From the forest burst a flock of unidentified birds. Their cries were unbearably grating, like the wails of death-omens.
"Hmm? This is..." Sasori slightly turned his head, sensing the lingering aftershocks of battle coming from the woods.
In that direction... it should be Raiga Kurosuki, who had just fled. Had he encountered enemies?
Sasori furrowed his brow, then quickly recognized a familiar chakra signature—Konan.
It made sense for both Saitama and Konan to target the Mizukage Yagura. Where one went, the other would surely follow.
Smiling faintly, Sasori stopped paying attention to the forest behind him and refocused his gaze forward.
This kunoichi named Terumi Mei indeed possessed formidable strength. Even at his peak, he might not have been her equal.
Moreover, she was one of the rare dual Bloodline Users—a perfect addition to his collection of human puppets.
Thinking about it, Sasori's eyes grew darker and more sinister. The way he looked at Terumi Mei was like a wolf eyeing his meal—greedy and eager.
[Boil Release: Ingenious Fog Technique]
Terumi Mei leapt upward and raised one hand to her mouth. Her red lips, slightly smeared with blood, opened gently.
Sssshhh!
A thick white mist erupted from her mouth. The temperature was scorching—hotter even than standard Boil Release or Melting Release. Its power could easily melt the bones of a Susanoo.
Tsk! Without taking it head-on, Saitama swiftly dodged. His foot tapped on the water surface, vanishing instantly, leaving only a flash of white light before he reappeared outside the range of the boiling technique.
Swish! Upon contacting the water, the Boil Release caused an explosive reaction. Water evaporated violently, and the water level visibly dropped at a rapid rate.
"Boil Release really is impressive," Saitama murmured, still feeling a bit shaken by what he'd seen—but the momentary awe quickly vanished.
Although her techniques were powerful, Mei in her current state couldn't land a single hit. Therefore, all that power amounted to nothing!
A technique that can't land a hit is useless.
"Damn it!!" Mei frowned, strands of damp hair sticking to her forehead.
As time passed, the effects of her secret arts began weakening. Her speed, strength, reflexes, pain tolerance, and even her Chakra Reserves Amount were gradually returning to normal levels.
It seemed her time was running short.
Taking advantage of the moment when Saitama evaded her technique, Mei stole a glance toward Ameyuri Ringo, who was nearly disappearing from sight. A small sense of relief filled her heart.
At least her efforts weren't wasted. As long as the information about Saitama's combat capabilities reached their village, the entire Hidden Mist Village should be able to deal with this threat through combined efforts.
Furthermore, after this incident, Kirigakure would definitely take Akatsuki far more seriously. It might even rally other ninja villages together to form an alliance.
So right now, what she needed to do was continue holding Saitama back, buying more escape time for Ameyuri Ringo.
Though Saitama did have another companion, that ninja seemed heavily drained and unable to pursue. There was no need to worry about him.
[Lightning Pierced!]
Her thoughts still racing, Terumi Mei's body suddenly convulsed. A wave of searing pain seized her whole body, stealing her breath and movement.
"Damn it, the effects of the secret arts have worn off!"
She thought to herself. Without the suppression of the secret technique, her injuries alone were severe enough to disable her, let alone continue fighting.
"Looks like you're in really bad shape. It's time to end this!"
Saitama observed Terumi Mei coughing blood again. His gaze swept across several wounds on her body, and his eyes gradually darkened.
Even with secret arts helping Terumi Mei, lasting this long with such injuries is impressive.
Ninja are defined by endurance—it takes never giving up to earn the name.
"Let me see you off on your final journey."
Saitama raised his right hand. Lightning danced at his fingertips, condensing into a brilliant glow.
"For a ninja, living doesn't matter much. It's dying that defines us."
Mei smiled somewhat generously, her face showing mockery toward Saitama.
Ameyuri Ringo had already vanished from her sight. Her goal had been achieved. Even if she died in the next second, she wouldn't consider it wasted.
Still, dying always came with regrets, didn't it?
Tears flickered in her eyes.
Within those tears, a white light gradually expanded and approached her side. Meanwhile, her consciousness slowed during that second.
[Lightning Strike!] A bolt of lightning tore through her body, entering through the front chest and exiting from the back, carrying out a packet of red liquid.
Blood bloomed across the water like a deadly blossom!
At this moment, the sound of Saitama activating his Secret Arts finally reached her ears.
Bang!!!
Patta!
Mei's gaze drifted upward, revealing the blue-white sky and birds startled from the forest around her scattering in all directions.
And then... then appeared a smiling face—that belonged to Yagura, who would soon become Saitama's next target.
"Is this really how my life ends? But I haven't even made that request to Aniki Yagura yet. Perhaps marriage should indeed happen earlier?"
