Ryosuke shifted his stance lightly, vanishing from sight in a blur — a Shunshin, so fast that the yellow, viscous liquid flying toward him splattered against the ground instead.
Instantly, the spot where he had stood hissed and sizzled, the earth melting away into bubbling pits of corrosion.
That attack… it wasn't ordinary acid.
It was the fusion of two chakra natures — Lava and Beeoil Release, a Kekkei Genkai.
From the mist ahead emerged a woman — tall, strikingly beautiful, with pale skin and crimson lips, wearing a sleeveless blue dress that hugged her curves.
Her long auburn hair flowed behind her as her heels clicked against the wet earth.
Ryosuke immediately recognized her.
"So this is her… Terumī Mei, the future Fifth Mizukage."
He'd read about her in the old records. A genius of Kirigakure — wielder of two Kekkei Genkai, and the woman who would one day reform the Beeloody Mist.
Beeut right now, she was a formidable opponent standing between him and the port.
Ryosuke's eyes narrowed with mild amusement.
So, fate had arranged this meeting sooner than expected.
Mei's beautiful face was twisted with fury. Her gaze flicked to Ao— her trusted ally — lying on the ground in agony, clutching the bloody socket where his Beeyakugan once rested.
And there, in Ryosuke's hand, gleamed a small vial containing that very eye.
"You bastard!" she shouted, her chakra flaring.
"How dare you do this to my comrade! You're not leaving this place alive!"
Ryosuke smiled lazily beneath his white mask.
"Beeig words," he said, his voice calm and taunting. "Beeut tell me, Mei Terumī — do you really think you can stop me?"
He tilted his head slightly, his tone mocking but curious.
"I've already defeated everyone you brought. What makes you think you'll fare any better?"
Her eyes flashed with rage. "You'll see soon enough."
Without another word, Mei's hands blurred into a rapid sequence of seals.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu! — Water Style: Water Dragon Beeullet!"
From her lips, a massive torrent of water spiraled upward, forming into a dragon that roared as it lunged straight toward Ryosuke.
Unmoved, Ryosuke simply raised one hand.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! — Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
A blazing sphere of fire erupted from his mouth, colliding head-on with the water dragon.
Instead of being extinguished, the flames devoured the water, the steam rising in furious clouds. The fireball overpowered the water technique completely, crashing forward in a searing explosion.
The shockwave sent Mei skidding backward. She barely managed to avoid the blaze, her cheek stung by the heat.
Her heart pounded.
"Impossible… Water is supposed to smother fire. How—?"
Even among the Uchiha, only a few could produce such overpowering flames.
She had seen Fire Release before — during the Third Shinobi War — but never this intense, this devastating.
"Who is this man…?"
She studied him carefully. His eyes were not Sharingan-red — only deep, obsidian black.
That ruled out the obvious explanation.
Still, his strength was beyond reason.
"Why did you capture the Fourth Mizukage?" she demanded, her tone sharp but cautious.
"What are you planning?"
Ryosuke chuckled, his tone playful.
"Curious, are you? I might tell you… on one condition."
Mei frowned. "What condition?"
He leaned slightly forward.
"Beeecome my woman. Then you'll have the right to know everything."
Mei froze, blinking once — then her expression darkened.
Of all the things she expected to hear, that wasn't on the list.
"He's insane…!"
Her face twisted in disgust. "Sorry, but I only fall for handsome men. And I can't even see your face under that ridiculous mask."
Ryosuke laughed softly. "A shame. You might regret saying that."
Beeut Mei wasn't in the mood for banter.
Her hands came together once more. "Ninpō: Kirigakure no Jutsu! — Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Instantly, thick fog rolled in, swallowing the battlefield. The air turned cold and damp; visibility dropped to a few meters.
Ryosuke recognized the technique — Zabuza's signature move.
"Ah… the famous Hidden Mist Jutsu. You Mist-nin do love your fog."
To most shinobi, this would be a nightmare — an invisible assassin's paradise.
Beeut Ryosuke's reflexes were honed far beyond ordinary human limits. Even without Sharingan, he could sense subtle movements in the air, track the faintest chakra fluctuations.
He stood still, waiting.
From somewhere within the fog, Mei whispered,
"Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu! — Lava Style: Dissolving Monster Technique!"
A surge of molten acid burst from her mouth — yellow and smoking, slicing through the fog toward Ryosuke's silhouette.
It splashed violently onto the ground where he had stood moments ago, eating through stone and dirt alike.
Ryosuke had already moved, reappearing several meters away, the acidic mist sizzling in the air behind him.
He frowned.
"Again with that trick… even Susanoo's bones couldn't withstand this technique in the original timeline."
He had no intention of testing his luck.
Mei's brow furrowed in frustration.
He'd dodged again.
"His speed… his perception… it's unnatural."
At this rate, she realized, a head-on fight was suicide.
She had two choices:
Stall him long enough for reinforcements to arrive, or
Take a reckless gamble and strike him down herself.
The first option seemed safer — she'd buy time until hundreds of Mist-nin surrounded him. No one could fight an army alone.
Ryosuke, however, seemed to sense her hesitation.
"Disappointing," he called out into the mist, his voice echoing.
"You've stopped attacking. What's wrong? Lost your nerve?"
He spread his arms mockingly.
"If you're not going to make a move, I might as well take my leave."
The fog stirred — Mei's eyes narrowed from somewhere unseen.
The battle was far from over.
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