This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 228 Conversation and Departure

Mei Terumi stayed hidden in her room, not showing herself. She planned to stay hidden as long as this scourge was around... to charge into battle and meet the great enemy.

This is not what she needs to do right now.

At this time, the Three-Tails was still suffering from Ryuji's torment.

Each struggle of the Three-Tails caused a series of tremors, and Kisame seriously doubted whether the Mizukage Building could withstand the shockwaves of their battle.

"As expected of the tailed beast with the strongest defense, with the chakra-amplified cloth armor, my strength is in no way inferior to Tsunade's. However, it's still a bit difficult to completely subdue this guy. I'll have to use Sage Mode!"

Ryuji's eyebrows turned reddish-brown, and a cross-shaped mark appeared in his pupil.

— Sage Mode.

A surge of power instantly coursed through his entire body.

Ryuji jumped off the Three-Tails, grabbed its head, pulled it out of the ground, raised its chin, and threw it far away, smashing it into the Mizukage Building.

The target was Kisame, who had been staying nearby without showing himself.

If you want to sit back and watch the show, you might as well cool off somewhere else while you're at it.

Although he didn't think he would end up with a mutually destructive outcome, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Who knows if this guy has any underhanded tricks that weren't shown in the original work?

It's worth noting that in the original story, Suigetsu Fuguki was assassinated by this guy.

Kisame saw the Three-Tails hurtling towards the Mizukage Continent, jumped out of the window, and leaped onto the nearby ruins.

He dares not confront Long Er head-on now.

After the Three-Tails destroyed the Mizukage Continent, it lay on its back with its four legs pointing upwards, letting out a few angry roars of resentment.

"You've had enough of the show, haven't you?"

Ryuji looked down at the young ninja in front of him, who had pale skin and shark teeth. Kisame was still very young at this time. Facing Ryuji, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and looked very wary.

Seeing his alarmed expression, Long Er chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not planning to kill you right now. You're more useful alive than dead."

Kisame looked at him warily and said, "What do you mean?"

"The Hidden Mist Village's true strength isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. I suspect there are many promising individuals lurking in the shadows. If we eliminate you, wouldn't it make your unification efforts even easier?"

If Sunagakure is the most united village, then Kirigakure is the least united.

While the Blood Mist policy certainly ensured absolute obedience among the village's ninjas, subordinates could only report to their superiors and were not allowed to inquire. Information was unilaterally fed back to superiors but did not reach subordinates, and there was no bond between peers... Under such a system, there was only the exchange of interests among ninjas, with no trust whatsoever.

Therefore, civil war, insubordination, and defection almost never ceased.

As Long'er spoke, he swiftly leaped into the air, dodging one of the Three-Tails' attacks, and then jumped onto the Three-Tails' head, slamming its head into the ground with another kick.

"You actually have no intention of hiding anything at all!?"

Watching the figure effortlessly stomp the three-tailed creature's head into the ground once more, Kisame realized once again just how powerful the person before him was.

Long Er smiled and said, "Is this something that needs to be hidden? Even if I told you, would the people behind you automatically back down to make way for others? We'd still have to fight it out."

Ryuji's eyes were full of mockery.

Kisame is naturally not interested in things like power, but the people behind him might be.

Without Obito Uchiha's persuasion, this man who had been carrying out the task of silencing witnesses would have been lost in confusion. If someone were to offer him guidance at this time, it would be easy to gain his loyalty.

His strength, and even his taking over Samehada and becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, is enough to prove that someone has already done so.

However, the fact that he watched the battle from the sidelines without helping Yagura indicates that he is not loyal to Yagura, but to the true leader of the village, "Genshi"... As for the possibility that it is someone else, it may be possible, but Ryuji does not know or care.

Kisame grimaced at his words, revealing a mouthful of shark-like teeth that looked quite eerie.

"You're right. Although I care about Kirigakure, I wouldn't sacrifice myself for them."

Such a village is not worth risking one's life for; at least, he will not risk his life for it until the village becomes as Master Yuan described.

"snort!"

Ryuuji snorted softly, leaped into the air, and landed behind the Three-Tailed Fox.

Before he could recover, she grabbed his tail and spun him around like a top a few times before tossing him far away... That was where Mei Terumi and Ao were watching from the shadows.

In the original work, Mei Terumi is the Fifth Hokage and possesses two bloodline limits... Of course, this level is nothing to Ryuji.

However, she ended the long-standing Blood Mist policy of Kirigakure and managed the mess of the Fourth Mizukage being controlled by other organizations and constantly embroiled in civil war in an orderly manner. Such governance skills were something that Ryuji himself admitted he could not match.

He noticed the little guy who was secretly observing him when he arrived in the village... Now that he was here, and so close, it would be a shame not to see him.

