Ding.
Two Lightning Blades clashed together, sparks flying.
Raiga Kurosuki's original thought was that no matter what, he had to throw this match to survive.
That's right.
The extremely arrogant Raiga had inexplicably learned some worldly wisdom after being traumatized by Makoto's group.
However, this thought didn't last long.
The moment he crossed blades with Ameyuri Ringo, he realized he didn't need to go easy on her.
Ameyuri's skills were genuinely impressive.
Even though Raiga was more familiar with the Kiba blades, he couldn't gain any significant advantage.
Ameyuri was naturally skilled in Lightning Release and Kenjutsu; the Kiba merely added wings to a tiger for her.
For her, there was no need to readjust—it fit her perfectly.
In the original timeline, Ameyuri Ringo's fame was only reflected in two aspects: one being called a "Lightning Release Genius," and the other being that "targets she sets her sights on have no possibility of escape."
Without having participated in the Ninja World War, this already counted as having considerable renown.
What's more remarkable is the timing.
Raiga was defeated by Part 1 Naruto (who had just mastered the Rasengan), and the Fourth Great Ninja War would begin in just three years from that point.
This means Ameyuri Ringo had at most three years to build her reputation before she died from her illness.
Otherwise, she couldn't have been revived as a "legend" through Impure World Reincarnation later.
People often say Minato Namikaze died young, but Ameyuri Ringo's case is what you call a speedrun.
This was also the second gift Makoto prepared for Mei Terumi.
Just giving her the Lightning Blades wasn't enough... it will include healing the user of the blades was about to die.
Saying she could live for three more years was optimistic.
Who knows if Ameyuri was an overachiever, frantically completing missions to build her reputation within a year, only to drop dead immediately after becoming famous?
While Mei Terumi was watching the two fight back and forth with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, Makoto suddenly spoke up.
"Did you know she's sick?"
"Huh? Sick?"
Mei Terumi was stunned. "She does have some quirks, but all previous generations of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were weirdos. Hers aren't that significant, right?"
"I'm not talking about mental illness."
"..."
'If it's not mental illness, then it must be physical illness?'
"Is Ameyuri... alright?" Mei Terumi immediately showed a worried expression.
"Under normal circumstances, she has at most three years left to live. Nobody knows exactly when she'll die from her terminal illness, but she was originally revived through Impure World Reincarnation during the Fourth War three years later. Which means she's dead by then."
"..."
Mei Terumi wore a deeply troubled expression.
Makoto's words were equivalent to a final verdict—there was no room for doubt.
He had come from the future after all.
While other matters might change due to the "Butterfly Effect," Ameyuri Ringo's biological clock clearly fell outside the realm of alterable outcomes.
Mei Terumi felt deeply frustrated.
The Hidden Mist Village was already short-handed.
They had finally drawn an SR Card (Ameyuri), and Makoto had even provided a full set of SSR Equipment (Kiba Blades), making them think she could serve as a main carry.
But upon closer inspection... damn it, was she a "Limited-Time Trial Character after all"?
"Is there a way to treat it?" Mei Terumi sighed and asked.
"There should be. Let her come back with us later for some tests. We need to identify the problem first before we can determine whether it can be treated and how."
"Don't worry. Orochimaru also has someone with a terminal illness who won't last much longer... Oh, actually, that person is from your Hidden Mist Village too."
"Speaking of which, is there some kind of radiation source near your village? Or has someone cursed the water supply? Why do geniuses keep dying young so often here?"
At this point, even Makoto himself seemed uncertain.
When only Kimimaro had been dying young from a terminal illness, everyone had wondered if it was due to his Shikotsumyaku ability.
They speculated about whether pulling bones out of your body might cause infections or calcium deficiency.
But that didn't seem to be the case.
Ameyuri Ringo also died young from a terminal illness.
And Suigetsu's older brother, Mangetsu Hozuki, didn't seem to have died in battle either—he just sort of... die, leaving his sword to Chojuro.
"It shouldn't be, right? If it were really contamination or a curse, then why am I fine?" Mei Terumi's voice wavered with unease.
"Another possibility is that the early Land of Water harbored some evil ninja who committed unspeakable acts with.... fish."
"And since there seems to be no reproductive isolation in the ninja world, this led to a group of people in the Hidden Mist developing sharp teeth and claws."
"It might have indirectly increased the likelihood of recessive genes causing genetic breakdowns in some people from the Land of Water. The more talented someone is, the more likely they are to activate these deep-seated 'fish genes,' and thus, the more prone they are to biological collapse?"
Makoto proposed another wild theory.
"What does that have to do with teeth?! You don't have some kind of bias against ninja from the Hidden Mist, do you?"
Mei Terumi was puzzled by Makoto's words.
"What's wrong with sharp teeth? Kisame has them! Suigetsu has them! Why does it have to be related to... fish sex? By your logic, since the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Naruto Uzumaki has whiskers, does that mean the Yellow Flash had an affair with the Nine-Tails?"
"HUH?" Rin Nohara looked over in confusion.
Why was her teacher Minato getting dragged into this fish conspiracy?
"Well... it's hard to say," Makoto replied with a troubled expression, stroking his chin.
"Huh?" Mei Terumi was taken aback.
'What was so hard to say? Were there actually hidden secrets?'
Uchiha Hikari was also bewildered.
Was Konoha this perverted? Would she have to add "Anti-Furry" protests to her "Anti-Gay" parade agenda?
"Think about it. When the Seventh Hokage was struck by his daughter Himawari's Byakugan pressure points, the Nine-Tails felt the pain simultaneously inside him."
"During the Fourth Great Ninja War, after reconciling with its Jinchuriki, the Nine-Tails once voluntarily offered to take control of the body, temporarily gaining mastery over it."
Makoto cited two factual examples.
But when connected to what Makoto had said earlier, they took on a very different... very very cursed implication.
'If it could feel pain... could it feel other things too?'
'If they can swap consciousness and control the body for combat... then can they control the body for... other kinds of "battles"?'
That's utterly terrifying!
Even Rin looked flustered. "Um! Don't think about hat nonsense! I'll ask Kushina-nee about this when I have time! She'll clear it up!"
"Never mind, let's not dwell on this nightmare for now."
Mei Terumi waved her hand dismissively, trying to cleanse her brain.
Then she suddenly frowned.
"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight."
"You captured the Three-Tails (my beast). Then, as 'compensation,' you helped retrieve the Ninja Blades and gave them to Ameyuri (my ninja). Now you're taking Ameyuri to Amegakure for treatment..."
"So after all this back and forth, you've essentially taken both the Three-Tails and my strongest Jonin from me without giving me anything in return?"
"..."
"Oh, that's not entirely true—you did leave me with a sword-less Raiga and a red-eyed kid." Mei Terumi corrected herself sarcastically.
Just as Mei finished speaking, the nearby battle concluded as expected—Ameyuri Ringo emerged victorious, disarming Raiga and taking the other Kiba blade.
"If you're nothing without the Ninja Blade, then you don't deserve to wield it," Makoto said, walking over to the defeated Raiga.
"Since you chose to stay, return to the Hidden Mist Village's academy and become a Kenjutsu instructor. Make yourself useful."
"Don't think you can change the subject by spouting cool one-liners!"
Mei Terumi's voice drifted eerily from behind Makoto, filled with killing intent.
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