"Good. Very good, Mifune. Next time we meet, I hope you won't be begging for mercy." Yagura Karatachi's face darkened. He waved his hand dis
"Good. Very good, Mifune. Next time we meet, I hope you won't be begging for mercy." Yagura Karatachi's face darkened. He waved his hand dismissively, turning to the Fourth Raikage and the others. "Let's find a place to continue this discussion."
"Uchiha Kai infiltrated Kumogakure and escaped unscathed. His danger is clear for all to see. We must unite against him."
"Hmph, we appreciate the Mizukage's offer, but under these circumstances, I'm worried you're luring us to Kirigakure to wipe us out," the Fourth Raikage sneered, turning to leave. He found Yagura's offer incredibly insensitive.
Killer Bee and Dodai followed without hesitation.
"Heh, the Raikage's words were a bit harsh, Fourth Mizukage. Please don't mind him," Ōnoki said with a strained laugh. "However, the situation is unclear. We don't know if Uchiha Kai will attack other villages. Instead of focusing on an alliance, let's return to our villages and prevent being ambushed like Kumogakure."
"Mizukage, until next time."
Rasa, who had remained silent until now, offered a casual farewell before turning to leave as well.
"Let's go!" Mifune, without hesitation, gave the order, and he and his retinue of samurai turned and left.
With the heavy iron gates slamming shut with a resounding bang, only Yagura Karatachi, Mei Terumī, and the others remained in the vast ruins, their faces grim.
"Mizukage-sama, what do we do now?" Mei Terumī asked anxiously.
Initially, she had been concerned about the possibility of a successful alliance of the Five Great Nations against Uchiha Kai. She hadn't anticipated such a rapid and dramatic change in events.
Even the Raikage, who had initially seemed unconcerned, had nearly lost Kumogakure.
In their eyes, being effortlessly infiltrated, having their rebellion quelled, and having a tailed beast taken was far worse than a three-day, three-night battle against Kai, even if that resulted in heavy casualties. At least that would have been a battle fought for honor, not a humiliating defeat where they passively accepted Kai's "generosity."
The effortless suppression of the rebellion and the surrender of the rampaging tailed beast were nothing short of ironic.
"Hmph, what else can we do? You should all return to your villages immediately," Yagura Karatachi sneered, his voice filled with resentment. "I will repay Uchiha Kai for this."
Mei Terumī's expression faltered. "Mizukage-sama, aren't you returning with us?"
"What? Do I need your permission? Are you the Mizukage, or am I?" Yagura Karatachi's face darkened. "Or do you think I'm unfit to be Mizukage and you intend to usurp my authority?"
The atmosphere shifted dramatically. Mei Terumī's expression changed, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Chōjūrō interjected, "Mizukage-sama, please don't misunderstand. Mei Terumī is concerned for your safety and only dared to ask because the Mizukage's safety is paramount to Kirigakure's honor and survival."
"Hmph, I will tell you what you need to know. Don't pry into what you shouldn't.
Unless you think I'll be assassinated by Uchiha Kai, you may return to the village. I have matters to attend to," Yagura Karatachi said coldly, sweeping his gaze over them before turning and leaving.
Only Mei Terumī, Chōjūrō, and the others remained in the vast ruins, their expressions varied.
"Weak, and short-tempered," Suigetsu Hozuki said suddenly, glancing at the chipped blade of his Kubikiribōchō. He sheathed his sword with a snort. "I'm leaving."
"Suigetsu's still the same," Chōjūrō sighed. "Mei Terumī, don't worry about what the Mizukage said. Let's catch up with Suigetsu; I fear he'll cause trouble."
Mei Terumī nodded, and they quickly followed Suigetsu.
Half a minute later, a figure emerged from the earth like a ghost, its crimson tongue flicking out, a playful glint in its eyes.
"Heh, I didn't expect the Five Kage Summit to turn out like this.
Thanks to Uchiha Kai, I had the opportunity to infiltrate the Land of Iron and collect quite a few specimens. I will have my revenge!"
The long speech ended on a chilling note.
Soon, another dark figure emerged from the earth. His dual-toned face and ability to seamlessly blend with the earth revealed his identity.
"Orochimaru, it seems you've found some satisfactory specimens," Black Zetsu said, chuckling. "The Land of Iron has always maintained neutrality. While the samurai don't use ninjutsu, their strong warriors are comparable to jōnin.
Successfully using Edo Tensei on them will significantly strengthen your immortal army."
Orochimaru showed no surprise at Black Zetsu's sudden appearance. After his retreat from Konoha and his separation from Danzō, he had encountered Black Zetsu, a mysterious figure.
At first, he had shown little interest in this secretive and cowardly individual. However, after a brief exchange, when Black Zetsu displayed a mastery of Wood Release—a jutsu only the First Hokage had possessed—Orochimaru felt his scientific achievements had been challenged.
Even a Wood Release survivor he had painstakingly created, struggled with the technique. Yet, this self-proclaimed instigator of the dark turmoil wielded it with near-perfection.
Of course, this "perfection" was only in comparison to Orochimaru's experimental results; it still paled in comparison to Hashirama Senju's mastery.
However, the promise of Black Zetsu offering himself as a test subject and providing White Zetsu clones for experimentation had led Orochimaru to accept the alliance. In Orochimaru's eyes, this so-called alliance was merely a mutually exploitative relationship that served his ambitions.
"Orochimaru, must you always look so predatory? I'll keep my promise. This is a White Zetsu clone with Wood Release cells. Integrating it into your experiments will greatly benefit Edo Tensei," Black Zetsu said, chuckling.
With that, a White Zetsu corpse rapidly formed and detached from Black Zetsu's body, falling to the ground.
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