102: Chapter 102 FramedThe three-day deadline given by Master Yuan arrived late on the second night.
The lights in Shuiying's office were still on, and a thick layer of wax had accumulated, occasionally crackling softly.
Mei Terumi rubbed her throbbing temples, with various files and intelligence reports spread out in front of her.
I haven't slept for two days, my eyes are bloodshot, and my beautiful nails are split at the edges from unconsciously digging at the table.
"Southeast docks.chakra battle raging, impossible to track."
"At the northern canyon attack site.trace amounts of earth-attribute chakra residue were found, inconsistent with known rogue ninja."
As she read through the entries one by one, Mei Terumi felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, burning her internal organs with pain.
Frustrated, she pushed aside an intelligence map depicting the attackers' eerie runes, got up, and went to the window to get some fresh air.
The village of Misty Hidden Village was eerily quiet under the cover of night.
Even the usual footsteps of patrolling ninjas could no longer be heard; only a few faint barks of dogs could be heard from the direction of the distant dock, carrying an uneasy feeling.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door.
"Come in."
An undercover agent wearing a white mask pushed open the door and knelt on one knee.His voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask.
"Lord Mizukage, Elder Yuanshi requests your immediate visit to his residence, saying there has been a.major discovery concerning the survival of the village."
Terumi Mei's heart skipped a beat.
A major discovery?Could it be that Elder Yuan Shi has found something out?
A glimmer of hope mixed with a faint sense of unease welled up in my heart.
She dared not delay and immediately got up.
"lead the way."
The night was dark and heavy, and the fog seemed even thicker than during the day.
Elder Yuanshi's residence was located in the back part of the village, and the area along the way was unusually quiet; not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
The guide from the shadows moved quickly, walking silently ahead.
Mei Terumi followed behind, her unease growing like a snowball.
It was so quiet, it was unsettling.
As they approached the gate of the Yuanshi residence, the guide suddenly stopped, stepped aside, and lowered his head.
"Lord Mizukage, Elder Yuanshi is waiting for you in the study."
Mei Terumi glanced at him, said nothing, and reached out to push open the heavy wooden door.
The courtyard was deserted.
She suppressed her doubts, quickly crossed the courtyard, and headed towards the study with the lights on.
The study door was ajar, letting in a warm yellow light.
"Elder Yuan Shi?"
She called out and pushed the door open to enter.
The next moment, she froze on the spot, her blood instantly freezing.
The study was a complete mess.
Documents were scattered all over the floor, tables and chairs were overturned, and large patches of dark red blood, not yet fully congealed, were splattered on the walls and tatami mats!
Elder Yuan Shi collapsed beside the desk.
His eyes were wide open, his face frozen in extreme shock and rage.His throat had been precisely severed by a sharp blade, and the edges of the fatal wound were tinged with an ominous bluish-black, clearly indicating that the blade had been coated with a deadly poison.
The snake-head cane in his hand broke in two and fell to the side.
Dead?
Mei Terumi's mind went blank.She almost stumbled forward, her fingers trembling as she reached for Genji's neck.
Lifeless.
The cold touch made her tremble and pull her hand back.
How could it be.Who is it?
She looked around abruptly, and apart from her and Yuan Shi's corpses, there was no one else in the study.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
A dozen dark figures, like ghosts, landed at the door and outside the window of the study, completely blocking all her escape routes!
They were all wearing masks of the Hidden Mist Dark Division, their eyes were cold, and the short swords in their hands gleamed coldly under the lamplight.
The leader spoke up, questioning, "Lord Mizukage.please explain why you appeared alone at the scene of Elder Yuanshi's assassination attempt late at night?"
Mei Terumi's pupils contracted sharply, and her face turned deathly pale in an instant; she understood immediately.
A trap!This is a vicious trap specifically designed to target her!
They not only want to disrupt Kirigakure, but also to completely ruin and destroy her as the Mizukage!
"It wasn't me!" she shouted sharply, her chakra surging unconsciously, and moisture began to condense in the air."I just arrived!Someone lured me here."
"We only see you here."
The dark force captain interrupted her, his tone indifferent, "Moreover, we just found this in Elder Yuan's tightly clenched hand."
He raised his hand, holding a small, jagged piece of dark blue fabric between his fingers, as if it had been forcibly torn from some clothing.
"The material is exactly the same as the outer robe you are wearing tonight."
