Chapter 97: Re-encountering Mei Terumi
After drinking their tea, Hanekawa and Sakumo Hatake returned to the tent.
A moment later, Tsunade pushed the flap open and came in.
"Teacher."
Hanekawa noticed her wet hair and understood what she had just been doing.
"Mm."
Tsunade sat on the blanket, took out a towel, and prepared to dry her hair.
"I have a better way."
Hanekawa got up and walked over to her.
In the lamplight, he could vaguely see the moisture on her fair skin.
"What? Did you bring a hairdryer?" Tsunade was stunned and asked with a slight laugh.
"I did, but there's no electricity, so it's useless," Hanekawa said, holding out his hands. Chakra surged, changing in nature to Fire Release.
In an instant, the temperature rose, and his hands became like heating lamps.
"When did you learn Fire Release?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow and asked.
"I learned it from Shisui when I had nothing to do," Hanekawa said casually.
Anyway, he had the fire nature, so he wouldn't be exposed.
"This is the first time I've seen someone learn so many different types... no, the second time," Tsunade said, suddenly remembering something. "Do you know who the first one was?"
"Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said after a moment of thought.
Hashirama Senju was famous for Wood Release, Tobirama Senju for Water Release and forbidden jutsu, and Hiruzen Sarutobi for mastering all five nature transformations.
"That's right," Tsunade nodded slightly, smiled, and said, "I feel like you're more suited to be the old man's student."
"Then... I'll leave?" Hanekawa tilted his head and asked.
"No way," Tsunade said self-righteously. "If you leave, who's going to cook for me?"
"So you didn't want a student, you just wanted to get a chef?" Hanekawa couldn't help but ask teasingly.
"You guessed it, kid."
By the end of her sentence, Tsunade couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
Hanekawa's eyelids twitched.
As Tsunade's body trembled with laughter, he noticed a few drops of water slide from her delicate neck into the dangerous abyss below.
Not long after, her wet blonde hair was dry.
Hanekawa's heart stirred, and he reached out and touched her head.
He said in a serious tone, "Okay, that's about enough."
"Thanks."
Tsunade reached out, brushed her hair back over her shoulders, and said, "Go to sleep. We have to travel again tomorrow."
"Mm."
Hanekawa happily withdrew his hand.
He had touched her head, and she had to thank him for it. A win-win situation; he won twice!
Hanekawa burrowed into his sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep.
Tsunade looked at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and closed her eyes.
The next three days were spent entirely on the road, with the three of them only gathering in the evenings to chat.
On the morning of the fourth day, they finally arrived at the Land of Demons.
"The meeting point is the Shrine of the Priestess of the Land of Demons," Tsunade said, looking at the scroll. "This mission will be done with ninjas from other villages, so try to avoid any conflict."
"With you and Uncle Sakumo here, they wouldn't dare mess with us," Hanekawa said with a smile.
"Look at you, always having something to say," Tsunade flicked him on the forehead and continued walking.
But Hanekawa was telling the truth.
Because of the two Great Ninja Wars, the five great villages had accumulated a lot of hatred.
However, hatred was hatred; they were usually quite restrained.
With Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake's reputation, no fool would try to cause trouble.
The Land of Demons was a special country. It had no ninja villages, only priestesses.
In the original story, priestesses possessed extremely powerful sealing abilities, and in a sense, they could be called sealing ninjas.
Half an hour later, Hanekawa saw the Shrine of the Priestess in a valley.
At the entrance to the hall, a group of armored samurai patrolled.
But in the ninja world, samurai were outdated.
Except for the samurai of the Land of Iron who could use chakra, the rest of the samurai were just slightly stronger ordinary people.
"We are ninjas from the Konoha Village, invited to come here," Tsunade said, taking out the request scroll from Priestess Miroku.
"Please follow me," the samurai who had stopped them bowed slightly and said. "I'll take you to see Her Highness the Priestess."
He turned and walked towards the main hall.
"Hey! Little thief!"
As Hanekawa was walking up the steps, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
He turned his head and saw a beautiful, moving girl, but her delicate face was filled with anger.
"First, my name isn't 'Hey.'" Hanekawa looked at Mei Terumī, shaking his head. "Second, I'm not a little thief."
"You stole my wallet, so how are you not a little thief?" Mei Terumī's face was ashen as she asked.
"That wasn't stealing; it was my trophy," Hanekawa corrected her. "You lost to me, so isn't it normal for me to take your wallet?"
"I didn't lose!" Mei Terumī gritted her teeth and said. "If your teacher hadn't intervened, you would have been the one to lose!"
