Naruto: From Scratch With a Template System

Chapter 190 190

Most of the people gathered there still carried a certain amount of respect for the old clans and old figures of Kirigakure.

Even the ninja clans that had already carved out their own territories did not dare dismiss them lightly.

If Mei Terumī and the others were going to move against the Mizukage, then they needed those elders present.

Otherwise, no matter what reason they gave, it would look like a coup.

But if the respected elders witnessed everything with their own eyes, then this would no longer be a rebellion.

It would be an operation to save Kirigakure.

After arranging that side of things, Mei went to find Shiki.

"Shiki."

Her expression was heavy, and there was a rare trace of helplessness in her voice.

"Name your price."

Shiki looked at her without saying anything.

Mei understood very well where she stood right now.

Shiki had already beaten down most of their fighting force. The people who should have been able to help deal with the Fourth Mizukage were now too injured to move properly.

There was no way Mei would believe that was a coincidence.

This man had been waiting for this exact moment.

He had taken away their ability to act on their own, then waited for them to come to him.

Still, the Fourth Mizukage's matter could not be delayed.

If Yagura was truly being controlled, then every moment wasted meant Kirigakure remained in someone else's hands.

Mei had already prepared herself.

Even if Shiki demanded an absurd price, as long as it did not destroy Kirigakure outright, she would agree.

And if the village needed someone to blame afterward, she would stand in front of everyone and take full responsibility.

That was also why Mero and the others trusted her.

When it mattered, Mei Terumī did not hide behind anyone.

"My condition is simple," Shiki said with a faint smile. "Very simple."

"As long as all of you ******..."

Mei listened quietly.

Then her expression slowly changed.

At first, she had been tense.

Then cautious.

Then, finally, strange.

That was it?

That was his price?

This request was not only harmless to Kirigakure, it was actually beneficial.

Mei stared at him for a moment, unable to stop herself from asking, "You're a Konoha shinobi, aren't you?"

Shiki smiled. "Last time I checked."

"Then why does your condition sound like something that helps Kirigakure more than it helps you?"

"Don't think too hard about it." The corner of Shiki's mouth lifted slightly. "I'm only asking one thing. Do you agree or not?"

Mei did not hesitate.

"I agree."

Her answer came cleanly.

"Why wouldn't I? If that's all you want, then consider it done. I'll arrange it myself."

Originally, she had been prepared for Shiki to ask for something far worse.

She had even considered the possibility that Kirigakure might be forced to break the agreement later and hand her over as the one responsible.

Compared to that, this so-called payment was almost a pleasant surprise.

"Good." Shiki nodded, still wearing that calm smile. "Then our deal is settled."

He glanced toward the Mizukage Building.

"So? Are we going to confront the Fourth Mizukage now?"

"Not yet."

Mei took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm.

"Yagura is still the Fourth Mizukage. More importantly, he is a jinchūriki. If this turns into a fight inside the village, the damage will be impossible to control."

Her eyes sharpened.

"We need to lure him away from Kirigakure first."

Shiki watched her quietly.

Mei continued, "And before that, we need to confirm it one final time."

"The elders still don't fully believe us. They keep saying, 'What if you're wrong?'"

Her voice lowered slightly.

"They want proof they can see with their own eyes."

....

A few days later.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, suddenly received word that a mid-sized shinobi clan had raised a rebellion.

Ordinary forces could not suppress it, and the stronger shinobi under his command—Mei Terumī and the others—were still injured and unable to fight.

As the Mizukage, Yagura had no choice but to move personally.

He led a unit of Kirigakure shinobi out of the village and headed toward the reported location.

But before they could reach the rebel clan's territory, just as they passed through a forest—

They were surrounded.

Ao.

Mei Terumī.

Mero.

Several elders of Kirigakure.

And many others.

Yagura stopped walking.

His cold gaze swept over them.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked slowly. "Are you planning to rebel?"

Mei Terumī took a deep breath.

"Forgive us, Mizukage-sama."

Her voice was steady, but her eyes did not waver.

"If we are wrong, then I will commit seppuku to atone for my crime."

The forest fell silent for a brief moment.

Then Mei gave the order.

"Do it."

In an instant, more than half of the shinobi surrounding Yagura formed hand seals at the same time.

But what they activated was not an attack.

"Byakugan!"

"Chakra Sensing!"

"Mind's Eye!"

One sensory technique after another was unleashed.

Byakugan.

Chakra perception.

Secret sensory arts.

Even shinobi who were not true specialists, including Mei Terumī herself, used whatever methods they possessed to examine Yagura's chakra.

Back in the meeting room, they had only dared to investigate him carefully and in secret.

Only the highest-level sensory shinobi had been able to notice anything without alerting him.

But now, there was no need to hide it.

They could look directly.

They could sense openly.

A true shinobi could not afford to leave such a fatal weakness unchecked. Even if their techniques were not as sharp as the Byakugan, with enough focus, they could still detect far more than ordinary eyes ever could.

And in the next moment—

Every face changed.

They found it.

An abnormal flow of chakra inside Yagura's brain.

The unmistakable trace of genjutsu interference.

The proof that the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled.

In truth, detecting whether someone was under genjutsu was not impossible.

The real problem was Yagura's position.

He was the Mizukage.

The absolute ruler of Kirigakure.

Who would dare to openly inspect the chakra of their own Kage?

Who would even imagine that someone like him could be controlled?

But now, the truth was right in front of them.

"Mizukage-sama… really is being controlled!"

"Damn it! How did we only notice this now?!"

