"This state..."
Kei perceived Mikoto's mental condition and slightly furrowed his brows.
Kazekiryu was a professional medical ninja, but his understanding of genjutsu was quite limited.
The current situation with Mikoto was not a simple case of being caught in genjutsu. Instead, the enemy's Yin Release chakra had merged with the genjutsu that had been reflected back at her, forming an extremely stubborn Yin Release energy that was constantly clashing with her own chakra!
Perhaps due to her previous mental trauma...
Even though Mikoto had been relying on her physical instincts to continuously drain her chakra to sustain her Sharingan, the foreign energy was incredibly tenacious and could not be dispelled in a short time.
This made her mental state extremely unstable, and her Sharingan surged with power.
The usual methods of dispelling genjutsu were not applicable to her situation and could even have negative effects, interfering with her resistance against that energy.
If an external force intervened, unless it possessed several times more Yin Release energy than her, it would only end up getting injured by the clashing forces!
Kei clapped his hands together, activating his clan's secret technique.
His formidable spiritual energy surged into Mikoto's body, forcefully breaking into the depths of her consciousness. Inside her mental landscape, she looked at him in shock.
Kei's Yin Release energy transformed into a massive tidal wave, instantly drowning out the uncontrollable force within her.
"Your strength... is as formidable as ever." Mikoto's consciousness watched as the energy that had exhausted her was effortlessly swept away.
She brought her hands together in front of her and bowed slightly in gratitude. A gentle smile, as soothing as ever, remained on her face. Her exhaustion and frail demeanor only made her appear more delicate and endearing.
"Summarize the mission and the enemy you encountered."
Kei waved a hand and quickly inquired about Mikoto's mission experience. Her current mental state required rest. But that dark, extreme, and frenzied Yin Release energy—it undeniably resembled the Sharingan's power.
If he didn't ask, he wouldn't be at ease.
"Our squad was ordered to travel to Ame to deliver a scroll to its leader, Hanzō. The first half of the mission went smoothly, but on our way back, we encountered a group of young people wearing Ame forehead protectors and black cloaks, distributing food to civilians."
"I found it strange and sent some of our members to investigate. It turns out these youths were part of an organization called 'Akatsuki.' The group was reportedly founded by war orphans, and their ideology seemed to advocate achieving peace through non-violent means."
"Upon returning to the Land of Fire, a masked ninja with a single three-tomoe Sharingan suddenly attacked us. Though he only revealed one eye, his ocular power was far superior to mine. If it weren't for the flying summoning beasts we bought from you, our squad probably wouldn't have made it back."
"I tried to probe the masked ninja's identity. It's highly likely that he's a member of the Uchiha clan, and... his speech pattern sounded a bit... foolish?"
"I analyzed Hanzō's situation. Logically, he wouldn't have targeted us, so I suspect the real issue lies with this Akatsuki."
Mikoto pondered for a moment before detailing her experiences and speculations.
"Get some rest."
"Mm, thank you. Once I recover, I'll personally visit to express my gratitude."
"No need for formalities. It's not like this is our first time meeting." Kei waved his hand dismissively.
His consciousness returned to his body. He used his own spiritual energy to gradually calm the lingering turbulence of the Yin Release energy within Mikoto.
With a sigh, he thought to himself—this girl really was unlucky!
Of all people to run into, she had to encounter Nagato and his group.
Ever since Black Zetsu escaped, Kei had actually considered taking a trip to Ame to dig out Nagato's Rinnegan in advance. Leaving that power in the open was always a risk. But back then, he had no idea where Nagato and his people were.
After taking over Root, he had gathered some intelligence on Akatsuki, but he had been so overwhelmingly busy these past few months that he had temporarily shelved the matter.
Unexpectedly, before he could take action, Black Zetsu had already made a move!
Is it to make Konoha target Akatsuki, then stage a show to guide Nagato into implementing the Eye of the Moon Plan?
Many thoughts flashed through Kei's mind, and for a moment, he was unsure of Black Zetsu's intentions.
It wasn't possible that the guy simply felt unsafe under Konoha's watch and came all this way just to silence them, right? After all, Root's ninjas had also gathered some intelligence on Akatsuki before, yet they were never silenced.
As for collecting Sharingan... If he truly intended to be ruthless, then Tobi should have used Wood Release instead.
If that had been the case, Mikoto and her squad wouldn't have survived!
"Looks like it's been resolved." Kazekiryu let out a heavy sigh of relief as he watched the pain on Mikoto's face gradually subside. Her mental state was stabilizing, and her body was no longer draining chakra at an excessive rate.
If that condition had persisted for too long, it could have caused severe damage to both her mind and body.
"I've already cleared out the foreign Yin Release energy. Her spirit will still need some time to recover through rest. I'll leave the rest to you," Kei said this to Kazekiryu before turning and heading out of the ward.
Without the interference of that Yin Release energy, Mikoto only needed proper care to recover quickly. As for whether he should personally use medical ninjutsu to heal her...
Ehhhh…
Better not!
He didn't want to end up in a situation that would be difficult to explain!
"How is she?"
Hiruzen asked as soon as Kei walked out.
Mikoto held a high status within the Uchiha clan and had, in recent years, become an important link between the village and the Uchiha. Otherwise, he wouldn't have personally left his office and even sent ANBU to summon Tsunade.
More than ten Uchiha clan members stood nearby, their expressions tense as they watched Kei, seemingly fearing that he might bring bad news.
"It's been handled..." Kei repeated what he had just told Kazekiryu.
The Third Hokage gave a slight nod. The surrounding Uchiha members simultaneously breathed sighs of relief.
A few moments ago, some of them had glared at Kei with hostility when they learned Tsunade wasn't coming. Now, however, their faces were full of gratitude, repeatedly thanking him.
The contrast in their attitudes was dramatic.
Kei's gaze swept over three Uchiha boys and girls, wrapped in bandages, hugging each other and crying.
He knew these three had been the genin accompanying Mikoto on the mission. He used sensory ninjutsu to scan them, but just like before, he couldn't detect even a trace of White Zetsu's presence.
He really couldn't figure out what Black Zetsu was up to.
If he was luring Konoha into attacking Akatsuki, wouldn't he at least leave some spies behind to monitor them?
Forget it, no point overthinking! No need to waste brain cells!
Might as well hop on his falcon and fly to the Land of Rain later—first, dig out Nagato's eyes, then worry about everything else!
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Hiruzen exchanged a few pleasantries with the others before taking his leave.
As Kei was about to leave as well, Honjima called out to him.
"Would you have time for a conversation?"
"If you invite me, of course, I have time."
"Thank you for the honor. This way, please."
"After you."
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100 Advance chapters!
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