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From beginning to end, the Hidden Mist Village had kept its nerves stretched taut in preparation for the Akatsuki's invasion.
The moment the village's outermost defensive perimeter was effortlessly breached, the Hidden Mist immediately detected the anomaly and notified Mei Terumi without a moment's delay.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Mei Terumi demanded.
For so long now, she had been fretting over precisely this eventuality.
It was not that she feared the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki would not spare the Hidden Mist Village simply because she was afraid or anxious. Rather, it was that this looming threat had hung over her heart like a suspended blade. As long as the Akatsuki had not yet come, she could not allow herself even a moment of true relief.
She had wondered about it constantly before. If the Akatsuki had simply continued lurking in the shadows indefinitely, never even needing to make an appearance, the sheer weight of that unrelenting, invisible pressure would eventually have driven her mad.
So, upon hearing that the Akatsuki had finally launched their assault, Mei Terumi experienced, for just the briefest of instants, a flicker of genuine relief.
She was also fully aware that this was not a true sense of ease. On the contrary, the moment the Akatsuki initiated their offensive, the Hidden Mist Village's situation had immediately plummeted into dire peril. The actions they took from this point forward would determine the ultimate fate of the village.
"Confirmed. Lord Zabuza and Lord Hozuki Suigetsu have already moved to engage the enemy."
Mei Terumi's brow furrowed deeply.
At present, the ranks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were riddled with gaping vacancies. They had been forced to entrust a renowned blade to shinobi of even Suigetsu's level of strength.
But even with these stopgap measures, they still could not fill the empty slots within the Seven Swordsmen.
Mei Terumi also understood with crystal clarity that the Akatsuki's true target was Midorima. Therefore, no matter what happened, Midorima absolutely could not reveal himself.
However, if he did not come, could the Hidden Mist Village truly withstand the full brunt of the Akatsuki's assault?
Mei Terumi shook her head forcefully, banishing that traitorous thought from her mind.
Since they had already resolved themselves to fight to the death, they had to cast all such hesitations aside.
"If we lose this battle, the Hidden Mist Village may very well cease to exist from this day forward! We have no path of retreat! If you are not afraid to die, then follow me! If you fear death, then evacuate immediately and protect the villagers!"
The moment Mei Terumi's rallying cry rang out, a roar of "We will defend the Hidden Mist Village to the death!" erupted and echoed across the entire village.
Just as Mei Terumi was leading her shinobi to reinforce the village gates, the several figures reanimated through the Impure World Reanimation had already cut a bloody path to the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village.
Without a single word, Kisame unleashed a Water Dragon Bullet.
The Water Release technique erupted from his mouth, a raging, clawing torrent that shot forward with near-linear ferocity towards the massive wooden gate constructed of thick, sturdy timber.
If that attack struck true, the gate and the adjacent walls would be obliterated and swept aside in an instant.
Even without Samehada in his grasp, Kisame's own chakra reserves were still monstrously vast. An ordinary shinobi would find it virtually impossible to intercept a Water Dragon Bullet of that magnitude.
When two Hidden Mist shinobi attempted to stop Kisame, the Water Dragon Bullets they produced were pathetically slender in comparison. The moment the techniques collided, theirs were effortlessly swatted aside.
Just as the colossal water dragon was about to slam into the perimeter wall, a Water Dragon Bullet of nearly equivalent force erupted from the opposite side of the barricade.
The two Water Dragon Bullets crashed into one another with devastating force. The resulting spray of water shot dozens of meters into the air. Upon crashing back down, it formed a raging torrent that slammed heavily against the wall.
Kisame saw his attack intercepted and registered a flicker of mild surprise. His gaze then settled on the shinobi standing atop the wall, who was staring down at him with unwavering intensity.
An old acquaintance...
"I had thought you were already dead, Kisame," Zabuza said, his eyes shifting from Kisame to the figures arrayed behind him.
He had little recognition of Sasori, and the same applied to Yugito Nii, Roshi, and Han. But the appearance of Hozuki Gengetsu and Yagura Karatachi caught him completely off guard.
If the rumors of Kisame's death had been mere speculation, and if Yagura Karatachi had somehow miraculously survived, then what in the world was the explanation for Hozuki Gengetsu?
