webnovel Chapter 188 188
Chapter 188 188
After killing the young Utakata, a faint glow flickered before him.
[God-Level Template System]
[First Template: Golden Lion — Shiki]
[Template Compatibility: 100%]
[Second Template: Shiki Tohno — Progress: 40%]
[Abilities Acquired: Top-Tier Armament Haki, Top-Tier Observation Haki, Top-Tier Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Top-Tier Swordsmanship, Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Awakened), Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (Mid Stage)]
[Skills: Basic Three Ninja Techniques, Body Flicker Technique]
[Daily Tasks: None]
Seeing the high progress, Shiki flashed a smile.
That smile only made the hearts of the surrounding Kirigakure shinobi sink even further.
...
A while later.
Shiki sat on a huge boulder, blade in hand, calmly wiping it clean with a soft cloth.
The ground was littered with fallen Kirigakure shinobi.
Three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist lay unconscious, their life and death unknown. Mei Terumī was drenched in sweat, and the other veteran Kirigakure shinobi could no longer stand.
The battle was over.
"The harvest was a bit better than I expected. Honestly, I should've started this a year ago."
Shiki muttered to himself, lifting the sword in his hand. Light reflected off the blade and across his original handsome face.
He had already dropped his disguise completely.
Then he called out, "Rin, get me some clothes."
His clothes had been changed into ordinary ones after he decided to hide his identity. Although he could have used other methods, he still found the whole thing strangely novel.
"Um, Shiki-sama, which one do you want?"
Rin Nohara appeared out of nowhere, holding three or four outfits in her arms.
"How about this black one?"
It was a black men's kimono, embroidered with a golden lion across the fabric. The style matched him almost perfectly.
"That works."
Seeing this, Mei Terumī's eyes twitched.
That girl…
She had actually still been nearby.
When the fight was about to begin, they had seen Shiki levitate Rin and send her somewhere else. All of them thought he had moved her far out of reach.
After all, with so many enemies surrounding Shiki, protecting Rin Nohara should have been the obvious choice.
But she had never been that far away at all.
If I had known, we should have targeted her first.
A flicker of resentment rose in Mei's chest. Unfortunately, because she had not seen Rin's figure at the time, she had completely overlooked her.
Of course, Mei Terumī had no idea that even if she had discovered Rin, she would not have been able to touch her, much less harm her.
Not with Shiki's Observation Haki capable of seeing into the future.
Not with their measly strength.
Shiki wore a faint smile.
Naturally, he could not let Rin Nohara get too far from him. There was a high chance Obito would appear in Kirigakure.
As for why Rin had not been discovered?
That was simple.
He had hidden her by surrounding her with the ground using the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, applying concealment methods he had learned over the years. After all, his use of the Devil Fruit was far more flexible than even Golden Lion Shiki at his peak.
And during the years Rin had studied under them thanks to Kushina, Tsunade had also taught her many ways to hide herself.
When Rin volunteered to come with Shiki, her reason had been simple.
"I'm best at hiding. I won't cause you any trouble!"
She had not been lying.
Unfortunately, it's too late now.
Mei was still thinking that she should have taken Rin hostage first.
A bitter smile appeared on Mei Terumī's face.
Shiki was too strong.
They could not hurt him at all.
And now, they had even lost one of their most valuable jinchūriki—Utakata.
Rin Nohara should have been a perfect weakness.
But now, forget targeting Rin Nohara. In Mei's current weakened state, she might be killed by Rin instead.
"Now then…"
After changing, Shiki looked around.
The three Swordsmen were all unconscious. Utakata had become a cold corpse. Many of the other shinobi lay scattered across the ground with broken limbs and shattered bones, unable to move.
So the only person left with authority was…
Shiki slowly stepped forward and walked up to Mei Terumī.
"What are you planning to do?"
Mei Terumī gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Even so, she steadied herself, straightened her back, and glared at Shiki through clenched teeth.
"You won't get away with this. Kirigakure won't let this go," Mei said. "Lord Fourth Mizukage will… make you pay for this."
Although deep down, she knew it was impossible.
The Mizukage had already lost to Shiki during the Third Great Ninja War. There was no chance he could defeat him now.
But Mei still said it.
Even if those words angered Shiki and got her killed, it was still better than being captured.
In Mei's mind, for a kunoichi, being taken alive was far more dangerous than death.
"You mean that little man-child?"
Shiki grinned.
"To be honest, I came here specifically to find him."
Mei Terumī's heart seemed to stop for a second, and she bit her lip.
They had vaguely sensed Shiki's goal.
After all, Shiki was never someone good at hiding his thoughts.
Nor did he intend to be.
Just like his disguise, no matter how much he tried, he could not hide that powerful presence and dominating aura.
The reason Mei and the others had made such a fuss at the start about testing him was because they had been suspicious of him from the beginning.
They wanted to confirm it.
