I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

However, the ship they were on had already been successfully sunk by the Konoha air force that had just been specially dispatched.

They could only escape on foot, which would take a lot of time.

One side expended considerable energy along the way, while the other side was completely at ease and waiting for the opportune moment.

Konoha, being the latter, has no need to worry about not being able to catch up.

Things did indeed turn out as expected.

As time went by, thanks to the Byakugan and the reconnaissance capabilities of the flying ninja tools in the sky, the Konoha ninjas, who had never lost track of the Mist Ninjas, gradually closed the distance between them.

Midway through, after Mei Terumi successfully reunited with the group of Kirigakure ninja, some people did suggest scattering and escaping.

However, considering the numerous Byakugan ninjas who had specifically followed from behind, if they were to be dispersed, they would most likely be defeated one by one by the larger number of Konoha ninjas, so this plan was abandoned.

We just need to think of other methods.

Ao sighed slightly as he noticed the increasingly close Konoha pursuers behind him using his Byakugan.

Then, after glancing at his own Mizukage, he silently nodded to the others and waved his hand.

Instantly, the dozen or so Mist Ninja who received the order broke away from the group and resolutely turned their gazes toward the Konoha pursuers.

These people could not possibly stand in the way of the Konoha members who had Shisui present.

But just like in the beginning, when the Konoha Flying Team delayed the Mist Ninja ships.

At this moment, what Ao wanted them to do was to use their best to deplete more of the Konoha ninja's chakra so that the most important person at the moment, the Mizukage, could escape.

This is just the first batch.

Then there will be a second batch, a third batch...

Until the very end, when Mei Terumi had very few Kirigakure ninja left by her side, Ao, leading the last batch of Kirigakure elites, calmly said to his Mizukage and the few remaining young and promising Kirigakure ninja beside him, "Mizukage-sama, I entrust the village to you from now on. Chojuro, protect the Mizukage with your life!"

"Yes!" Chojuro nodded emphatically, his eyes red.

Mei Terumi, who had remained silent throughout, only clenching her fists and watching the Mist Ninja who had given their lives for her depart one after another, finally couldn't help but speak to her mentor and friend, Ao:

"I'm sorry, Qing..."

"No need to apologize!" Qing said solemnly. "All of today's actions were the result of everyone reaching a consensus, and only in this way could we get out of the current predicament. Lord Mizukage, there's no need to blame yourself. If anyone is to blame... it's only because Konoha was more skilled."

Ao shook his head, then patted Mei's shoulder and said, "Lord Mizukage, you must pull yourself together. Kirigakure will need you in the future!"

“I understand!” Mei Terumi said, taking a deep breath.

Finally, carrying the Byakugan of the main family that Ao had specially removed, Mei Terumi departed with the few remaining descendants.

Ao touched his empty right eye, which was still covered by the protective talisman, and quietly waited for the Konoha pursuers to arrive with the last batch of elite Mist Ninja.

The desperate efforts of a large number of elite fog-shrouded warriors to block the flow of power were not without success.

When the Konoha pursuers arrived, they were not only much slower than before, but their numbers were also halved.

Moreover, Shisui's Susanoo had dissipated after a long period of depletion.

Upon noticing that another group of Mist Ninja were waiting for them, Shisui didn't hesitate and immediately led everyone forward.

Just then, Ao laughed loudly, "Come on! Whoever wants the Hyuga main family's Byakugan, come and take it!"

Upon hearing this, the other Konoha ninjas didn't react yet, but the Hyuga branch family ninjas who were following along suddenly changed their expressions.

Before they were sent to the battlefield of the Mist Ninja, they were instructed by the clan leader to retrieve the lost Byakugan of the main clan if given the chance.

Although their Byakugan couldn't see through the blue right eye covered by the protective talisman, they remembered the information about the Kirigakure ninja who possessed the main family's Byakugan very clearly.

It's clearly this person!

Thus, remembering the main family's instructions, and knowing that the Hidden Mist elites who had been intercepted earlier were now specifically targeting the Konoha pursuers, the only three Hyuga branch family ninjas who followed without hesitation immediately charged towards Ao, determined to reclaim the main family's Byakugan and avenge the Hyuga's humiliation.

In the following time, the sounds of Ao's maniacal laughter and Hyuga Gentle Fist continued to ring out.

Not long after, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from where the four were.

For a fleeting moment, the entire battlefield fell silent.

When Shisui arrived here, somewhat exhausted, after dealing with all the enemies, he found that Ao and the three Hyuga ninjas had all been reduced to dust.

Instantly, his face turned very ugly.

Without the ability to cast disparaging glances, how could he possibly track down the enemy on the vast ocean?

Flying ninja tools?

Unlike before, there are very few Mist Ninja left. With easier concealment, they are difficult to spot with just the naked eye on flying ninja tools.

Finally, Shisui took a deep look at the remains of Ao, who had used himself as bait to drag the Hyuga ninja down with him. Suppressing his negative emotions, Shisui still waved his hand, leading the remaining people to continue the pursuit.

Regardless of the circumstances, he had already come this far, and even if the hope was slim, he had to try again.

Chapter 280 The Outcome and the Curtain Falls

One day later.

On an unnamed beach in the Land of Water.

Amidst a sharp whistling sound, a flying ninja tool from Konoha was routinely circling in the air, searching for potential targets.

