After humoring Hidan and promising to help him take down the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, Mei Terumi braced one hand on the railing and vaulted over to the edge of the platform. Her gaze remained calm as it swept toward the distance, landing on the group of Hot Water rogue ninjas being rounded up by the Cloud shinobi for execution.
She tilted her head slightly and gave Hidan a gentle smile.
"Well then, since you're being such a good boy, I'll give you one more gift."
"Those people—we'll save them too."
Hidan froze. His heart, which had turned dark and hopeless, suddenly felt a sliver of light pierce through. But he was confused; this woman had just been acting like he was a lost cause, looking ready to knock him out and drag him away.
What changed? Does calling her 'Sister-in-law' really pack that much power?
At the thought, Hidan felt a surge of warmth and emotion. Ren Uchiha, oh Ren Uchiha... even in death, you're still helping me!
Before Hidan could fully process his feelings, a heavy hand clapped onto his shoulder and pulled him backward. Hidan looked up into a cold face—a white-haired ninja wearing a Kirigakure headband with four wave patterns. The man had a canine tooth peeking over his lip and a look of pure indifference, as if the whole world owed him money. Slung across his back was a massive, bandage-wrapped blade with two handles.
From these distinct features, Hidan immediately recognized him: the prodigy of the Mist who had fought his "big brother" Ren Uchiha twice without a clear winner.
Mangetsu Hōzuki.
Hidan had heard of him but had never seen him in person. He had expected the man to be their enemy.
Then, Mangetsu spoke:
"Go stay in the room below. Quietly."
"The coming battle is not something a piece of trash Genin like you can participate in."
Mangetsu stared at him coldly, like a butcher looking at a slab of meat on the block. He pointed behind him toward two Mist ninjas disguised in Cloud headbands, who were holding heavy-duty hemp rope and staring at Hidan with eerie intensity.
Hidan's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. What's going on now? Am I escaping the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair?
"If you want your people to live, bind your own hands and cooperate," Mangetsu said flatly. "A ninja should understand the meaning of trade-offs. Kirigakure isn't a charity. Do you really think that woman would help you just because of a passing acquaintance? Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that nonsense."
"You have no power, so you have no choice. The only thing you can do is offer your head in exchange for their lives. That's all."
Hidan fell silent for a moment, lowering his eyes. He looked back at the silent silhouette of the woman standing at the edge of the platform with her back to him.
Right. Trade-offs.
In the chaos of the Third Shinobi World War, amidst the cracks of the war between Stone and Mist that had only recently subsided, and during this time when Ren Uchiha was gone, missing, or perhaps dead... Hidan had experienced this countless times. Every time he used the Jutsu: Death Controlling Possessed Blood, it required those who trusted him to sacrifice their lives to obtain the enemy's blood. What vanished alongside the enemy were far more friends and family.
Countless lives had pushed a boy with only Genin-level combat ability to this position—standing before the most stubborn Daimyo of the Five Great Nations. He understood trade-offs better than anyone.
"I understand."
Hidan exhaled deeply. Then, he raised his head, his pale violet eyes flashing with spirit as he bared his teeth at Mangetsu Hōzuki.
"But people like you don't understand, and you never will! Even if it's only for a day, the bond between life and death is a tie that can never be severed. Even thousands of miles apart, or on opposing sides, that thing exists!"
Just you wait... Hidan thought. When that guy shows up, I'm definitely going to step on your arrogant face!
Mangetsu watched Hidan bind his own hands and walk past him into the room. His lone eye flickered for a moment before he let out a cold snort.
"Ridiculous."
Soon, only Mei Terumi and Mangetsu Hōzuki remained on the platform. The morning sun rose higher, illuminating the city. Golden light pierced through the mountain peaks and broad plains, lighting up the noisy execution ground where a crowd was gathering.
Mangetsu narrowed his eyes at the site. "Do you really believe the blood that kid obtained is real?"
Mei shook her head, calmly looking down at the awakening city. "It's fake. Substitutions, Transformation, Disguise... there are too many ways to avoid having one's blood taken, especially when that person is the most exalted individual in this country."
