Uzushio Village was now a wreck, overrun with weeds.
Looking at everything around him, Natsume couldn't help but sigh. "The ninja world is truly heartless."
Mei Terumi paused at his words, then couldn't help agreeing.
Uzushio was destroyed because people feared the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts, and also because of the death of Senju Hashirama.
He, honored as the God of Shinobi, pacified the chaos and established the one-country-one-village system.
Because of his ideals, he distributed the tailed beasts to other villages and agreed there would be no more wars, granting the shinobi world a long-lost peace.
Sadly, his death proved it was all but a fleeting illusion.
People did not keep the peace for peace's sake—they did so because of his strength.
In a ruthless ninja world, peace is ultimately too extravagant.
"Who's in charge of the Land of Whirlpools now?"
Natsume gazed out at the distant sea and asked.
"There's a daimyō for the Land of Whirlpools, but he doesn't manage much."
Mei Terumi came back to herself, her tone cool. "Ever since Uzushio Village fell, the Land of Whirlpools has descended into chaos. It's occupied by all kinds of rogue shinobi and vicious criminals, and has become a paradise for crime."
A lawless zone, huh?
Hearing that familiar description, Natsume fell into thought.
Maybe he could take the Land of Whirlpools.
From the perspective of maritime transport, its location was absurdly good.
The "whirlpool" in its name wasn't metaphorical.
Here, several ocean currents intersected, forming an actual whirlpool.
The Five Great Nations and the Five Great Villages clearly had no sense of the importance of transportation.
Ditto for land transport.
If you don't build roads, how do you make money?
"Something's wrong."
Mei Terumi arched a brow, her face turning grim.
Natsume narrowed his eyes—he, too, noticed the anomaly.
There were enemies across the sea.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Mei's eyes went cold as her hands wove signs.
Chakra surged from her body and quickly vanished.
In the distance, the sea roared.
A massive water dragon took shape in an instant.
At the same time, human screams rose.
Four unfortunates were caught up in the water dragon and swept far away.
But more shinobi shot up from the sea in unison, forming a line. Countless shuriken and kunai filled the sky.
A chill flashed through Mei's heart.
That many shinobi, all to assassinate Natsume?
Impossible.
Their killing intent was clearly aimed at her.
The only village nearby that could mobilize that many shinobi at once was Kirigakure.
And among them were some she recognized.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Mei formed signs again.
Under the tug of her chakra, seawater surged in and became a towering wall, blocking the rainlike storm of ninja tools.
"Go!"
Mei turned and shouted to Natsume.
So many shinobi would be hard to handle even for her.
Add the "ordinary man" Natsume and it would be pure suicide.
As soon as the words fell, two earth dragons burst from the ground, spitting mud projectiles that shattered the water wall.
Both sides tacitly avoided using Hidden Mist Technique.
They'd all had professional training; their vision wouldn't be blocked by a little fog.
Mei had also considered Natsume.
If the mist came out, he'd have an even harder time running.
A dozen shinobi charged them from different angles.
Mei's cheeks puffed; she opened her small mouth and spat a stream of orange liquid.
Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
The orange liquid was a sticky, highly corrosive acid.
With one spray, the three foremost shinobi were dissolved on the spot, not even leaving bone behind.
Natsume couldn't help a shiver.
He began to wonder—could a Sage Body tank that?
The acid kept spreading.
The other shinobi, seeing their comrades' fate, fled in terror.
"Go!"
Mei didn't have time to catch her breath. With a Body Flicker, she appeared at Natsume's side, grabbed him, and tried to run.
But the next moment, someone was already blocking their path.
"Eigi, do you understand what you're doing?"
Mei's eyes brimmed with killing intent and chill, and her entire bearing emanated an indescribable authority.
For a moment, Eigi felt like he was staring at the Mizukage.
This woman can't be allowed to live!
If she really becomes Mizukage, I'll be the first to be purged.
"What am I doing? Naturally, killing you—by order of the Mizukage!"
Eigi snarled, face twisted.
Hearing that, Mei's heart sank.
Though she had suspected it, having it confirmed still gave her a betrayal kind of feeling.
Since becoming a shinobi, she had considered herself absolutely loyal to the Mizukage.
She hadn't expected to be distrusted for trying to secure Kirigakure's future.
Suddenly she remembered Momochi Zabuza.
He failed to assassinate the Mizukage and fled.
But before that, he had always been loyal to Kirigakure.
Only after seeing the Mizukage's inaction did he think to make a change.
Mei bit her lip; her face had gone pale.
Because of her age, she wasn't yet at her peak.
Stronger than the average jōnin, but with limits.
Her chakra flared violently again.
Mei seized Natsume and retreated.
Waves sprang up out of nowhere, surging toward the two of them, trying to drown them.
Meanwhile, the others weren't idle.
Water and lightning—
Two colors of chakra merged. Instead of clashing, they reacted and amplified each other.
Mei immediately tossed Natsume.
Chakra wrapped him and carried him drifting into the distance.
As soon as she did, Mei faced the lightning-laced waves and formed signs.
Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!
Water and fire fused, producing superheated mist.
With each breath in and out, the mist rapidly expanded, soon shrouding the waves.
With nothing to stop it, everything began to melt.
Even the ground became a giant pit.
Eigi's body trembled.
Terrifying!
Bloodline limits really are heaven's own gifts.
But they have drawbacks too.
They burn chakra fast.
"Don't be afraid—she can't use many more jutsu. Everyone, go!"
Eigi shouted, while edging backward.
Mei's escape route was blocked again.
But her expression didn't change in the slightest.
She was the future Mizukage, after all.
Even at a moment of crisis, she would never give up.
Compared to Tsunade, another female Kage, who didn't quite fit the traditional Hokage mold and tended to be laid-back—
Mei was different. Every move she made was proper and dignified, aside from the occasional flash of temper.
Water Release techniques rose again.
Standing on the sea, watching the crisscrossing blue in the distance, Natsume finally understood why Mei had contributed one hundred fate points earlier.
It was because his plan to open sea routes would lead to her death—
If he didn't save her.
Of course he would act.
Whether for fate points or for his plan, he couldn't just watch her die.
The only trouble was the identity issue.
Natsume fell into thought. How should he explain?
Obviously he couldn't be a Konoha shinobi.
So he'd have to pull out the mysterious organization.
He hadn't even settled on a name before. For now, he'd just call it "Heaven's Mandate.'