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A sudden turn of events caught Bailang completely off guard. First, Ying was snatched by a strange ninja, and then Paomo broke free from his Word Binding Jutsu. The things he had been about to seize had all vanished without a trace.
Bailang was consumed by rage. He ignored Paomo and attacked Terumi Mei instead. In his opinion, Ying was the most important one. For some reason, Paomo remained standing there, motionless. But in the next moment, Bailang understood why.
Terumi Mei frowned, a look of displeasure on her face, and performed a series of hand signs. A powerful burst of chakra was quickly gathered, eventually collecting in her mouth. When she opened it, a stream of gray-white mist erupted outward.
Boil Release: Skilled Mist Jutsu!
In the original series, this jutsu could even melt a Susanoo. The moment the mist appeared, the surrounding temperature shot up dramatically. The nonchalant look on Bailang's face instantly changed to one of dread. His pupils contracted. His most-skilled Word Binding Jutsu was completely useless here. He retreated with a decisive step, but it was already too late. The moment the thought crossed his mind, the mist abruptly accelerated, covering him completely.
There was no scream. He was instantly vaporized, leaving nothing behind.
Seeing this, Bailang's subordinates were terrified. They turned and fled. Terumi Mei didn't chase them; there was no need. They were just ordinary shinobi, and she had no interest in them.
Terumi Mei turned, her gaze falling on Paomo. Seeing that he hadn't run, she was slightly surprised. The girl in her hands, Ying, must have been a key person.
"Paomo, it's been a while." Terumi Mei smiled slightly as she greeted him. She was close to Paomo's age. They had known each other before she became the Mizukage, but their paths didn't cross often. After all, Paomo was a jinchuriki, and his movements were restricted—unlike Yagura Karatachi, who had been Mizukage.
"Lady Mizukage," Paomo said after a brief silence. "Are you here to take me back?"
Ying, who had just been happy about Bailang's death, was alarmed by their conversation. She understood what the title of Mizukage meant. Because of this, she broke free from Terumi Mei's grasp and ran toward Paomo.
"Master, run!" Ying said with a resolute tone. "I'll hold them off." Her confidence came from her clan's forbidden jutsu.
Paomo's expression grew conflicted. If it were just Terumi Mei, he might have had a chance, but there was another ninja who hadn't made a move. He didn't believe the other person was just there to watch. Moreover, Paomo could not bear to sacrifice his student to escape.
"She's your student?" Terumi Mei had intentionally let Ying go. She smiled and said, "She's not bad."
Paomo was confused. What was the Mizukage's true purpose? If she were here to capture him, she would have already attacked instead of making small talk.
"I was organizing some files and found something special." Terumi Mei tossed a scroll to him and said, "I think you should take a look."
Paomo frowned, unable to understand her intent. But since things had come to this, there was no harm in looking. He opened the scroll, and his eyes froze. Moments later, his body began to tremble. He was looking at research notes left behind by his own master.
"This is impossible!" Paomo looked up, his face full of disbelief. For all these years, he had been convinced that his master had tried to kill him. Now, being abruptly told that his master had been trying to help him was something he couldn't accept. It meant he had killed his own master with his own hands.
"Why would I lie to you?" Terumi Mei shook her head and said calmly, "Even though your master didn't tell you outright, surely you sensed something during your time together."
Paomo fell into a deathly silence.
"Master?" Ying didn't understand the situation, but she could tell that something was wrong with Paomo. He looked deeply pained.
"There's nothing more to say about this matter," Terumi Mei said firmly. "I'm telling you this to get you to come back with me to the Hidden Mist Village."
Paomo collected himself and looked at her. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He had been away from the Hidden Mist Village for too long, and he didn't have a strong desire to return. But he had killed his master and immediately defected. He had never once paid respects to him over the years, and his master even had a family. Paomo's expression grew even more complicated at the thought.
"Lady Mizukage, I'll return with you."
Terumi Mei breathed a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn't have to fight. She also didn't want to find a new jinchuriki. After all, the Hidden Mist Village truly didn't have a suitable candidate. The previous one, Zabuza Momochi, was only a temporary option. And even now, he still hadn't fully come to terms with the Three-Tails. His personality would never allow him to give in, so it was impossible for him to become friends with a tailed beast. But Paomo was different. After all these years, his mastery of the tailed beast's power far exceeded Zabuza's. As long as he returned to the Hidden Mist Village, he would be a powerful ninja, a genuine asset.