Because Mei Terumī and the others had noticed this, they had not informed the Fourth Mizukage. Instead, they gathered people and ambushed Shiki themselves.
They had simply underestimated him.
"Are you trying to use us as bait to draw out the Fourth Mizukage?" Mei Terumī asked coldly. "Stop dreaming. Do you really think we didn't consider something that obvious?"
"As long as we don't return, the shinobi already in position will immediately report to Lord Fourth Mizukage."
"Don't even think about using us."
Mei's gaze was firm.
"Is that so?"
Shiki smiled faintly.
"You sound pretty confident."
"I wonder if that confidence will stay after I tell you something interesting."
Mei Terumī remained silent.
She did not think the Fourth Mizukage could threaten Shiki.
But just like Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure had eventually signed treaties with Konoha, Kirigakure might not be able to deal with Shiki directly, but they could pressure Konoha for breaking the treaty without reason.
Honestly, if Shiki had heard her thoughts, even he would have felt a little embarrassed.
Because he could not deny it.
This time, he was clearly in the wrong.
Charging straight into Kirigakure had one obvious purpose: to cause trouble.
No matter how Kirigakure pressured Konoha for compensation afterward, no one could really argue against it.
Lord Fourth Mizukage would definitely understand that and use this chance to put Shiki in his place.
As for the news Shiki mentioned…
Heh.
Don't think you can break my will with a few words.
Mei Terumī was completely absorbed in her thoughts, the corner of her lips curving slightly after making her decision.
But then—
"Your Fourth Mizukage was placed under someone else's control a long time ago."
Shiki spoke with a smile, his words sounding almost demonic.
"Think carefully. Haven't his actions seemed strange more than once?"
Mei Terumī's expression changed drastically.
The Fourth Mizukage…
Under someone's control?
"Are you joking?" Mei Terumī said coldly. "Shiki, what are you even talking about? Do you really think that kind of nonsense—"
"Then why did your expression change?"
Shiki interrupted with a smile, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I saw it just now."
"You. Mero. And Zabuza over there."
"I know you're awake."
"All of your expressions changed, even if only for a moment."
The corner of his mouth curled up as he sat casually in front of Mei Terumī and said with almost lazy ease,
"Looks like something came to mind, didn't it?"
"Well, it isn't strange."
"Even he can't act perfectly forever. In front of people familiar with the Fourth Mizukage, flaws are bound to appear sooner or later."
"So…"
"Do you really not believe me?"
Shiki's eyes were filled with amusement.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had already been controlled by Obito for quite some time.
Although it had not been as long as in the original story, it had still been over six months.
Six months might not sound like much, but Yagura was the Mizukage of Kirigakure. He interacted with these shinobi often.
How could no one notice something was wrong over time?
In fact, in the original course of events, the truth that the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled would eventually be exposed, leading to Mei Terumī becoming the Fifth Mizukage.
Before Shiki said anything, everyone might have only felt a vague suspicion.
They sensed something was wrong, but dismissed it as their imagination.
But once Shiki spoke…
Those scattered doubts began connecting on their own.
However—
"Lord Mizukage is the Kage of our village," Mei Terumī said, taking a deep breath. "And a jinchūriki. Who in this world could control someone like him?"
That was also why no one had dared think too deeply about it.
He was the Kage of a great ninja village.
How could he be controlled?
Genjutsu?
Don't be ridiculous.
Jinchūriki had Tailed Beasts inside them to help break genjutsu. It was already extremely difficult for them to fall under such techniques.
"Ordinary people certainly couldn't," Shiki said with a faint smile. "But you're starting to doubt it now too, aren't you?"
Mei Terumī bit her lip.
When she heard Shiki's words, she could not help remembering the Fourth Mizukage's inconsistent behavior before and after taking power.
There were even times when he seemed to forget orders he himself had given not long before.
She had not taken it seriously back then.
Now, after hearing Shiki's words, that memory surfaced instinctively.
Normally, she should have dismissed the thought with logic in the next second.
But…
Mei Terumī could not help looking toward Mero and the others nearby.
Just now, their expressions had changed too.
Just like hers.
In other words, they had remembered something as well.
Seeing Mei Terumī's gaze, Mero fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Lord Mizukage forgot the promise he made to me before he took power."
Zabuza was silent for a while too, then said in a low voice,
"He said he would help our clan. Later, it was like that conversation never happened."
"Our clan supported his rise because he promised us a ninja tool."
Hikari also spoke quietly.
"But he didn't take any action for a long time. It was only after I personally asked him that he handed me this ninja sword."
"So all of you had similar problems…"
"Me too. For a while, Lord Fourth Mizukage seemed to have forgotten many things."
"I thought he was doing it on purpose. After all, once he took power, he no longer needed our support as much. I assumed he simply didn't want to keep his promises anymore…"
Silence spread across the battlefield.
The expressions of the Kirigakure shinobi slowly changed.
What they had once dismissed as politics, arrogance, or betrayal…
Now carried a much colder possibility.
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