Why…
Why was there a man inside the meteorite?
Who is he?
Silver hair, a tall and slender frame, fair skin, and eyes glowing with a faint blue light, eyes as deep and vast as the starry sky itself.
Such a man… Mei Terumi was certain she had never seen him before. If she had, even once, she wouldn't have forgotten someone like that, she'd definitely remember his name.
And yet…
There was a strange sense of familiarity.
He didn't feel like a complete stranger.
This contradiction, paired with the mystery of the falling meteorite, the man emerging from within it, and the sheer chaos of the moment, made it impossible for her injured and dazed mind to piece things together.
She simply stared at Kaede in a daze. After a few seconds, her vision began to darken. Her injuries were no longer something she could suppress.
"Damn it…"
"I can't go down like this…"
Clenching her teeth, Mei struggled to keep her eyes open.
It was just her luck to meet such a stunningly handsome man, someone who made her heart skip a beat at first sight, and now she was about to die right in front of him. That thought was simply too bitter to accept. She tried to stay standing, but her strength was rapidly draining away.
In the end,
Her consciousness slipped into darkness, and she collapsed into a fissure in the ground beside her.
=============
Kaede looked down at the fallen Mei Terumi with mild surprise.
Judging by the forehead protector she wore, she was clearly a ninja from Kirigakure. That must mean he had crash-landed somewhere within the Land of Water.
The fastest way to return from the moon, naturally, was by riding a meteor straight back down.
Although his Sage Chakra and physical body could easily withstand the searing heat from re-entering the atmosphere, Kaede wasn't particularly keen on experiencing what would essentially feel like being engulfed in a full-body Morning Peacock. It didn't sound comfortable.
So instead, he had used Earth Release to bind several moon rock fragments together, crafting a large meteorite and placing himself in the center. He then simply let gravity do the rest and fell toward the ninja world.
"A ninja from the Hidden Mist… she looks a little familiar."
Kaede pondered as he glanced toward Mei. Then he stepped out of the crater and walked over to the fissure. Channeling chakra, he conjured a massive claw to dig open the crevice and carefully lifted her out.
As he looked at the unconscious young woman, her clothes torn, her body battered with wounds and caked in mud, he tilted his head, then straightened it again, scrutinizing her features. Finally, he matched her face with someone in his memory.
"The Fifth Mizukage?"
"Mei Terumi?"
Kaede sent a wisp of chakra into Mei's body.
Upon sensing that she possessed chakra with three elemental affinities, and that two of them had fused into Kekkei Genkai, he confirmed her identity.
Two Kekkei Genkai.
Given her age and appearance, there was no doubt she was Mei Terumi.
"That's a bit unfortunate."
Now that he knew who she was, Kaede couldn't help but make a slightly awkward comment.
It seemed she had just happened to be in the area.
And had just happened to get hit by his meteor.
Come to think of it, the Hidden Mist might be the unluckiest village in the ninja world. The Third Mizukage had been controlled by Uchiha Madara, the Fourth Mizukage was manipulated by Obito, and now the Fifth Mizukage, who hadn't even officially taken office, was nearly flattened by a returning meteorite courtesy of himself.
The Three-Tails were gone.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were all dead, and six of the seven swords were lost.
"Hmm… maybe I should pay the Mist Village a visit. There's a chance Obito and Nagato are hiding out there. I might even catch Nagato and take the Rinnegan."
Kaede considered the possibility.
He decided it was worth the trip.
Since the Mist Village was already in such bad shape, he might as well join in. If he could capture Nagato and seize the Rinnegan, he could absorb its ocular power. Not only would his Tenseigan evolve instantly, it might even reach an entirely new level of power.
At that point, even if Kaguya did resurrect,
He'd be more than ready to teach her a lesson.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Kaede formed a single-hand seal and created a shadow clone. After sensing the coordinates of Konoha, he used Flying Thunder God to teleport the clone there.
Leaving a clone in the office to sign documents was good enough. If anything unexpected happened, he'd know right away and could teleport back instantly. No big deal.
With that done,
Kaede looked back at Mei Terumi. Noticing her chakra was fading and her aura was growing weaker, he thought for a moment, then pressed his hand to her chest.
=============
A short while later,
Mei Terumi slowly regained consciousness. She glanced around in a daze, and upon realizing she was still outdoors, her expression immediately tensed.
She instinctively tugged at her torn clothing. Once she confirmed her body hadn't been tampered with and that her injuries had mostly healed, she let out a slight breath of relief.
Then,
Her eyes shifted and landed on a figure sitting by a small stream not far away, tending a fire and roasting a few fish.
"That guy…"
The moment she saw Kaede, the confusion in her mind cleared, and the image of him emerging from the shattered meteorite resurfaced vividly.
Her first thought: He saved me.
Her second thought: He didn't do anything else to me while I was unconscious.
These two thoughts filled her heart with a swirl of emotions. In fact, a tiny part of her even felt… regret, that nothing had happened while she was unconscious.
Of course,
The reason for that thought had nothing to do with morality.
Had it been someone like Choza Akimichi, an overweight shut-in, it wouldn't have been regret she felt, but pure relief. Thank god nothing happened.
But,
As a high-ranking Jonin of the Hidden Mist, Mei Terumi didn't dwell on those chaotic thoughts for long. Her mind quickly cleared, and her memories organized themselves. She soon realized who Kaede must be.
The moment she recognized him, her eyes widened in disbelief. But the very next second, she sprang to her feet, gripping a kunai and staring at him.
"You… You're from Konoha…"
"I suggest you don't do anything reckless."
Kaede didn't move. He didn't even look back. He simply continued roasting the fish and said calmly, "If you've figured out who I am, then you should understand your current situation."
=============
Kaede's words confirmed her suspicions.
He was from Konoha,
The Silver Flash!
No,
The Fifth Hokage!
Sensing that her chakra was less than ten percent of normal, and that her wounds were only half healed, she could still feel the pain, Mei Terumi fully grasped her predicament. Slowly, she lowered her kunai.
Facing someone like Kaede, even at full strength, her odds of escape were slim. And now, she didn't stand a chance.
As a capable and clear-headed ninja, she wasn't arrogant or delusional.
She was a prisoner now.
And there was no point resisting.
After lowering the kunai, Mei looked at Kaede, eyes filled with questions. "Why are you here?"
Kaede turned his head and glanced at her. "Just happened to fall here. In a way, you're pretty unlucky today."
==========
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