Inside Terumi Mansion,

Elder Genji holds a report in his hand as he skims through it. ​​

Sigh…

"Finally… the civil war is over. The era of blood Mist is over."

He throws the scroll on the table.

"What about the Fourth Mizukage? How should we deal with him?"

Fuji questions him.

"About that…"

Elder Genji rubs his forehead in contemplation.

"Maybe we should ask for Izuna Uchiha's help after he returns from his trip."

Sigh…

He sighs and signals to Ao.

"Ao… the remaining elders of the High-Class faction may cause some trouble for us. You know what to do… right?"

"Yes… Genji-sama."

Ao bows his head and flickers out from the room.

"Is it a good idea to deal with them in such a way?" Fuji questions Elder Genji.

"The times have changed. Kiri is not the same as it used to be… the power of Kiri has deteriorated drastically after losing so many powerful clans.

Those fools must pay for their crimes… it needs drastic actions to make Kiri great again."

Elder Genji clutches his staff tightly.

Sigh…

Fuji sighs and closes his eyes in contemplation.

"Elder Genji!… what are your thoughts on the proposal of Izuna Uchiha? Should we ally with the Konohagakure?"

Hmm…

Elder Genji ponders for a while.

"Kiri still require time to wash its infamy as the 'Bloody Mist'. The actions of the Fourth Mizukage has stained the reputation of Kiri. The economy of the village is in shambles. There aren't many missions available in the village."

Elder Genji slowly stands up and walks towards the window as he gazes down on the village.

"I think it would be great for Kiri if we ally with Konoha… but the terms must be beneficial for Kiri."

Sigh…

Fuji sighs and walks beside Elder Genji.

"Elder Genji… I can't lead the Terumi clan any longer. I would like to pass this position to Mei. I want her to lead the village."

Fuji shakes his head.

"That girl… she just ran off with that Izuna Uchiha. I wonder what guy is up to?"

He turns towards Elder Genji for answers.

"Izuna Uchiha was interested in the origins of the Seven Swords of the Mist. I saw no harm in telling him the origin of those swords, as we have already excavated the ruins. If it helps in improving our relationship with a powerful Ninja like him… then why not?"

Elder Genji chuckles slightly as he assures Fuji.

--------------------

Somewhere in the middle of the Mist Sea,

Scree…

A giant eagle is soaring through the sky as the sea is covered in mist.

Izuna and Mei are seated on the back of the eagle as they look towards the sea.

"So… why did you follow me?"

Izuna turns towards Mei and questions her.

"The ruins of the Land of Water are a heritage of Kirigakure. I am here to monitor you… so you won't plunder the wealth of Kiri." Mei flashes an enchanting smile.

"…"

"So… you don't trust me."

"No… I don't." Mei nods her head.

"That hurts my feelings… Lady Mei… I acted as your bodyguard for almost a year and saved your life multiple times."

Humph…

"I… I would have been fine on my own."

Mei snorts and turns away her head to hide her embarrassment.

"Anyway… what rouse your interest in those old ruins?"

"This…"

Izuna takes out the glowing sword of Zengetsu from his storage scroll.

"Zengetsu passed this sword to me during his last moments. He wanted me to uncover the secrets of this sword. So… maybe I could get some answers from those ruins."

Mei nods her head in understanding.

'I never got the chance to inspect this blade properly.'

Izuna weights the blade in his hand.

"It's quite heavy for its size." He unwraps the cloth covering the blade.

The greatsword has a broken blade. He swings the blade a few times.

'What would I expect? It is a greatsword after all.'

He holds the great sword in one hand and inspects its blade.

There are some strange sealing formulas on the blade.

"I can't recognize these markings at all. I saw Zengetsu unleash a barrage of chakra blades with it.'

Izuna infuses his chakra in the blade.

Shiing…

The blade lits up with a cyan glow.

Swing… swing

Izuna swings the blade multiple times and releases cyan blades made out of chakra.

Hmm…

"It's interesting… but not that powerful."

He stows away the blade.

"I can't see a thing with this mist… can you see anything?" Mei asks him.

"Yes… I can everything. You don't have to worry about getting lost in the Mist Sea."

He assures Mei.

