Chapter 117: Dealing with Konoha Is Inevitable!
Terumī Mei furrowed her brows tightly, her expression grave.
Kirigakure had only just begun to recover a little strength. There were still countless issues waiting to be resolved.
On top of that, they now faced the constant threat of Akatsuki—already enough to leave people breathless.
And yet, at such a time, they received an order from the daimyō's office of the Land of Water: cooperate with Sunagakure in military action.
The situation was truly headache-inducing.
"You look very reluctant. Isn't dealing with Konoha one of our goals?"
Oborotsuki looked at Terumī Mei with a teasing smile.
To him, Konoha itself didn't matter at all.
Oborotsuki had only one true target: Uchiha Mikoto.
The Land of Wind was pressuring Konoha, and given the nature of Konoha's leadership, they would only redirect that pressure onto the Uchiha clan.
When that happened, it would only take one impulsive moment for the Uchiha to decide rebellion was their only path.
And once the Uchiha clashed with Konoha—that would be Oborotsuki's perfect opportunity…
"Oborotsuki, you've lived through war yourself. How can you still say something like that?"
Terumī Mei rolled her eyes at him in exasperation.
Then, with a serious expression, she began explaining to Oborotsuki in detail.
"On the surface, this looks like a three-way problem between Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha."
"But if you think carefully, you'll realize—if the three of us start fighting, what do you think the other two great nations will do?"
"The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning have never been ones to sit quietly."
Despite her young age, Terumī Mei had a very clear and thorough understanding of the ninja world's political landscape.
Oborotsuki couldn't help but see her in a new light.
No wonder she had been chosen as the Fourth Mizukage's successor.
This woman truly had real ability.
"If they want to fight, just let them all join in."
Oborotsuki said excitedly with a laugh.
"You…"
Terumī Mei was rendered speechless by his words.
"Are you even listening to me? Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious."
Oborotsuki shrugged nonchalantly:
"Since those nations love invading others so much, since they love taking advantage of others' weakness so much—
Then let them all fight at once until they're satisfied.
The Third Great Ninja War clearly wasn't enough. Everyone still has energy left to keep causing trouble.
So let them fight until the sky falls and the earth splits—until none of them have any strength left to stir up more chaos.
Wouldn't that solve most of the problems in one go?"
Oborotsuki began spouting complete nonsense with a perfectly straight face.
His outrageous statement made Terumī Mei's brows knit even tighter. She waved her hand dismissively:
"Forget it. Go back to sleep. Your brain clearly isn't working right…"
"Come find me again after you've rested."
Terumī Mei helplessly shook her head. She had no intention of continuing to argue nonsense with Oborotsuki.
Right now she needed to make immediate arrangements and preparations.
She had to be ready for action that could begin at any moment.
"By the way—do you really obey the daimyō of the Land of Water so completely?"
Oborotsuki asked curiously, looking at Terumī Mei.
His question caught her slightly off guard. She looked up at him deeply before shaking her head:
"I know what you're trying to say."
"But this isn't just the daimyō's order. Attacking Konoha also aligns with Kirigakure's own interests."
"Moreover, according to current intelligence, the one who invaded Sunagakure, controlled the One-Tail Shukaku to destroy their village, and abducted the tailed beast… was a member of the Uchiha clan."
"Only they possess Sharingan strong enough to pull off something like that…"
"Oborotsuki, don't forget—we currently have several tailed beasts right here in Kirigakure."
"If the Uchiha can control Sunagakure's One-Tail with their Sharingan, who's to say they couldn't use the same power to control other tailed beasts?"
"Whether it's revenge for Sunagakure or protecting our own security—dealing with Konoha is inevitable!"
Terumī Mei finished speaking seriously and no longer paid attention to Oborotsuki.
She knew very well what kind of person he was—someone who lived freely and hated being constrained.
So she didn't expect him to understand her position—the weight of responsibility and pressure she carried as Mizukage of Kirigakure.
"Ahhh…"
"You're the one in charge of Kirigakure, of course you call the shots on this kind of thing."
"But don't forget—I'm the Mizukage's advisor…"
"If you decide to go, at least let me know when we're leaving, got it?"
Oborotsuki said, looking down at Terumī Mei with a half-smiling, half-teasing expression.
"So… are you actually worried about me?"
Terumī Mei paused for a moment, then smiled.
Though her tone was teasing, a small spark of happiness flickered in her heart.
She had just been thinking she'd only casually inform Oborotsuki without expecting him to understand her position or feelings.
But now this guy was actually showing concern for her.
It meant… he did care about her, even just a little…
"My own wife having trouble? Of course I have to go personally!"
Oborotsuki answered with righteous confidence.
"Get lost!"
"Who's your wife?!"
Terumī Mei's heart bloomed with joy, but she stubbornly refused to admit it.
After all, she hadn't actually married this guy yet—how could he casually take advantage like that?
But unexpectedly, Oborotsuki suddenly widened his eyes in mock surprise:
"Wait… did you misunderstand something?"
"Misunderstand?"
"Yeah—I was talking about Kushina, Konan, and the others. If Kirigakure is threatened, that means they—and their children—are threatened."
"Of course I can't just sit by and do nothing!"
Oborotsuki explained with a perfectly serious face, then helplessly spread his hands and gave Terumī Mei a meaningful look.
Terumī Mei's face slowly turned red.
"You… you thought I was talking about you?"
Oborotsuki grinned wickedly.
The question made Terumī Mei even more embarrassed.
"You—!"
The word "die" was halfway out of her mouth when she suddenly smiled faintly:
"Get lost already! Go wherever you want to cool off! Stop talking nonsense—I don't have time to banter with you!"
Even though she knew perfectly well Oborotsuki was deliberately teasing her,
When he said those words earlier—when he said the "wives" he wanted to protect were Kushina, Kurenai, Mayumi, and the others, and not her—
At that moment, Terumī Mei genuinely felt a sharp pain in her heart, as though something had pierced it.
Oborotsuki had always been thick-skinned. He didn't care at all whether Terumī Mei was genuinely angry.
He laughed heartily, still not quite satisfied, and continued teasing her:
"Don't be disappointed!"
"If you marry me, won't you become my wife too?"
"Then I can protect you openly and honestly!"
Though that was what he said out loud, in his heart, Oborotsuki was actually thinking of Uchiha Mikoto back in Konoha…
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