Chapter 96: Arrival at the Lake
The night passed quickly, and morning came.
When the bright sun shone on Naruto's face, he had already gotten up early. He washed up and got ready to go out.
As soon as he opened the wooden door of the hotel, Naruto saw a fair-skinned beauty in a blue tight skirt standing outside. She had an enchanting figure—beautiful and slim. Her long brown hair fell like a waterfall.
Naruto was stunned. This beauty was Terumi Mei.
At that moment, Terumi Mei was smiling. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Naruto like rippling water waves.
"Did you rest well last night?"
Before Naruto could speak, Terumi Mei looked at him playfully and teased.
Naruto was taken aback. He scratched his head in embarrassment, not knowing what to say. What had happened last night made him a little embarrassed.
Then Naruto changed the subject and asked:
"Why are you here?"
Hearing his question, Terumi Mei coughed and got back to business. She looked at Naruto seriously and said:
"I just received news that the Three-Tails' activity is becoming more and more frequent. It seems like it's about to surface. And Konoha has already sent people to take action. So we shouldn't wait any longer. Let's leave immediately."
Naruto nodded after listening.
When it came to the Three-Tails, the sooner the better. Only by taking the lead could they seize the opportunity. After all, they weren't just dealing with the Three-Tails, but also several other forces.
Terumi Mei didn't seem worried at all. Naruto couldn't tell if that was because she was confident or because she had already thought everything through.
Suddenly, Naruto remembered something important. He looked up at Terumi Mei and asked:
"I'm ready anytime. But I have a question. After we capture the Three-Tails, who do you plan to make the Jinchuriki?"
After Naruto finished speaking, he looked at Terumi Mei and waited for her answer.
This was the most critical part. The Three-Tails was enormous in size. Even if they captured it, they couldn't just drag it back to the village. Terumi Mei's goal was for the Mist Village to regain a Jinchuriki. That meant they needed a container to seal the Three-Tails—a Jinchuriki.
Terumi Mei should have already thought about who the candidate would be. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to him so quickly to start the mission.
Hearing Naruto's words, Terumi Mei smiled lightly, as if she had made up her mind a long time ago. She blinked and said with a smile:
"Of course it's me."
Naruto froze for a moment. He looked at Terumi Mei in astonishment and asked doubtfully:
"You?"
Terumi Mei nodded and smiled lightly:
"Of course. I'm the only one going with you. There's no one else but me."
"The power of a tailed beast can't be suppressed by just anyone. Right now in the Mist Village, I'm the most suitable person to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki."
Naruto glanced at her in surprise, his eyes full of deeper meaning.
He knew Terumi Mei's intention wasn't that simple. The way villages treated Jinchuriki was very complicated. They were said to be weapons that existed for the village's benefit, but having such a powerful force inside someone naturally made people afraid.
Terumi Mei clearly knew this too. That was why she wanted to become the Jinchuriki herself. As the Fifth Mizukage of the Mist Village, she could have avoided this. It seemed Terumi Mei wasn't just thoughtful—she considered everything completely. In the cruel environment of the Mist Village, she had become the Fifth Mizukage and convinced everyone. There was a reason for that.
Seeing that Terumi Mei had said all this, Naruto didn't argue. He nodded and smiled, agreeing. Of course, he had his own ideas too.
After talking briefly with Terumi Mei, Naruto packed up and set off with her.
The Three-Tails was located in a lake in a remote area. The lake was very beautiful, surrounded by a huge forest. It was like a paradise. This Three-Tails really knew how to pick a nice place to hide.
However, when Naruto and Terumi Mei arrived, the area was already very chaotic.
As soon as they reached the Three-Tails' location, they heard explosions constantly coming from all around them. Horrific blasts echoed through the forest, breaking the silence. Along with the explosions came a crazy laugh:
"Hahaha! This is the art of explosion!"
Hearing this voice, Terumi Mei and Naruto were both stunned. They looked at each other, both realizing that someone had already gotten there ahead of them.
"I didn't expect us to be late. I wonder who got here first," Terumi Mei said.
"It doesn't matter."
Naruto smiled lightly and didn't mind. Now that they were here, it was only a matter of time before they faced other forces. Besides, that was what Naruto was supposed to do. He had come here to kill members of the Akatsuki.
From the tone of that voice, he vaguely guessed who it was. He just didn't know if there were others.
Naruto thought about it, then exhaled and decided to observe. His chakra flowed quietly through his body as he sighed softly in his heart:
"Sharingan, open!"
His blue eyes were instantly stained with scarlet. Three tomoe spun slowly. The red Sharingan was open.
After activating his Sharingan, Naruto's pupils expanded smoothly. He looked toward the source of the sound and soon found the owner in the depths of the forest.
It was a blond man wearing a black robe with red clouds. There was a hideous mouth on the man's palm. At that moment, the mouth was eating and chewing on white clay.
This blond man was a member of the Akatsuki—the explosive expert, Deidara.
With Deidara was his partner, Sasori of the Red Sand.
But Sasori wasn't fighting. Deidara was the one throwing clay, as if he was fighting someone. As soon as the white clay was thrown, it exploded on the ground. The blasts were very powerful.
Soon, Naruto saw who was fighting Deidara.
It was Kakashi.
Seeing Kakashi's face, Naruto couldn't help frowning. Konoha had sent people too. And they had already engaged the Akatsuki.
But Kakashi wasn't the only one from Konoha.
Next to Kakashi were Kurenai Yuhi, Sakura, and Hinata.
Seeing them, Naruto's eyes grew slightly complicated. He took a deep breath and continued to observe.
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