'So… this sea was created during the era of the Rikudou Sannin. Hagoromo Otsutsuki fought against the Ten-tails and sealed it inside the Moon. So… the current Mist Sea is situated in the missing mass of the Earth which created the moon. I wonder when I would be able to reach such scale of power… able to create a planet on whims.'

Nah…

Izuna shakes his head to remove such thoughts. He notices a lone island located in the Mist Sea. The island is located in between the Land of Water and the Land of Silence.

"We are there."

Huh!

Mei looks around but can't spot any traces of the island.

"Be careful… the First Mizukage-sama placed many sealing formulas and barrier around this place to prevent any outsider from intruding this heritage site." She warns him.

"You don't have to worry about me."

He jumps down from his eagle summons. Mei follows him.

Splash… splash…

Both of them land on top of the sea and walks towards the island.

Hmm…

Izuna notices a small rock formation at a distance from the island.

"Lightning Release: Chidori Senbon"

He throws multiple lightning senbons at the rock formation and destroys it.

"That rock formation was absorbing chakra from the surroundings, thus creating a genjutsu to hide the island from our sights. My Sharingan allows me to see through genjutsu… so it is useless against me."

Hmm…

Mei nods her head and walks towards the island.

Swoosh…

Izuna quickly pulls her back.

Chomp…

A giant fish jumps out from the water and bites at her previous position.

"Be careful… multiple giant sea creatures are lurking around this place."

Slash…

Izuna slashes the giant fish in half.

"We don't have to worry about our dinner anymore." Izuna drags the giant fish towards the shore.

The rest of the sea creatures disperses after witnessing the death of one of their kind.

"…"

Mei silently stares at his back.

"What are you waiting for? Let's explore this island." Izuna turns around and signals her.

"Ah… yes… yes…" Mei hurriedly follows him.

Both of them reach the island, and Izuna closes his eyes and enters Sage Mode. He surveys his surroundings for any hostile creatures.

Hmm…

His senses get blocked by an illusory barrier as he tries to sense the middle of the island.

'Looks like this area is similar to Shikkotsu forest. The center of this island is blocked by a separate space barrier.'

"The surroundings are clear for now… why don't we have our dinner?"

BAM…

Izuna places the giant fish on the ground.

Whoop…

He creates a giant wind blade and slices the fish.

"Do you know how to cook?" Mei walks towards him.

"Well… not really… but at least it won't taste awful."

Mei gathers some dry wood and creates fire.

Izuna grills the fish as he takes out some spices from his storage scroll.

An enchanting fragrance wafts out from the cooked fish as it enchants them.

Gulp…

Mei gulps her saliva as she impatiently stares at the fish.

"Hurry up! I am quite hungry after that journey."

"Hai… Hai… Lady Mei… your dinner will be ready soon." Izuna flips the fish as he prepares 'Grilled Fish Steaks'."

Humph…

"Don't call me Lady Mei. Just Mei is fine. I had my fair share of blood during and after the Third Shinobi War. I am not some pampered princess who needs others to take care of her."

Mei takes a bite from the steak and eats it.

"Hmm… it tastes very good. I have never eaten a dish as delicious as this before."

Izuna takes a bite of the steak and his eyes widen in his surprise.

'This fish meat is infused with Nature energy… Maybe I should fish here more often to get these fishes. It won't be much beneficial for me because of my large reserves of chakra… but it would benefit Shisui and the rest of the folks.'

He continues to enjoy the delicious fish steak.

Burp…

A loud burp interrupts his thoughts.

"You didn't hear that," Mei yells at him in embarrassment.

"…"

"Yes…" Izuna nods his head.

"We will explore the island tomorrow… let's make a shelter for tonight." Izuna proposes.

He makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.

Rustle… Rustle…

Many wooden logs appear from the ground and form a small house.

"WHAT!"

Mei's eyes widen in surprise as she stares at the house.

"Wood Release… it is the legendary wood release. How are you able to use it?"

"Well… I can use every Nature transformation Kekkei Genkai." Izuna spits out some lava from his mouth.

"WHAT!"

Mei stares at Izuna for a while before shaking her head.

"I don't know what to say at this point."

She enters the house and stares at the Mist Sea from the window.

Whizz…

A gentle breeze blows by as it flutters Mei's auburn hair. A silver beam of moonlight enters through the window, illuminating Mei's face. Her smile enchants the night.

"Beautiful"

Izuna silently stares at her as he records this moment in his memories.