CHAPTER 79

The Hidden Mist Village had truly fallen on dark times. One disaster after another, as if cursed by fate, had plunged it into chaos.

First, Zabuza Momochi, infamously known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, attempted to rebel. Not only did he plan to defect from the village, but he also made an attempt to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.

Though the assassination ultimately failed, Zabuza still managed to escape, vanishing without a trace.

Soon after, the Kaguya Clan launched a violent insurrection. Although it was swiftly quelled, the rebellion came at the cost of many shinobi lives, draining the village's strength further.

And now, a new threat had emerged. A mysterious ninja appeared outside the village, wielding a level of lightning release so devastating that he obliterated dozens of Mist shinobi in one strike—leaving behind not a single intact corpse.

The remains were so scorched that the medical-nin and sensory squads couldn't even gather intel from the bodies. The witnesses could only stand in stunned silence.

With these three disasters stacked one upon another, the atmosphere in the Hidden Mist Village had turned oppressive. The morale of its shinobi was crumbling.

The term "Village of the Bloody Mist" had become synonymous with Kirigakure. The people had long since forgotten what peace felt like.

Under the tyrannical rule of Fourth Mizukage Yagura, the villagers and shinobi alike were suffocating under paranoia, secrecy, and bloodshed.

"Father, the village can't continue like this. If we don't overthrow Yagura's regime, he'll destroy Kirigakure from within."

The girl who spoke stood tall and graceful at eighteen. Her turquoise eyes sparkled with intelligence, and her brown hair partially covered her right eye, lending her an air of mystique.

But there was no childishness in her tone—only steely resolve as she discussed revolution with her father.

"Mei," the man said calmly, "this is not something to rush. Even if we manage to overthrow the Fourth, what then? Without a Mizukage, the other nations will take advantage and strike the Land of Water."

"Damn it!" Mei slammed her fist into the wooden door frame, fury burning in her eyes.

"Mei, you are the most gifted shinobi of the Terumi Clan. If you reach Kage-level strength, and with our clan's prestige backing you, the seat of Mizukage will be within your grasp. Then, and only then, can Kirigakure truly be reborn. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father. I'll continue to push forward."

"Good. There's no need to worry about the rest for now. The Mist is vast—Yagura can't destroy it all overnight."

"I understand, father."

"If there's nothing else, you may go."

"Yes, father."

She bowed and exited, her back straight and unwavering.

"Mei… the future of Kirigakure rests on your shoulders. I believe in you."

Though Mei did not hear her father's final words, she could still feel the weight of his expectations pressing heavily upon her.

"I must protect our village… and our people," she vowed silently.

Just then, a middle-aged shinobi approached and bowed respectfully.

"Lady Terumi Mei, do you have any orders for me?"

The man's right eye was covered with a dark eyepatch, and strange talisman-like earrings dangled from his ears, giving him an eccentric appearance.

Mei turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Ao, what happened last night? Others may not know, but I do. You've always been loyal to the Fourth Mizukage… and you possess the Byakugan taken from a Hyuga of Konoha. You must have seen something."

"This…"

Ao hesitated, unease flashing in his expression. His eyes wavered, as if recalling something terrifying.

Mei saw his reaction and her suspicions deepened.

"Listen, Ao!" she said firmly. "Yagura isn't the same anymore! He's not the Mizukage who trained you in the Azure Dragon Palm! He's changed! Can't you see that? If we let this continue, Kirigakure will fall. First the Yuki Clan, now the Kaguya. Who's next?"

Ao's face twisted with inner conflict—his bond with Yagura, the strange transformations he'd noticed, and Mei's sharp accusations—all whirled inside his mind.

At last, he let out a long sigh. "Lady Mei… you're right. The Fourth has changed."

Mei's heart surged. Ao had chosen the village over Yagura.

He was not the kind of man who would betray his convictions lightly. If even he had reached this conclusion, then Yagura's transformation was undeniable.

"Then tell me," Mei demanded, "what happened last night? What was that lightning?"

Ao clenched his jaw. "I was sent to assist in suppressing the Kaguya Clan. Because of the Byakugan, I could see chakra points clearly. My Azure Dragon Palm style was especially effective against their kekkei genkai, so the mission proceeded smoothly."

Mei nodded. The Kaguya's Shikotsumyaku was indeed vulnerable to precise strikes from the Byakugan's insight. It made sense that Ao was assigned the mission.

"After the battle, we sensed a massive disturbance in the distance. Some of the team went to investigate, while the rest of us stayed to secure the Kaguya corpses."

"What happened next?"

"Not long after, I saw a massive surge of lightning in the distance. I felt uneasy. So I broke off from the others and activated the Byakugan."

Mei stayed silent. She could tell that what came next was the heart of the matter.

"What I saw…" Ao's expression darkened, his voice dropping. "It was beyond belief."

"Tell me."

"Thunder, like from the heavens… A monstrous beast formed of lightning. A man with silver-white hair stood atop a roaring dragon of earth. He held lightning in his right hand—lightning that looked like it had been pulled from the clouds themselves. His left eye… it was red. Crimson. The Sharingan!"

"What?!"

"Then… the man spoke something I couldn't hear, and from the sky, a divine beast—a thunder qilin—descended and annihilated the entire ANBU unit below."

Mei's eyes widened in shock.

"Under that thunder… the ANBU were incinerated. Not a single body remained intact."

"Who was he?!"

"I don't know. He wore black, had silver hair… and that left eye was definitely a Sharingan."

"Sharingan? Someone from the Uchiha Clan? From Konoha? Why would someone from the Leaf be in Kirigakure?!"

"I don't know."

"Damn it, Konoha… how dare they send someone to cause havoc in our village!"

"Wait. I'm not so sure he was from Konoha," Ao said slowly. "The Byakugan showed signs of chakra rejection from the eye. It didn't seem natural. That Sharingan… wasn't originally his."

"A foreigner with a stolen Sharingan?!"

Mei's breath caught—and then, a name struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"Hatake Kakashi!"

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