"Is this Mizukage a fake?"
"So weak?"
"But the system wouldn't make a mistake... Could it be that my Sage Mode is just too powerful?"
Just then, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Mist gathered as though mourning the passing of the Third Mizukage.
Takayama Haru shook his head, staring at the corpse of the Third Mizukage, still cradling it in his arms.
Bringing back the body of the Mizukage—this had to be a major military achievement.
And since the Mizukage died by his own hand, the Hidden Mist Village would surely plunge into chaos without a leader. Their internal conflict could help ease the pressure on the Hidden Leaf.
Haru clasped his hands together and began a sealing technique.
From the bridge submerged in the ocean, thick tree roots and vines shot up, lifting and reconnecting it with the mainland. Though the terrain had shifted, Haru used his jutsu to restore the bridge.
It wasn't difficult—just chakra-intensive.
Fortunately, chakra was something Haru currently had in abundance. In addition to his own reserves, he still had the chakra stored in his Yin Seal.
He had absorbed the chakra from two to three thousand White Zetsus earlier—more than half of it still remained.
Still, Haru was concerned about the safety of Team 7's Uchiha Mikoto and Terumi Mei.
When he summoned the Three Thousand Hands technique earlier, the chakra had suddenly run out. There was no replenishment for a while. To protect Team 7, Mikoto's clone probably vanished automatically.
Suddenly, a golden light streaked through the sky.
It was Minato Namikaze.
He raced toward Haru at top speed, and even as he ran, the ground trembled beneath his feet from distant impacts.
Explosions echoed loudly near him. The giant wooden construct of a Thousand-Handed Buddha stunned him.
Was this Haru's summoned beast?
Or an enemy…?
Minato had been born after the First Hokage's death, so he'd never seen Wood Release in person. Even the wooden golem jutsu had surprised him the first time he saw it.
Explosions erupted in rapid succession. A fierce wind surged.
It was terrifying.
And the closer Minato got to the battlefield, the grimmer his expression became.
What had once been a flat plain was now a cratered basin.
Huge tree roots and vines were scattered everywhere—many of them severed or torn out completely.
But there were no bodies in sight.
Rain poured down heavily, eerily.
He swallowed nervously.
The area was covered in mist.
Out of the fog, a figure emerged.
Minato broke into a cold sweat and immediately readied his special Flying Thunder God kunai.
"Minato?"
The mist parted, and Haru's figure gradually came into view.
"Haru, are you alright?" Minato asked, running up to him.
"I heard from Shinsin that you were in danger—"
Before he could finish, Minato froze, staring in disbelief at the corpse slung over Haru's shoulder.
A Mizukage's cloak. The Mizukage's robes?
"Haru, is this…?"
Minato stammered.
Haru stepped aside, revealing the body's front.
The forehead protector of the Hidden Mist. Long hair. A face deformed, blood at the corners of the mouth.
Looking closer—the spine was bent. Completely broken.
"The Third Mizukage. Minato, good timing. Help me carry him."
Minato stood stunned.
Was this really the Third Mizukage?
Killed by Haru?
"You—you killed the Third Mizukage?"
"Who else?" Haru clapped Minato on the shoulder. "Let's go. Time to head back."
On the way back, Minato was still in shock. Haru had actually taken down the Third Mizukage.
Back when he was a Chūnin, Haru had just been a Genin.
Now that he was a Jōnin, Haru was already operating on another level entirely.
His first S-rank mission—and he defeated the Third Mizukage?
The rapid progress made Minato feel slightly uneasy.
Even Haru was puzzled. "The Third Mizukage seemed so weak... I crushed him with one stomp."
Minato's eye twitched.
Then, a memory surfaced.
He muttered, "According to our scouts, ever since the Third Mizukage took office, there's been a drastic drop in reported events from the Mist Village."
"We suspected he was either hiding something... or terminally ill."
"He had secrets?"
"Seriously ill?"
Haru immediately thought of Black Zetsu and the force behind him. He nodded. "Maybe both."
Minato nodded too. "Yeah. The sudden Bloody Mist policy was likely to purge dissent."
"But even so, moving that fast to eliminate opposition was still suspicious."
"Regardless, Haru—you did incredibly well."
"This will definitely disrupt the Mist Village's plans. They'll fall into turmoil."
"Your name, Takayama Haru, will soon echo across the entire ninja world."