Rising Shadows: Uchiha's Wrath

"You... monster..."

Terumi Mei's voice was barely above a whisper, her gaze locked onto the devastation before her.

Just moments ago, the Mist Ninja Village had been alive, bustling with activity. Now, it lay in ruins.

Her mind struggled to process it, the overwhelming destruction, the loss. A sharp ache twisted inside her chest, but Kaito, standing beside her, seemed oblivious to it all.

He broke the silence, his tone disturbingly casual. "What do you think? Impressive, right?"

The words snapped her out of her shock, and she turned to him, disbelief and fury rising in her throat.

"Why?" she choked out, trembling. "I agreed to your terms. I agreed to cooperate!"

Her voice gained strength as she continued, her anger surging. "How could you still do this?! Is this your idea of peace?! Hundreds of thousands of lives—wiped out, just like that!"

Kaito's expression didn't waver. He met her desperate eyes with a faint, cold smile.

"You've got it wrong," he replied. "It's only a village."

***

The callousness in his voice left Terumi Mei speechless once again. She couldn't fathom the type of heart that could say such a thing—especially behind the face of a boy who appeared no older than thirteen or fourteen.

Noticing her shock, Kaito sighed and rubbed his forehead as though she was the one being unreasonable.

He spoke again, with a calm yet sharp tone, "The most important thing for a ninja is to observe their environment. Haven't you noticed anything?"

"W-what?" Terumi Mei blinked, confusion overtaking her.

Then, a realization struck her. Her eyes darted downward, scanning the village below. But something was off.

Too quiet. Eerily quiet.

Kaito's attack was devastating, but there should've been some survivors—there always were. The lucky ones or those with powerful defenses. At the very least, someone should be crying out in agony, or scrambling out of the rubble.

But the village lay utterly silent, as though it had never been inhabited.

"Uninhabited?!" Terumi Mei gasped, her heart racing. 

She realized something was deeply wrong. She should've heard patrols earlier—when she used Boil Release, there should have been a reaction from the guards or the residents. 

But no one had shown up. 

The curfew in Mist Ninja Village was notoriously strict, and yet, there had been no movement.

...

"Realized it, have you?" Kaito's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Terumi Mei turned sharply toward him, her voice laced with desperation, "This isn't Mist Ninja Village! What... what is going on? And why can't I move?! Release me!"

She glared at him, furious but helpless.

Seeing her reaction, Kaito chuckled softly, clearly enjoying her frustration. "This is indeed not the real village. This is a mirror space I created, modeled after Mist Ninja Village."

"Everything here looks the same as the real world, but the rules of this space are mine. The destruction here won't affect the real village outside."

"But..." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "Anyone who dies here... dies for real."

"Mirror space?" Terumi Mei's eyes filled with confusion. She had never heard of such a thing. 

But one thing was clear—this destruction was a warning. Kaito was showing her what would happen to the real Mist Ninja Village if she crossed him.

...

Kaito nodded as if reading her thoughts, then waved his hand toward the ground below. The ruined village began to reform, the devastation disappearing in an instant.

Within moments, the village was restored to its pre-destruction state.

As the dust settled, Kaito and Terumi Mei gently landed on the ground. 

Just then, two masked Mist Anbu ninjas approached them, oblivious to the chaos that had just unfolded.

The two curfew inspectors, assigned by Yagura, walked past Terumi Mei as if she and Kaito weren't even there.

She waved her hand in front of them, but her arm passed right through their bodies, as though they existed on a different plane.

"This is... unreal," she murmured, eyes wide. "Even the legendary Sage of Six Paths couldn't do this."

She paused, her voice dropping to a quieter, more resigned tone. "I'm beginning to believe you might actually surpass Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara."

"I've always believed it," Kaito replied with a casual shrug.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, the room shifted, and they were back in their original location, as though nothing had happened.

Kaito stretched leisurely and added, "Remember, in three days—do nothing. Just watch with your people."

His eyes lingered on Terumi Mei for a moment, as if assessing her resolve. "I hope you honor your word. It's the only chance your village has left. Otherwise..."

He left the threat unspoken, disappearing from the room before Terumi Mei could react.

The world around her cracked like a mirror, only to return to its normal state moments later.

Terumi Mei sighed, sinking into the sofa. She whispered to herself, "What... what should I do?"

She had initially agreed to Kaito's terms to buy time, hoping to come up with a plan to counter him. But after witnessing what he could do to the Mist Village—her home—those plans had evaporated.

Her mind raced, but the night passed in a haze of uncertainty. By the time the first rays of sunlight crept into the room, she had made her decision.

Working with Kaito could lead to the village's ruin. But refusing him outright? That guaranteed it.

With a new resolve, Terumi Mei knew what had to be done. She would convince her faction to go along with Kaito's plan, no matter the risks. She had the authority and the influence to do it.

As the curfew lifted and the village began to stir, she wasted no time. Changing into fresh clothes, she left her quarters and sped off toward her next move, a grim determination in her step.