"Master, I'm coming, too!" Ying immediately said. Now, she was the only one left of the Tsuchigumo clan. Without any attachments, there was no point in staying behind.
Paomo instinctively looked at Terumi Mei. He wanted to bring Ying with him because he understood her situation. And the forbidden jutsu she carried was a ticking time bomb that had to be defused.
"No problem," Terumi Mei readily agreed. She would be gaining a Tsuchigumo clan forbidden jutsu. Though dangerous, its power was undeniable. In a war, it could prove to be quite useful.
Most importantly, the Hidden Mist Village was short on talent. Ying wasn't a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. Hmm, might as well take her. Terumi Mei glanced at Sasame, finding that he had no reaction, so she felt relieved. She was secretly happy, but then she sighed again. The Hidden Leaf Village had so many talented shinobi. They wouldn't even care about someone like Ying. Otherwise, Zabuza Momochi and Haku wouldn't have been sent to the Hidden Mist Village. Terumi Mei secretly wondered if she was being tricked by Sasame's generosity. She wasn't a typical girl who would be moved by flowers or sweet words, but the way Sasame was doing things, she found it hard to resist. The benefits for the Hidden Mist Village were simply too great. Terumi Mei felt like she was drinking poison to quench her thirst. She knew the hidden motives weren't pure, yet she couldn't refuse.
"I'll send you back," Sasame said, seeing that their business was concluded.
"It would be a great help," Terumi Mei said, coming back to her senses and nodding.
Paomo and Ying both looked at Sasame with curiosity. They didn't know him. They had heard of his reputation but had never met him in person. Without explaining, Sasame used the Flying Raijin Jutsu. The four of them appeared inside the Mizukage's office. Paomo and Ying were both visibly shocked.
"I'll come by another day," Sasame said, glancing at the two before turning to leave. Terumi Mei would need to settle them in, so she wouldn't have time for playful teasing.
[Because of your actions, the fates of Paomo, Bailang, Saiken, and Ying have changed. You have gained a total of 230 points of Destiny Value.]
It was a good haul. The Destiny Value primarily came from Paomo and the Six-Tails Saiken. Because of Sasame's intervention, they would no longer encounter Pain as they did in the original story. Their fates had naturally changed drastically.
The day was still young. Sasame returned to the Hokage's office. He casually picked up some files from his desk and flipped through them. Hmm, nothing major. A little while later, a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
Sasame raised an eyebrow. If it were Kurenai Yuhi, the knock would have been lighter. But this one was quite casual.
It was Shizune. The door opened, and it was her, indeed. She was also accompanied by her three students: Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka.
"Lord Hokage," the three said in unison, bowing respectfully.
Shizune, however, did not. In the past, she would have feigned formality in front of others, but ever since she and Sasame had gotten to know each other intimately, she had become much more relaxed.
"Shizune-nee, is the mission complete?" Sasame asked with a nonchalant smile.
"Yes." Shizune met his gaze for a few seconds, a hint of affection in her eyes. It had only been two days, but she was already a bit unaccustomed to his absence. Hmm, perhaps it's because there was no one with me at night. That feeling is quite nice, after all.
"It seems everything went well," Sasame said, putting down his files. "You don't need to see me to report missions now, so is there something you need, Shizune-nee?"
"Yes," Shizune nodded. "I would like to teach Sakura the Yin Seal."
Sasame was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Shizune to be so impressed with Sakura after just one mission. But he had to admit, her talent was quite good. She had also been taught by Nonō Yakushi before. Among others her age, only Ino Yamanaka could surpass her. It was perfectly normal for Shizune to want to mentor her.
Sasame thought for a moment and said, "I'm planning to change the teaching model of the Ninja Academy soon."
Shizune looked at him, confused, not understanding why he had brought that up.
"The Ninja Academy currently focuses on training genin over six years, which is quite a waste of time." Sasame wasn't just saying that. Genin produced by six years of academy training were, for the most part, mediocre. The vast majority of them only knew the Three Body Jutsu. With so much time, it was hard to imagine what they were even doing. Of course, it wasn't entirely the school's fault; it was due to a lack of talent.
Sasame's current idea was to create different specializations. "A ninja doesn't necessarily have to be a combat-focused shinobi, right? They can also become medical-nin or work as technicians." Given how versatile chakra was, it could replace many of the machines from his previous life. He could even describe them as ninja-tech tools.
