Before long, Terumi Mei and the other three were brought inside one after another.
Seeing that Terumi Mei, Gonbee, Ao, and Chōjūrō had really been captured, both Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki were overjoyed.
"Hahahaha… The left and right hands of Genji, all in our clutches this time!"
Terumi Mei's group felt both shock and anger upon witnessing the top leaders of the Blood Mist faction in person. It was unexpected, but at the same time made sense.
Karatachi Tachii was of the same clan as the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura, and the Hōzuki clan was closely allied with them. Moreover, Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki were elder-level figures in the village. Naturally, if they weren't of such status, how could they openly oppose Elder Genji?
Terumi Mei glared furiously at these two older men:
"You two are elders of the village, so why are you doing this? Wasn't the suffering brought by the Blood Mist policies enough? Today's Kirigakure improves with every passing day—can't you see that?"
She wanted to keep talking, but Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki were so enraged that they began trembling all over.
"Silence!"
Karatachi Tachii cut her off, then continued:
"What do you even know? You and that self-important old fool Genji are making the village a total mess! The people is growing weak, the village has lost its fighting spirit, like a beast with no claws! Only the Blood Mist can make the Kirigakure great again!"
The more Karatachi Tachii spoke, the more agitated he became, finally breaking into a bout of coughing. But Hōzuki Getsuki, just as stubborn as he was, didn't give Terumi Mei a chance to retort. He followed up Karatachi Tachii's words:
"You've allowed easy contact with the outside.
That's how dangerous figures like Uzumaki Senshi or Kisame get to roam the village at will!
If we had stuck to the Blood Mist path, how could such threats ever enter the Kirigakure so easily?"
And frankly, his remarks left Terumi Mei at a loss. But she wanted to say that even if the Fourth Mizukage Yagura himself were exhumed to guard the village gates, it wouldn't be enough to stop a monster like Senshi.
Thinking along those lines, Terumi Mei organized her thoughts and spoke:
"This was just a special case; it had nothing to do with the village's direction. Uzumaki Senshi is a ninja who can rival an entire village's Kage—cooperating with him only benefits our village! Today's Kiri is worlds apart from the old Kiri. People's lives are improving; you can see more smiles on their faces. Under Lord Genji's leadership, every aspect of the village is steadily growing better."
What she said was factual—facts speak for themselves! No matter how argumentative Hōzuki Getsuki might be, he couldn't just flat-out lie about that. Still, they refused to recognize Genji or the current village. In the past, the Blood Mist had represented the highest authority, giving them supreme power. Under Genji's "combination punches," their Blood Mist arrangements had been scattered; now, the common folk and even the village's ninja were no longer as easy to manipulate. If things went on like this, it would spell trouble for them.
Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki had also heard of the Uchiha incident in Konoha—when you don't hold onto the village's top power structure, you can end up marginalized and face genocide. They didn't want the Karatachi clan or the Hōzuki clan to suffer the same fate as the Uchiha.
Therefore, Genji had to die! And if Terumi Mei's group wouldn't surrender, they too had only one path—death.
Hōzuki Getsuki, disinclined to keep arguing, simply pressed the issue:
"So, Terumi Mei, do you want to live or die?"
That question made Terumi Mei's expression, as well as those of her companions, shift subtly. While they knew Uzumaki Senshi was somewhere nearby, Hōzuki Getsuki and his men were so close; if Senshi was even a little late rescuing them, these four could be killed at any moment.
Terumi Mei merely gave a cold snort as her response. Both Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki understood her meaning.
Looking at Gonbee and the others, Hōzuki Getsuki added:
"Well, Terumi Mei's apparently tired of living—how about you lot?"
Gonbee raged:
"I'll never betray Lord Genji! He's the one truly working for the village's betterment. Under him, every aspect of the Kiri is steadily improving! Only by steadfastly supporting Lord Genji can the Kiri have a brighter future. As for the likes of you, your high-sounding speeches are purely self-serving hypocrisy!"
His words hit a nerve with Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki. Indeed, they simply wanted maximum benefit for themselves. They had once enjoyed the largest slice of power under the Blood Mist but had been shoved to the sidelines after Genji came into control.
Hōzuki Getsuki, not wanting to keep quarreling, drew a kunai and pointed it at Gonbee:
"You're about to die, yet still running your mouth?"
Gonbee glared back defiantly. Seeing that look made Hōzuki Getsuki uneasy, so he directly ordered Kondō Ryū:
"Kondō Ryū—kill him!"
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Kondō Ryū unsheathed the swords from his back, stepping up to Gonbee. Without saying a word, he raised his blade for a decisive blow that would end Gonbee's life.
Bang—
But the sword did not fall. Not only that, Kondō Ryū himself was knocked flying by a figure who appeared out of nowhere, using raw brutal strength to send him crashing violently away.
Boom!
In the next moment, Kondō Ryū's body smashed into Hōzuki Getsuki's desk, shattering it to pieces.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Such a huge disturbance caused countless Blood Mist ninjas to flicker into the room, instantly forming a protective formation around Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki.
The intruder who had shown up so suddenly, blasting Kondō Ryū aside, wore a cloak of black with red clouds. He was none other than Uzumaki Senshi.
Clang—
A sharp sword hum sounded as Senshi lifted the blade. In a blink, he followed with several palm strikes on Terumi Mei's group, each blow dispelling the sealing technique that suppressed their chakras. In an instant, the ropes binding them fell to the ground, and their chakras—previously sealed—were restored.
Having done that, Senshi cheerfully introduced himself:
"Let me introduce myself: I'm Uzumaki Senshi from the Amegakure. I've accepted a long-term commission from the Kiri to provide 'strategic deterrence' against threats inside the village."
Karatachi Tachii and Hōzuki Getsuki could clearly pick up his meaning.
Karatachi Tachii looked furious:
"You took our bounty job, then broke the deal—is this your so-called professionalism?"
Senshi cocked his head, looking offended as he pointed to Karatachi Tachii:
"Don't go slandering me! I could sue you for defamation! The one who took your bounty mission was Kakuzu, not me—Uzumaki Senshi.
I was just assisting him while he caught people.
I have nothing to do with you."
Karatachi Tachii, outraged, gestured to Kakuzu:
"But you're clearly from the same group—same uniform!"
Senshi shrugged nonchalantly:
"So what? We just happen to have matching outfits. If you keep slandering me, I'm not gonna be polite!"
His retort left the room in dead silence—they can do that?!
Kakuzu stood there dumbfounded. Each time he believed he'd finally witnessed the bottom of Senshi's shamelessness, Senshi would prove him wrong.
Is that why you go through the same routine before every mission? I see now—it was all part of your plan, Uzumaki Senshi!