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Chapter 131: Don’t Underestimate the Women of Johuto Clan
🕑 Added 2024-06-25 16:38:38 +0000 UTC"Lady Mizukage!" The Mist Village ninjas were both surprised and relieved to see Mei Terumi still able to use such powerful jutsu. "It's incredible, despite having expended so much energy earlier and barely being able to stand..."
"Perhaps this is the willpower that a Mizukage should possess," one ninja mused.
Under Mei Terumi's formidable Water Style: Multiple Water Binding, the giant pufferfish had no chance to resist and fell back into the sea, tightly bound by several thick ropes of water.
"Ugh..." Mei Terumi groaned in pain. This jutsu had exhausted the last of her chakra, and she could no longer support her full, curvaceous body. Two nearby ninjas quickly stepped forward to support her, helping the weakened Mizukage onto a piece of the broken ship.
"This isn't good; the Johuto clan women are escaping!" another ninja shouted. Amid the chaos, the ship holding the Johuto clan women had been smashed by the pufferfish, allowing them to flee and swim away swiftly.
"Capture them all! They must not escape!" Mei Terumi ordered.
"Yes, Lady Mizukage!" The Mist ninjas channeled chakra to their feet, sprinting across the water surface at top speed. Despite the excellent swimming skills of the Johuto women, they were no match for the ninja's speed. Within seconds, the Mist ninjas surrounded them.
"Trying to run? Stay where you are!" one of the ninjas demanded. "The Johuto men have all perished. In this vast ocean, where do you think you can escape to? Come back to the Land of Water with us and you'll at least live a bit longer."
A small blonde girl suddenly popped up from the water, her face filled with a mischievous grin. "Heehee~ Obey the evil Mist Village? What a joke! Don't underestimate the women of the Johuto clan!"
"You... you're..." The ninja’s eyes widened in shock. Wasn't this the Johuto Seibuta who had been confirmed dead? How was she alive again?
Not only that, but her small body was completely unscathed, as if reborn, with no sign of the injuries inflicted by Ao.
"Fugu, it's your turn. Get us out of here!" Johuto Seibuta called out. In response, the pufferfish deflated like a balloon, shrank back to its flat form, and vanished into the sea.
"Damn it! The pufferfish is escaping!" The Mist ninjas finally realized that the giant pufferfish was Seibuta's summoned beast. As they frantically looked around for the pufferfish, it suddenly leapt out from the group of women, its huge mouth swallowing them all in one gulp.
"Stop that beast!" a ninja shouted. But with their remaining strength, the Mist ninjas were exhausted, barely able to maintain their chakra on the water's surface.
The giant pufferfish inhaled deeply, inflating its body again, and launched a shower of thousands of steel needles from its surface. The barrage was too vast to evade; the front line of Mist ninjas had no time to react and were instantly pierced like pincushions.
Seeing the steel needles heading towards the weakened Mei Terumi, Chojuro dashed forward, using his Hiramekarei blades as a shield to protect her. This prevented further harm to the Mizukage, but the remaining Mist forces suffered heavy casualties.
Watching their comrades fall, the surviving Mist ninjas' eyes turned red with rage, ready to fight the pufferfish to the death. However, the pufferfish had no intention of continuing the battle. After releasing its needles, it deflated again, shrank to its original size, and leapt into the water, disappearing from sight.
The pufferfish... had fled. It took with it all the surviving women of the Johuto clan, vanishing into the vast ocean.
"Quick, we must pursue them!" one ninja yelled.
"Wait!" Mei Terumi's voice stopped them. "Don’t... don’t chase them. Your strength is nearly depleted. Continuing will only lead to more casualties..."
Mei Terumi's words gradually calmed the frantic Mist ninjas, though their hearts still burned with frustration. "We were too careless... we didn’t expect Johuto Seibuta to still be alive!" one of them lamented.
"This doesn't make sense! I checked thoroughly; she was definitely dead, and it wasn't a fake death!" another ninja insisted.
"Damn it, does she have some special ability?" They self-recriminated while tending to the wounded. Those hit by the steel needles were beyond saving. The needles were not only incredibly sharp but also coated with the pufferfish's deadly poison, leaving the medics helpless as they watched their comrades die in agony.
"Why is this happening?" Ao arrived back, horrified by the scene before him. "Lady Mizukage, are you alright? What happened here?" he asked, relieved to see Mei Terumi was unharmed.
Chojuro, gritting his shark-like teeth, growled, "Johuto Seibuta wasn’t dead. She summoned a giant pufferfish that overturned all our ships, killed most of our comrades, and then escaped with the Johuto clan's survivors..."
"As I feared..." Ao muttered. No wonder his right eyelid had been twitching—something bad was indeed happening. He felt deep remorse, having anticipated trouble from Johuto Daihai but not from the ship.
"Lord Ao, we were tricked by that Johuto girl! She faked her death to find a chance to rescue and escape!" one ninja exclaimed.
"No, it wasn't a fake death. She was truly dead; I’m certain of it!" Ao shook his head resolutely.
"Could she have resurrected?" another ninja asked, perplexed.
"I don't know," Ao admitted, the mystery deepening.
Seeing the disheartened faces around her, Mei Terumi signaled Chojuro to help her up. She softly encouraged everyone, "Enough. It's done. There's no point in dwelling on it now. Let’s clean up the battlefield quickly. We’ll analyze this thoroughly once we return to the village."
"Lord Ao, how is it on the island? Is the seal on Johuto Daihai secure?" she asked.
"Um... yes," Ao replied awkwardly. "Johuto Daihai is still within the barrier, but..."
"But what? Speak clearly!" Mei Terumi demanded.
"He’s dead," Ao said flatly.
"What?!" Mei Terumi's face darkened.
Johuto Daihai, who supposedly couldn't die, was dead. And Johuto Seibuta, who was supposed to be dead, was alive. Mei Terumi's mind raced. The situation was far more complex than it appeared. The Johuto clan, indeed, was an enigma, a persistent thorn for generations of Mizukage.
"Lord Ao! Whether Johuto Daihai is alive or dead, the barrier must not be lifted. Bring his body back to the Mist Village!" Mei Terumi commanded.
"Understood. I’ve already informed the sealing team on the island," Ao confirmed.
"Good," Mei Terumi nodded. "We’ll wait here for reinforcements. Once the vacuum-sealed container arrives, we’ll return to the village immediately."
"Yes, Lady Mizukage!"