"I plan to add a medical-nin specialization to the Ninja Academy," Sasame continued. "How would you like to be in charge of that?"
Shizune understood his intentions. She nodded and said, "That's a good idea."
Tsunade had established a medical corps before, which led to the Hidden Leaf Village creating a strong medical system, a rarity in the ninja world. You just had to look at the Hidden Sand Village to know. In the original story, when Kankuro was poisoned, the entire Hidden Sand Village was helpless. In the end, it was Sakura Haruno who cured him—a defining moment for her.
"The Yin Seal is a precious S-rank jutsu, Sakura. If you want to learn it, you'll have to work hard," Sasame said with a slight chuckle.
"Yes!" Sakura already knew what she had to do. By helping Shizune get the Ninja Academy's medical specialization on its feet, she would have a chance to learn the Yin Seal. She didn't feel that Sasame was being difficult. After all, she had no real contributions to her name and wasn't Tsunade's direct student, so it was impossible for her to get the Yin Seal so easily.
Shizune left with her three students. Sasame picked up a pen and, using his knowledge of universities from his previous life, wrote down some of his ideas. He then called for Kurenai Yuhi and tasked her with making it happen.
By the time he finished, it was already time to go home. Sasame returned to his house. He opened the door and took off his shoes. The smell of cooking wafted from the kitchen. It must have been Shizune making dinner, which meant Sasame could be lazy for a night.
"You're back," Tsunade said, glancing at him.
Chizuka, in her bassinet, smiled at him. Sasame's heart instantly warmed. He poked Chizuka's cheek and asked, "Was my daughter well-behaved today?"
"She behaved okay," Tsunade said after thinking about it. "But only today."
Sasame couldn't help but shake his head. Chizuka had definitely inherited Tsunade's personality. She was lively and active. With her good talent, her energy was far beyond that of an average child.
"Isn't it because you're an irresponsible dad?" Tsunade said, scoffing when she saw his expression. "You're out all day long."
"I'm the Hokage, what can I do?" Sasame said, feeling a little guilty. Although he was the Hokage, he was actually quite free. No, not exactly free. After all, running back and forth between several places consumed a lot of his energy and a few hundred million of his life. Without his Sage Body, he would have definitely been a goner.
Speaking of which, his Destiny Value had recently surpassed 4,000. In theory, he could now exchange it for an Ōtsutsuki Clan physique. This was all thanks to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's constant help, which saved him a lot of Destiny Value. Sasame was hesitant. Should he use his Destiny Value to exchange for the physique and enjoy it now, or wait a few years for his Sage Body to upgrade automatically? It would be slower, but it would save him a lot of Destiny Value. Sasame thought about it for a moment and decided to wait. According to the original story, the Akatsuki would begin to officially capture the Tailed Beasts in three years. There wouldn't be much going on until then.
"How about I hire some people to help?" Sasame asked tentatively.
"No need," Tsunade immediately shook her head. She was only complaining; she actually enjoyed it. Besides, hiring people to help would likely reveal the secret. Sasame saw her reaction and didn't press the issue.
It wasn't long before Shizune brought out the food. After dinner, the beautiful night began. Chizuka slept soundly inside the barrier, while a passionate war was raging not far away.
In the morning, Sasame opened his eyes. It was a bit cold outside, making him not want to leave the blankets. Especially with Tsunade's warm body in his arms, he was even more reluctant to leave. He thought for a moment and realized he didn't have anything to do today. So, he became restless.
Tsunade let out a soft groan, having fully sensed his movements, but she just wanted to sleep. A moment later, she opened her eyes because Sasame was getting out of control. Tsunade turned over, her face flushed with anger, and once again fell into the abyss just like the night before.
Outside the door, Shizune shook her head in exasperation. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and it wasn't going to end anytime soon. To take care of Chizuka, she would be forced to be late. With that thought, she used her mission bracelet to send a message to her three students, telling them she had a sudden task and would be two hours late.
Shizune felt a sense of awe. The mission bracelet was truly useful. If they had had it before, there might have been far fewer casualties in the Great Ninja War. Shizune sighed. She picked up Chizuka and left the room.
A long while later, Sasame appeared in the living room. He was wearing pajamas and planned to take a shower. As for Tsunade, she'd likely need to sleep a little longer.
"Thanks for your help, Shizune-nee," Sasame said after showering and getting dressed before heading to the Hokage building.
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