The surrounding mist seemed to grow thicker. Coupled with the sudden disappearance of several subordinates, a heavy sense of tension gripped Zabuza. He silently gripped his ninja sword. His intuition told him that danger was about to arrive.
In the next second, an attack arrived abruptly.
"Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu!"
A thick, scorching liquid resembling magma suddenly flew out from the dense mist, launching directly at Zabuza's position. Fortunately, he was well-prepared and managed to dodge it just in time.
"Lava Style?"
Zabuza looked at the spot where he had been standing. The area was now corroded into a large crater by that clump of viscous acid. He recognized this rare Kekkei Genkai instantly. Looking into the thick mist, a guess already formed in his mind. After all, only one person in the entire Hidden Mist Village possessed the Lava Style Kekkei Genkai.
"Discovered already?"
The female voice that echoed carried a hint of pride. She seemed somewhat surprised that Zabuza could detect her attack so quickly.
Zabuza stared at the beautiful figure emerging from the dense mist and said coldly, "It really is you, Mei Terumi."
"Of course it's me, Zabuza."
Mei Terumi walked openly out of the mist. Her long, wine-red hair looked exceptionally striking, to say nothing of her remarkable appearance and hot figure. Furthermore, Ao and Mangetsu Hozuki, who had accompanied her, walked out alongside her, standing on her left and right.
"Ao, Mangetsu, are you two going to betray the Hidden Mist as well?"
Zabuza narrowed his eyes, questioning them with a serious expression.
Although he had already received the script for what might happen next from Lord Simu, Zabuza still could not help but marvel at Lord Simu's wisdom when the events unfolded exactly as described right before his eyes.
Hearing Zabuza's questioning, Mangetsu Hozuki drew his ninja sword, Hiramekarei. Pale blue chakra surfaced from the blade.
"Zabuza, we are not betraying the Hidden Mist. We only want to end the terrifying Blood Mist that blankets the Hidden Mist Village," Mangetsu Hozuki said righteously.
Conversely, Mei Terumi spoke with considerable impatience, "Cut the chatter, we don't have that much time right now!"
She looked at Zabuza, her tone harsh and cold, "Zabuza, let me ask you. Will you choose to join us and end the Blood Mist, or will you choose to continue helping the tyrant?"
"If you choose the latter, I will ensure you turn into ashes for the sake of our past colleagueship!"
The moment she said this, Ao and Mangetsu Hozuki both glared at Zabuza warily. If he uttered a choice that did not align with their expectations, they would finish him off at the fastest speed. They had to race against time. If they were delayed by Zabuza, it would probably attract the Fourth Mizukage's attention immediately.
Despite this, the expected fierce battle did not happen, because Zabuza yielded the path very decisively.
"If I am not mistaken, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki should be inside that wooden cabin."
Not only did he yield the path, but he also pointed out the direction for them. This result left Mei Terumi and her companions, who were already prepared for a fierce battle, stunned for a moment.
However, she quickly reacted and asked Zabuza, "So you plan to join us?"
Zabuza shook his head, "Not quite. I do not wish to be involved in the struggle between you all. I hope you will not force me either. You probably don't want this operation to be exposed ahead of time, right?"
Mei Terumi's previous attack did not make a very large commotion. Under the concealment of the dense mist, it did not cause much noise. But a battle with Zabuza would be different. Even if the three of them attacked together, they could absolutely not guarantee resolving this ninja known as the Demon in an instant. Therefore, avoidable battles should still be avoided as much as possible.
The three exchanged glances and quickly made a decision.
Before leaving, Mei Terumi warned, "Remember, do not leak our whereabouts."
"Of course."
Zabuza made a solemn guarantee.
Due to the urgency of time, Mei Terumi and her companions could not set up any verification measures for Zabuza's promise. They could only hope that he would keep his word.
The figures of the three quickly disappeared.
The range of the dense mist expanded continuously. It resembled a giant, bottomless abyss, ruthlessly swallowing the ninjas guarding the perimeter of the lake, until it was finally noticed by the other Anbu ninjas guarding the wooden cabin.
"Who goes there?!"
Those capable of guarding the wooden cabin were all elites among the Anbu. The moment they sensed something amiss, they moved into action immediately.
But Mei Terumi and her companions were no ordinary figures either.
"Vapor Style: Solid Fog Jutsu!"
A massive amount of mist erupted from Mei Terumi's mouth, instantly enveloping the Anbu elites who came to stop them.
