The Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Terumi Mei, wore a light blue robe that complemented her stunning beauty. Her exact age was unknown — though it was definitely not young anymore.
Almost everyone in the Shinobi World knew about the "Bloody Mist" era. During that dark time, Kirigakure produced more than a few monsters.
Though the village's military strength improved under oppressive policies, the lives of the people at the bottom grew unbearable, filled with resentment and despair.
After the death of the Fourth Mizukage, Terumi Mei dedicated herself to pushing for peace and openness, trying to erase the shadow left by that "bloody period."
Because she'd been so busy with village affairs for years, Mei completely missed her prime marriage years and remained single to this day.
That's why the word "marriage" was her forbidden topic.
Whoever mentioned it in front of her was practically asking for a beating.
Sure enough, when the clueless Chōjūrō brought it up, both he and Ao got pummeled badly.
Yet even after giving them a beating, Terumi Mei still managed to maintain her ladylike demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, enough wasting time. Let's get moving already. ∩_∩"
"I wonder if that boy from Konoha — Shinju — will show up for this summit?"
"I've only seen photos of him over the years. He looks too handsome. Hopefully, I'll get to see him in person this time.（ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
Bruised and swollen, Ao forced a polite smile.
"Heh… I imagine Shinju will attend. After all, the Five Kage Summit is a big deal."
But Terumi Mei didn't seem to hear him. She went on talking to herself.
"Although there's quite a big age gap between us…"
"But if that boy really looks as good as in the photos — and if he's got good taste — and takes the initiative to propose to me… well, I might not say no. (´つヮ⊂︎)"
Ao and Chōjūrō: "!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
Mizukage-sama, that's way off topic!!
This is the Five Kage Summit, not your matchmaking event!
...
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage, A, sat behind his desk, anxiously waiting for news.
One of his senior officers stepped forward and said,
"Raikage-sama, it's time to head for the Land of Iron. Since you're the one who called for this summit, it wouldn't look good to be late."
Raikage waved impatiently.
"Of course I know that! But there's still no word from Killer B. How am I supposed to focus on a meeting when my brother's missing?! (▼ヘ▼#)"
"Even if you could just find his body, that'd be something."
The officer quickly added, "Please, don't worry, Raikage-sama. Karui and Omoi should've already delivered your letter to Konoha. If Konoha sends someone to handle this, it'll most likely be Shinju…"
Raikage's expression shifted.
"That boy Shinju's reliable. I heard he even helped Iwagakure recover their Four-Tails and Five-Tails not long ago…"
"Let's hope he can bring back both the Eight-Tails and Killer B. Otherwise— this whole mess started because of their Uchiha Sasuke! I won't let Konoha off the hook! (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)"
Then, with a growl, Raikage muttered again,
"I wonder if that kid left a Flying Thunder God mark somewhere in the Land of Lightning. Why isn't he here yet? (｡•́︿•̀｡)"
The moment he said that—
Whoosh!
Shinju appeared inside the Raikage's office.
Raikage and every senior official in the room froze. (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!
Raikage roared, "You—you dared put a Flying Thunder God mark inside my office?!"
"Is Konoha trying to declare war on Kumogakure?!"
Shinju raised a hand casually.
"Alright, alright, calm down. What matters right now is finding Killer B. This isn't the time for that talk. →_→"
That Flying Thunder God mark was left here the last time he helped Kumogakure locate the Two-Tails.
He knew exposing it might cause hostility from the village —but the situation was urgent. Every second wasted increased the danger to Killer B.
Raikage understood that too. He quickly forced himself to calm down and didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he turned to one of his officers.
"Assist Shinju with everything he needs to find B."
"I'm heading to the summit."
With that, Raikage strode out with two attendants in tow.
Just before leaving, he glared back at Shinju, his eyes fierce.
"You people from Konoha better solve this perfectly! Or I won't forgive you! (▼皿▼#)"
His worry for his brother had twisted entirely into anger toward Sasuke and Konoha.
He even forgot for a moment just how powerful Shinju truly was.
With a loud bang!!, Raikage slammed the door shut and left.
Shinju, easygoing as ever, didn't take offense.
After all— once he got to the bottom of this, there'd be plenty of time to slap Raikage's pride later.
Inside the office, the remaining officers eyed Shinju warily.
"Shinju-san," one of them said cautiously, "if there's anything you need, just say the word."
Shinju shook his head. "No need. I just came to give a heads-up."
And then his figure vanished again.
The room fell silent.
The senior officers looked at one another in awe.
That's power for you!
Comes and goes whenever he wants!
...
Land of Lightning — Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
The Valley of Clouds and Lightning wasn't a single canyon but a vast area filled with barren mountains and roaring rivers.
Killer B lived somewhere on one of its rare flat lands.
At that moment, Shinju had already arrived outside Killer B's dwelling.
On the brownish-yellow ground, he found traces of black fire — the aftermath of Amaterasu!
Among the remaining Uchiha, those capable of using Amaterasu could be counted on one hand.
Which meant… this fire almost certainly came from Sasuke!
Shinju's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Don't tell me that boy Sasuke's betrayed everyone again…? ╭(°A°`)╮"
He could still understand Sasuke's reasons for defecting the first few times.
But this time, Shinju really couldn't figure out what was driving him.
Still, until he saw Sasuke with his own eyes, he chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.
For now, finding Killer B came first.
With that thought, Shinju sat cross-legged on the ground and extended his chakra sense outward, scanning the surrounding tens of kilometers.
Finding nothing within that range, he kept expanding his sensory field—
Until his chakra perception, centered on the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, covered more than three hundred kilometers!
Just as he was about to push it even further, he finally detected a massive chakra signature.
There was no mistaking it — it belonged to a tailed beast!
After confirming the direction, Shinju lifted off the ground, activating Earth Release: Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique, soaring toward the target. When he still felt it wasn't fast enough, he added a burst of Wind Release to propel himself forward.
"Fwoooosh—"
A powerful gust swept the air, his flight path carving a straight line through the sky.
A few minutes later, Shinju arrived at the location.
In the middle of a dense forest stood a rundown, weathered temple.
Inside lay a heavily injured man with dark skin and sunglasses.
Shinju immediately recognized him.
"Killer B?! (⊙o⊙)"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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