[NTU] [ARC-18] Chapter : 219

The scene at a bustling port on the Fire Nation's coast was one of organized chaos.

Flags fluttered in the salty breeze as ships of various kinds—cargo vessels, passenger liners, fishing boats, and more—crowded the docks. The atmosphere buzzed with activity: workers hurriedly loaded and unloaded goods, merchants bickered loudly over prices, fishermen prepared for their next voyage, and travelers rushed to their destinations.

Above it all, the cries of seagulls echoed as they circled against the clear sky.

"Everyone, stay alert. The individuals ahead are the ones we must protect."

"Understood!"

Shisui, leading three elite ninja teams, had traveled through the night to reach the port. As he took in the bustling environment, his sharp eyes scanned for anything out of place. A faint frown crossed his face as a subtle unease crept in.

Without lingering on the thought, he refocused and strode purposefully toward a modestly sized boat quietly anchored at the dock.

"Special Negotiator Han, I will be escorting you on the journey to Konoha. I look forward to the journey."

Han, a seasoned jonin leading the Kirigakure delegation, gave Shisui a measured nod.

After confirming each other's identities and exchanging formalities, Shisui wasted no time in initiating the escort mission.

"'Shunshin no Shisui,' huh?"

Han's sharp gaze appraised Shisui, his expression a mix of curiosity and acknowledgment. "It seems the Sandaime Hokage holds this negotiation in high regard."

The remark carried a hint of respect as he sized up the man before him. After a brief but cordial discussion of the journey ahead, the group—nearly twenty strong—set off toward Konoha.

"The group has departed," a voice murmured.

From the deck of a large passenger ship docked near the small boat Han had arrived on, a pair of striking emerald-green eyes discreetly observed the departing party. The figure lingered only for a moment before withdrawing back into the shadows.

"The Uchiha clan truly produces its share of handsome men," Mei Terumi mused, her tone playful yet thoughtful. "I wonder... could they handle a passionate kiss?"

Her waist-length brown hair swayed gently as she stood, her radiant complexion and curvaceous figure making her a striking presence. As she admired the bustling scenery around her, her thoughts wandered to the subtle dynamics of the place.

"These people aren’t afraid of ninjas," Mei remarked softly to herself, observing the calm demeanor of the villagers as they moved about their business, seemingly unbothered by the presence of shinobi.

Her thoughts inevitably turned to Kirigakure and the Land of Water.

With a trace of melancholy in her voice. "But in the Land of Water... Ordinary people there wouldn’t react like this. The moment they see a ninja, they’d either freeze in terror or flee as if their lives depended on it."

The stark contrast between these lands left Mei with a bittersweet feeling as she pondered the relationship between ninjas and the people they were meant to protect.

Here, when that team of Konoha ninjas arrived earlier, there was a brief stir among the civilians. However, they quickly resumed their usual activities.

Occasionally, someone would glance at the team with mild curiosity or surprise, but it was clear they felt no fear or threat.

"Ordinary people here aren’t afraid of ninjas at all! Even those with special bloodlines aren’t treated any differently!"

A young man with blue-white hair gazed down at the bustling port and echoed her sentiments, his tone carrying a mix of awe and longing.

"Mangetsu, shut up!"

A sharp reprimand came from an older ninja standing nearby, dressed similarly to the younger man but exuding more authority. His voice was firm and tinged with caution.

"Do you want to get us all killed?"

Mangetsu waved a hand dismissively, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Don’t worry... Elder," he replied, his tone light but with a subtle hint of defiance.

Mangetsu clearly didn’t take the elder’s reprimand seriously.

With a casual and almost mocking tone, he remarked, “Look around—who here doesn’t have a special bloodline yet isn’t treated any differently?”

He gestured broadly toward the room, inviting the elder to take a closer look. “No one’s going to report us!”

Following Mangetsu’s pointed glance, the elder surveyed the cabin. His eyes fell on various ninjas, each distinctive in appearance: some with white hair and twin red marks between their brows, others with blue-white hair and lithe frames, or brown-haired individuals mingling among them.

