At the same time—
Terumī Mei, who had plunged into the small pool, swiftly dove toward the depths and soon discovered a hidden passage at the bottom.
The entrance to this passage was extremely narrow, only just wide enough for a young girl like her to squeeze through.
Clearly, this escape route had been prepared by Genshi long in advance, solely for her sake.
Without the slightest hesitation, Mei forced her way straight into the narrow opening.
The passage was far longer than she had imagined.
She swam continuously for more than ten minutes, her lungs burning, before finally catching sight of faint light ahead.
At last, she reached the exit.
After emerging, Terumī Mei did not rush to leave. Instead, she turned back and deliberately destroyed the entrance to the passage.
She had to make sure no one could pursue her through it.
Only after completing this did she finally surface and take in a huge gulp of fresh air.
Even though a ninja's cardiopulmonary endurance far exceeded that of ordinary people, holding her breath underwater for such an extended period was still no easy task.
After several deep, ragged breaths, Terumī Mei gradually steadied herself and began to observe her surroundings.
She was already out in the open sea.
The small, uninhabited island where the graduation exam had taken place was now far behind her.
Even so, she dared not remain here for long. Without stopping to rest, she hurriedly fled in the opposite direction, swimming with all her strength.
Yet as she moved forward, confusion churned violently in her heart.
She didn't know what she should do next. She didn't know where she should go.
Although she had been hailed as a genius within the Hidden Mist Village, in the end, she was still just a young girl, not even ten years old.
Moreover, she had never once left Kirigakure before today. Her understanding of the outside world was painfully shallow.
Feeling lost and overwhelmed was only natural.
In truth, with Genshi's wisdom, he had long since considered this problem.
When he made the decision to send Terumī Mei away from the Hidden Mist Village, he had already arranged everything needed to ensure she could grow safely and normally in the outside world.
Unfortunately, Danzo's actions had been far too swift.
Genshi never had the chance to tell Terumī Mei any of this.
After killing Genshi and his followers, the Third Mizukage and his two companions naturally had no intention of letting Terumī Mei escape.
However, after searching the pool thoroughly, all they found was the destroyed passage entrance.
There was no way to continue the pursuit.
With no other choice, the three of them returned to the Mizukage's office, bringing back the corpses of Genshi and the others.
Seeing this scene, Danzo—who was seated calmly in the Mizukage's chair—slowly curled his lips into a smile.
Now, within the Hidden Mist Village, there was no one left who could oppose him.
"Announce to the public that Elder Genshi died of an incurable illness brought on by old age." Danzo gave the order in a detached, indifferent tone.
After all, Genshi was a pivotal figure in the Hidden Mist Village. His death could not be concealed.
Rather than letting rumors spiral out of control, it was better to announce it openly.
"Also," Danzo added casually, "Terumī Mei does not need to be labeled a Rogue Ninja."
"But the Hunter-nin Corps must still be dispatched to capture her alive."
Not branding Terumī Mei as a rogue was not because Danzo intended to recruit her.
Rather, he feared that the Hunter-nin Corps might use lethal force if she were classified as such.
After all, she possessed two Bloodline Limits. Killing her outright would be an unforgivable waste.
Danzo's plan was simple. Capture her alive. Imprison her.
And force her to bear children—creating a new Bloodline family entirely under his control.
After all, in his mind, he would one day lead the Hidden Mist Village to unify the entire Ninja World.
Naturally, he had to find every possible way to continuously strengthen his forces.
Yes! After seizing control of the Hidden Mist Village, Danzo had already begun indulging in fantasies of ruling the Ninja World.
At this moment, Terumī Mei had no idea that Danzo had already set his sights on her, nor that he had coldly planned out her future.
After finally coming ashore, hunger struck her hard. She quickly found a small place to eat.
Fortunately, Elder Genshi had always given her a monthly allowance, and she had been frugal by nature.
Paying for a meal was not an issue.
However, she was still too young. And she lacked experience in concealing her identity.
Because of this single meal, Terumī Mei's trail was exposed.
Just as she left the eatery, the Hunter-nin Corps arrived almost immediately.
"She just left! She hasn't gotten far yet!"
The experienced trackers wasted no time and swiftly caught up to her.
A battle erupted at once.
Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
Mei opened her mouth and spat out highly corrosive acid.
However, the Hunter-nin Corps easily dodged the attack.
The acid splashed onto nearby trees, producing a sharp sizzling sound as the wood was rapidly corroded.
Seeing this, the members of the Hunter-nin Corps remained completely calm and quickly closed in, surrounding her.
"Terumī Mei," the squad captain said coldly, "return to the Hidden Mist Village with us now, and you might still live."
"Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."
Naturally, Terumī Mei had no intention of surrendering. Seeing that Lava Release was ineffective, she immediately switched to Boil Release.
The squad captain's eyes narrowed. In the next instant, he rapidly formed hand seals.
Hiding in Mist Technique!
Thick mist spread in all directions, becoming so dense that one couldn't even see their own hand in front of their face.
For ninja from other villages, such an environment would naturally induce panic.
But Terumī Mei had grown up in the mist-shrouded Land of Water. The Hiding in Mist Technique alone could not intimidate her.
However, the captain's true goal was not to obscure her vision.
It was to dilute the highly acidic mist produced by her Boil Release.
Once the acidity dropped, the corrosive power of the mist would be greatly weakened.
Although Terumī Mei was a genius with two Bloodline Limits, she was facing a Hunter-nin Corps where every member was at least a Special Jonin, if not a full Jonin.
She was completely outmatched. In both raw strength and combat experience, she was at a severe disadvantage.
Even with her powerful Kekkei Genkai, the squad had effective counters.
If not for Danzo's explicit order to capture her alive, which forced the squad to restrain themselves at every turn, Terumī Mei would never have lasted this long.
Even so, she quickly fell into a losing position. When the thick mist finally dissipated, her condition became clear.
Terumī Mei was already injured. Crimson blood flowed steadily from her right arm.
She had been stabbed by a Kunai. Worse still, the strike had damaged the nerves in her hand.
Her right hand could no longer move properly. As a result, she was unable to form hand seals normally.
For a ninja who excelled primarily in ninjutsu, this was devastating.
Her overall strength was now severely restricted.
Seeing this opening, the Hunter-nin Corps surged forward, intending to seize her immediately.
Terumī Mei drew a Kunai with her left hand.
Even now, she still refused to surrender. But against such overwhelming odds, how could she possibly turn the situation around?
She had already prepared herself for death.
"I'm sorry, Elder Genshi… I've failed your expectations." She whispered the apology in her heart.
However, at that very instant, an unexpected change occurred.
A man wearing a black overcoat suddenly emerged from the ground and appeared directly in front of Terumī Mei.
Before she could even process what was happening, without any visible movement, the entire Hunter-nin Corps was blasted away, sent flying through the air under Terumī Mei's shocked gaze.