"This Mizukage is fake, right?"
"So weak?"
"But the system can't be wrong… is it just that my Sage Mode is too strong?"
At that moment, light rain began to fall, and a heavy mist condensed over the battlefield, as though mourning the death of the Third Mizukage.
Ryoma shook his head as he looked down at the corpse of the Mizukage. Without hesitation, he hoisted the body onto his shoulder.
Bringing back the corpse of the Third Mizukage—this should count as great military merit, right?
Besides, with the Mizukage dead by his hand, Kirigakure would soon fall into leaderless chaos. Their infighting would continue for some time, indirectly sparing Konoha much future trouble.
Ryoma clasped his hands together and began weaving hand seals.
On the bridge that stretched out into the sea, countless thick roots and vines sprouted, raising the broken structure back up and connecting it once again with the mainland.
Although the terrain had shifted, Ryoma managed to reconnect the bridge with Wood Release.
It wasn't particularly difficult—just chakra-intensive.
And right now, Ryoma's chakra reserves weren't exactly plentiful.
Aside from his own chakra, he still had the reserves stored in the Yin Seal. He had absorbed two to three thousand units of White Zetsu's chakra earlier, and more than half of it remained.
Even so, what worried him more was the safety of Uchiha Mikoto, Team 7, and Terumi.
When he had summoned the Senju constructs just now, his chakra had run dry for a moment, so Mikoto's clone—which had been protecting Team 7—must have vanished.
Suddenly, a golden flash streaked through the mist.
The Yellow Flash of Konoha—Minato Namikaze—rushed toward Ryoma at full speed. The earth trembled violently, and explosions echoed from the battlefield ahead.
The thunderous sound carried even to Minato's ears.
Then his eyes widened. In the distance stood a colossal Wooden Golem, its form towering and awe-inspiring.
That's Ryoma's summoning beast? Or… is it an enemy?
Minato had been born after Hashirama Senju's death, so he had never witnessed the true power of Wood Release. Seeing the Wooden Golem with his own eyes left him stunned.
Before he could recover, another deafening explosion roared through the air, followed by a gale that nearly knocked him back.
The closer he got to the battlefield, the grimmer his expression became.
What had once been open plains was now a massive crater-like basin.
All around lay massive roots and vines, some severed cleanly, others ripped straight out of the ground.
But strangely—no corpses.
And the rain kept falling, unnaturally heavy.
The sight left Minato with a dry throat. He swallowed hard.
Through the mist, a figure slowly emerged.
Minato instantly tensed, sweat dripping from his brow, as he pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai.
"Minato?"
The figure grew clearer—it was Ryoma.
"Ryoma, you're alive?" Minato exclaimed, quickly stepping forward.
"I heard from Haruno Mebuki that you were in danger…"
He trailed off mid-sentence, eyes locked on the corpse Ryoma was carrying.
The Mizukage's cloak. The Mizukage's robe.
"Ryoma… th-that's…"
Minato stammered.
Ryoma dropped the body onto the ground, revealing the Mizukage's bloodied face. His long hair was matted with rain, his forehead protector clearly marked with the Kirigakure symbol. His waist was bent at an unnatural angle, spine shattered.
"The Third Mizukage," Ryoma said calmly. "Watergate, you came at the right time. Help me carry him."
Minato froze.
This really is… the Third Mizukage?
And Ryoma killed him?
"You… you killed the Third Mizukage?" Minato asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Ryoma replied, clapping Minato on the shoulder. "Now come on—let's head back."
On the way, Minato remained in shock. Ryoma had actually slain the Third Mizukage with his own hands.
Back when he was just a Chūnin, Ryoma was already a rising talent.
By the time he became a Jōnin, he was considered especially formidable.
And now, on his very first S-rank mission… Ryoma had slain the Third Mizukage.
Such rapid progress left Minato feeling a little unsettled.
Ryoma himself seemed puzzled. "The Third Mizukage felt… weak. Honestly, it was like I crushed him underfoot without effort."
Minato's eyelids twitched. Then he suddenly recalled intelligence reports he had read before.
Muttering under his breath, he explained, "According to our spies, ever since the Third Mizukage took office, he's been seen less and less in Kirigakure over the past year."
"Our assumption was either that he was hiding something… or that he was gravely ill."
"Hiding something?"
"Gravely ill?"
Ryoma immediately thought of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu—and the mysterious figure controlling events from the shadows. He nodded. "It could very well be both."
Minato agreed. "Exactly. The sudden implementation of Kirigakure's 'Bloody Mist' policy was most likely a way to eliminate dissent within their ranks."
"But even so, the urgency of it all still feels suspicious."
He then straightened, his expression softening as he looked at Ryoma.
"No matter what, Ryoma—you've accomplished something incredible this time."
"This will throw Kirigakure's plans into chaos. They'll be drowning in internal strife for years to come."
"Your name, Ryoma… will soon shake the entire shinobi world."
...
TN:
🦊 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin (+30 Chaps)