"Alright, Mangetsu," the elder finally said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“If we handle this situation properly, perhaps the Fourth Mizukage... might reconsider his stance on us,” he added, his tone tinged with a faint hope.

Hearing Mangetsu’s bold complaints, Mei Terumi stepped in to offer some words of reassurance. “Let’s stay focused. If things go well, it could lead to change.”

However, while her words were meant to comfort, a shadow of doubt lingered in her mind. Deep down, Mei wasn’t nearly as confident as she sounded.

Initially, the prominent clans believed that the Fourth Mizukage’s actions were merely a power play—an attempt to suppress the influential bloodline clans within the village to clear the way for his own loyalists.

"A new leader always has their agenda," they thought. "What's done is done."

However, the reality turned out to be far more complex and unsettling. The Fourth Mizukage showed no signs of relenting. Instead, he forged alliances with ordinary ninjas, systematically marginalizing the bloodline clans and stripping them of their influence.

'Who’s next?'

The question lingered in Mei Terumi’s mind as she recalled the once-proud names of clans like Kaguya, Hozuki, and even her own Terumi—renowned pillars of Kirigakure, now under threat.

“Change?”

“Will he truly change?”

The words hung heavily in the air. For Mangetsu, the thought of their precarious situation left a bitter taste. The grim reality of his clan’s declining standing weighed heavily on his mind, turning his expression dark and foreboding.

"That man has lost his mind!"

Mangetsu’s voice echoed with frustration, his outburst untamed by distance from the mist-shrouded village or the oppressive aura of its current leader.

He couldn’t fathom why the Yondaime Mizukage, who once maintained a stern but reasonable demeanor, had undergone such a drastic transformation after ascending to power.

"Could it be that the tailed beast is affecting his personality?" He speculated, his voice tinged with disdain and disbelief.

"Honestly, instead of squaring off with the Uchiha here, why don’t we go back and deal with the Yondaime ourselves?"

Though his words carried a reckless edge, they hinted at a growing sense of futility, as though even speaking such thoughts aloud could not soothe his inner turmoil.

"I think... that plan has merit."

To Mangetsu's surprise, the suggestion drew agreement. A tall, white-haired young man beside him spoke with a calm intensity that belied the seriousness of his words.

Apparently, he, too, had reached his limit with the Mizukage’s increasingly erratic rule. The constant friction between the bloodline clans and ordinary ninjas had become insufferable. To him, Mangetsu’s radical proposition seemed like a more direct and satisfying solution.

"By then, it won’t matter who takes over, as long as it’s not the current Fourth Mizukage. At least the constant fear—the worry that our families, wives, children, and elders could be wiped out on his orders—will finally end," Kaito declared, his tone resolute.

"Kaito! Stop entertaining such reckless nonsense!"

The sharp rebuke came from another man in the cabin. Of average build but with a perpetually somber expression, he cut through Kaito’s hopeful musings with a dose of harsh reality.

"You seem to forget that the Yondaime is the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki—and a perfect Jinchūriki at that."

As he spoke, his expression darkened further, and his eye twitched involuntarily at the thought of their Mizukage’s formidable power. The term perfect Jinchūriki weighed heavily in the air, a grim reminder of the insurmountable force they would face if they dared to challenge him.

No one could fathom how the Fourth Mizukage had managed to master the Three-Tails’ power so flawlessly and in such a short time after becoming its Jinchūriki. This mastery made the prospect of assassinating him nearly impossible.

"So, what’s the plan, then?" Kaito asked, his voice laced with frustration. "It’s clear the Fourth Mizukage isn’t going to back down anytime soon."

Like Kizuna beside him, Kaito—a proud member of the Kaguya clan—had recently been subjected to the unmistakable hostility of Yagura’s regime. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on his mind. A bitter thought crossed him: 'Perhaps by the time I return from this mission, the Kaguya clan will no longer exist in the village.'