Chapter 231:
"Chief, should we give chase?"
"Hmm. Delta, I'll leave this to you. Treat them as rogue ninja."
Because the Imperial Armor had intruded into the Black Domain, even Ekimoku and the four ancient mutated beasts were too tied up to intervene.
"Yes, Chief."
Delta walked over to the broken glass where Mei Terumi had just escaped with Chōjūrō in her arms, then leapt down.
Konohagakure, Hokage's Office.
"Naruto, you didn't go home again."
Shikamaru, carrying the latest intel, walked over to Naruto, who was dozing off with pronounced dark circles under his eyes.
"Mm? Oh, it's you, Shikamaru..." Naruto yawned. "There's been so much going on lately, I haven't had a moment to go home."
"Naruto, this is the latest report from Kirigakure."
As he spoke, Shikamaru handed the report to Naruto.
"Let me see..." The drowsiness instantly vanished as Naruto's expression grew serious. "The Sixth Mizukage, Chōjūrō, and the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, have been declared rogue ninja for attacking the newly appointed Seventh Mizukage!"
"So, Naruto, what should we do?"
Shikamaru asked. Although Mei Terumi and Chōjūrō were acquaintances of Naruto's, they were now being treated as rogue ninja by Kirigakure. If they were rescued without caution, it could very well trigger a war between the two villages.
Even though the other villages had grown increasingly discontent with the Land of Water since Naruto's return, things hadn't quite reached the point of all-out war.
"Hmm..." Naruto thought for a moment. "If Mei Terumi and Chōjūrō really make it to Konoha, do what you can to keep their whereabouts hidden."
"Understood, Naruto."
Shikamaru nodded.
"By the way, Shikamaru, do you know who the newly appointed Seventh Mizukage is?"
Shikamaru thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No idea. But the info should be out soon."
Each of the other village leaders had also issued similar orders to Naruto's.
At the coast near the Land of Water's border, a small boat drifted.
"Chōjūrō, are you feeling any better?"
After bandaging Chōjūrō's wounds and applying basic medical ninjutsu, Mei Terumi looked at him as he slowly regained consciousness.
"Lady Mei..."
As he tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through his chest, causing Chōjūrō to instinctively frown.
"Just lie back for now." Mei helped Chōjūrō lie down again and said, "Chōjūrō, can you tell me more about the Kara Organization?"
As the former Fifth Mizukage, Mei naturally knew of terms that were unfamiliar to ordinary ninja—like the Kara Organization, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra—but the details were beyond her reach.
"Mm..."
Chōjūrō nodded. He had withheld this information from Mei because he didn't want to burden her with it. As the Fifth Mizukage, she had already given so much to Kirigakure—practically her entire life—and hadn't even married because of it.
"I never imagined that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Kara Organization could be so dangerous..."
As Chōjūrō explained, it naturally involved matters related to S.H.I.E.L.D. Mei couldn't help but show a worried expression for the future of the ninja world.
"Lady Mei, where are we headed now?"
Lying down, Chōjūrō turned his face toward Mei.
"To Konoha," Mei said as she pulled out a wanted notice she had picked up along the way. "Kirigakure has already declared both of us rogue ninja. Right now, Konoha may be the only place willing to shelter us."
"Konoha has its hands full with its own troubles. What makes you think it has the time to protect the two of you?"
Delta hovered in the air, arms crossed, flames propelling from his feet.
"Delta!"
Chōjūrō tried to get up but was forced back down by the pain.
"Chōjūrō, just rest. I'll deal with him."
"Lady Mei... be careful..."
"I may be getting older, but don't underestimate me, Chōjūrō." As she spoke, Mei began forming hand seals. "Lava Release: Acid Melting Technique!"
She spat a special liquid formed from water and earth chakra at the airborne Delta. It wasn't just extremely adhesive—it was also highly corrosive.
"So this is the power of the Fifth Mizukage?"
Delta easily dodged her spit with a sidestep, arms still folded, looking down at her with scorn.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
While Delta dodged, Mei unleashed one of Kirigakure's signature techniques. Thick white fog blanketed the entire sea, enveloping even Delta in the sky.
"So the earlier attack was just a feint, and the real plan was to use the Hidden Mist as cover to escape... Unfortunately for you, you ran into me!" Delta's eyes glowed red as he activated his infrared vision. "Found you! There's no escape!"
Seeing Mei steering the boat away, Delta gave chase.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Combining fire and water chakra, Mei spewed out a white mist—not ordinary fog, but scalding steam that could even melt Susanoo.
"Laser Beam!"
Delta pointed at Mei. A laser shot from his fingertip and pierced her chest. "With these infrared eyes, it doesn't matter how dense your mist is—it's useless. You two aren't escaping."
"Mist density? I see... Looks like you don't know as much about me as you think..."
Clutching her chest wound, Mei spoke with a pained smile.
As she finished speaking, Delta's body began to melt.
"What's happening?!"
Delta stared in horror as his body dissolved, exposing the circuitry beneath his synthetic skin.
"This technique can even melt Susanoo..." Mei began forming hand seals again. "Delta, forever sleep in the depths of this sea! Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive dragon formed from seawater rose up and crashed into Delta, who was already too damaged to evade.
Already partially melted by the Skilled Mist Technique, Delta's body shattered under the impact and sank into the sea.
This time, even his core didn't have a chance to escape. It was melted and dragged into the depths.
Mei sat on the boat, gasping for breath.
"Are you all right, Lady Mei?"
"Yeah, I just used up a lot of chakra. Luckily we were at sea—if we weren't, I wouldn't have had enough chakra left to pull off that last Water Dragon Bullet Technique..."
Mei clutched her chest as she spoke.
"Lady Mei, your wounds..."
"Don't worry. It's just a minor injury."