightly.
As a sensory ninja with reasonably sharp perception, he could clearly feel the girl's clamorous chakra fluctuation.
As turbulent as a storm, as vast as the ocean.
Separated by such a long distance, it still made his heart beat like a drum, immensely shocked!
These abnormal sea waves were clearly the aftermath of the battle.
What kind of Water Release is that, to still have unsettled aftermath at this distance?
"I felt it too." Choujuurou said, showing the same shocked expression on his face.
Although he wasn't slow-witted, he wasn't a sensory ninja. For Choujuurou to be able to sense the fluctuation of that ninjutsu... realizing what this meant, Choujuurou suddenly gasped.
"Is this..." he said bitterly, "Kage-level strength?"
Haruno Sakura... if he remembered correctly, she was even younger than him. The gap between people was actually so huge!
Rondo's eyes flickered, not answering.
He could somewhat understand Choujuurou's feelings. This seemingly a bit shy and insufficiently confident boy actually also had a heart that wanted to become stronger, so he would care about such things!
But to be honest, comparing oneself to that genius girl who defied common sense was truly not a wise choice. She was simply too strong. Rondo thought like this, his mood similarly subtly bitter. If not seen with his own eyes, Rondo would also find it hard to believe. That girl's strength... was probably even stronger than the current Mizukage, Mei Terumi! Moreover, the strength of the two accompanying boys was also quite eye-catching.
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old young girl from a neighboring country was stronger than anyone in their Land of Water and Mist Ninja Village! Is this laughable? Is this shameful? What exactly had the village been doing all these years? Why had the formerly talent-filled Mist Ninja Village, where powerhouses emerged in large numbers, been reduced to this state?!
If the Yuki, Kaguya, and other bloodline clans were still around, if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were still complete, if Kisame hadn't defected... how could the village be so weak?!
Truly hateful!
"Sense carefully, Choujuurou." Rondo suddenly said, his voice dry, cold, and stiff. "See how a ninja from the Land of Fire wields our unique skill, Water Release ninjutsu, to perfection!"
He turned around and glanced at the big boy-like Choujuurou, his eyes full of inexplicable meaning.
Rondo was no longer young. Whether Mist Ninja could rise in the future under Mei Terumi's leadership depended on whether the new generation of young people could live up to expectations!
"Yes!" Choujuurou suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, hurriedly gave a salute, and responded solemnly.
A moment later.
The intelligence observed by Rondo's duo was transmitted back to the village through Mist Ninja's secret techniques.
Barrier Team, located in a hidden underground building in Mist Hidden Village.
Mei Terumi, along with Mist Ninja elders and Anbu guards, were gathered here, waiting for news.
"So," Mei Terumi, wearing headphones, said solemnly after listening to the subordinate's report, "Haruno Sakura has already started fighting with Akatsuki's people? Who is the opponent?"
"According to the intelligence shared by Konoha and the sensed chakra aura, there is a seventy percent chance the opponent is Akatsuki's White Tiger, Konan, codenamed Angel."
"What about Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki? What about the other Akatsuki people?"
"Judging from the chakra sensing, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are approaching two mysterious figures with huge chakra fluctuations... um, the Intelligence Department believes these two are the Akatsuki duo who previously fought with Chojuro. In addition, there is a blurry, obscure, but astonishingly huge chakra reaction approaching Haruno Sakura at extremely high speed. He is very likely Akatsuki's leader, Pain himself."
A ninja used barrier jutsu to convert the intelligence into a pattern projected in mid-air, explaining to Mei Terumi while gesturing. On the map floating in mid-air, it showed the battlefield was divided into two parts, and brutal battles were imminent.
"Four people? Akatsuki really came out in full force this time..." Mei Terumi narrowed her eyes, sized up the map, and said coldly.
"Ao, can you see them?" She turned her head, looked at a man wearing an eye patch beside her, and asked again.
Ao shook his head slightly, with an apologetic look: "No, this distance is too far."
"Hn..." Mei Terumi stroked her smooth chin, pondering for a moment.
"Then, it's time for me to act too."
Saying that, Mei Terumi took off her Mizukage hat, her eyes suddenly becoming sharp.
"Wait..." A Mist Hidden elder, an old man so old his teeth had all fallen out, stretched out his withered and trembling arm to stop her. "Mizukage-sama, what are you going to do? It's very dangerous outside...!"
"Elder-sama." Mei Terumi looked at this most highly respected elder of Mist Ninja, the hostility in her eyes replaced by respect. "I am going out to support our Konoha companions."
Even though Mist Hidden Village's strength had fallen into a valley, and it was hard to find a decent top-tier combatant, Mei Terumi and Mist Ninja still had their pride.
"We cannot just watch Konoha's people fight for the village while we Mist Ninja hide in the safe barrier of the village like cowardly turtles. Because doing that will not only make the village lose its morality and status in future alliances and allied forces, but more importantly, if we set the example of cowards now, our next generation, and the generation after that... will forever lose the courage to face strong enemies!"
Mei Terumi's eyes were firm, and she said without hesitation.
If she were just an unscrupulous politician, letting Konoha and Akatsuki fight until both were injured while Mist Ninja sat on the mountain watching the tigers fight might be the choice that maximized Mist Ninja's interests in the short term. But Mei Terumi looked further ahead. Just as that woman unhesitatingly sent her disciple and the village elites to help Mist Ninja Village, when realizing Konoha's people might fall into a bitter struggle, Mei Terumi also unhesitatingly chose to go out and support.
This capacity was perhaps the reason why she could grow to become Mizukage.
"Then go, Mizukage-sama!" The elder nodded in response, a smile appearing on his face wrinkled like a chrysanthemum.
Mei Terumi nodded.
She casually stuffed the Mizukage hat into Ao's arms: "Akatsuki's combat power is entirely used in the fight for the Three-Tails, so after I go out, the village should be safe. But still be careful... Ao, when I'm not here, I leave the village to you!"
The Mizukage gave Ao a meaningful look, then heavily patted his shoulder, forcefully pressing back the words that had slipped to the edge of Ao's mouth.
"This is an order, Ao!"
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!" Ao responded in a deep voice, the light hat in his hand suddenly becoming incomparably heavy.
"Then, the others protect the village and follow Ao's commands..." Mei Terumi turned around dashingly, waved her hand and said, "Taki I, Taki II, follow me to battle!"
With a few swishes, the Mizukage and two guards turned into three afterimages and disappeared from the hidden basement.
Mei Terumi's actions could be described as decisive.
The first moment she obtained reliable intelligence, she made a judgment and took action.
However...
Halfway after leaving Mist Ninja Village and about to enter that sea area, Mei Terumi suddenly stopped her steps.
"I didn't expect that Akatsuki dispatched to fight this time was actually not just four people, but five people... really thinking highly of us!"
The woman snorted coldly, speaking expressionlessly with sarcasm in her voice.
Standing in front of her was a man wearing a cloak with red clouds on a black background.
His face was cold and stern, his figure slender and powerful. He stood silently on the ground, his chakra fluctuating obscurely but powerfully.
"Regrettably. This path... is closed to passage." The man said calmly.
The corner of Mei Terumi's mouth curled into a sneer: "What if, I insist on passing?"
He remained silent, then gently closed his eyelids.
When he opened them again, those dark and spirited eyes had already become eerie crimson.
Sharingan... Mei Terumi's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Daring to block my path," she licked her lips, her fingertips unconsciously pressing on her crimson lips, "Be careful not to be melted by me yo..."
"Itachi Uchiha!"