This assassination attempt had ended in complete failure!
Shihouin Naraku, observing from high in the sky, could see with perfect clarity that these attackers had genuinely intended to kill Terumi Mei. Their commitment to the mission was absolute and their willingness to sacrifice their lives was unmistakable.
The timing and location they had chosen for their assault were also nearly perfect for such an operation.
However, they had failed to account for one crucial factor – Terumi Mei had two Kage-level shinobi serving as her personal bodyguards!
Kage-level shinobi were extremely rare and valuable assets that didn't appear randomly or without careful planning.
This unexpected development had been the most important factor contributing to the complete failure of their suicide attack.
If it hadn't been for the presence of Hozuki Sakuzuki and Mizunotsuki Yuki, their carefully planned assassination attempt might still have had a reasonable chance of succeeding.
After all, there was clearly a spy hidden among Terumi Mei's trusted subordinates. If the two Kage-level shinobi hadn't suddenly joined the defensive effort, and if the battle had reached a truly critical moment when the embedded spy suddenly revealed their treachery and turned against her, Terumi Mei might very well have suffered a devastating defeat.
But there were no "what ifs" in reality, so it was Terumi Mei who emerged victorious this time.
Led by the two Kage-level shinobi, the loyal Mist shinobi had systematically and efficiently eliminated every single assassin.
Swish!
Hozuki Sakuzuki crouched down beside one of the fallen bodies, reached out to untie the concealing mask, and revealed the true face hidden underneath.
"Hey! It's really one of those specialized assassins from that particular family!" he exclaimed with recognition.
As a member of Kirigakure's most prestigious and influential shinobi families, Hozuki Sakuzuki was familiar with the identities of most significant shinobi operating within the village's power structure.
Therefore, he had immediately recognized the assassin's identity upon seeing his face!
"Are you absolutely certain about this identification?" Terumi Mei asked seriously.
She stepped forward and frowned deeply as she examined the true face of her deceased enemy.
"Definitely," Sakuzuki confirmed with authority. "Those specialized assassins trained by these particular families rarely make public appearances in the village, which is why you wouldn't recognize him."
"If it were almost anyone else, they probably wouldn't be able to identify him either, but the specific methods and techniques used by those families to train their assassins are so familiar to me that I can tell at a single glance."
What Hozuki Sakuzuki didn't mention aloud was that the Hozuki clan had also employed these same exact methods to train their own deadly assassins!
If the Hozuki clan had not chosen to stand behind Terumi Mei and support her leadership during this critical period, but had instead been equally hostile to her rule, then there would definitely have been Hozuki clan assassins among the group that had come here to kill her.
"Someone burn all the bodies immediately!" Terumi Mei commanded with cold efficiency.
She waved her hand dismissively, and her subordinates immediately began the grim task of cleaning up the aftermath.
All the corpses were methodically piled together in a large heap, then set ablaze by the Mist shinobi. Some kind of accelerant must have been added to the fire, because the flames burned with extraordinary intensity and heat.
Within just a few minutes, the bodies of these fallen assassins had been completely reduced to nothing but ashes and charred bone fragments.
Everyone present had already become accustomed to witnessing this type of disturbing scene.
There was simply no alternative approach available to them. In order to prevent outsiders from obtaining any potentially valuable information from examining these corpses, they had no choice but to burn the bodies completely.
Logically speaking, anyone trained to serve as a professional assassin would carry nothing on their person that could provide useful clues to outside investigators.
However, in the shinobi world, there existed countless secret abilities and investigative techniques, and the only reliable way to prevent outsiders from exploring Kirigakure's internal secrets was to ensure complete destruction of all physical evidence.
Thick, acrid smoke rose upward from the burning pyre and was quickly dispersed by the strong winds blowing across the landscape.
"Pack up all our equipment and supplies. We're moving out!" Terumi Mei ordered.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!" her subordinates responded promptly.
As one of her primary bodyguards, Hozuki Sakuzuki would accompany Terumi Mei to Iwagakure for the crucial negotiations regarding their proposed business agreements.
Since the Fourth Tsuchikage Han had agreed to allow the Mist shinobi delegation to enter the territory of the Land of Earth, this clearly indicated that he remained willing to engage in diplomatic discussions. The success of their mission would ultimately depend on the specific terms and conditions they could negotiate.
Meanwhile, Mizunotsuki Yuki would take the remaining Mist shinobi to the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind to conduct advance preparations for Terumi Mei's broader strategic initiatives.
Whether the task involved eliminating troublesome obstacles or establishing contact with the shinobi villages they intended to negotiate with, Mizunotsuki Yuki would be responsible for handling all of these critical arrangements.
