Shibuki was genuinely startled by the terrifying expression on Mizuno Satoru's face.
Subconsciously, he no longer dared to hide anything and immediately began recounting everything that had happened over the past several days in exact detail.
Mizuno Satoru listened in complete silence, his aged face stern and unreadable.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
But the moment he heard that Fu had personally come to visit Shibuki, asked about his condition, and even enthusiastically mentioned showing him the results of her recent training once he recovered
Mizuno Satoru's expression changed completely.
"So that's how it is… So that's how it is!"
The old man slowly closed his eyes. His face had already become extremely unsightly.
"Grandpa Satoru… what exactly is going on?"
Shibuki stood there in utter confusion, unable to understand why the atmosphere had suddenly become so tense.
"Shibuki, listen carefully." Mizuno Satoru suddenly grabbed Shibuki's shoulder tightly with his withered hand. His clouded eyes widened sharply, carrying an unprecedented intensity. "Leave the village immediately. Go join Ajun and the others at once. Hurry. There may still be time. And remember thisyou must take the Hero Water with you. Do not return to the village until you regroup with Ajun's unit. Do you understand!?"
"What!?"
Shibuki was completely stunned by the sudden order.
"Why? Grandpa Satoru, what happened? At least tell me what's going on!"
He simply could not understand.
Everything had seemed normal moments ago, yet now it felt as though some catastrophic danger was about to descend upon the village.
"You foolish child, of course it's because"
"Because if Lord Shibuki doesn't leave now, there's a very high chance he'll die here."
Before Mizuno Satoru could finish speaking, another voice suddenly echoed through the room.
The calm, clear tone appeared without warning.
Both Shibuki and Mizuno Satoru's expressions changed instantly.
There was clearly no third person inside the room.
Yet that voice had appeared out of nowhere.
"Who's there!?"
Shibuki reacted immediately. In one fluid motion, he drew a kunai and held it defensively before him, his eyes filled with vigilance as he stared toward the source of the voice.
"Haha… there's no need to be so nervous, Lord Shibuki. I'm here to save you."
The voice sounded again.
Then came the crisp sound of footsteps.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows and entered Shibuki's line of sight.
The instant he recognized the newcomer, Shibuki's pupils contracted violently.
"Fang… Fang-san!?"
Behind him, Mizuno Satoru's eyes also narrowed sharply the moment he heard that name.
"Save me? What do you mean by that?" Shibuki demanded, gripping the kunai tighter. "And more importantly, how did you get in here!? This is one of Takigakure's restricted zones!"
No matter how inexperienced he might be politically, Shibuki was still the village chief of Takigakure.
He understood perfectly well how heavily guarded this area was.
This was where Elder Satoru was recuperating. Patrols rotated constantly. Hidden sentries and sealing alarms were positioned throughout the surrounding district.
Yet this man had entered silently, without alerting anyone.
That alone was enough to prove how dangerous he truly was.
"It means exactly what Elder Satoru just implied," Menma replied calmly with a faint smile. "If you remain in the village now, your life will be in danger."
As he spoke, Menma slowly walked forward.
"As for how I entered…" he shrugged lightly. "I merely used a few tricks to avoid detection. My apologies for the discourtesy, Lord Shibuki."
Then Menma shifted his gaze toward the elderly man seated on the bed.
"This should be our first formal meeting, Elder Satoru. My name is Accelerator. I serve under the Daimyō of the Land of Fire."
As he finished speaking, Menma gave a polite bow.
"What…?"
Shibuki's mind was in complete disarray.
Nothing made sense anymore.
His grandfather's reaction, Menma's sudden appearance, the ominous warningshe could not connect any of it together.
But one thing was obvious.
The young man standing before them had come with a purpose.
Shibuki's muscles tensed instinctively as he tightened his grip on the kunai.
"Fang-kun, was it?" Mizuno Satoru spoke slowly. "Forgive this old man for failing to greet you properly the last time. Since you chose to appear in this manner, I assume you must have something extremely important to say."
As someone who had served under three different leaders of Takigakure, Mizuno Satoru possessed terrifying political instincts.
From Menma's earlier words alone, he had already vaguely pieced together the truth.
Though he still lacked certainty, his expression had already become extremely grim.
"Yes," Menma answered with a smile. "Your guess is correct, Elder Satoru."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"For the moment, there is no immediate need to panic. I used certain methods to delay Shibuki's actions. At the very least, before he officially launches his operation, there should still be one or two hours remaining."
"Shibuki!?"
Before Mizuno Satoru could respond, Shibuki himself exploded in shock.
"You know Shibuki!?"
His expression instantly became dangerous again.
Seeing Shibuki's reaction, Menma remained perfectly calm.
"Yes. To be precise, not only does Shibuki have contact with me, he has also secretly allied himself with Amegakure's shinobi."
"What!?"
This time, even Shibuki's breathing became erratic.
"He intends to eliminate you and seize the position of Takigakure's leader," Menma continued evenly. "And unfortunately… even Fu has already been deceived by him."
"Impossible!"
Shibuki's voice rose sharply.
"There's no way Fu would side with Shibuki! You're lying!"
At this moment, Shibuki finally understood why Mizuno Satoru had reacted so violently earlier.
But even so, emotionally, he could not accept it.
"Oh, perhaps I phrased it poorly," Menma said casually. "It's more accurate to say she was manipulated."
"Manipulated…?"
"Yes." Menma nodded lightly. "And the key to that deception was Elder Satoru himself."
Shibuki froze.
Menma's tone remained calm and steady.
"I assume you understand now, Lord Shibuki?"
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 260 ON PATREON.
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