"Damn bastard, he's truly terrifying. Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique." Mei, who had been kissed by Ryoha for a moment, snapped back to reality. Besides shyness, she felt more embarrassment and anger. This was her treasured first kiss, saved for thirty years, and now it had been stolen just like that. In that instant, Mei completely forgot about Ryoha's abilities and directly gave him a "melting" kiss.
"Why are you staring at me like that? I can feel embarrassed too, you know. Who told you to keep saying you wanted to give me a 'melting' kiss? Now that I've accepted it, is it not okay?" However, Ryoha's smug expression made Mei explode with anger.
"You, you jerk, go to hell." Mei erupted completely, unleashing a barrage of various ninjutsu: Water Release, Fire Release, Earth Release, Boil Release, Lava Release — she threw everything she had at him. Yet, Ryoha was on point with his responses, even developing Dark Release techniques to counter the attacks that came at him.
"I refuse to believe that your darkness can truly enshroud and devour everything. Full-power Lava Release: Melting Apparition!" Mei was also utterly infuriated. It seemed as if her previous attack was almost like being coquettish with this man. But, at the same time, the more they fought, the more engrossed she became.
That wave-like black light, able to freely change its form and size, was akin to an endless abyss of darkness. It absorbed all her ninjutsu. However, Mei was well aware that no matter how fearsome or powerful a technique was, it couldn't possibly be without flaws. Thus, she believed that Ryoha's Dark Guard definitely had its limits.
"Dark Release: Dark Sanctum Sword." Suddenly, a surge of black light emanated from Ryoha's hand. These beams of black light instantly coalesced into a single Dark Sanctum Sword. As Ryoha faced the tsunami-like lava ahead of him, he lightly swung the sword from top to bottom. When the lava was about a meter away from Ryoha, it was split into two halves, flowing to his left and right.
"Boom!"
A deafening sound echoed as the ground in front of the Dark Sanctum Sword immediately split apart with a resounding boom. Revealed was a trench over two hundred meters long and over a hundred meters deep. Even a raging Mei couldn't help but inhale sharply at the sight. What kind of jutsu was this? What level of power did it require? A single strike had torn the earth apart.
"I and you so-called Kage are already on different levels. If my strength is comparable to a human evolved from apes, then you Kage are like the apes that haven't evolved. The difference between the two of us is immense." Ryoha grinned as if in high spirits. It was unclear whether he was being ironic or stating facts.
"Don't get too proud. It's not a one-on-one situation now, it's all the ninja from the Five Great Ninja Villages against you." Mei seemed to dislike Ryoha's smug expression, especially when she thought of how he had taken her innocent first kiss. She enjoyed watching him squirm.
"Wrong, it's not the Five Great Ninja Villages attacking me, it's us attacking the Five Great Ninja Villages. I'm not alone here, and I don't know if my beautiful Mei will join the formation of the Five Great Ninja Villages to fight against me. If you're willing to kill, then come at me." Ryoha acted like he wouldn't mind dying for her sake.
"Fine, I'll accept the compliment about being 'beautiful.' But don't add 'my' in front of it. I'm not 'yours,' nor is anyone else's 'beautiful woman.'" Mei completely switched into the mode of nitpicking in every little detail.
"You're not denying that you won't join the coalition against me, are you? If that's the case, that's great. My beautiful Mei is still on my side, after all."
Ryoha said very arrogantly, leaving Mei speechless. Faced with Ryoha, she really didn't know what to say anymore. She couldn't beat him in a fight, threats were useless, arguments wouldn't work, and he was too shameless to shame. It was like a rat biting a turtle; she was at a complete loss.
"Who said that? I'm planning to agree with the other four ninja villages to fight against you. Don't be so conceited." In the end, Mei could only say this.
"If you refuse, you're worried that the other four ninja villages and nations will immediately attack the Kirigakure, right?" Ryoha saw through Mei's inner thoughts directly. This shrewd woman definitely had her concerns, and that concern was the Kirigakure.
Mei didn't speak, clearly caught off guard by Ryoha's insight. Sometimes, things didn't need to be spoken out loud.
"The Mei I know is both strong and gentle. You're not like this. As a token of our KISS, let me give you some advice: 'Repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River.' We'll meet again soon. For now, I'll go check out other places." After finishing his words, Ryoha turned into a streak of black light and disappeared.
"Repair the plank road by day while secretly crossing the Wei River? I see. Damn bastard, don't think everything's settled just because of this. I'll make sure you understand that taking advantage of me, Mei, won't be so easy."
Mei was suddenly at a loss for words, but quickly put on a look of gritted teeth. However, her eyes held a complex mixture of coyness and anger, making it hard to decipher her true feelings.
On the other side, after Itachi's efforts, he had finally helped Sasuke drive away Orochimaru. Sasuke and Itachi were taken away by Tobi. After experiencing Tobi's revelations about the so-called truth behind the Uchiha, Sasuke, feeling uneasy about something, finally embraced feelings of regret, sorrow, and intense anger. Guided by the Mangekyou Sharingan bestowed by Itachi, his Mangekyou Sharingan was finally activated.