The Second Mizukage should have been nothing but bones by now.
Upon closer, more careful observation, he also detected the anomalies in Kisame and the figures behind him. Their eyes possessed no whites whatsoever. They were entirely, unnaturally black.
"The Impure World Reanimation?" Zabuza instantly grasped the situation.
After Kabuto had been abducted, Mei Terumi had notified the senior shinobi that the Akatsuki's capture of Kabuto was very likely for the purpose of utilizing the Impure World Reanimation.
It seemed her suspicions had been proven entirely correct.
"Something like that, I suppose. I don't fully understand the mechanism myself," Kisame said, his gaze fixed on Zabuza, a grin spreading across his face. "But does it really matter?"
"Does it not matter?" Zabuza shot back. "Even if you despise the Hidden Mist Village, this is still the place where you grew up. Would destroying it with your own two hands truly grant you a sense of accomplishment?"
Kisame shook his head. "There were people here I once detested, but that does not mean I hate the Hidden Mist Village itself. However, that is irrelevant now, because I have no control over my own body."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Surely you haven't only heard the name of the 'Impure World Reanimation' without understanding its nature? Never mind. All you need to know is this: we have been brought back, but we cannot defy the will of the caster. Since the caster has commanded us to destroy the Hidden Mist Village, then unless we are destroyed once more, we will not cease our attack!"
Even as he spoke, Kisame broke into a sprint towards the perimeter wall. In the blink of an eye, he had reached its base and swung his fist forward to smash it apart.
Zabuza leaped high into the air, his Executioner's Blade arcing downward to intercept Kisame. But several other reanimated shinobi seized the opening and blasted through the wall.
Sasori was the first to charge through the breach into the Hidden Mist Village, but he was immediately blocked by Suigetsu.
"You alone are no match for me!"
A razor-sharp blade was launched by Sasori, but Suigetsu deflected it with his Kabutowari.
"Are you so certain you can defeat me?"
"I'm not certain. But it's not necessarily impossible either," Suigetsu replied, the corner of his mouth curling upwards.
If one evaluated pure combat strength alone, the gulf between Suigetsu and Sasori was vast. Perhaps two or even three Suigetsus would be needed just to fight Sasori to a standstill.
However, the Sasori brought back through the Impure World Reanimation no longer possessed his ultimate weapon, the Third Kazekage puppet. Meanwhile, Suigetsu had been entrusted with the blunt sword Kabutowari—an axe-like blade on one end and a hammer-like weight on the other. With the odds having shifted in this manner, Suigetsu now possessed at least the capital to engage Sasori in combat, even if victory was far from guaranteed.
"That suits me perfectly," Sasori said, his face shifting slightly. "I do hope you won't disappoint me."
Yagura Karatachi swiftly darted past Sasori and lunged at the shinobi who had gathered to form a defensive line, showing absolutely no mercy.
The Mist shinobi, who had initially hesitated over whether to engage Yagura in a direct, all-out clash, saw his merciless assault and drew their weapons. But under Yagura's frenzied onslaught, they were quickly routed, their defenses shattered. Swaths of shinobi fell to the ground, unable to rise.
"Weak. Weak. Weak..." Yagura swung his iron staff, impaling a charging Mist shinobi and hoisting him high into the air.
Blood flowed down the length of the iron rod and dripped onto his hand.
With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, Yagura slammed the shinobi violently onto the ground.
After coughing up a mouthful of blood, the shinobi lay utterly still.
Yagura's gaze swept for his next target. Just at that moment, several kunai arrived before him in an instant. He instinctively swung his iron staff, batting the kunai to the ground. His eyes then tracked back to the direction from which the kunai had come. A kunoichi with long, auburn hair was charging towards him at full speed. In the span of a heartbeat, she was upon him, within arm's reach.
"Mei Terumi!" Yagura bellowed.
Mei Terumi raised her leg and brought it down in a vicious axe kick. Yagura was forced to evade.
"Lord Yagura, I am the Mizukage now." Mei Terumi swept her gaze rapidly over the fallen Mist shinobi around her, then glared at Yagura with burning fury. "I will not permit you to harm them!"