Mei's consciousness gradually faded away as her back hit the water surface, splashing countless droplets before quickly submerging her completely!
Terumi Mei—leader of Mist's Jonin division, aide to the Mizukage—fell during the struggle over the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, ultimately killed by Konoha's rogue ninja, Saitama Uchiha!
"Your home is where the people who care about you are. But before reaching there, I might need to borrow your power for just a little while longer, Terumi Mei."
Saitama stated calmly. He recognized the emotion Mei had shown in her eyes moments ago, but battle was battle. Thus, he spoke slowly towards Mei's corpse sinking deeper into the waters.
"What an incredible fight."
Sasori rose to his feet, gazing at Terumi Mei's body, momentarily revealing a flicker of fierce excitement.
...
Inside the Mizukage's Office within Kiri village.
Crack!
Yagura, who was in the middle of signing a document, snapped the pen in his hand. He felt a sudden unease, and his heart was consumed by an inexplicable surge of rage.
"What's going on?" Yagura asked himself inwardly.
The Three-Tails didn't respond — even it couldn't explain where that sudden surge of rage came from.
"Is it Terumi Mei and them? No way—the team this time is too strong. Even he might not be their match..."
Frowning, Yagura leaned back against the chair's headrest.
Creak! The door swung open as an Anbu ninja wearing a mask entered the room and approached Yagura.
"Lord, we're ready to depart anytime!"
The ninja spoke respectfully to Yagura with a slight bow of his head.
"Good, let's move out immediately!" Nodding, Yagura stopped overthinking. His meeting with the Daimyo was his top priority. Back in the village, many ninjas were counting on him for good news.
"Yes, sir!" The Anbu nodded and turned to leave.
As for Yagura, after taking a deep breath, he instantly rose from his seat and strode outside.
Outside, sunlight poured through the window, landing gently on the desk of Kage's Aide, Terumi Mei. Her desk was neat and tidy, with a photo frame placed neatly atop it—inside was a photo of Yagura and Terumi Mei together!
In the picture, Yagura was tightly hugged by Mei, squashed into her embrace without a trace of the Mizukage's dignified demeanor. His face was flushed bright red. As for Mei, she looked sweet and happy, her smile blooming like a vibrant flower, radiantly beautiful.
Bang!
Yagura shut the Mizukage office door casually behind him, as if sealing off an entire world!
When it opens again, only time will tell who'll witness what happens next—or just what kind of scene awaits.
...
Bang!
A figure was thrown onto the ground before Sasori—it was Raiga Kurosuki, who had just barely escaped from Sasori's grasp.
Right now, Raiga showed no sign of life, countless gashes covering his body, as though sliced apart by some razor-sharp object.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Then, countless white paper scraps gathered rapidly, finally coalescing into Konan's form.
"It seems you guys had a smooth victory too! Although... someone did manage to escape your hands this time — Ameyuri Ringo."
Konan glanced toward the direction Ameyuri Ringo had left, her words full of implied meaning.
"It doesn't matter. In the end, nothing can change the outcome. Just futile resistance from insignificant ants."
Saitama said indifferently, casting a half-smile at Konan.
"What's next?"
Sasori sat atop his Wooden Cocoon, glancing briefly across the fallen bodies.
"You take the Six-Tails back first. Konan and I will go deeper to test how capable this Mizukage really is. If the timing is right, we'll attempt capture."
Saitama cast a glance at Sasori while speaking slowly.
"No problem." Sasori nodded, which suited him perfectly—he really lacked the strength to keep up with Saitama any longer.
He needed time to regroup and repair the damaged puppets.
Moreover, after this battle ended, perhaps another powerful puppet would join his collection!
Sasori's gaze swept past Terumi Mei, his eyes glimmering with interest.
Saitama didn't stop Sasori. The longer this went on, the stronger their side would become, which naturally worked increasingly in Saitama's favor.
"What do you think?"
After a short pause, Saitama turned his eyes back to Konan.
"It's fine! The ninja who fled earlier is sure to report to Yagura. I wonder who'll reach Yagura first," Konan said coldly, her face expressionless.
"Then it's settled. Get ready to move out!"
After a moment's contemplation, Saitama, having confirmed there were no other issues, prepared to rise and depart.
With a whoosh, Konan once again dissolved into countless white paper pieces, soaring toward the Mist Village.
The paper pieces swirled together, forming a fast-flowing stream of white across the sky, propelled swiftly by chakra and wind.
Meanwhile, Saitama, crackling with lightning all over, calmly kept pace with Konan.
Once they reached the Land of Water, they still needed to locate White Zetsu and gather updated intelligence to track down Yagura's whereabouts.
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