Chapter 175: She Kind of Looks Like a Myōboku Toad
Hua…
Rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.
Terumī Mei lifted her head and glanced at the sky, looking thoughtful.
"Damn, it even comes with a built-in rainfall effect?"
Shiromo felt a bit regretful. The blue stone still hadn't absorbed enough natural energy.
Otherwise, he'd really like to see whether it could produce a Primordial Sea effect that would completely nullify Fire Release techniques.
"Mizukage-sama, come on!"
Ringo Ameyuri had already leapt up and landed on the surface of the lake, waiting for her battle with Terumī Mei.
"Wait a moment. I need to test the power of a few techniques first."
Terumī Mei was extremely calm at this point. She firmly remembered Shiromo's earlier reminder, she couldn't just casually use a single jutsu and actually send Ringo Ameyuri to her death.
"Lava Release…"
"Boil Release…"
"Water Release…"
Terumī Mei sequentially cast the three techniques she was most proficient with toward an open area of the lake.
In the original story, Terumī Mei really dropped the ball when fighting Uchiha Madara. As the Mizukage, it was only natural that she'd be responsible for countering Madara's Fire Release.
But when Madara used Great Fire Annihilation to roast the forest, she passed out before even releasing Water Release, forcing Ōnoki to step in with Dust Release to save the situation.
Later, when it was her turn again to counter Fire Release with Water Release, she couldn't cast in time and had to rely on her teammates to tank the damage.
However, when Terumī Mei actually managed to release her jutsu, whether Lava Release or Water Release, both their range and power were quite decent.
Those surging waves, referring to Water Release and Lava Release, made it look as if Terumī Mei's mouth was connected directly to Kaguya's Sea of Acid dimension.
When Terumī Mei used Lava Release and Water Release, she could do so without hand seals, or with just a single seal.
Hand seals were created by Indra. When the Sage of Six Paths' family used jutsu, they did so effortlessly. Hand seals existed so that ordinary people with insufficient talent could focus their minds and more easily mobilize the chakra in their bodies.
It was like staring at a blank white sheet of paper, it's hard to focus. But if you draw a black dot in the center, it becomes much easier.
Hand seals, and in some cases shouting out the name of a technique, served that same purpose.
The fact that Terumī Mei could simplify hand seals or even release jutsu without seals at all, while maintaining solid power, meant that at her core she was already extremely capable, she had effectively maxed out her mastery of the techniques she possessed.
Back in the era before everyone in the ninja world started running cheats, she'd easily be at least at a "demigod Hanzo" level.
Unfortunately, she appeared in the wrong era.
And now, Terumī Mei was surprised to discover that whether she used her Bloodline Limit or ordinary Water Release, everything felt far smoother than before.
Normally, if she could use hand seals, she absolutely would.
Releasing jutsu with hand seals just felt more comfortable.
But just now, she didn't feel any need to form seals at all.
As Terumī Mei was savoring the sensation from earlier and experiencing the changes in her body, a voice came from behind her.
"Eh? This kind of attack looks a bit familiar…"
The one speaking was Senju Hashirama, wearing an expression of intense concentration as he racked his brain, trying to remember where he'd seen it before.
Upon hearing this, Terumī Mei didn't think much of it.
Then Hashirama's IQ suddenly spiked, and he figured out why it felt familiar.
"I've got it! Spraying filthy sticky slime! Spraying water attacks! Isn't that the specialty of the toads of Myōboku Mountain? Hahaha!"
Senju Hashirama was delighted that he'd figured out the reason.
"To-toads?!"
Terumī Mei's expression froze, her lips twitching.
She suddenly really wanted to change her opponent to Senju Hashirama.
But on second thought, setting aside whether she could even beat him in her current state, Hashirama was in an Impure World Reincarnation body. Even if she beat the hell out of him, he wouldn't feel any pain at all.
As for embarrassment?
The man could publicly kowtow without shame, did he really care about losing face?
Hiss…
Terumī Mei suddenly understood the meaning of "shamelessness makes one invincible."
Sigh.
She could only give up on that idea.
Terumī Mei shifted her gaze back to Ringo Ameyuri: "Ameyuri, come on. I'm about to…"
Huh?
Where did she go?
"Mizukage-sama, when are we heading back?"
Ringo Ameyuri had, at some point, already returned to the group and was now urging Terumī Mei to prepare to leave.
"...You're not fighting anymore?"
Terumī Mei fell silent for a moment before asking.
"Mizukage-sama, I haven't lived long enough yet. Just look at what you were spraying earlier, what am I supposed to block that with?"
Ringo Ameyuri pointed at the Lava Release slime still covering the lake's surface, as well as the Water Release that had carved a trench all the way across the opposite shore.
Then she flicked the two Lightning Blades in her hands, crackling them twice.
Lightning Release users did have some advantage against Water Release users, but that depended on the difference in strength.
She wanted to challenge strong opponents, not die at the hands of one.
Otherwise, after learning that the legendary God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, was here, why hadn't she had even the slightest thought of challenging him?
Because she had a sense of self-preservation.
Hadn't lived long enough yet?
Hearing Ringo Ameyuri's half-joking words, Terumī Mei's eyes softened with a trace of pity. She slowly floated over from the lakeside to Ringo Ameyuri, gently touching her face.
"Ameyuri, I'll be honest with you. You're suffering from a serious illness. You don't have many years left to live."
"Ah?"
The smile on Ringo Ameyuri's face froze.
She didn't even care anymore about why the Mizukage was suddenly able to fly.
"Mizukage-sama, you can't say something like that just because I don't want to fight you anymore, can you? This isn't something you joke about!"
Ringo Ameyuri looked panicked.
Huh?
Nearby, Kurotsuchi Raiga froze upon hearing this.
So there's actually such a good thing?
Could it be that he hadn't permanently lost the Lightning Blade, but had merely leased it out for a few years?
"But it's fine. This time, you'll go with Shiromo. He has people on his side who can treat you. Once you've recovered, you can return to Kirigakure."
Terumī Mei didn't drag things out any longer. Seeing Ringo Ameyuri getting anxious, she immediately explained everything clearly.
"My illness… Can it be cured?"
Ringo Ameyuri looked as if she'd grabbed onto a lifeline, turning her head expectantly toward Shiromo.
Even though she had no idea what illness she supposedly had.
"Go back and get checked first."
"Oh."
Ringo Ameyuri immediately ran over to Shiromo's group and stood at attention, standing perfectly straight.
"Huh?"
With the serious matters settled, Terumī Mei finally noticed that she was actually floating in midair.
"This feeling… it's kind of like being in water."
She drifted around in the air a bit.
Not only did it feel like being in water, she wasn't slow at all either.
"What a shame. No opponent. Let's leave it at that for now."
Terumī Mei landed back on the ground, preparing to cancel the form and then have everyone head their separate ways.
"Wait!"
Senju Hashirama hurriedly called out and ran over to Terumī Mei: "Ending it like this would be such a waste, wouldn't it? How about I be your opponent? To fight the Ōtsutsuki clan, we should accumulate combat experience early."
After much reflection, Senju Hashirama finally realized his use beyond just Hashirama Cells: being a sparring partner.
"Hm?"
Terumī Mei looked surprised.
She had just thought about this herself, and now the First Hokage was taking the initiative?
Terumī Mei suddenly became alert.
Thinking back to how the First Hokage had just compared her to a Myōboku Mountain toad, and now was suddenly offering to spar out of "kindness"...
Could this be a case of smiling politely first, then turning arrogant later, planning to get his dignity back?
(End of this chapter)