Chapter 275: The Price of Survival
Mei Terumī, enduring a massive, sudden drain on her chakra reserves, fought through the pain and confusion. She refused to yield.
Her fists flew through the necessary hand seals again, her body fueled by desperation and pride. She focused her immense, potent chakra. She knew she had one chance left: a powerful, overwhelming elemental assault.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Akira's right Mangekyō Sharingan gently spun, focusing its power.
He activated a Dōjutsu once more!
Kamui: Chronal Regression! (神威: 時光回溯, Kamui: Jikō Kaiso - Fanfic Term)
[Inorin's Note: Kamui is a space-time technique of the Mangekyō Sharingan. In this fic, it seems to have an added, unique ability to locally reverse the flow of time, a unique and devastating power.]
The next second.
A scene that Mei Terumī would never forget, one that entirely overturned her scientific understanding and her entire shinobi worldview, unfolded in front of her.
She had completed her hand seals. The immense chakra within her surged out, transforming into a torrent of world-destroying lava and a cloud of corrosive acid mist!
"Lava Release: Melting..."
The Ninjutsu's name was only half-uttered!
The surging torrent of lava and the rapidly expanding corrosive acid mist, after rushing several meters in front of her, suddenly seemed to hit an invisible rewind button!
Time, in that small, localized area, underwent an unbelievable, perfect reversal!
The surging, bubbling lava, defying all laws of physics and elemental nature, began to roll back on itself, retracting with chilling speed, disappearing back towards her mouth!
The expanding acid mist also seemed to be gathered by an invisible, powerful hand, re-coalescing, and vanishing completely!
The entire process took only an instant—a flicker.
Mei Terumī herself remained in the posture of activating the Ninjutsu, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes wide and blank with profound shock.
She could clearly feel that the chakra for the attack had been consumed.
She had already released the Ninjutsu.
But the undeniable, horrifying truth before her was that her ultimate attack had simply… vanished.
No, not vanished. It had returned.
"What... what is going on?!"
Mei Terumī exclaimed, her voice raw, laced with more horror than she had shown even facing the bloody rule of the Mizukage.
"My Ninjutsu... why did my Ninjutsu go back on its own? What power is this?!"
This bizarre, incomprehensible phenomenon shattered her last psychological defense—the belief that her elemental power was absolute.
"I told you, Mei. You can't beat me."
Uchiha Akira's voice, calm and final, sounded from beside her. He slowly raised his right hand, his palm open, pointing directly at the still-dazed Mei Terumī.
Shinra Tensei! (神羅天征, Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God)
[Inorin's Note: Shinra Tensei is the powerful gravitational technique of the Rinnegan. Here, the attractive force (Almighty Pull) is used.]
An irresistible, terrifying suction instantly acted upon Mei Terumī's body!
"Ah!"
Mei Terumī let out a cry of surprise, her body uncontrollably flying forward towards Uchiha Akira.
In just a single breath of time.
Mei Terumī was pulled violently into Uchiha Akira's strong embrace.
Thump.
Her soft body collided with Uchiha Akira's firm, unyielding chest.
Mei Terumī's body trembled violently.
Her mind went blank again. The physical shock, the shame of being utterly helpless, and a hint of an unfamiliar, deep thrill coursed through her body.
Mei Terumī's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, so red they seemed about to bleed.
"You... you let go of me!"
Mei Terumī snapped back to reality and struggled fiercely, trying to pry herself free from the humiliating position.
But Uchiha Akira's arms were like iron bands, rendering her completely immobile.
"Now, Mei. Can we talk properly about the Land of Water?"
Mei Terumī finally ceased her struggle. She used all her strength to push Uchiha Akira away, staggering back a few steps, her dignity wounded.
"I admit, your strength indeed exceeds my imagination," she conceded, her voice strained but steady.
"However, even if you defeat me, don't expect to make the entire Kirigakure surrender to you! We still have resources! We still have the Seven Swordsmen!"
"We Ninja of the Hidden Mist are no cowards!"
Seeing Mei Terumī's outwardly fierce but inwardly timid (and broken) appearance.
"Is that so?"
Uchiha Akira said nothing more. He turned, his gaze distant, dismissing her words.
He began to ascend, rising into the air, floating effortlessly above the massive sea cave.
Overlooking the boundless blue ocean below, he slowly spread his arms wide.
A terrifying, immense surge of pure, divine Chakra erupted from Uchiha Akira's body, the purple ripples of his Rinnegan glowing intensely!
Mei Terumī gazed at Uchiha Akira's figure, her confusion quickly replaced by a cold dread.
"He... what does he want to do now?! What is this power?!"
Uchiha Akira's eyes transformed, confirming the worst of her fears. He focused the power of the Rinnegan, not just for a push—but for a massive, unprecedented display of the Deva Path's power.
"Super Shinra Tensei!"
BOOM—!!!!!!!
An indescribably terrifying, omnidirectional repulsive force, centered directly on Uchiha Akira, instantly erupted across the sky and sea!
The ground beneath Mei Terumī's feet trembled violently, nearly throwing her off balance!