"Oh really?" Hanekawa smiled and said, "Then wait for me. I'll beat you after I've seen Her Highness the Priestess."
"You bastard!"
Mei Terumī trembled with anger at his condescending attitude.
As the best of her generation in the Hidden Mist Village, not even Zabuza Momochi was her match, so she had never been treated like this.
Hanekawa glanced at her, as flat as a board, with no curves. He turned around and followed Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake into the main hall.
"Is that Hanekawa?" a young man appeared behind Mei Terumī. "The Konoha Village seems to be taking this seriously, sending Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade."
"Senior Ao."
Mei Terumī took a deep breath and said, "That's him."
Ao, in the original story, was her bodyguard after she became the Fifth Mizukage, known as the "Byakugan Killer."
This was because he had obtained a Byakugan during the Third Great Ninja War. This was the first time in recorded history that a Byakugan had been obtained by someone outside the Hyūga clan.
The Hyūga Branch Family would be cursed with the Caged Bird, so the only chance to obtain a Byakugan was through the Main Family.
But the Main Family rarely left the village.
Since the Third Great Ninja War had not yet occurred, Ao was just a powerful jonin.
"Don't cause a scene during the mission," Ao reminded her.
"I know," Mei Terumī clenched her fists and said. "It's just a normal spar. The Konoha Village won't say anything."
"Mm."
Ao was quite confident in Mei Terumī.
After all, she was a genius chosen by the Elder Genshi and had been trained to be the Mizukage since she was a child. She had a good sense of the big picture and wouldn't act rashly.
Inside the Priestess's Hall.
"Welcome, everyone from Konoha," Miroku said with a smile and a gentle tone.
"Your Highness the Priestess."
Tsunade walked up, greeted her, and then asked, "What is the current situation?"
Miroku sighed and talked about the current situation.
The previous Priestess sealed Mōryō and its immortal army.
But she didn't expect that this group of otherworldly demons would have human followers, a group of ninjas who worshiped them and established the Yomi cult.
The leader, Yomi, found an opportunity not long ago and released Mōryō.
"I don't know where it is now, but for it to truly be free, it has to kill me," Miroku said in a deep voice. "The fact that it hasn't shown up yet means it's probably gathering its immortal army."
Hanekawa's face was filled with nostalgia.
In the original story, the power of the Priestess and Mōryō were one. It was a bit similar to the "enemy and ally are of the same origin" in Kamen Rider.
To become even stronger, it had to devour the Priestess.
"When Mōryō appears, I need you to escort me to the Land of Marshes," Miroku continued. "The seals of the past priestesses are there, and they can help me seal its body."
"What about the soul?" Sakumo Hatake asked.
"The soul will be brought back and sealed in the Land of Demons," Miroku answered. "This will prevent it from breaking the seal to the greatest extent."
But she didn't mention that she would die once the seal was completed.
Hanekawa thought of Minato Namikaze.
If he could make it in time, perhaps he could use the Uzumaki clan's sealing jutsu to save her.
No matter how strong Mōryō was, could it be stronger than the Nine-Tails?
Even the Nine-Tails could be sealed, let alone Mōryō.
It was just that Minato Namikaze was always a step behind at crucial moments.
"I have already prepared rooms. Everyone must be tired from the long journey, so you can go down and rest," Miroku paused and added, "But please don't let your guard down. Mōryō and its immortal army can arrive at any time."
"Understood."
Tsunade nodded slightly.
The three of them left the Priestess's Hall.
At the entrance, Mei Terumī was indeed still there, waiting with a face full of resentment.
"Young people have so much energy," Sakumo Hatake said with a smile when he saw her.
"He's always causing trouble," Tsunade said with a soft snort.
"When have I ever?" Hanekawa firmly denied it.
But he had to admit that teasing the future Mizukage from the original story was quite interesting.
"Hmph!"
Mei Terumī walked up to him and said coldly.
"This is a good spot."
Hanekawa walked down the steps.
There was a large open space, or rather a plaza, in front of the Priestess's Hall.
"Mei Terumī and Zabuza Momochi are the most famous geniuses of the Hidden Mist Village right now," Sakumo Hatake said, stopping and watching them. "I wonder how strong they are."
Tsunade was also curious.
One of the most important standards for judging whether a ninja village had a future was the talent of its new generation.
The more geniuses there were, the stronger the village would be in the future.
In the late stages of the original story, all the villages except Konoha were facing a generational gap.
The weakest of the Kage were Darui, Chōjūrō, and Kurotsuchi.
