They had long grown tired of the suffocating oppression of the Bloody Mist.
They also longed for a bright future for the village.
Mei Terumi's words had undoubtedly struck deep into their hearts.
Seeing the crowd begin to waver, Elder Genji's heart sank.
He knew he could not allow her to continue speaking.
"Nonsense!"
"Wicked words meant to mislead the masses!"
Genji shouted sharply.
His voice was infused with chakra, instantly overpowering every other sound.
"Everyone! Do not be deceived by this traitor!"
"She has already been brainwashed by Konoha's ninja! She wants to turn Kirigakure into Konoha's vassal!"
He raised his cane high and pointed it toward Mei Terumi, stirring up the elites and ignorant civilians behind him.
"She is a sinner of Kirigakure!"
"Today, we will act in the name of justice and cleanse our own house!"
"Kill her!"
"Defend our homeland!"
"Defend our homeland!"
The civilians, once incited, could no longer distinguish right from wrong.
They only knew that Elder Genji was a senior figure of the village.
A symbol of authority.
So they followed his lead and shouted loudly, emotions surging.
Some even picked up stones from the ground and threw them at Mei Terumi.
And so, an internal trial against the village's savior—instigated by its own leadership—began.
Looking at the villagers whipped into a frenzy, and the self-righteous elders preparing to take action, the last trace of warmth in Mei Terumi's eyes vanished completely.
Foolish.
And beyond saving.
She slowly raised her hand.
A stone flew toward her and struck the chakra barrier in front of her with a dull thud before sliding weakly to the ground.
"It seems words can no longer reach you."
She murmured softly.
Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion and disappointment.
"In that case..."
Before her voice even fell—
Her figure vanished from where she stood.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
The next second, she appeared like a ghost in front of the most hot-tempered elder.
Opening her mouth, she spat out a massive wave of highly corrosive acidic liquid.
"What?!"
The elder's face changed drastically.
He hadn't seen Mei Terumi's movement at all.
In his panic, he could only barely form hand seals and raise a wall of water in front of himself.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
However, the defensive ninjutsu he took such pride in was as fragile as a sheet of paper before Mei Terumi's drastically strengthened Lava Release.
The acid easily pierced through the water wall and continued forward, splashing across his body.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A shrill scream echoed across the battlefield.
Half of the elder's body was instantly corroded into a bloody mess, white smoke rising from the wound.
He collapsed to the ground and rolled in agony.
That scene instantly froze everyone who had been preparing to attack.
Too fast.
Too powerful.
A member of the council.
An elite jōnin-level powerhouse.
And yet...
He had been defeated in a single exchange?!
"This... this is impossible!"
"How did her Lava Release become so terrifying?!"
The remaining elders backed away one after another, their faces filled with horror.
Only now did they truly realize—
The Mei Terumi before them was no longer the junior they could casually manipulate.
"Anyone else want to 'restore order'?"
Mei Terumi's icy gaze swept across the crowd.
Everyone she looked at subconsciously avoided her eyes, not daring to meet her gaze.
"A group of trash."
She snorted disdainfully and turned toward Elder Genji.
In her eyes, the only person here who could still threaten her was this unfathomable old man.
"How insolent!"
Elder Genji finally made his move.
His aged figure moved as fast as lightning.
The serpent-headed cane in his hand turned into a black blur, tearing through the air as it struck toward Mei Terumi's back.
Clang!
Mei Terumi reacted extremely quickly.
She reversed her grip on a kunai covered in Boil Release chakra and blocked the cane.
The collision of two powerful forces sent a visible wave of air rippling outward.
"You've improved."
"But not enough!"
Genji shouted coldly.
With a twist of his wrist, the cane moved like a living serpent.
It instantly wrapped around Mei Terumi's kunai.
A massive force followed, directly forcing her several steps back.
As expected of an old powerhouse who had survived multiple Ninja World Wars.
His battle experience and control over power were far beyond what the current Mei Terumi could compare with.
Even though her strength had risen explosively, she was still slightly inferior in technique.
Seeing Elder Genji gain the upper hand, the elders who had just been frightened immediately regained their confidence.
"Hmph!"
"She is still too young after all!"
"Before Elder Genji, she is nothing more than a clown!"
"Exactly!"
"Elder Genji, take down this traitor quickly!"
They became arrogant again, as if victory was already within reach.
When the ignorant civilians saw Mei Terumi being suppressed, they also began shouting again.
"Beat her to death!"
"That woman betrayed the village!"
"And that Konoha brat too!"
"He doesn't look like anything good!"
"Get out of Kirigakure!"
The curses came one after another.
More and more vicious.
More and more piercing.
In the distance, Uchiha Kai had originally been watching the show with interest.
But hearing those noisy voices, his brows gradually furrowed.
The thing he hated most was flies buzzing beside his ears.
Kisame had been secretly observing Kai's expression the entire time.
The instant he saw Kai frown, his heart tightened.
A chance to perform had arrived!
"Lord Kai, please don't be angry!"
"Leave this little matter to Old Shark!"
Kisame roared.
Carrying Samehada, he charged forward.
His massive body moved like a walking mountain as he instantly joined the battlefield.
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
Without hesitation, he used one of his proudest ninjutsu.
A giant water shark roared forward and charged toward Elder Genji, relieving the pressure on Mei Terumi.
"Itachi-san's teammate?!"
Mei Terumi froze slightly.
Then she reacted immediately and cooperated with Kisame, attacking Genji from both sides.
With Kisame joining as powerful support, the battle situation reversed instantly.
Although Elder Genji was powerful, facing two Kage-level fighters at once left him increasingly overwhelmed and full of openings.
This scene once again left the elders dumbfounded.
"Damn it!"
"She really is colluding with a rogue ninja from the Akatsuki!"
"The evidence is undeniable!"
"Mei Terumi, you cannot talk your way out of this!"
They didn't dare step forward.
All they could do was stand at a distance and attack with even more vicious words.
The civilians' curses grew even louder.
"Traitor!"
"She is working with a rogue ninja who has killed countless people!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
One shout after another.
Each louder than the last.
Noisy.
Far too noisy.
Uchiha Kai's patience had reached its limit.
Slowly, he stepped forward.
Thud.
The step was light.
Yet it felt like a heavy hammer smashing into everyone's heart.
The originally loud and chaotic battlefield seemed to have been muted in an instant.
It became so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.
Every gaze—
Whether from Elder Genji in battle, the shouting elders, or the frenzied civilians—
Was involuntarily drawn to that small figure.
An invisible, suffocating pressure of terror enveloped the entire battlefield.
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