"We're sorry, Commander Mei, but this is our duty!" one of the ANBU operatives called out, his voice tinged with reluctance. "Please, don't make this harder than it has to be!"
With that, the squad surged forward, their movements swift but hesitant, closing in on Terumi Mei like a pack of wary wolves. Chita Yasu, emboldened by their advance, crowed with arrogance. "Surrender, Mei! Resist in the Elder Council's domain, and you'll only dig your grave deeper. You'll lose any chance to save your precious brother!"
Mei's lips curled into a smile, but it was a chilling, predatory thing, her emerald eyes glinting with barely restrained fury. "You think I don't dare?" Her voice was a low, dangerous hiss. "Water Style: Water Dragon Whip!"
A massive sphere of water coalesced in her hands, shimmering with latent power. In an instant, countless tendrils of water lashed out, each whip-like strand slicing through the air with lethal precision. The ANBU cried out, their screams echoing as the water struck, sending them crashing to the ground, blood blooming like crimson flowers across the courtyard.
In a blur, Mei vanished, reappearing before Chita Yasu so swiftly he barely registered her movement. Her presence was a storm, her aura suffocating, a goddess of wrath descended.
Chita, undeterred, sneered, his confidence bolstered by his lineage. "Don't get cocky, Mei! Others might fear you, but I don't!" His hands flashed through seals, his voice sharp. "Water Style: Ice-Breaking Tiger!"
A roaring tiger formed of condensed water charged, its force shaking the earth as it slammed into Mei, hurling her backward. The ground quaked, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact, a testament to the jutsu's raw power.
"Hmph, is that all?" Chita scoffed, his smirk widening as he urged the tiger forward for a finishing blow. "Some ANBU commander. All show, no substance!"
But Mei's voice, cold and mocking, cut through his triumph, sounding impossibly close—behind him. "Underestimating who, Chita?"
The Mei struck by the tiger dissolved into water—a Water Clone. Chita's blood ran cold, his instincts screaming too late. Years of indulgence had dulled his reflexes, leaving him vulnerable.
Boom!
A whip-like kick, infused with thunderous force and a faint, floral scent, connected with Chita's chest. The impact sent him flying like a broken kite, crashing through a stone wall with a sickening crunch. He coughed blood, his body half-buried in rubble, pain radiating from shattered ribs.
Before he could recover, Mei's hand closed around his throat, her grip unrelenting as she slammed him deeper into the wall. "Crack!" His bones snapped under the force, his scream a guttural, animalistic wail.
"You really thought I wouldn't kill you?" Mei's voice was ice, her fingers tightening, the faint sound of cracking cartilage audible. Chita's legs thrashed, his eyes bulging, bloodshot and wild with terror. The pressure on his neck was suffocating, an iron vice he couldn't escape. For the first time, he understood—he was going to die.
"P-please… mercy… I… was… wrong…" he gasped, his voice a broken rasp.
Snap!
Mei didn't let him finish. With a twist of her wrist, she broke his neck, his body slumping lifelessly to the ground. A dragon's scales had been touched, and Mei's wrath was absolute. Threaten Ye Liangnai? Chita had signed his own death warrant.
Even in death, Chita's wide, unseeing eyes held shock. He'd never imagined Mei's ruthlessness, her decisiveness. I'm Elder Yuan Long's son! his fading thoughts screamed. She's just a washed-up ANBU commander with no real power! How dare she? Doesn't she fear retribution?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A flurry of movement surrounded Mei as a new wave of ANBU closed in, their weapons drawn, forming a tight circle. Before tensions could escalate, Elder Yuan Long arrived, hobbling forward with his cane, his face etched with frantic urgency. "Mei, let's talk! Don't do anything rash!"
Yuan Long knew Mei's temperament and strength better than his son ever had. She was Kirigakure's mightiest shinobi short of the Mizukage, a force no Elder Council guard could hope to contain. When truly enraged, Mei was a cold, merciless executioner. Chita's idiocy had likely cost him his life, and Yuan Long prayed he wasn't too late to salvage the situation.
Mei's smile was serene, but her eyes were daggers as she gestured to the corpse at her feet. "Too late, Elder. Chita Yasu, guilty of conspiring against a Kirigakure comrade and hero, Ye Liangnai, has been executed by my hand." Her voice turned mocking, her gaze sweeping the surrounding ANBU. "I've only been out of the ANBU commander's seat for two years, yet some dare challenge my authority. Perhaps I didn't make my mark clear enough."
Her stare was a predator's, hungry and unyielding, and not a single ANBU met her eyes. Their hearts quaked, as if her gaze could devour their very souls.
Yuan Long staggered, his face paling as if struck by lightning. "Chita… is dead?" His voice trembled, disbelief giving way to horror as he followed Mei's gesture. There lay his son, blood seeping from his orifices, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, his corpse a grotesque parody of life.
"Terumi Mei!" Yuan Long's roar was raw, his eyes blazing with fury, sharp enough to cut through steel. "How dare you!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Mei shot back, her voice steady, her eyes locked with his, unflinching. "A parasite like Chita—why let him linger? Better to cut out the rot now than let him fester, stirring discord. I've done the village a favor."
Yuan Long's face flushed crimson, his neck veins bulging as he bellowed, "You've gone too far!" He turned to the ANBU, his voice a whip. "Seize her! She's murdered Elder Chita Yasu and must face the Mizukage's judgment—her crime is death!"
But the ANBU hesitated, their eyes darting to a figure behind Mei, uncertainty etched in their postures. Yuan Long's gaze followed, his expression darkening further. "Akiya Taku, you dare stand against me? Do you know the consequences?"
Akiya Taku, Kirigakure's current ANBU commander, stepped forward, his lean frame exuding quiet authority. At thirty-something, his sharp eyes and confident demeanor commanded respect. "Consequences?" he chuckled, his tone light but edged with steel. "Is there a problem with Commander Mei's actions? Chita Yasu plotted against a Kirigakure hero, Ye Liangnai, with malicious intent. Per ANBU regulations, his execution was justified."
He fixed Yuan Long with a pointed stare. "Commander Mei's shown more than enough restraint, Elder. Let it go. And at your age, such anger's bad for your health."
Akiya turned to the encircling ANBU, his voice firm. "Stand down. Unless you plan to cross blades with your commander?"
The ANBU exchanged glances, their resolve crumbling. Facing their direct superior, defiance wasn't an option. One by one, they lowered their weapons and stepped back, leaving Yuan Long isolated.
"Well, well," Yuan Long spat, his fists trembling, knuckles white. "Colluding to defy the Elder Council? You're all plotting rebellion, aren't you?"