In the spacious and bright conference room of the Mizukage building, the first person seated was a man with silver hair and purple eyes, a scar resembling a stitch mark under his left eye. Despite looking youthful, no one in the Hidden Mist Village dared disrespect him, as he was the Fourth Mizukage—a powerful figure who could fully control the Three-Tails.
“I’ve received intel that the missing- nin Zabuza has been accepted by Hidden Heaven Village. What should our next steps be?” Yagura glanced around at the senior Mist Village elders, speaking coldly.
“Hmph, how dare a small village like Hidden Heaven take in someone like Zabuza—they clearly have no respect for us! I propose we launch a full assault on Hidden Heaven Village and destroy them!” declared a scarred elder seated nearby.
“Mo, don’t rush. Hidden Heaven is quite far from us, and launching an attack could complicate matters,” responded another elder seated across from him, his wrinkled face set in thought as he held a peculiar staff.
“Distance is not an issue. We could reach out to the Takino country and use their territory as a supply base,” Mo replied confidently.
The Land of Wolves lies close to the Land of Heaven, so if the Mist Village established a base there, they could wage a prolonged battle against Hidden Heaven.
“I’ve heard that the Uchiha clan now controls Hidden Heaven Village and that they possess the powerful Sharingan. Is it really worth risking war over Zabuza?” questioned another elder with white hair.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, looked over and replied icily, “Anyone who attempts to overthrow our rule, like Zabuza, deserves death—no matter the cost.”
“Haha… If that’s the Mizukage’s stance, then I have no objections,” the white-haired elder chuckled nervously, understanding Yagura’s temperament.
“Mizukage…” The bald elder sighed, adding, “Since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen left, the Mist Village has weakened significantly. If we need to eliminate Zabuza, we could send an emissary to Hidden Heaven Village with a formal declaration of war, demanding they return Zabuza.”
“And if they refuse to return him, then we’ll go to war!” agreed another elder. “This plan is sound. Sending the declaration during the Tenkage inauguration will put pressure on Hidden Heaven and might allow us to retrieve Zabuza without force.”
“Very well,” Yagura agreed. “If Hidden Heaven Village refuses to return Zabuza, then we’ll destroy them.”
With no objections from the other elders, Yagura spoke decisively.
“Who will deliver the declaration?” Mo asked, his scarred face twisted in thought.
“Let Kisame do it. He has the skills to handle this mission,” the white-haired elder suggested.
“Kisame is currently on another important mission, so he’s unavailable. It seems Terumi Mei is the only option,” Mizu, the elder with the strange staff, replied slowly, hesitating briefly.
Thinking of Terumi Mei’s powerful Lava Release techniques, several elders couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.
“Fine, let it be Terumi Mei. Whoever delivers it need only hand over the declaration,” Yagura said, dismissing the small matter with a wave of his hand.
“Understood!” The other elders nodded, concluding the meeting as Yagura left the room.
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Beyond the Hidden Mist Village, in the dense, mist-covered mountains that stretched endlessly into the horizon, a strong gust of wind rustled the trees. In a secluded area deep within the mountains, a female ninja with teal eyes and long brown hair partially covering her right eye was forming hand seals.
“Lava Release—Melting Apparition Technique!”
Completing the seals, she spat out a stream of corrosive liquid from her mouth. The lava-like substance, blazing hot, struck a nearby boulder, melting it into a pile of rubble.
In the Mist Village and throughout the ninja world, only one person could wield Lava Release to this degree—Terumi Mei, with her rare Bloodline Limit.
Several ninja could use Lava Release, but none could match the potency of Terumi Mei’s technique.
“The Lava Release technique still isn’t powerful enough. I need to refine it further,” Terumi Mei muttered in dissatisfaction as she watched the molten rock.
“Terumi Mei, I’ve found you…” A hoarse voice called out from behind her.
“Elder Mizu! What brings you here?” Terumi Mei turned to find Elder Mizu approaching with his staff and asked curiously.
“There’s a special mission for you,” Elder Mizu said, handing her a scroll marked with the Hidden Mist Village emblem.
“What kind of mission?” Terumi Mei asked seriously, taking the scroll.
“This scroll is a declaration of war. In a few days, Hidden Heaven Village will hold the inauguration of their First Tenkage. All you need to do is deliver this declaration to Uchiha Fugaku, the new Tenkage,” explained Elder Mizu.
“A declaration of war? Does this mean the Mist Village is planning to start a war with Hidden Heaven?” Terumi Mei frowned.
Under the Fourth Mizukage’s strict rule, the Mist Village had been weakened and was plagued by unrest, so she was strongly against starting a war at this time.
“There’s been word that Hidden Heaven Village is sheltering Zabuza, so the Fourth Mizukage won’t let it go. Your task is to intimidate them with the declaration, urging them to hand over Zabuza voluntarily,” Elder Mizu explained.
“And if they refuse to hand him over?” Terumi Mei asked with narrowed eyes, looking intently at Elder Mizu.
“Then war is the only option,” Mizu replied firmly. He added, “In truth, I don’t want a conflict with Hidden Heaven Village, given the Uchiha clan’s formidable strength even after leaving Konoha. So, if you can persuade them to surrender Zabuza, that would be best… It won’t be easy.”
“I’ll do my best,” Terumi Mei replied, taking a deep breath and realizing the difficulty of her mission.
Convincing Hidden Heaven Village to give up Zabuza wouldn’t be an easy task.