"No wonder his orders after taking office kept pushing Kirigakure deeper into chaos…"

"If an enemy was controlling him, then of course they would want the village to destroy itself!"

Fury spread through the crowd like fire.

Some clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white.

Some lowered their heads, their eyes bloodshot.

Others simply stared at Yagura in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing.

The elders were hit even harder.

One of them fell to his knees, tears spilling down his wrinkled face.

"First Mizukage-sama… we have failed you…"

Another elder covered his face, his voice trembling.

"The Mizukage was being controlled, and we… we old fools noticed nothing…"

"We deserve death…"

"…This disgrace… we cannot escape it."

Their cries echoed through the forest.

The shinobi who had followed Yagura were completely lost at first.

They had come here believing they were suppressing a rebellion.

But after hearing the words around them and seeing the reactions of the elders, they slowly understood what was happening.

The Fourth Mizukage…was being controlled?

How was that possible?

He was a Kage.

A jinchūriki.

Who in the world could control someone like him?

Several of Yagura's guards looked toward him in panic.

Mizukage-sama…

Please say something.

Please deny it.

Please prove them wrong.

But in the next moment, their faces went pale.

Yagura stood there without reacting.

His eyes were empty.

His expression had gone dull.

The anger, the authority, the cold pressure from earlier—all of it seemed to vanish at once.

He did not respond to the accusations.

He did not react to the cries around him.

His body stood rigidly in place, like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been exposed.

One of the shinobi behind him widened his eyes.

His voice came out hoarse.

"He… really was being controlled…"

The next second...

A deafening boom tore through the forest.

A colossal silhouette suddenly appeared, its massive body crashing down and crushing several of the shinobi who had followed Yagura.

"It's the Three-Tails!"

Mei Terumī's expression turned grave.

Just as expected.

The moment they exposed the problem with the Fourth Mizukage, the person controlling him made Yagura fight back.

"Fall back! Get the elders away from here!" Mei shouted, grabbing one of the old elders and pulling him back. "This isn't a battle they can take part in!"

The elders were all extremely old. Some of them were even from the same era as the First Mizukage.

No matter how strong they might have been in the past, their current bodies would not be able to withstand even the shockwaves from a battle like this.

Of course, Mei Terumī and the others were heavily injured as well. They could not endure many attacks from the Three-Tails either.

Which meant

"Shiki!" Mei shouted. "Don't forget our deal!"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you." Shiki stood off to the side with a relaxed smile. "Don't worry. I'm here."

Rin Nohara stood beside him, her cute face carrying a soft smile.

She stepped closer, gently straightened Shiki's collar, and tidied his clothes as naturally as a young wife seeing her husband off.

Shiki raised an eyebrow at her sudden boldness, but he did not stop her.

Then Rin looked up at him, her face showing a faint trace of shyness.

"Shiki… come back soon."

Her voice lowered into a whisper.

"I'll be waiting for you. We still have to work hard tonight…"

Work hard?

Shiki's smile froze slightly.

For once, even he failed to keep up with her train of thought.

Around them, the corners of the Kirigakure shinobi's eyes twitched.

Even Mei Terumī stared at them with a strange expression.

This was a battlefield.

The Three-Tails had just appeared.

People had died only seconds ago.

And these two were flirting?

Wasn't that a little too much?

What if the Three-Tails used this chance to attack the old, weak, wounded, and barely standing people around them?

Just as that thought crossed their minds

The Three-Tails suddenly charged straight toward Shiki like it had gone mad.

It was clearly a turtle, yet right now it moved like a berserk beast.

Everyone froze.

The moment the Three-Tails appeared, although Mei and the others had been pulling the elders back, many Kirigakure shinobi had already attacked it with bloodshot eyes.

Explosive tags.

Water Release.

Wind Release.

One jutsu after another struck its massive body.

Individually, their attacks were not powerful enough to threaten a tailed beast. But together, they should have at least caused some damage.

Yet the Three-Tails ignored all of them.

Its thick shell took every attack head-on as it charged recklessly toward Shiki.

Shiki lowered his eyes slightly, and the smile on his face deepened.

"As expected…"

His voice was calm.

"Obito. You're nearby."

Then, under the stunned gazes of the Mist shinobi, Shiki raised one finger.

He did not move from where he stood.

He simply lifted his hand as if playing with something weightless.

The Three-Tails' enormous body was suddenly pulled off the ground.

It hung in midair.

Then Shiki flicked his hand downward.

Boom!

The Three-Tails' massive head was slammed ruthlessly into the earth.

The impact shook the forest.

Dust, shattered stone, and broken trees flew in every direction.

Shiki's smile remained unchanged.

"Come out, Obito."

His voice carried a teasing edge.

"I promise I won't put my hands on you."

Otherwise, a single Three-Tails would not be enough for him to play with.

Boom!

Another heavy impact followed.

Then another.

Several stones shot through the air at terrifying speed, turning into streaks of red light as they tore toward the Three-Tails.

At first glance, they looked like blazing projectiles.

But upon closer inspection, they were only ordinary stones.

They had simply been launched with such speed and force along with Shiki's strong Haki that the air around them distorted.

Shiki waved his hand casually, almost like he was conducting a performance.

But every attack landed with brutal weight.

Each strike smashed into the Three-Tails' body and forced out a pained roar.

Its enormous body trembled under the repeated impacts like a helpless child being tossed around.

The thick, sturdy scales covering its body were peeled away bit by bit, leaving bloody wounds across its massive frame.

The surrounding shinobi could only stare.

They watched in disbelief as Shiki toyed with the Three-Tails like it was nothing more than a trapped beast.

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