In the curtain of rain, Mei and Ao walked silently toward the village. Both of their minds were exceptionally heavy. Countless words pressed at their lips, yet neither wished to be the first to speak.
"Are you really prepared to do as that monster… as Uchiha Keizumi said?"
In the end, it was Ao, who had remained silent the whole time, who could no longer hold back.
Judging purely by age, Ao should have been Mei's senior. Yet in front of the present Mei, Ao—an elite jōnin—unconsciously placed himself in the position of a subordinate.
"…We have no other choice."
Mei's voice was extremely weary. Taking the initiative to cooperate with a Konoha ninja who had slaughtered more than a thousand Kirigakure shinobi—one could easily imagine the pressure she was bearing at this moment.
Even more terrifying was the fact that the Fourth Mizukage had died at Keizumi's hands. Although Yagura had already lost the support of the people, the righteousness attached to the title of Mizukage still remained unshakable.
Yet she could not even use the simplest and most direct method—avenging the previous Mizukage—to ascend to the position of the Fifth Mizukage. Without legitimate grounds, words would carry no weight. Mei could already imagine how many people would soon step forward to oppose her.
"That person is, after all, a Konoha ninja. If we appeal to the Land of Lightning, Land of Earth, and Land of Wind for support on the grounds that Konoha is attempting to annex Kirigakure…"
Ao spoke somewhat unwillingly. When facing the pressure of Keizumi directly, he had been unable to utter a single word. But now that they were no longer in immediate danger, his still-agile mind began to turn once again.
The structure of the Five Great Nations had endured in the shinobi world until today. On one hand, it was true that none of the Three Great Shinobi Wars had produced a decisive victor. But on the other hand, the Five Great Nations also maintained a certain unspoken understanding.
Whenever one nation gained the upper hand in a great war, it would soon face ruthless blows from the other major powers.
Just as Kumogakure had once crossed national borders to attack Sunagakure, only to be ambushed afterward by Iwagakure.
The stronger Keizumi was, and the more domineering his actions appeared, the more easily he would provoke the vigilance of the other great powers.
Although Kirigakure no longer possessed the strength to continue opposing Keizumi, in Ao's view, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure would certainly be interested in weakening Konoha—or even directly eliminating a powerhouse like Keizumi.
"Don't do anything rash, Ao. That man… Uchiha Keizumi is even more terrifying than you imagine."
Mei was slightly startled and instinctively wanted to stop Ao, but when the words reached her lips, she changed what she was going to say.
"Kirigakure's losses over these past years have been far too severe. Even if we successfully persuade those countries, with our current strength alone, it would still be difficult for us to continue safeguarding the interests of the Land of Water."
"But if that's the case… if that's the case…"
Ao instinctively covered his right eye, where the veins were bulging. Although he did not know why that person had not acted up, given his personality of hating evil as though it were his enemy, there was a real chance that he would have to return this right eye that he had only just managed to obtain.
"…Given Uchiha Keizumi's personality and way of doing things, even if we do nothing, sooner or later he will become a public enemy of the shinobi world!"
Mei glanced at Ao somewhat helplessly. Of course, she would not expect some so-called public enemy of the shinobi world to be enough to deal with Keizumi. But at this point, only that kind of explanation could make the proud and unruly Kirigakure shinobi endure for the time being.
Not fighting Keizumi to the bitter end was for the sake of waiting for a better opportunity. Although this was a thoroughgoing lie, it could at least barely numb the others in the village for a while.
"I see! As expected of you!"
The dispirited Ao finally pulled himself together. The desperate situation before them was indeed terrifying, but as long as there was still a sliver of hope, an elite jōnin like him would not be so easily crushed.
What Mei had not expected, however, was that Ao—who in her view should have been able to perceive the truth—had so readily believed the explanation she had made up, and had even begun imagining how to use the power of the Land of Lightning, Land of Earth, and Land of Wind to force Konoha, or even Keizumi, to pay the price for what had happened today.
"You go gather the surviving shinobi first. Such a huge disturbance has broken out in the village—recall all the shinobi stationed on the other islands as well."
Mei rubbed her forehead and spoke wearily. With Kirigakure's current military strength, it was no longer enough to maintain the façade expected of a great nation. They had to contract their forces as much as possible to avoid any accidents.
Ao's reaction also forced her to begin reexamining what she had been thinking before. That plan of taking on all the blame herself in the role of Keizumi's spokesperson now seemed somewhat ill-timed.
If even an elite jōnin like Ao had become so unbearable under the pressure of Keizumi, then the plan she had envisioned—waiting until everything was over, retreating into the background as a sinner, and handing the village over to the new Mizukage—seemed a bit too much like wishful thinking.
"Leave it to me! Wait—where are you going?"
Ao nodded very steadily. But when he saw Mei preparing to leave, the emotions he had only just managed to calm immediately tensed up again.
Given Ao's mental fortitude, he should not have appeared so shaken. However, the pressure brought by Keizumi was like a mountain pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe. When Mei was present, he could still tell himself that he only needed to carry out orders. Now that Mei was suddenly leaving, Ao immediately became flustered.
"I'm going to seek Genji's support."
Mei glanced back in the direction where Keizumi was. Previously, she had still hoped that through self-sacrifice she could allow Kirigakure to return to the right track. But now it seemed that even Ao could hardly shoulder such a heavy responsibility. In the current Kirigakure, apart from herself, there was probably no one left who could bear the name of the Fifth Mizukage.
"I will replace Yagura and become the Mizukage!"
"…I understand. I will persuade the others to support you, Fifth!"
Ao's eyes widened involuntarily. Instinctively, he wanted to speak in opposition, yet the words would not come out. It was not that he wished to compete with Mei for the position of Mizukage—he simply felt that becoming Mizukage at this moment was not a good idea.
But when he thought about the current situation of Kirigakure, if no one assumed the title of Mizukage—or if some reckless fool were to take the position—the consequences would be unimaginable.
"As soon as possible. We don't have time to waste."
Mei merely pressed her lips together slightly, then hurried toward Genji's residence. She needed to persuade Genji as quickly as possible. Only then could she become the Fifth Mizukage in the shortest possible time.
At this moment, inside Kirigakure, the remaining Kirigakure shinobi had already gathered together one after another. Aside from those who were out on missions or stationed on outer islands, fewer than five hundred shinobi remained in total in Kirigakure, and more than half had already arrived. The rest were either injured and temporarily unable to fight, or so frightened that they had chosen to hide and dared not show themselves.
"Is everyone here?! Prepare for battle! Move out now!"
A Kirigakure jōnin with shark-like pointed teeth urgently issued the order. Having just returned to the village, he had not personally witnessed the earlier battle. He only knew that an external enemy had invaded the village, defeated the Fourth Mizukage, and then begun slaughtering people inside the village.