Mei Terumi looked down at her robes, her heart sinking.There was indeed an inconspicuous tear in the hem of her clothes, sometime and somewhere!
Looking at the once respectful but now suspicious gazes around her, her heart sank.
The elders gave them a three-day deadline.On the second night, Yuan Shi, the most influential elder, died at the scene where she was the only one "invited," clutching the fabric that "belonged" to her in her hand.
The captain of the dark forces stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.Several dark forces behind him also assumed a defensive posture.
"Due to the special circumstances, please.temporarily relinquish your authority and cooperate with the investigation."
"Cooperate with the investigation?"
Mei Terumi looked at them and suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with sorrow.
Once she's in the Dark Division's dungeon, will she have a chance to get out?
Will those elders who have long disliked her, those blinded by fear and hatred, give her a chance to find out the truth?
She will likely become a perfect scapegoat, dying quietly in some corner, bearing the eternal infamy of murdering her mentor!
We can't go back!
The thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
If you die, then everything is truly over!
The truth will be buried forever, and the Hidden Mist will fall completely into the control of that unseen dark hand!
"Get out of the way!"
Mei Terumi's eyes sharpened, her aura surged, and a dangerous corrosive mist filled the air.
"Lord Mizukage, are you going to betray the village?" The Dark Guard captain's voice grew even colder as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I said, it wasn't me!
Mei Terumi stopped talking and formed hand seals!
"Lava Release: Lava Monster Technique!"
A highly corrosive viscous liquid gushed from her mouth, flowing like lava towards the dark part blocking the doorway!
"Disperse!"
At the command of the Dark Squad leader, everyone quickly retreated and dodged.
The slime corroded the door frame and the ground, making a hissing sound and filling the air with white smoke.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mei Terumi moved like lightning, smashed through the study window, and plunged into the thick night and fog outside without looking back!
"Chase!"
"The Fifth Mizukage assassinated the Master!He fled to escape punishment!Kill him!"
A cold command rang out behind me, accompanied by countless whooshing sounds.
Kunai, shuriken, and arrows with explosive tags rained down on her like a storm!
Mei Terumi, with her familiarity with the terrain, frantically traversed between rooftops and alleyways.
She dared not take the main road, and instead chose the darkest and most complicated routes.
All I could hear was the howling wind and my own heavy breathing; my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst.
Humiliation, anger, grief, and uncertainty about the future—a mix of emotions almost consumed her.
She, the Fifth Mizukage, was forced to live like a stray dog in the village she had protected!
Several times, the cold blade almost grazed her hair; the pursuit by the secret agents was like a persistent, malignant wound.
She used Lava Release to melt walls and create obstacles, used water clones to mislead the eye, and used a wide-range water dragon bullet to temporarily block the pursuers.
Several wounds appeared on his body, burning with pain, and his chakra was being rapidly depleted.
But she can't stop.
Finally, after shaking off the last wave of pursuers and confirming that she was temporarily safe, she hid under an abandoned bridge arch, leaned against the damp rocks, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
Outside, the sounds of a search and the footsteps of a crowd could be faintly heard in the distance.
She hugged her knees, her body trembling slightly.
Next.where to go?
Konoha?Kumogakure?Iwagakure?Sunagakure?
She is now a rogue Mizukage who "killed her master," and wherever she goes, she will only become a bargaining chip delivered to her door, used, traded, or even directly handed over to Kirigakure in exchange for benefits.
Is there really no place in this vast world where I can find refuge?
A name suddenly jumped into her mind.
Naruto Uzumaki.
That bastard brat she hated so much, who used despicable methods and indirectly caused instability within the Hidden Mist Village!
It seems that only that place is one where the five major powers cannot directly intervene, yet are capable of protecting her.
Going to him would be tantamount to admitting defeat, to living under someone else's roof, and having to be at the mercy of that brat!
Mei Terumi clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, drawing blood.
She was unwilling to accept it!She hated it even more!
But.staying in Wuyin means certain death.
If you die, then everything is truly over.
Only by living can one have the chance to uncover the truth, the chance to clear one's name, and reclaim everything that belongs to one's family.
"Naruto Uzumaki.you just wait!"
She nearly ground her back teeth to powder, a resolute glint flashing across her beautiful face.Then, she turned sharply and sped off toward the coastline.
First, survive.
Only by surviving can we drag out those rats hiding in the gutter, one by one!
This obsession, like the only light in the darkness, sustained her will, which was on the verge of collapse.
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