When the two groups were preparing to separate and head toward their different destinations, Terumi Mei provided final instructions: "The Land of Rain is certainly important to our overall strategy, but if we genuinely cannot establish contact with them, don't waste excessive time and resources. Focus your primary attention on the Land of Wind instead. Sunagakure is actually more eager to sign business agreements than we are."
"I understand completely," Mizunotsuki Yuki replied with a respectful nod.
This approach aligned perfectly with her own tactical assessment of the situation.
In the past, the Land of Rain had functioned as a relatively normal country with standard diplomatic relations, but now for some unknown and mysterious reason, the Land of Rain had imposed extremely strict blockades against all outside contact.
Apart from a very limited number of essential business exchanges, the country now refused to welcome any foreign visitors or representatives.
Therefore, Terumi Mei was realistic about her expectations and didn't anticipate that she could somehow make an exception for the Land of Rain's isolationist policies. It wouldn't matter significantly if they couldn't establish contact, since there were still the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning available as potential allies.
Mizunotsuki Yuki watched silently as Terumi Mei and her group departed, and only after they had completely disappeared from view did she give her own orders:
"Break camp immediately! We're moving out!"
The remaining Mist shinobi efficiently packed up all their supplies and equipment, then quickly departed with Mizunotsuki Yuki, heading toward their assigned destinations in the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.
Shihouin Naraku, still observing from high in the sky, watched both groups depart in their separate directions and realized that there would be nothing particularly exciting to observe from this point forward.
"The Mizunotsuki clan's Ice Release techniques are quite interesting and well-developed, but their overall power level is still somewhat limited," he mused to himself. "However, compared to most other elemental release techniques, they're already impressively strong."
Naraku felt confident that the Ice Release abilities of the Mizunotsuki clan could never compare to the devastating power of his own Fire Release techniques.
A basin of water or ice might be capable of extinguishing an ordinary fire, but it could never hope to eclipse the sun itself.
This fundamental gap in power couldn't be overcome through training or determination alone!
Whoosh——
Shihouin Naraku transformed into a white streak of light and flashed away across the sky at incredible speed.
Soon he had returned to Konoha Village, and Naraku made his way directly to the Hokage building to submit his mission report.
"How did everything go? Terumi Mei should have made contact with the Iwagakure representatives by now," Tsunade asked as she watched Naraku enter her office.
"About as expected," Naraku replied simply.
He proceeded to give a brief but comprehensive report about the battle that had taken place at the Kirigakure camp.
"Suddenly there are two additional Kage-level shinobi? Hozuki Sakuzuki? Mizunotsuki Yuki?" Tsunade repeated thoughtfully.
"These two names sound quite unfamiliar to me, and I don't seem to have any clear recollection of them in my memory..."
Tsunade rested her cheek against her white palm and thought deeply about this new information.
"I'm absolutely certain I've never heard of or encountered anyone from the Mizunotsuki clan before now," she continued.
"Hozuki Sakuzuki – this name does follow the traditional naming conventions of the Hozuki clan, but I still don't have any specific memories of this individual."
"However, it's not particularly surprising that one or two exceptionally powerful shinobi would emerge from that family. They have a very deep foundation and extensive history!"
Tsunade temporarily wrote down both names on a piece of paper. She would dispatch intelligence operatives later to investigate and see if there was any available information about these mysterious individuals.
After all, these were two Kage-level shinobi, and their potential impact on any future conflicts could be enormous and decisive.
Konoha might very well face these two individuals in combat at some point, so it would be much better to collect detailed intelligence in advance rather than suffer unexpected losses during battle.
"I'll have our intelligence division investigate this matter thoroughly," she decided.
"Although the chances of finding substantial information are probably slim, I'll make sure to keep a close eye on this situation."
"By the way, how are things progressing with the Ministry of Education? Have all the suggestions from the teachers and principals been properly collected?"
Naraku shook his head. "I just returned from my mission, so I couldn't possibly know the specific details yet, but the timeline should be about right."
"Regardless, it's going to take significantly more than just one or two meetings to finalize new rules and regulations, updated teaching materials, and all the other changes. The teachers will need to attend multiple sessions."
"I understand that reality!" Tsunade acknowledged.
"Speaking of educational matters..." Naraku suddenly remembered something important. "Are you planning to completely ignore Uchiha Madara in the new history textbooks for the ninja academy?"
"And what about the Uchiha clan's contributions in general..."
Tsunade was momentarily stunned by the question, and then immediately developed a severe headache.
This particular matter was indeed extremely troublesome and politically sensitive. Although Konoha Village had originally been established through the combined efforts of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, with crucial assistance from many other allied clans, a series of tragic events that occurred in later years had changed everything.
As a direct result of those conflicts, Uchiha Madara's name had long since disappeared entirely from the official textbooks used in the ninja academy. Even the historical achievements and contributions of the Uchiha clan as a whole had begun to be gradually buried and forgotten.
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