Shihouin Naraku approached the gathered delegates with measured, confident steps.
The Mist ninja watched as the legendary figure who had defeated Fourth Mizukage Yagura and the Three-Tails Isobu drew closer to their position. Although they knew they should demonstrate unity in the face of their former enemy, the overwhelming presence of the world's strongest ninja caused them to unconsciously create more space between themselves and his path.
This was the true power wielded by the world's most formidable shinobi—an influence that transcended mere physical strength.
Ao was perspiring heavily despite the cool air. In order to ensure maximum security awareness, he had kept his Byakugan active throughout their wait. However, he had completely failed to detect Shihouin Naraku's arrival, which represented a catastrophic failure in his duties as a sensor ninja.
Now, facing the seemingly harmless Shihouin Naraku as he approached their group, Ao genuinely felt the crushing pressure of an immovable mountain settling across his shoulders.
The psychological strain was nearly enough to drive a person to madness.
"Lord Naraku, this isn't our first encounter," Terumi Mei announced clearly.
At this critical moment, unable to bear watching her subordinates lose their composure under Shihouin Naraku's intimidating presence, she stepped forward to take command of the situation.
"Terumi Mei-sama is proving to be an exceptionally capable Mizukage," Naraku replied with genuine respect.
Logically speaking, someone in Shihouin Naraku's position had no legitimate authority to make such assessments about another nation's leadership.
After all, regardless of how powerful an advisor might be, he couldn't casually evaluate the performance of a foreign Kage without causing diplomatic incidents.
However, Naraku's situation was entirely different. As the acknowledged strongest individual in the ninja world, he possessed the unique qualifications to speak with such authority.
"Terumi Mei is genuinely pleased by Lord Naraku's assessment," she responded gracefully.
She covered her lips with one hand while laughing warmly, successfully diffusing much of the tense atmosphere that had settled over the gathering.
Naraku smiled and extended his hand in a gesture of diplomatic respect. "Allow me to repeat myself—Lord Terumi Mei is undoubtedly a highly qualified Mizukage."
"I believe Lord Naraku's judgment is absolutely correct," Terumi Mei replied diplomatically.
She extended her own hand and grasped Naraku's in a firm handshake.
A slightly warm palm and a distinctly cool hand—like flowing water—clasped together, symbolizing the promising beginning of improved relations between Konoha and Kirigakure.
Everyone present seemed to release a collective breath of relief upon witnessing this peaceful exchange.
This appeared to represent an excellent start to their diplomatic proceedings.
Following the formal handshake, Naraku stepped forward to coordinate with Hyūga Neji regarding the official escort transfer, then waited patiently for Terumi Mei and the Kirigakure delegation to cross into the Land of Fire.
Meanwhile, Ao and several other Kirigakure ninja would remain stationed at the border.
"Please exercise extreme caution, Mizukage-sama," Ao advised earnestly. "Although Konoha appears sincere in their intentions, we cannot predict what complications might arise during your visit..."
"Don't worry yourself unnecessarily, Ao," Terumi Mei interrupted gently.
"As one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, Tsunade is far too politically astute to engage in short-sighted actions."
Both Terumi Mei and Ao understood that the probability of Konoha taking hostile action against their delegation was actually quite minimal. However, they remained aware that other parties were undoubtedly monitoring the situation, hoping that unexpected complications would derail the negotiations between Konoha and Kirigakure.
As Terumi Mei's most trusted subordinate, Ao should logically have accompanied her into the Land of Fire. Unfortunately, his possession of a transplanted Byakugan made his presence extremely problematic for diplomatic relations.
Standing at the border checkpoint, Ao could sense that several Konoha ninja occasionally glanced toward his sealed Byakugan with barely concealed hostile intent.
It was easy to imagine that if Ao accompanied Terumi Mei to Konoha Village itself, the probability of these negotiations collapsing would increase dramatically.
The Hyuga clan would likely be unable to restrain themselves from attempting to reclaim their stolen kekkei genkai.
After all, Ao's possession of the Byakugan represented not only a source of shame for Konoha but also a deeply personal affront to the Hyuga clan's honor and pride.
Therefore, Ao could only remain outside the Land of Fire's borders to ensure that this strategically valuable Byakugan wouldn't be lost to Kirigakure.
Actually, Shihouin Naraku had deliberately chosen not to take action regarding this situation. During their previous encounter, Naraku certainly could have reclaimed Ao's transplanted Byakugan if he had desired to do so.
