Chapter 230:
Sasuke continued calculating the distance between himself and his opponent while secretly preparing to use the last bit of power in his Rinnegan to cast Chibaku Tensei.
"Uchiha Sasuke of the Hidden Leaf Village, your life ends here!"
Yamato stepped in front of Sasuke as he spoke, his right hand morphing into a wooden spike.
"Wait—Little Gray!"
Just as Yamato's wooden spike was about to pierce Sasuke's chest—and Sasuke was about to activate Chibaku Tensei—a woman's voice rang out.
"Mom!"
Little Gray revealed his true form and rushed into the arms of the suddenly appearing Red Wolf Mom.
"Little Gray, let's go home."
Jiraiya looked at Little Gray, who had leapt into Red Wolf Mom's embrace, his expression complex. He subconsciously patted the wolf pup's head.
In the clone setup designed for Little Gray, Red Wolf Mom held clearance equal to that of Gray Wolf—perhaps even higher.
"Mm... okay, Mom."
After a brief hesitation, Little Gray took Red Wolf Mom's hand and replied.
"Dad, are you okay?"
As she saw Little Gray holding Red Wolf Mom's hand and walking away, Sarada rushed over to Sasuke, supporting him while asking anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Sasuke, supported by Sarada, gazed at Red Wolf Mom walking away with Little Gray in tow.
"Dad, that person…"
Sarada hesitated mid-sentence. Without a doubt, Red Wolf Mom being a double agent planted by S.H.I.E.L.D. under Jiraiya's command was top-level classified information in the Hidden Leaf.
Though due to certain reasons, both Shuyu and Sarada had learned about it, Tentō and Shinki were still in the dark—and strictly speaking, neither of them were officially Leaf shinobi.
"Not sure why, but it looks like we got lucky and dodged a bullet."
Shuyu commented from the side.
Even though the villages were on relatively friendly terms for now, it wasn't to the point where they could freely exchange classified intel.
"That level of Wood Release… it's probably on par with the legendary First Hokage."
Sarada added with lingering fear in her voice.
"Anyway, let's hurry to Mount Myōboku and find Boruto."
Tentō stepped forward and suggested.
——
Land of Water – Daimyō's Mansion
"Not only did we fail to capture all five Kage, we even let the captured Hokage escape!"
The Daimyō of the Land of Water wore a furious expression.
After all, the plan to move against Kara had been his proposal. Midway through, Ao—whom he had vouched for with full confidence—betrayed them, nearly resulting in the total annihilation of the Five Kage.
Now, the other four great nations had ample justification to unite against the Land of Water. On top of that, the current Mizukage Chōjūrō had been acting increasingly evasive toward his orders.
When war breaks out, there's no guarantee that Kirigakure will actually fight on their behalf. Frankly, the Daimyō would be grateful if they didn't stab him in the back.
"Yes, the failure of this operation was indeed my fault."
Evilmoku nodded in acknowledgment.
"Leader!"
Delta turned to Evilmoku. Despite Ōtsutsuki Isshiki devolving into a monstrous form, Delta—loyal by design—remained 100% faithful to him.
The four ancient alien beasts were originally supposed to include Delta, but as a synthetic human, he couldn't transform into one, and so Ao had taken that position instead.
"That's why the Kara organization will help the Land of Water weather this crisis. However, in return, I hope the Land of Water will offer Kara a few concessions."
Evilmoku said slowly.
"What do you want?"
The Daimyō of the Land of Water looked toward Evilmoku. With their current predicament, even if Evilmoku asked for the moon, he'd have to accept it while holding his nose.
"I want the position of Mizukage in Kirigakure."
"...That's it?"
The Daimyō hesitated—not because the demand was too outrageous, but because it seemed too simple.
Just the position of village head? That was well within his authority.
"Yes, that's all."
Evilmoku nodded.
"Very well! I'll issue the order immediately!"
The Daimyō smiled broadly.
——
Kirigakure – Mizukage's Office
"Chōjūrō, you've been stripped of your title as Mizukage by the Daimyō—what is going on?!" Still single, Mei Terumi stood before the silent Chōjūrō, demanding an explanation. "Ever since you got back from that last mission, you've been acting like this. And what about Ao? I remember he went with you—why did only you return?"
Despite everything, Ao had once been one of Mei's personal guards. Naturally, she still cared about him.
"Seems the Fifth Mizukage still cares about Ao. Unfortunately, he didn't come back with me this time."
The door to the Mizukage's office suddenly burst open, and a sinister male voice echoed through.
"How did you get into the village?!"
The moment Chōjūrō saw Evilmoku walk in, he grabbed his ninja blade and readied for battle.
"I walked in, fair and square. Starting today, I'm the Seventh Mizukage."
Evilmoku smiled as he spoke.
"What?!"
Chōjūrō had been half-expecting to be dismissed by the Daimyō, given his evasive attitude toward orders since returning—but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Evilmoku would be the one to replace him.
How ironic. A former enemy on the battlefield now taking over his post.
"Chōjūrō, who is he?"
Seeing Chōjūrō adopt a fighting stance, Mei Terumi did the same.
"...Fifth Mizukage-sama, he's the leader of Kara—Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!"
"How many times do I have to say it? My name now is Evilmoku."
Evilmoku said with an exasperated shrug.
"Damn it! No matter what, I won't hand over the village to a monster like you!"
Chōjūrō shouted as he charged forward, brandishing his blade.
"How dare you attack the Seventh Mizukage—are you trying to defect?"
Delta, who stood behind Evilmoku, took a step forward. He effortlessly blocked Chōjūrō's strike and countered with a powerful kick that sent Chōjūrō flying.
"Chōjūrō!"
Mei looked worriedly at the injured Chōjūrō, then glared furiously at Evilmoku and Delta.
"Fifth Mizukage, don't tell me you're planning to defect as well?"
Evilmoku smiled as he addressed Mei.
"Damn it…"
With age, a shinobi's physical capabilities naturally decline, and the injuries accumulated from youthful battles begin to catch up. Mei Terumi was no exception—her combat power now was far below her prime.
She retreated to Chōjūrō's side as he struggled to rise.
A deep gash ran across his abdomen—a result of being struck by Delta's bladed legs.
"Mei-sama..."
"Don't talk. I'm getting us out of here."
Mei picked Chōjūrō up, then smashed through the window and fled the office.