Sizzle!
In just an instant, the masks, armor plates, and even the ninja tools on their bodies began to sizzle. The exposed skin showed severe signs of corrosion, and a scorching pain pierced straight into their brains!
"Damn it! It's Vapor Style!"
"Quickly leave the range of the mist!"
Several experienced Anbu shouted quickly, preparing to pull back and retreat.
"If you want to run, it won't be that simple."
Mei Terumi's voice echoed. She lightly wiped her hot red lips. In the next second, Mangetsu Hozuki's figure rushed out from her side.
A massive amount of chakra wrapped around Hiramekarei, inflicting terrible strikes on the enemies blanketed by the acid mist. The highly corrosive acid mist had already caused these Anbu ninjas to lose most of their resistance. Consequently, when Mangetsu Hozuki appeared, he finished them off as easily as cutting grass and vegetables.
As the number of defeated people increased, the chakra enveloping the sword blade became denser and more powerful. This was precisely the characteristic of Hiramekarei. By defeating enemies, it plundered their chakra. It was a ninja sword that grew stronger the more it fought!
"It's Mei Terumi with dual Kekkei Genkai and Mangetsu Hozuki who is proficient with the seven ninja swords!"
As more guards arrived, many recognized these two famous Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village.
"It's not just them, there's also Ao, the Byakugan Killer!"
"Why are you all appearing here?"
"Are you planning to betray the Hidden Mist Village?"
The series of questionings caused Mei Terumi's brow to furrow deeply.
"What betrayal? We are going to end the Hidden Mist Village's Blood Mist policy. Those willing to follow us should lower their weapons quickly. Those unwilling will face a dead end!"
Mei Terumi's words caused many people to waver. After all, the three before them were all powerful and reputable elite Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village. With them leading, perhaps they could truly end the Blood Mist policy. But the thought of the Fourth Mizukage's bloodthirsty style and his formidable strength plunged them back into conflict and hesitation.
Mei Terumi and her companions did not have much time to let them think slowly here.
"Those who don't want to die, move aside!"
After saying this, she unleashed her Lava Style: Melting Apparition Jutsu once more. The viscous acid liquid blockaded the front of the three like a strangely shaped slime, pushing forward toward the wooden cabin. Anything that came into contact with this liquid would be completely corroded in an extremely short time!
This caused those Anbu ninjas who were already hesitant to halt their steps.
However, the Anbu here were, after all, candidates personally selected by Yagura Karatachi. There was no lack of die-hard loyalists of the Blood Mist Faction among them, and their convictions did not waver.
"Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu!"
A massive amount of water erupted from the mouths of those Blood Mist Faction ninjas, gathering into a wave that slammed heavily against Mei Terumi's melting liquid.
Sizzle!
The moment the water contacted the melting liquid, it reacted with the acidic substances on it, producing a vast amount of dense smoke. Since this smoke was not created by the opposing ninjas using a ninjutsu, they could not clearly sense the situation within the smoke either.
But there was one person present who was an exception. That was Ao, known as the Byakugan Killer.
His right eye, covered by an eyepatch, held a transplanted Byakugan plundered from the Main House of the Hidden Leaf's Hyuga Clan. Because of this, he was placed on the Hidden Leaf's bounty list and earned the title of Byakugan Killer.
The moment the smoke rose, the well-prepared Ao activated his Byakugan immediately.
The opposing Anbu ninjas sensed something bad. Just as they wanted to use the Hidden Mist Jutsu to create mist and sense the opponent, Ao's figure already appeared right in front of them.
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"
A powerful stream of water instantly blasted against the Anbu ninjas swallowed by the smoke. Against these die-hard loyalists of the Blood Mist Faction, Ao had no intention of showing mercy. After they were blasted away, he quickly followed up using the Body Flicker Jutsu, swinging the kunai in his hand continuously to end all of their lives.
Meanwhile, Mei Terumi and Mangetsu Hozuki took the opportunity to break through the layers of defense. They utilized Lava Style to melt the wall of the wooden cabin, successfully seeing the Six-Tails Jinchuriki hidden away by Yagura.
It was a rather handsome young man. At this moment, he was wearing a kimono, looking quite surprised at the sudden intrusion of Mei Terumi and Mangetsu Hozuki.
"Are you Utakata? We are ordered by Elder Genji to rescue you. Follow us quickly!"
The reason Mei Terumi used Genji's name was that during his captivity, Utakata had very few people he could trust, and the kind Elder Genji was one of them.
