It was an overwhelming display of strength that completely shattered her expectations.
Leaving aside the question of whether the bizarre golden chains possessed any other hidden abilities, their sheer, raw destructive power alone was enough to make Mei Terumi's heart pound. Watching the chains violently tear through her defense and rapidly close the distance again...
Mei's face turned ashen.
Clap!
Quickly analyzing the results of her previous clashes...
She decisively abandoned any further attempts at a direct, forceful counter-suppression.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
She instantly shifted her strategy.
Slamming her palms together...
RUMBLE!
A monstrous, towering tidal wave erupted into existence.
Under Mei's precise control, the massive wall of water surged forward, crashing directly toward the incoming golden chains attempting to flank her.
She couldn't restrain them?
She couldn't destroy them?
Then she would simply block them.
Immediately following that...
Swish!
The exact moment the tidal wave surged forward to intercept the chains...
Mei kicked off the ground. Pushing her chakra output to the absolute limit, she launched herself directly toward Menma's position at her maximum speed.
The jutsu was too troublesome to deal with!?
Then she just needed to eliminate the caster.
Having finalized her decision in a split second, Mei's alluring figure blurred as she sprinted head-on. The moment she moved, Menma instantly read her intent.
Heh. Going all in? A very smart choice, but!
Menma chuckled softly.
Swish!
With a flick of his wrist...
He drew a kunai.
With a rapid backhand throw...
A cold gleam of steel shot forward.
The next second.
Just as Mei closed into point-blank range, Menma unhurriedly formed a single hand seal.
Swish!
Following a flash of crimson light...
Menma vanished completely into thin air right before Mei's eyes.
"What!?"
It wasn't the Body Flicker technique, nor was it a clone or a genjutsu. He had simply ceased to exist in that space. A look of absolute shock flashed through Mei's beautiful eyes. However, a mere second later, realization hit her.
The Flying Thunder God!
The name of the legendary space-time ninjutsu surfaced in her mind.
But before Mei had any time to process the implications...
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
The four golden chains effortlessly punched through the massive tidal wave, tracking her like heat-seeking missiles and arriving directly behind her.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Unable to dodge mid-air, Mei had no choice but to rely on her Lava Release once again. In a fraction of a second, she manifested a massive, thick wall of volcanic mud directly behind her.
BANG!
BANG!
Despite the protective barrier surrounding her on three sides...
The golden chains slammed mercilessly into its surface. In an instant, the hardened volcanic wall violently shattered.
The massive kinetic shockwave transferred completely.
"!? "
Unable to withstand the sheer force...
Mei was violently blasted forward through the air.
While she was still airborne, completely unable to adjust her posture...
Swish!
Another flash of crimson light bloomed to her side.
Menma materialized perfectly on her right flank.
"Damn it!"
She frantically tried to unleash another Boil or Lava Release jutsu.
But Menma gave her absolutely zero opportunity.
Swish!
Twisting his body mid-air, he seized the micro-second opening.
HUM!
A dense, ominously dark sphere of chakra materialized in his palm.
"Spiraling Ring!"
With brutal precision, he slammed the terrifying jutsu directly into Mei's side. Completely unable to mount a defense in time...
BANG!
Mei was forced to take the devastating impact entirely with her physical body.
As the jutsu connected, the flesh around her abdomen visibly caved in. The explosive transfer of kinetic and chakra force in that instant...
Made Mei feel as though her entire body was being crushed and violently ripped apart from the inside out.
The next second.
BOOM!
Blasted away like a cannonball...
Mei crashed violently into the earth.
CRASH!!
Her body tore a deep, glaring trench through the ground as she skipped and rolled.
"Gah!"
A sickening sweetness filled Mei's throat, and she violently vomited a mouthful of dark, crimson blood. Her chakra signature instantly plummeted. The area on her lower abdomen where the jutsu had struck was a horrific, mangled, and charred crater.
Even a standard Rasengan was not something an ordinary ninja could withstand.
In the original timeline, Kabuto Yakushi—a highly skilled medical ninja—had pre-emptively focused chakra to accelerate his healing, yet Naruto's standard Rasengan had still completely shattered his ability to fight. And while Kabuto wasn't an absolute top-tier powerhouse at that time, he was still a genuine elite Jonin.
If a standard Rasengan could do that...
Menma's Spiraling Ring—infused with Nine-Tails chakra and boasting destructive power exceeding even Naruto's Giant Rasengan...
Landing a direct hit...
Was absolutely lethal. Mei Terumi had zero chance of surviving it.
Feeling the catastrophic state of her body and watching the golden chains streaking toward her, a look of utter despair washed over Mei's face.
Menma's sudden arrival had completely ruined her plan, but more importantly... she genuinely never expected him to be this obscenely strong.
Even though she had heard the reports of him defeating the Fourth Raikage in a head-on duel, she hadn't witnessed it herself. A part of her had still harbored doubts. But today, Menma had used absolute, overwhelming power to prove that the rumors about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki weren't exaggerated in the slightest.
Fighting him... she literally didn't have a single shred of a chance.
It was an absolute, completely one-sided massacre.
She hadn't even managed to touch the hem of his clothes...
A profoundly bitter smile touched Mei's lips.
CLANG!
The next second.
Facing the golden chains descending from the sky, Mei was physically incapable of dodging or blocking. She could only watch helplessly as the chains snaked tightly around her, completely immobilizing her on the spot.
Taking a direct hit from that jutsu without any prior defense...
The fact that she was even still breathing was a miracle. Any other ordinary ninja would have been vaporized instantly.
Step.
Menma walked over slowly.
Looking down at the completely bound Mei Terumi, a faint, complex flicker crossed his eyes.
In the original timeline, this woman was famous for her immense beauty and allure.
She was one of the few women whose raw charisma could rival Tsunade's.
It's a pity...
Menma shook his head slightly.
Swish!
He smoothly drew the Sword of the Thunder God from his waist.
The cold gleam of the blade...
Reflected Mei's stunning, pale face.
The unmistakable, freezing aura of death washed over her.
As the premonition of her end bloomed in her heart...
Squelch!
Without a microsecond of hesitation, Menma drove the Sword of the Thunder God straight down, aiming flawlessly for Mei's heart.
The blade pierced her flesh effortlessly.
"Ugh!?"
As the steel tore through her chest...
A violent, agonizing pain erupted.
Her body convulsed uncontrollably.
"Mgh..."
As a massive amount of blood spilled from the corners of her mouth...
Mei could feel her strength draining away like a receding tide. A freezing numbness began to spread through her limbs, and her vision rapidly darkened.
So this is it... Dying at the hands of such an outstanding man... I suppose it's not a bad way to go...
It was the final thought that drifted through her fading consciousness.
Immediately following that...
Her vision went completely black.
Her beautiful head tilted slightly to the side.
The last flicker of her life force extinguished.
Mei Terumi, the woman destined to become the Fifth Mizukage in the original timeline just over a year from now, died right there on the battlefield.