The massive body of the ocean itself was slammed downwards by this invisible, physical power!
The colossal volume of seawater was forcibly, violently displaced!
A terrifying, bottomless, colossal underwater basin suddenly appeared in the place where the ocean had been! The repulsive force had pushed the entire ocean floor down!
The displaced seawater, propelled outwards by the force, formed a terrifying, impossible tsunami hundreds of meters high, obscuring the sky and the sun!
This scene was like the end of the world arriving.
Mei Terumī looked up, staring blankly at the towering giant waves that could swallow everything, her mind unable to process the scale.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, not just from the wind, but from a profound, existential terror.
Soon after, Uchiha Akira returned, floating silently beside Mei Terumī.
The tsunami remained, towering, a monument to his power, held in place by the gravitational disruption.
"If the Hidden Mist does not surrender."
His voice was calm, almost conversational, a chilling contrast to the global catastrophe he had just conjured.
"Then this Village—and the very land it rests upon—also has no reason to exist. I will simply wipe it from the sea."
A blatant, undisguised, absolute threat!
But Mei Terumī could not muster even a shred of defiance. Any resistance, any pride, any threat she could make, was utterly annihilated by the sight of that impossible tidal wave.
In the face of that last attack, any thought of resistance was a pathetic joke.
If Uchiha Akira were to unleash that Super Shinra Tensei once within the narrow valley of the Kirigakure, the entire Village would be completely razed to the ground, its people buried under tidal waves and pulverized rock.
"Your strength... has far exceeded the scope of a 'Kage'..."
Mei Terumī whispered, her voice trembling. "Perhaps... even the legendary Tailed Beasts might not be your opponent, right?"
She needed confirmation of the hopelessness.
"Tailed Beast?"
Uchiha Akira scoffed at the word, dismissing the very idea.
"Shukaku, the Ichibi of the Hidden Sand Village, was personally suppressed and re-sealed by me not long ago. After I broke half its body off."
"You tell me, Mei. Can I beat a Tailed Beast?"
Suppress... a Tailed Beast? Defeat it so utterly?
Mei Terumī was utterly speechless.
The Fifth Hokage before her was far beyond the scope of any known classification. He was an elemental force.
Resist? With what would they resist?
Would they challenge a terrifying powerhouse who could easily suppress a Tailed Beast and split the sea with a single blow, using the lives of their people?
After a long, agonizing silence, Mei Terumī made a decision. A choice born of painful pragmatism and a fierce desire to protect what little remained.
She took a deep, steadying breath. She looked up, meeting Uchiha Akira's eyes directly.
"I have a proposal."
"Oh?" Uchiha Akira raised an eyebrow, interested in the terms of her surrender.
"Help me overthrow the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura."
Mei Terumī's voice was now resolute.
"Yagura is a puppet, controlled by the darkest elements of the village. He has caused the 'Bloody Mist' era. Let me become the Fifth Mizukage."
"As long as you do this, from now on, the entire Kirigakure will not be your enemy. We will work for you. We will be your asset."
Uchiha Akira heard Mei Terumī's words and slowly, deliberately shook his head.
"Hired?"
Uchiha Akira repeated the word, his tone filled with undisguised contempt for the notion of a transactional relationship.
"No, Mei."
"I, Uchiha Akira, never accept such ambiguous, easily-broken relationships."
Mei Terumī's heart sank instantly. Her worst fear had come true.
Uchiha Akira's ambition was far greater than she had even feared.
"I only give the Kirigakure one choice."
Uchiha Akira held up a single, unyielding finger.
"Surrender."
"Complete, unconditional surrender. Become a part of Konoha's new order."
"Or, perish."
"You... you're dreaming!"
Mei Terumī's pretty face instantly flushed with desperate anger and renewed pride. She pushed herself back slightly.
"Uchiha Akira! Don't go too far! You cannot simply demand this!"
"Our Kirigakure is one of the Five Great Ninja Villages! We have our dignity and honor! Our people are hardened veterans!"
"Even if we fight to the last person, we will never beg to anyone!" Mei Terumī tried to use this final burst of defiance to preserve the last shred of dignity for herself and her Village.
"Then, Hidden Mist, prepare for annihilation!"
Uchiha Akira snorted coldly, saying mercilessly. The towering tsunami behind him seemed to swell in agreement.
"I..."
"We can form an alliance!" Mei Terumī, as if grasping at a last, flimsy straw of hope, said urgently.
"Yes! An alliance! A permanent one! Our Kirigakure can become Konoha's strongest ally! We can patrol your borders! We can..."
"I don't need allies."
Uchiha Akira mercilessly interrupted Mei Terumī, cutting her off midsentence.
"Allies are meant to be betrayed. They are liabilities."
"I only believe in complete, absolute control."
Uchiha Akira stepped forward, his figure instantly appearing before Mei Terumī, the distance between them now less than a foot.
An indescribable, suffocating sense of overwhelming power and absolute dominance made Mei Terumī almost suffocate. She was trapped between the man and the colossal wave of water behind him.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]