Perhaps the next time we meet will be on the real battlefield.

……

Qing kept observing the changes on the battlefield with a disdainful look.

Suddenly, a massive amount of chakra flew into view from the center of the battlefield. He immediately shouted, "Scatter!"

In fact, even without him saying it, Mei Terumi noticed the anomaly; the enormous size of the Three-Tails was immediately obvious.

The two jumped out of the house at the same time.

The next second, a mountain-sized object fell, leveling the entire hidden courtyard to the ground.

The three-tailed beast, feeling dizzy and disoriented, struggled to get up. Just then, it flew through the air in an arc and landed on its head.

"boom!"

The three-tailed creature's lower jaw slammed heavily into the ground again, creating a deep, cracked crater.

Having suffered such a severe blow, the Three-Tails fell into a coma and reverted to its original form as Yagura.

Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat as she looked at the newcomer with a mixture of wariness and fear... The other party had come knocking on her door. If he wanted to make a move now, she would have no choice but to fight to the death; she wouldn't even have the right to run away!

Qing was also covered in cold sweat. He never expected that even though he had hidden so far away, and even the village's secret police had not discovered their current residence, the other party had found them.

And why did they come to us?

With such a vast battlefield and so many skilled warriors, why did they target two nobodies like us?

Qing's heart pounded wildly, and she was so nervous that her breathing became erratic.

……

"Phew~"

Kisame breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Ryuji leave.

Although the man did not lay a hand on the other party, the pressure he was under was immense.

If they were to fight, he didn't know if he would survive.

"Thank goodness, he didn't intend to kill me!"

Kisame breathed a sigh of relief again, hoisted Samehada onto his back, and fled towards the outskirts of Kirigakure.

There's no shame in choosing to run away now; you can always come back after this matter is resolved.

……

Ryuji couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Mei Terumi's reaction mirror Kisame's.

In the original work, Mei Terumi appeared as the Fifth Hokage, one of the five people standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, revered and feared by thousands.

But he himself became an object of admiration and fear for the other party.

"Just six months ago, I was a nobody, and now I've become such a big shot. It's really hard to get used to!"

Long Er sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm as he looked at the girl before him. "I have a few questions. If you can answer them, I will spare your life."

Mei Terumi was somewhat surprised when she heard what he said; she hadn't expected him to suddenly start saying such things.

She swallowed hard, suppressing her fear, and asked, "What's the problem?"

Ryuji gave Mei Terumi an appreciative look. To be able to calm down so quickly and utter a complete sentence in the face of a life-or-death crisis, it seemed that this young ninja's potential to become the future Fifth Mizukage was not just a matter of strength and talent.

"I'd like to ask you, given the current situation, is it better for Kirigakure to join Sunagakure or unite with other ninja villages?"

As Mei Terumi listened to Ryuji's words, countless thoughts surged through her mind.

What does he mean by that?

Should we simply ask her for her opinion on the situation, or use this question to test her attitude towards the current situation in the ninja world before deciding whether to kill or release her?

But I'm just a nobody, does my attitude really matter?

Mei Terumi was somewhat puzzled, but the current situation did not allow her to think too deeply. After pondering for a moment, she spoke her true thoughts.

"If it were me, I would choose to unite with the other three great ninja villages!"

Upon hearing this, Qing felt her heartbeat slow down by half a beat.

"My dear little aunt, if you could just say a few tactful words, that would be fine!"

He didn't dare say those words aloud; he only roared inwardly.

But Ryuji burst into laughter after hearing her words.

"Following the crowd is the view of a mediocre person!"

"Perhaps, after all, I'm just an ordinary person!"

Mei Terumi did not object.

Or rather, the less the other party values ​​her, the better.

If the other party values ​​her, given their position, she would probably lose her life.

"A mediocre person, huh..."

Ryuji gave her a deep look, said nothing more, and rode his mechanical bird into the sky.

He did not kill Yagura, just as he had told Kisame.

At this time, the internal factions within Kirigakure are severely divided, and it is best to let them fight among themselves to wear each other down. If I, as an outsider, intervene and eliminate one of them, causing an imbalance of power, it will actually accelerate the internal unification of Kirigakure.

As for Mei Terumi... he didn't see anything particularly outstanding about her.

Perhaps my own level is just so-so, and I can't see anything profound about the other party, or perhaps she is still young and doesn't have the skills she had in the original story.

However, Ryuji still felt a little disappointed.

"It would be nice if this girl were a little older."

If Mei Terumi were older and stronger, I could reveal some of my trump cards to her and help her become the Mizukage, leading Kirigakure to join the Sunagakure camp.

Because Kirigakure is isolated overseas and has no conflict of interest with Sunagakure.

(End of this chapter)