The relationship between the Hyuga clan and Naraku had remained relatively distant until Hyuga Hiashi became Naraku's subordinate and fought alongside him against the Hidden Cloud Village. Only then had they begun developing some degree of mutual respect and friendship.
However, it was difficult to characterize their relationship as particularly close even now.
Furthermore, Shihouin Naraku found the complicated dynamics between the Hyuga clan's main family and branch family systems distasteful, which led him to deliberately avoid becoming too deeply involved with their internal politics.
This explained why Naraku had chosen not to intervene in the Byakugan situation.
Walking along the well-maintained roads of the Land of Fire, Terumi Mei observed the surrounding environment with obvious curiosity, noting how completely different it appeared from the misty islands of the Land of Water.
"Mizukage-sama, the environment here in the Land of Fire is indeed quite pleasant," Naraku commented conversationally.
Terumi Mei could detect no trace of mockery in Naraku's observation, but she still felt compelled to defend her homeland.
"Each island in the Land of Water possesses its own unique natural beauty and charm. Actually, Lord Naraku, you should consider visiting again sometime..."
Midway through her invitation, Terumi Mei suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment and found herself unable to continue speaking.
She realized that Shihouin Naraku had already visited the Land of Water quite recently—and had killed their Fourth Mizukage during that trip, which was precisely how she had been able to assume the position of Fifth Mizukage.
If he were to visit again under similar circumstances, would she, the newly appointed Mizukage, also find herself eliminated by Shihouin Naraku?
"Hahaha, that's absolutely true," Naraku responded smoothly.
He seemed completely unaware of Terumi Mei's momentary embarrassment and continued building upon her earlier comment. "The environment of the Land of Water is indeed spectacular. I sincerely hope that after we finalize this treaty, both the Land of Water and Kirigakure will be able to achieve significant development and prosperity."
Terumi Mei quickly recovered her composure and resumed her diplomatic conversation with Naraku.
In this manner, Naraku led Terumi Mei and the Kirigakure delegation steadily toward Konoha Village.
Throughout the journey, the delegation members displayed varying emotional states—some appeared worried about potential consequences, others seemed dissatisfied with their current situation, and a few showed genuine curiosity about their surroundings. However, Terumi Mei remained absolutely resolute in her determination, fully aware that while this diplomatic initiative carried significant risks, it represented a necessary gamble for Kirigakure's future.
The journey was far from completely safe and uneventful.
Although Naraku served as the official escort for the Kirigakure delegation, numerous ANBU operatives carried out the actual security work from concealed positions.
These hidden guards had already dealt with several probing attacks and reconnaissance attempts without requiring Naraku's direct intervention.
In truth, unless hostile forces actually managed to penetrate directly to the delegation's immediate vicinity, Naraku would not take action personally.
His identity as the world's strongest ninja was sufficient to deter most individuals who might consider launching covert operations against the diplomatic mission.
His mere presence served to discourage potential attackers from taking action.
Of course, some minor probing attempts were inevitable and unavoidable.
After all, certain parties were genuinely questioning whether Shihouin Naraku was actually maintaining protective surveillance around the Kirigakure delegation.
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion echoed from somewhere in the distance.
The remaining members of the Kirigakure delegation immediately became alert, studying Shihouin Naraku with expressions mixing suspicion, fear, and anger.
However, neither Naraku nor Terumi Mei treated the distant explosion as a matter requiring immediate concern. Instead, they continued their casual conversation while walking steadily toward Konoha Village.
For individuals of their political and military status, minor disturbances couldn't be allowed to disrupt important diplomatic proceedings.
As senior leadership figures, if they worried about every small complication, they would face truly endless sources of anxiety and stress.
Terumi Mei, meanwhile, had developed complete faith in both Konoha's intentions and Shihouin Naraku's protective capabilities. She couldn't believe that anyone possessed the ability to successfully attack her while under this legendary figure's protection.
Additionally, Konoha certainly had no desire to have a foreign Mizukage die within their territorial borders.
Whether considering their international reputation or the potential military response from Kirigakure, Konoha would never permit such an incident to occur.
Therefore, Terumi Mei had no reason for concern and felt completely secure in her current circumstances.
Especially after witnessing Shihouin Naraku's overwhelming power firsthand, she couldn't imagine how any potential attackers could possibly break through this formidable warrior's defenses to threaten her safety.
Continuing in this manner, with only occasional distant attempts at interference, it didn't take long for the diplomatic group to arrive safely at the gates of Konohagakure.
As the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade stood prominently in front of Konoha's main entrance, personally welcoming the arrival of Fifth Mizukage Terumi Mei in a gesture of appropriate diplomatic respect.
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