Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

Mei Terumi, who wanted to use a mission to find Izumi's whereabouts in Kirigakure, eventually returned due to the death of the Third Mizukage.

The sudden death of the Third Mizukage prompted the Kirigakure leadership to immediately suppress the news and simultaneously begin recalling all ninjas involved in external wars.

Now, the mind of the Hidden Mist Village is no longer focused on external wars, but entirely on the vacant position of Mizukage.

They were too busy taking care of their own internal affairs to care about external matters, so they retreated very decisively.

Of course, Mei Terumi is not yet qualified to participate in such matters, but she has already begun to have a goal.

Even now, those bloodline clans, ordinary ninjas, and secret technique clans are still secretly fighting each other for the position of Mizukage.

Mei Terumi felt a little regretful. If only she could have more time, she would want to change the current state of the Kirigakure.

To achieve this, one must become the Mizukage. She also wanted to know why Izumi had defected from Kirigakure.

Was it just because of the disdain? Or was it because he disliked the village as it was now?

In the past, she could sense a subtle distance between the other person and the village, but they were very caring towards her.

This is a very rare occurrence under the "Village of Blood Mist" policy; the Mist Ninja are cold and cruel, showing no concern for the casualties of their comrades.

Sitting on the cliff by the sea, gazing at the ocean, this is her favorite place to relax, and it's where Izumi Kawa brought her.

But now, the people who could be by her side and listen to her experiences during the mission are no longer here.

"Taketori Izumi, why did you leave the village...?"

Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes revealed a look of sadness. She longed to find the other person, grab their collar, and demand why.

You clearly possess considerable strength and a reputation as a genius. If you were still in your current state, you should have the ability to compete for the position of Mizukage.

Just as her thoughts were wandering, a petrel gently landed on her shoulder and affectionately nuzzled her cheek.

Mei Terumi felt comforted and a slight smile appeared on her face as she took out a specially prepared meal from her ninja tool bag.

The seagull hopped onto her palm, grabbed the food, looked up and chirped a few times, revealing the letterbox on its leg.

"Huh? What's this...?"

Upon seeing the mailbox, Mei Terumi was startled, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked around to make sure no one else was there.

Only then did he carefully remove the letter tube from Haiyan's leg, pour out the small letter inside, gently unfold it, and look at the familiar handwriting on it.

Immediately, a look of surprise and delight filled their eyes; this was their exclusive cipher used for communication.

Mei Terumi clenched her fist lightly, feeling slightly resentful. This guy finally agreed to contact me, even though I hadn't received any response the previous times I tried.

She wanted to see what this guy had written for her. He had disappeared without a word; she absolutely couldn't let him off easily.

Despite her resentment, Mei Terumi carefully examined the coded text and translated the message into her mind.

The letter only gave her an address and a time, requesting a meeting, and also mentioned that the Third Mizukage should already be dead.

"This guy!!!"

Mei Terumi was somewhat annoyed. The reply was just this, without a single explanation, and it so readily agreed on a time and place. Wasn't she afraid I would report it?

When the time comes, the Hidden Mist Village will send out a pursuit force to capture you and give you a good beating.

Although she was indignant, she carefully memorized the message, then gently blew on it, using her boiling technique to completely evaporate it.

The worry that had been etched on his face had completely vanished, and his eyes were brighter. Compared to his previous melancholy, he looked completely refreshed.

But at the same time, there were some doubts. How did this guy know about the Third Mizukage's death when the higher-ups had clearly blocked the news?

It is difficult for ninjas from other villages to infiltrate the Land of Water to gather intelligence.

After all, the people on the island are easily distinguishable from those outside.

Despite her doubts, she keenly sensed that this matter was likely related to Izumi's departure from Kirigakure.

But... the land of rivers, huh?

Recalling the address she had just memorized, and knowing that three days would be enough time for her to prepare, she quietly left Kirigakure and went to meet them.

"When we meet, I'll make sure he gives me an explanation for why I left," Mei Terumi thought to herself.

In her eyes, Izumikawa neither killed Senior Ao nor any other ninjas from the same village, so he was not a rogue ninja at all.

There must be some reason why they left Kirigakure. Could it be related to the Third Mizukage mentioned earlier?

Reflecting on the changes over the years of the Third Mizukage, including the implementation of the "Village of Blood Mist" policy and his reclusive lifestyle, rarely appearing in public and only conveying orders.

Mei Terumi shook her head violently, not daring to think any further. That was the Third Mizukage; there couldn't possibly be anything wrong with her.

Having vaguely guessed something, a gloomy feeling settled over her again. It seemed that the answer would only be known when she met Izumi.

……

Similarly, in Sunagakure, Pakura's apprentice, Maki, looked at the secret letter in his hand with a somewhat flustered expression.

"It's a teacher!?"

"My teacher actually contacted me! What... what should I do?"

Her mind was in a state of confusion and she was extremely anxious. She had no idea what to do, whether to report it to the village or keep it a secret.

If it were reported to the village, that would be his teacher, who had been so good to him and was a hero of the village.

Originally, Maki was proud to have become a disciple of her teacher, but now that her teacher has become a rogue ninja who has disrupted the peace of the village, she has also been implicated.

As a genin, she received many strange looks, which made her feel wronged. She felt that her teacher was definitely not that kind of person.

However, the village has already judged him as a rogue ninja, which is an undeniable fact. Even if he argues, he cannot convince others and instead invites ridicule.

This made her somewhat indignant. They clearly didn't understand their teacher, and the teacher had made so many contributions when fighting against the Mist Ninja. What right did they have to say that?

After struggling internally, Juan finally made up her mind to secretly go see the teacher, because she didn't believe the teacher would harm her.

Furthermore, the teacher must not be a rogue ninja; there must be other reasons.

The initial panic subsided slightly, but her lack of experience made her appear somewhat furtive, attracting some attention.

This intelligence was also presented on Luo Sha's desk, causing the other party to reveal a gloomy expression.

"Yakura!"

This name that displeased him, the bloodline limit of Scorching Release, considerable strength, younger age, and prestige on the front lines against the Mist Ninja.

If the elders hadn't made that decision, he might not have been able to become the fourth Kazekage.

It seems that having someone keep an eye on people who are close to Yekura is quite useful.