LRAB Chapter 222 Mei Terumi's Thoughts!
Chapter 222 Mei Terumi's Thoughts!
Chapter 222 Mei Terumi's Thoughts!
Mei Terumi and Ao walked silently toward the village through the rain, both of them with heavy hearts, wanting to say countless things but unwilling to utter a sound.
"Are you really going to do what that monster said—what Uchiha Izumi said?" In the end, Ao, who hadn't spoken until now, couldn't help but ask. In terms of age alone, Ao should be Mei Terumi's senior, but in front of Mei Terumi now, Ao, as an elite Jonin, subconsciously put himself in the position of a subordinate.
"—We have no other choice." Mei Terumi's voice was unusually tired. It's not hard to imagine the pressure she was under at this moment, having taken the initiative to cooperate with a Konoha ninja who had killed thousands of Kirigakure ninjas.
What's even more terrifying is that the Fourth Mizukage died at the hands of Uchiha Ikezumi. Even though Yagura had lost all popular support, the Mizukage's sense of justice remained unbreakable.
Unfortunately, she couldn't avenge the previous Mizukage and ascend to the throne of the Fifth Mizukage in the simplest and most direct way. Without a legitimate title, her words would lack authority, and Mei Terumi could already imagine how many people would stand up against her.
"That person is, after all, a Konoha ninja. If we use Konoha's attempt to annex Kirigakure as a pretext to attack the Lightning, Earth, and..."
"Feng Sanguo requests aid—" Qing said somewhat unwillingly. He couldn't utter a single word when facing the pressure from Uchiha Ikezumi, but now that he was out of danger, Qing's relatively quick mind started working again.
The fact that the five great nations of the ninja world have been able to maintain their current status is partly due to the fact that none of the three Shinobi World Wars could determine a victor, but also because there is a certain unspoken understanding among the five great nations.
Whichever country gains the upper hand in the Ninja World War will soon face relentless attacks from other major powers, just as when Kumogakure crossed its borders to attack Sunagakure, only to be ambushed by Iwagakure afterwards.
The stronger Uchiha Ikezumi is, the more tyrannical his actions become, and the more likely he is to arouse the suspicion of other major powers.
While Kirigakure may no longer be able to fight against Uchiha Ikezumi, Ao believes that Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure would definitely be interested in weakening Konoha or even eliminating a strong figure like Uchiha Ikezumi.
"Don't do anything rash, Ao. That man—Uchiha Ikezumi—is more terrifying than you think." Mei Terumi was slightly startled and subconsciously wanted to stop Ao, but she changed her words at the last minute. "The losses suffered by Kirigakure in recent years have been too devastating. Even if we successfully persuade those countries, it will be difficult for us to continue to protect the interests of the Land of Water with our current strength."
"But if that's the case—if that's the case—" Qing subconsciously covered his right eye, which was bulging with veins. Although he didn't know why the other person hadn't reacted, given his righteous and indignant nature, he might have to return the right eye that he had finally managed to take.
"With Uchiha Ikezumi's personality and style, even if we do nothing, he will eventually become the public enemy of the ninja world!" Mei Terumi glanced at Ao with a hint of helplessness. Of course, she didn't expect that the so-called public enemy of the ninja world could do anything to Uchiha Ikezumi, but at this point, only such a statement could make the unruly Kirigakure ninjas temporarily put up with it.
The reason for not confronting Uchiha Ikezumi was to wait for a better opportunity. Although this was a complete lie, it was enough to lull the rest of the village into a false sense of security.
"I see! As expected of you!" The dejected Qing finally cheered up. The desperate situation before him was indeed terrible, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, this elite Jonin would not be so easily crushed!
What Mei Terumi didn't expect was that Ao, whom she thought should be able to realize the truth, believed her fabricated story so easily, and even began to fantasize about how to use the power of the Lightning, Earth, and Wind Kingdoms to force Konoha and even Uchiha Ikezumi to pay the price for what they had done today.
"Go and gather the surviving ninjas first. With such a commotion in the village, recall all the ninjas stationed on the other islands as well!" Mei Terumi said wearily, rubbing her forehead. With Kirigakure's current military strength, it was no longer enough to support the structure of a major power. They had to consolidate their forces as much as possible to avoid any unforeseen events.
Ao's performance also forced her to re-examine her previous thoughts. Her plan to take all the blame on herself as the spokesperson for Uchiha Izumi seemed somewhat inappropriate.
Even an elite Jonin like Qing became so vulnerable under the pressure of Uchiha Izumi. Her plan to retire as a sinner and hand over the village to the new Mizukage after everything was over seemed a bit wishful thinking.
"Leave it to me! Wait, where are you going?" Ao nodded calmly, but when he saw Terumi Mei preparing to leave, his emotions, which had finally calmed down, immediately became tense again.
Ao's mental fortitude shouldn't have been so weak, but the pressure from Uchiha Ikezumi was like a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. When Mei Terumi was around, he could tell himself that he just needed to follow orders. But now that Mei Terumi was suddenly leaving, Ao panicked.
"I'll go seek Master's support." Mei Terumi glanced back in the direction of Izumi Uchiha. She had previously hoped that her self-sacrifice would bring Kirigakure back to order, but now it seemed even Ao was incapable of the task. Besides herself, Kirigakure probably had no one else capable of bearing the title of Fifth Mizukage. "I will succeed Yagura as Mizukage!"
"—I understand. I will persuade others to support you, Fifth Hokage!" Ao involuntarily widened his eyes, subconsciously wanting to object but unable to utter a word. It wasn't that he wanted to compete with Mei Terumi for the position of Mizukage, but he felt that becoming Mizukage was not a good idea.
But considering the current state of Kirigakure, if no one takes over the title of Mizukage, or if some foolish person takes over, the consequences will be unimaginable!
"Hurry, we can't afford to waste any time!" Mei Terumi pursed her lips and then rushed towards Genji's residence. She needed to persuade Genji as soon as possible, because only in this way could she become the Fifth Mizukage in the shortest amount of time!
Inside Kirigakure at this time, the remaining Kirigakure ninjas had gathered together. Apart from those who were on missions or stationed on outlying islands, most of the less than 500 Kirigakure ninjas had arrived. The rest were either injured and temporarily unable to fight, or too afraid to show themselves.
"Everyone's here! Get ready for battle! Let's move out!"
A Kirigakure Jonin with shark-tooth-like fangs urgently gave the order. Having just returned to the village, he had not witnessed the previous battle firsthand, only knowing that an enemy had invaded the village, defeated the Fourth Mizukage, and then wreaked havoc in the village.