"Then why help him?" Mangetsu asked sternly. "Did we travel all this way just for a farce? Don't forget the turmoil our own village is currently going through! Mei, even for you, there's a limit to being willful!"
Mei didn't turn around. She leaned against the railing and stood up, her lips curling into a bold smile in the wind. She spread her arms as if to embrace the entire Land of Lightning.
"Mangetsu, since you chose to believe in me, you might as well keep believing. Assassinating a Daimyo was something we were destined to do anyway. And isn't this exactly what you, who have turned your back on your masters again, wanted to see? Isn't this what you're asking of me?"
Mangetsu took a deep breath, a vein pulsing on his forehead. "I admit that brat's words made some sense back then. But the one I wanted to kill was that meddlesome, indecisive Daimyo of the Land of Water! Bringing me to the Land of Lightning to take out this Daimyo is completely backwards!"
Mei smiled and looked toward the inner city, toward the heavily guarded Tenshu pavilion.
"This is an experiment. I want to verify the thoughts in my heart! To find the final answer to all the friction—the friction between you and me, the friction within Kirigakure, and the friction over the future direction of the war."
"What would a country without a Daimyo look like? A country where everyone is their own master? A brand new era where ninjas are freed from their shackles... I want to see how it's done with my own eyes."
Facing the cold morning wind, Mei's gaze turned icy.
"Even if it means letting this country beneath our feet fall into ruin!"
Hearing this staggering reason—killing the Lightning Daimyo just to see what a headless nation looks like before going back to deal with the Water Daimyo—Mangetsu felt his scalp tingle.
He looked at Mei's back with deep, profound wariness. He had once thought this girl, raised in the "greenhouse" of Kirigakure, was just a pretty face. Until the war that was altered and forcibly prolonged by Ren Uchiha arrived.
In the extreme environment where Yagura Karatachi's "Rain-Cutter" organization, the Third Mizukage, and the Council of Elders were all at each other's throats, the village was on the brink of collapse. This girl had stepped onto the battlefield to resist the Iwagakure invasion, surviving one life-and-death struggle after another.
After encountering Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, everything changed.
She mastered the unique properties of the Boil Release, learning to regulate acidity and heat by "stealing" methods from Han's steam control. She developed it to a terrifying degree, eventually mastering Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength.
She became a terrifying woman who could brawl with Tailed Beasts and possessed chakra reserves and elemental power on par with them. During that war, she shone even brighter than Yagura.
A genius like Mangetsu, seeing her shed her laziness and pursue power with an all-consuming will—and seeing her profound foresight after understanding Ren Uchiha's "wild words"—had finally chosen to bow his head.
He looked away and asked, "Then why save those Hot Water ninjas? They're too weak. In the current Unming City, they aren't worth the risk of exposing your presence."
Mei turned back, a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes. She smiled.
"Those ninjas are the last of the Jashin cultists following Hidan. But they aren't just cultists; they are the arrogant criminals who 'assassinated' the Raikage. As long as they are alive, many people can use their names as a cover to strike at the Lightning Daimyo."
Mangetsu blinked. "Many people? There are others who want to kill the Lightning Daimyo besides us?"
Mei exhaled and looked at him with a hint of annoyance. "Alright, stop nagging. You're starting to sound like Ao, always asking questions. It's annoying. I already have a marriage partner, and as a subordinate, you need to know your boundaries, okay?"
"Now go! Release a Hidden Mist Jutsu at the execution ground. We won't even need to do anything—others will save them!"
Mangetsu raised an eyebrow, looking down at the chaotic streets. He gripped the handles of the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei. It was worth noting that his uncle, Kiri Hōzuki, the previous wielder, had died in the recent war. Mangetsu had finally realized his dream of becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and truly wielding the blade.
Preparing for battle, Mangetsu looked at Mei and bared his shark-like teeth. "One last question, future Fourth Mizukage..."
"Do you think... that arrogant brat is still alive?"
Mei fell silent for a moment. Then, she looked up, her gaze resolute.
"He won't die that easily! And this time, I won't be as powerless as I was before!"
Note: Support me and get early access to chapters on Pat reon.com/XareonMTL
very cheap btw