The gigantic ellipsoid water prison created by the Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu dominated the flat terrain of the unnamed island. No matter where you stood, you could see it by just looking up—assuming the thick mist didn't obscure your view. Due to the Mist Shinobi's use of the Hidden Mist Jutsu, the west side of the island was engulfed in a dense fog, resembling a sea of clouds!
To be honest, even the Mist Shinobi were becoming disoriented and couldn't tell east from west.
The many Hidden Mist Jutsus cast by different shinobi weakened chakra sensing, slowing down their movements. In contrast, the Mist Shinobi realized that the Leaf Shinobi they faced seemed to all possess sensory abilities—Sharingan, Byakugan, the Aburame clan's insects, the Yamanaka clan's mental techniques, the Inuzuka clan's heightened senses... In teams, the Leaf Shinobi overwhelmed the Mist Shinobi, who were barely able to organize themselves for battle and were continuously pushed back.
Even though the Mist Shinobi had the clear advantage in numbers—with nearly a thousand shinobi on the island—the gap in strength wasn't as large as it seemed. Of the thousand, around a hundred were wounded in previous battles, and couldn't be sent back to the village for healing. Subtracting the Chunin and Genin who were mostly cannon fodder, there were just over a hundred Jonin-level elites.
Moreover, one must remember a well-known rule of the shinobi world: It takes at least two shinobi of equal rank to deal with one Uchiha. For example, Uchiha Shisui alone was able to suppress three of the Mist Village's greatest talents. And it wasn't just the Uchiha; the Leaf Shinobi involved in this mission had been handpicked by Sougen from various clans.
Shinobi like Aburame Shihei, Inuzuka Gaku, and Yamanaka Mokuren were all elite warriors. Sougen had gathered the cream of the crop from his vast army.
So, after crunching the numbers, the Leaf side clearly held the upper hand.
And indeed, the limited space on the island greatly hindered the effectiveness of the Hidden Mist Jutsu. The many Mist Shinobi's techniques interfered with each other. While the Mist Village had methods for coordinating large-scale Hidden Mist Jutsus, they required time and preparation.
In their hurried state and without the guidance of the Mizukage, the Mist Shinobi had no time to prepare.
Just before Sougen and Yagura broke through to where the Mist Shinobi's leadership was located, a Mist Shinobi, covered in soot, staggered out from the range of the Uchiha clan's Fire Release techniques, his hair singed and yellowed. Barely escaping with his life, he hoarsely shouted, "We can't hold them off!"
"Damn it! We really can't stop them?" Terumi Mei gritted her teeth.
Frustration filled her heart. If only the other two base camps' forces were here. To make it easier to attack, the Fourth Mizukage had divided his massive army into three, spreading them across the border.
A sudden warning from behind snapped Terumi Mei back to attention. No time for regret, she saw a wind-style-infused shuriken flying toward her like a massive windmill. She didn't doubt for a second that this shuriken, capable of slicing through rock, could easily tear her apart.
Lava Release: Lava Monster Jutsu!
Attack against attack—that was Terumi Mei's choice.
She spat out a thick, corrosive acid, which splattered against the rapidly spinning wind blades. Much of the acid was flung off, but enough remained to melt through the shuriken. In just one breath, the iron weapon was dissolved completely.
With the wind blades dissipating half a meter in front of her, only a gust of wind brushed past, making her reddish-brown hair sway gently.
Having neutralized the surprise attack from the forest, Terumi Mei focused, hoping to spot the Leaf shinobi using Wind Release. But instead, she saw two young women crash through the trees, landing in a more open grassy area.
It was a clash of wind and lightning.
Two blades flashed, crossing paths in the air.
The two combatants were Uchiha Chihaya and Ringo Ameyuri. Like bitter rivals, this was their third battle in recent days. In the previous two encounters, Ringo Ameyuri had been defeated by Uchiha Chihaya, whose Wind Release had a natural advantage over Ringo's Lightning Release.
Yet, despite her losses, Ringo Ameyuri wasn't discouraged.
Interestingly, both women shared similar personalities. They were entirely focused on their craft, immersing themselves in what they loved, oblivious to social norms. Despite their striking appearances, they weren't popular with men.
But these unique girls didn't care about such things. It was the thrill of dangerous battles that they sought.
For Ringo Ameyuri, her losses only fueled her determination, while Uchiha Chihaya became equally fixated on her opponent after twice letting her escape.
So, when they met for the third time, they didn't waste words. They simply drew their swords and began another fierce battle.
Terumi Mei watched for a few seconds, dodging the fallout from their fight, realizing that the wind-infused shurikens had merely been the side effect of their clash. Ringo Ameyuri's twin lightning blades, Kiba, also ravaged the surrounding trees and land with bursts of violent lightning.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei knew she couldn't interfere with their battle.
Though Ringo Ameyuri seemed at a disadvantage, her exquisite swordsmanship and the physical enhancements from her lightning chakra allowed her to hold her own.
Since Ringo could handle herself, Terumi Mei chose not to intervene. She knew that her assistance might not be welcomed and could even earn her the resentment of the genius girl.
Refocusing on the bigger picture, Terumi Mei asked her subordinates, "What's the status of our casualties?"
"Have we found any more Leaf Shinobi in other areas of the island?"
"Still no contact with the Mizukage?"
Her pale-faced subordinates responded one after another.
"Order the surviving Chunin and Genin to retreat to the southern part of the island."
As the dire answers piled up, Terumi Mei realized the situation was beyond saving. With swift decisiveness, she issued commands. At nearly twenty-one years old, Terumi Mei was the deputy commander of the Mist army, with authority second only to the Fourth Mizukage. In his absence, her orders were absolute.
"Tell all the Jonin still fighting to prioritize survival over killing the enemy."
"Send three teams to escort the wounded to safety."
One order after another was passed down, and the once disorganized Mist Shinobi began to pull themselves together.
This earned Terumi Mei the admiration of those around her. Many secretly vowed to support her as the next Mizukage. Compared to the current Mizukage, who hadn't appeared, Terumi Mei clearly had more of the qualities of a leader.
Having inherited both Lava Release and Boil Release, Terumi Mei had the support of the last two bloodline limit clans in the village. She had also studied under Genji for a time, and it was clear to all that he was grooming her to become the next Mizukage.
Terumi Mei herself was aware of this.
As she commanded the Mist Shinobi's orderly retreat, a major disturbance behind her disrupted the battle once again. The gigantic water prison created by the Great Waterfall Jutsu drew everyone's attention. Even Uchiha Chihaya and Ringo Ameyuri paused their fight to look at the massive sphere of water.
Uchiha Shisui, who had been pressing the Mist geniuses, also halted his pursuit and leaped to the highest tree branch, gazing at the colossal water prison.
Terumi Mei was equally stunned.
From her position near the now-flooded campsite, she could barely make out Yagura inside the massive prison. "Who's he fighting? With such a grand technique, is it that 'Flame Demon'?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N()velFire.net
"No, it's not the Flame Demon. There are… two Mizukage chakras inside the water prison!?"
Her sensor-nin, wide-eyed and confused, blurted out the information.
Terumi Mei froze. "A shadow clone…?" But she stopped herself. That technique couldn't sustain a shadow clone in the crushing pressure of the water prison.
If the sensor-nin wasn't mistaken, there were truly two Fourth Mizukages in that water prison?
What kind of joke was this?
After a brief silence, Terumi Mei barked orders, "Someone go find Hozuki Mangetsu, Momochi Zabuza, and Hoshigaki Kisame. Get them here immediately. Something's… very wrong!"
As she stared at the massive water prison, a sense of deep unease gnawed at Terumi Mei's gut.