Of course, that was only what she was thinking.
The Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei, would never say it outright.
After all, there was a big difference between her subordinates proposing it and her personally suggesting surrender.
Besides, as the Mizukage, she had to maintain some dignity and authority.
"So… that's the situation, huh?"
Under those circumstances, Terumi Mei deliberately showed a troubled expression. After a moment of hesitation, she said awkwardly,
"Kirigakure is still one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.If we surrender like this… wouldn't it be too humiliating? People might laugh at us."
"It's not humiliating!"
Hearing that, the head of the Hōzuki Clan panicked slightly and hurriedly spoke up.
"A wise man adapts to the times. Konoha is that powerful, and the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, is overwhelmingly strong. Kirigakure is simply making the most rational choice."
"That's right! Since when do we need to care about what others think?"
"Lady Mizukage, as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure should take the lead and set an example by submitting to Konoha."
"The early bird gets the worm. It's time for Kirigakure to make its decision."
Once the Hōzuki Clan leader spoke, the other high-ranking officials of Kirigakure—Ao, Chōjūrō, and the rest—hesitated briefly before quickly voicing their agreement.
Their message was extremely clear:
Kirigakure surrendering to Konoha was the wisest choice.
After all—
if you can't beat them, join them.
There was nothing wrong with that.
"…Uh."
Terumi Mei was suddenly at a loss for words.
Damn it.
She had only been playing hard to get, testing their reactions.
But these Kirigakure officials had instantly thrown themselves toward Konoha, acting as though they wished they had been born in Konoha and would die as Konoha shinobi.
Still—
confusing as it was, Terumi Mei could understand their reasoning.
After all, Konoha had grown far too powerful.
And the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, was practically unstoppable.
That left Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Villages, with very few options.
"…Fine."
After a long silence, Terumi Mei finally took a deep breath and said solemnly,
"I will contact Konoha's leadership and formally express Kirigakure's willingness to submit."
Sigh…
After saying that, Terumi Mei shook her head slightly.
It felt as though a heavy stone inside her chest had finally fallen away.
"Yes, Lady Mizukage."
"Yes, Lady Mizukage."
"Yes, Lady Mizukage."
Ao, Chōjūrō, the Hōzuki Clan leader, and the others all showed faint smiles and nodded quickly.
They understood very well—
once Kirigakure aligned itself with Konoha, many of their current problems would solve themselves.
Kirigakure would rise rapidly, and the village's overall strength would grow significantly.
"Good. Very good. Excellent."
Suddenly—
a calm and indifferent voice echoed through the room.
Before Terumi Mei, Ao, and Chōjūrō could even react—
the office door swung open.
A figure wearing the Hokage's white cloak stepped forward.
In the next instant—
Uchiha Ren appeared inside the office.
Silence.
The entire room fell deathly quiet.
Staring at the Fifth Hokage standing before them, Terumi Mei, Ao, Chōjūrō, the Hōzuki Clan leader, and the other Kirigakure officials froze in place, their minds blank.
"Aah!"
After several seconds, Terumi Mei was the first to react.
Perhaps out of sheer shock, she sprang up from her chair, staring at Uchiha Ren as if she had just seen a ghost.
What kind of joke was this?
They had literally just been discussing the Fifth Hokage—
and now Uchiha Ren had suddenly appeared in the office.
It was practically terrifying.
After all, in the current shinobi world, the Fifth Hokage was widely regarded as invincible.
His ambition to unify the shinobi world was no secret either.
"Th-The Fifth Hokage?!"
"No way…"
"That man actually came to Kirigakure?!"
Ao, Chōjūrō, the Hōzuki Clan leader, and the other officials were no better off.
Their bodies trembled as they stared at him in disbelief.
No one had expected the Fifth Hokage to appear so suddenly.
It was simply too frightening.
"You… what do you want?"
Terumi Mei finally regained her composure.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to speak.
"Kirigakure has never interfered with Konoha's affairs."
"I don't want anything."
Looking at Terumi Mei—whose body was still trembling slightly—Uchiha Ren shrugged casually and said in a relaxed tone,
"I was bored, so I came to the Mizukage's office to take a look around."
Honestly—
even Uchiha Ren himself hadn't expected that the Kirigakure leadership would already be discussing surrendering to Konoha.
More importantly—
Terumi Mei herself seemed somewhat inclined to support the idea of Kirigakure joining Konoha.
That caught him slightly off guard.
"…Just looking around?"
Terumi Mei's beautiful face twitched slightly.
She opened her mouth as if to say something—
but realized she no longer had the courage to speak.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably.
Thud—
someone collapsed to the floor.
One of Kirigakure's officials, perhaps overwhelmed by the shock of seeing the Fifth Hokage in person, had gone weak at the knees and fainted on the spot.
"Fifth Hokage…"
Seeing that, the Hōzuki Clan leader panicked immediately.
He dropped to one knee and said respectfully,
"We were just discussing submitting to Konoha."
"Kirigakure is willing to submit to Konoha."
"Konoha deserves our allegiance."
"The Fifth Hokage will surely lead the shinobi world into a new era."
Immediately afterward—
Ao, Chōjūrō, and the other Kirigakure officials also knelt on one knee and spoke with deep respect.
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