Sure enough, after hearing Elder Genji's name, the wariness in Utakata's eyes decreased significantly.
Mei Terumi could not care about anything else. After confirming the opponent's identity, she grabbed him directly with one hand and turned around, preparing to leave this place.
But things did not go as desired. The wall of the small wooden cabin suddenly shattered with a crash, and Fuguki Suikazan's burly physique instantly blocked the exit. Standing next to him was Fuguki Suikazan's lieutenant, Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Mei Terumi, Mangetsu Hozuki, what audacious boldness!"
Fuguki Suikazan held Samehada, which Simu had temporarily returned to him, staring fiercely at the two.
Time was pressing. Mei Terumi had no time for nonsense and said straightforwardly, "I will hold this guy back. You take Utakata and leave first!"
The Six-Tails was an important tool for them to deal with Yagura Karatachi. It absolutely could not be lost!
Mangetsu Hozuki did not waste words either. Just as he wanted to reach out and grab Utakata, he noticed the opponent was staring firmly at him.
"I can manage by myself."
The rather handsome Utakata said seriously. He then picked up the bubble pipe in his hand.
Due to being under Yagura's long-term surveillance, Utakata did not have much time to freely practice ninjutsu. He could only train with the help of this inconspicuous bubble pipe. And now, it was precisely the time to display the results of his training.
"Water Style: Bubble Jutsu!"
As he blew a breath through the pipe, a large number of round bubbles floated out from it, flying toward the outside of the wooden cabin. They happened to clash head-on with the other Mist ninjas rushing to reinforce the area.
The bubbles popped, followed immediately by an unimaginably terrifying explosion!
The power of the explosion almost destroyed the entire wooden cabin. Meanwhile, Utakata sat inside a giant bubble, floating lightly out of the spreading dense smoke.
Cough, cough, cough!
Mangetsu Hozuki also ran out from the dense smoke. Staring at Utakata suspended in mid-air by the bubble, he said, "This guy's strength is pretty good."
The strength displayed by Utakata surprised Mangetsu Hozuki. It even brought a glimmer of hope that they could truly end the Blood Mist. After all, in this entire operation, Utakata and the Six-Tails inside his body were the decisive factors. The stronger Utakata's strength was, the higher the probability of this plan succeeding!
"Damn it!"
Unlike Mangetsu Hozuki, Fuguki Suikazan was currently staring at the hot woman in front of him, unleashing an angry curse. Mei Terumi's strength was somewhat beyond his expectations. That intense acidity was simply too troublesome; even Samehada could do nothing against her.
Seeing that he could not break free from Mei Terumi's containment in a short time, Fuguki Suikazan could only say, "Kisame, I leave those guys to you."
Standing to the side, Kisame Hoshigaki, whose appearance resembled a shark-man, revealed a row of sharp teeth and smiled faintly, "Rest assured, Senior Fuguki Suikazan."
With that said, he bypassed Mei Terumi from the side to head toward the battlefield.
However, Mei Terumi would not let him succeed so easily. She unleashed her Melting Apparition Jutsu once more, spitting out a large amount of viscous liquid in an attempt to block Kisame's path, but it was blocked ahead of time by a small mountain.
"Your opponent is me, Mei Terumi!"
Fuguki Suikazan swung Samehada, smashing it heavily against the melting liquid spit out by Mei Terumi, shattering her intention to stop Kisame Hoshigaki.
However, due to the corrosion of the acid, the bandages wrapped around Samehada slowly fell away, revealing Samehada's original savage appearance.
Sensing the resentment coming from Samehada's body, Fuguki Suikazan felt somewhat helpless. This guy, ever since it absorbed Tailed Beast chakra and Lord Simu's chakra, completely looked down upon his own chakra. If it weren't for Lord Simu's command, it probably wouldn't even be willing to be driven by him right now.
As he thought, Mei Terumi had already launched an attack once more. She completed her hand signs at an extremely fast speed, utilizing chakra to draw a massive amount of water from the lake, gathering it into a majestic water dragon that charged toward Fuguki Suikazan.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Fuguki Suikazan did not care about this at all, swinging Samehada as he slashed upward.
The moment the water dragon contacted Samehada, a massive amount of chakra was swallowed by the sword, ultimately turning into a pool of clear water that exploded apart.
Fuguki Suikazan's gaze passed through the splattering water droplets filling the sky, catching sight of the slight curve on Mei Terumi's lips.
Oh no!