As for the Hidden Sand Village, Gaara was still holding the fort, but he also faced the dilemma of having no successors.
Three people appeared in the distance.
Besides Ao, there were also Byakugan and Gonbe.
They were all jonin from the Hidden Mist Village and also trusted aides of the Elder Genshi.
Coming on this mission together was not just because it would be a difficult mission, but also to train and protect Mei Terumī.
"I heard Mei Terumī lost to Hanekawa last time," Gonbe said.
"That's right," Ao nodded slightly and added, "But not really, because the battle was interrupted by Juzo Biwa and Tsunade before it could be finished."
"Hanekawa is Tsunade's student, but he's a medical ninja after all," Byakugan said with a confident smile. "He's definitely no match for Mei Terumī."
"That's true," Gonbe said with a sigh. "And I heard her say before that she's been researching Boil Release recently."
Kekkei Genkai, besides those that are inherited, such as the Sharingan, can also be created by combining different natures.
Boil Release is a combination of Water Release and Fire Release.
Similarly, Scorch Release is a combination of Wind Release and Fire Release.
But while it sounds simple, it's difficult to do.
It not only requires extremely high talent but also a deep understanding of the corresponding nature transformations.
In the original story, there were very few ninjas who could create their own Kekkei Genkai.
"Begin!" Mei Terumī said with a serious face.
Although she was angry, she also knew that Hanekawa's strength was not inferior to hers.
During their last fight, she had noticed two of his abnormal traits.
First, his speed was fast, and second, his hand seal speed was fast.
"Please."
Hanekawa took out his katana.
Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!
Mei Terumī let out a snort, opened her mouth, and exhaled a thick mist, instantly concealing her body.
This was her countermeasure.
No matter how fast you are, you're useless without sight.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
He didn't have the Byakugan, so this dense mist was indeed troublesome.
"This isn't good," Sakumo Hatake said, stroking his chin.
Not just Hanekawa, but many ninjas would be at a disadvantage when facing the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
The Hidden Mist Village had year-round foggy weather, so they created the Silent Killing Technique, which gave them a huge advantage in the mist.
Tsunade looked at Hanekawa with a blank expression, but there was a hint of worry in her heart.
A whooshing sound rang out.
The mist changed, and a water dragon roared and flew out.
It was the Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu.
Hanekawa's eyes lit up, and he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique.
His body turned into an afterimage and flashed into the dense mist.
Mei Terumī's surprised expression was reflected in his eyes.
Hanekawa didn't hesitate, raising his hand and slashing his sword, but he quickly realized something was wrong.
The katana struck Mei Terumī, but there was no blood, only a puddle of water.
This was clearly a Water Clone.
The next moment, Mei Terumī appeared behind him silently.
In her right hand, a stream of water flowed, forming a sharp blade.
Mei Terumī moved like a flash of lightning, and the water blade slashed down at an extremely fast speed.
Clang!
Hanekawa twisted his wrist, and his katana blocked the water blade.
"What?"
Mei Terumī's heart was shocked, and she subconsciously blurted out, "How did you know?"
"Because you're stupid," Hanekawa leaned forward slightly, staring at her delicate face.
The simplest way to launch a sneak attack is from behind.
Mei Terumī was clearly inexperienced. If she had come from another direction, Hanekawa might not have been able to guess.
"You bastard!" Mei Terumī's eyes widened, and she cursed angrily.
"Cursing is bad."
Hanekawa let go of his katana and instantly made a hand seal.
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu!
Mei Terumī watched him make the hand seal, completely unable to react, and instantly fell into the genjutsu.
Her body trembled, and her face was filled with fear as she cried out, "No— no!"
This genjutsu would show her the most terrifying scene. She saw the moment her parents died.
Hanekawa casually grabbed his katana, a subtle expression on his face. Because the common language in the ninja world was Japanese, it sounded... familiar.
Hanekawa shook his head, just about to end the spar, when he suddenly heard a whooshing sound.
A whip made of water wrapped around his body.
The Mei Terumī in front of him, who had fallen into the genjutsu, disappeared with a poof.
It was the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Hmph, you still dare to call me stupid!" Mei Terumī held the water whip and couldn't help but laugh.
"You really are stupid."
Hanekawa grabbed the water whip with both hands, and a blinding flash of lightning followed.
Water conducts electricity.
Lightning was already fast, and through water, it became even faster.
Almost instantly, Mei Terumī was covered in lightning. Her hair stood on end, and her body went numb.
Luckily, she was a ninja with a strong physique; otherwise, she would have been shocked into losing control of her bladder.
......
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