After scouting for several minutes and finding that the place was literally deserted and devoid of any signs of life, they discovered that the area was completely barren.

The Konoha flight team member who was piloting the flying ninja tool shook his head slightly, then changed his target and flew towards another location.

Soon, apart from the sound of the waves constantly surging towards the beach, the nameless beach returned to its usual tranquility.

Until fifteen minutes later.

After waiting cautiously for a while and realizing that the Konoha flying ninja tools would not return, two waves suddenly rose from the water near the beach.

Mei Terumi and Chojuro's bodies gradually emerged from beneath the sea.

Finally, when both feet landed on solid ground.

Looking utterly disheveled, with even his signature black-rimmed glasses missing, Chojuro slammed one of his twin swords, Hiramekarei, into the ground, collapsed onto the beach, and gasped for breath, "Finally, I escaped! It was no easy feat!"

Beside her, holding another flounder that she had used as a float when her chakra was exhausted, Mei Terumi didn't collapse as quickly as Chojuro, but the moment her taut face hit the ground, she finally revealed her deep exhaustion without any attempt to hide it.

After hearing Chojuro's感慨 (sentiments/reflections), Mei Terumi glanced at the ocean behind her and nodded heavily, saying, "It really wasn't easy!"

A day earlier, nearly a hundred elites from the Hidden Mist Village set sail in high spirits.

Now, only the two of them can return.

Shikura, Utakata, Ao, a group of Kirigakure ninja, and even a few younger members who had specifically followed her, all willingly stopped in their tracks so that the Mizukage could escape.

Now I have fulfilled part of their wishes.

Next, there is an even more important final wish to fulfill.

Mei Terumi turned around and looked into the depths of the huge island known as the Land of Water.

There, the Hidden Mist Village, which had endured bloodshed and was now severely damaged, was still waiting for her.

Pain, self-blame, sadness, regret, and so on had already been endured far too much in the previous day.

Now, though not indifferent, Mei Terumi, knowing exactly what she should do, suppressed all these thoughts with strong willpower and continued walking without further delay:

"It's time to go, Chojuro. It's not time to relax yet!"

"I'm sorry, Mizukage-sama!" Chojuro quickly stood up upon hearing this, scratched his head sheepishly, then put his twin swords, Hiramekarei, back on his back and, as always, followed Terumi Mei's steps with unwavering determination.

This surprise attack between Konoha and Kirigakure has now come to an end.

On the other side...

Even before that, having failed to find any trace of Terumi Mei for a long time, Shisui, who already knew that it was probably hopeless, did not try his luck anymore. Apart from sending some people to continue searching in a wide net, he did not try his luck.

He himself has returned, intending to take down the two Jinchūriki from Kirigakure first.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, managed to escape early in his fight with Yugito, after losing an arm in the process.

In the end, Konoha only managed to seize Shikuang.

The result was alright, though.

The capture of Shikura, the perfect Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails and also holding the more important title of Fourth Mizukage, was a major blow to Kirigakure.

Furthermore, along with Mei Terumi, almost all the elite Kirigakure ninja, including the high-ranking Ao, were wiped out.

By all accounts, Konoha has undoubtedly achieved a tremendous and resounding victory.

From then on, for at least a month or two, the Mist Ninja were unable to cause any further trouble.

"Perhaps it's time to tell the village that we can send another batch of reinforcements back."

Later, on the return journey aboard the aircraft carrier, Shisui, though unable to achieve complete success, was still in a good mood and thought to himself, considering the overall situation.

......

On the battlefield between Konoha and Kirigakure, Kirigakure suffered heavy losses after being betrayed by Cloud Ninja.

Just as Mei Terumi, filled with resentment, returned to Kirigakure and was about to immediately inform her other allies of the news,

However, she found that she no longer needed to remind them, because the other three countries, especially the Iwagakure ninja, already knew.

Let's push the timeline forward a little.

Just as Konoha and Kirigakure were clashing over the aircraft carrier issue.

On the other side of the battlefield in the Land of Grass, Minato Namikaze, having learned of the matter a few hours later through remote communication, no longer hesitated.

Under the immense pressure of enduring the relentless attacks of over 20,000 Iwa ninja, he finally revealed his first trump card.

After an order was issued, an army consisting of two thousand former Cloud Ninja and two thousand Konoha Ninja set sail for the Land of Earth from the sea near the border.

The leader of this operation is none other than former Raikage Nobuomi Tsuchishiro.

In the remote Land of Lightning, with a thousand Konoha ninja and a small number of former Kumo ninja left behind, it was sufficient to handle all domestic troubles.

In order for the Cloud Ninja faction to gain a good position in Konoha, Tsuchishi personally led this 4,000-strong ninja force to launch a surprise attack on the coast of the Land of Earth, taking the Iwa Ninja by surprise, and then directly into the heartland to disrupt the Iwa Ninja's rear, attract their attention, and ultimately achieve Konoha's goal.

As it turned out, he did a very good job.

After his army of four thousand ninjas swiftly defeated a small number of Iwa ninja coastal garrison troops and successfully landed, they immediately turned the coastal cities of the Land of Earth upside down and continued to penetrate deeper into the region.

Soon, distress calls from the rear of the Land of Earth, and even orders from the Daimyo's prefecture, arrived like snowflakes at Onoki's Iwagakure army.