In the curtain of rain, Mei Terumi and Ao walked silently back toward the village. Both of them were weighed down with heavy thoughts—countless things they wanted to say, yet neither wanted to be the first to speak.
"Are you really going to do what that monster… what Uchiha Chizumi said?" In the end, it was Ao—who had kept quiet the whole time—who couldn't hold it in any longer. By age alone, Ao should've been Mei's senior, but in front of Mei as she was now, the elite jōnin unconsciously placed himself in the position of a subordinate.
"…We don't have a choice." Mei's voice was utterly exhausted. Choosing to work with a Konoha shinobi who had slaughtered over a thousand Kirigakure ninja—anyone could imagine what kind of pressure she was under.
Even worse, the Fourth Mizukage had died at Uchiha Chizumi's hands. Even if Yagura had lost all popular support, the authority and legitimacy of the Mizukage still couldn't be shaken.
And she couldn't even take the simplest, most brutal route—avenge the previous Mizukage and seize the seat as the Fifth Mizukage. Without that "righteous" justification, Mei could already picture how many people would step forward to oppose her next.
"He's still a Konoha ninja. If we ask the Lightning, Earth, and Wind Countries for aid—on the grounds that Konoha is trying to swallow Kirigakure…" Ao said unwillingly. When he had been facing Chizumi directly, he couldn't even force out a single word, but now that he was no longer in immediate danger, his still-sharp mind began working again.
The balance among the Five Great Nations had lasted to this day partly because the three great shinobi wars never produced a decisive victor—but also because the great powers shared an unspoken understanding.
No matter which nation gained the upper hand in a war, it would quickly face ruthless retaliation from the other great nations. Just like back then, when Kumogakure had crossed borders to strike Sunagakure—only to be ambushed by Iwagakure afterward.
The stronger Uchiha Chizumi was—and the more brutally he acted—the more it would provoke fear and suspicion from the other great nations.
Kirigakure might no longer have the strength to oppose Chizumi, but in Ao's view, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure would absolutely be interested in weakening Konoha—or even killing off a monster like Chizumi.
"Don't do anything rash, Ao. That man… Uchiha Chizumi is more terrifying than you think." Mei jolted slightly and instinctively tried to stop him, but at the last second she changed her wording. "Kirigakure's losses these past years have been too devastating. Even if we managed to persuade those countries, with our current strength, it would still be hard to protect the Land of Water's interests."
"But if we don't… if we don't…" Ao instinctively covered his right eye, veins bulging. He didn't know why that person hadn't acted, but with Chizumi's hatred of evil, the right eye Ao had fought so hard to obtain might end up being taken back.
"…With Uchiha Chizumi's personality and methods, even if we do nothing, sooner or later he'll become the shinobi world's public enemy," Mei said, shooting Ao a helpless look. Of course, she didn't truly believe "public enemy of the shinobi world" would be enough to deal with Chizumi—but at this point, only an explanation like that could make Kirigakure's proud, unruly shinobi endure for now.
Not fighting Chizumi to the bitter end was "to wait for a better opportunity." It was a complete lie, but it could at least numb the others in the village for the time being.
"I see! That's it—of course it is! That's you for you!" Ao's spirits finally lifted. The situation ahead was terrifying, but as long as there was even a sliver of hope, an elite jōnin like him wouldn't be crushed so easily.
What Mei didn't expect, though, was that Ao—who she thought should be able to see through the truth—would believe her made-up explanation so easily. He even began imagining how they might borrow the power of the Lightning, Earth, and Wind Countries to force Konoha—or even Uchiha Chizumi—to pay for what had happened today.
"Go gather the surviving shinobi first. With this much chaos in the village, recall everyone stationed on the other islands as well," Mei said, rubbing her forehead in fatigue. With Kirigakure's current manpower, they no longer had enough strength to uphold the appearance of a great nation. They had to pull their forces back as much as possible to avoid further accidents.
And Ao's behavior forced her to reexamine what she had been thinking earlier. Her plan—acting as Chizumi's "spokesperson" and taking all the blame onto herself—now seemed ill-timed.
If even an elite jōnin like Ao became this shaken under Chizumi's pressure, then her imagined ending—when everything was over, she would step into the shadows as a sinner and hand the village to a new Mizukage—might have been far too naive.
"Leave it to me! …Wait, where are you going?" Ao nodded steadily, but when he saw Mei preparing to leave, the emotions he had finally calmed down immediately tightened again.
Ao's mental resilience shouldn't have been this fragile, but the pressure Chizumi brought was like a mountain pinning him down. While Mei was there, he could tell himself all he had to do was follow orders. Now Mei was suddenly leaving—and Ao panicked.
"I'm going to secure Elder Genji's support." Mei turned her head and looked in the direction where Uchiha Chizumi was. Earlier, she had still hoped that by sacrificing herself she could bring Kirigakure back onto the right track. But now, with even Ao unable to shoulder the load, it seemed that besides her, Kirigakure no longer had anyone who could truly bear the title of Fifth Mizukage. "I'm going to succeed Yagura as Mizukage!"
"…I understand. I'll convince the others to support you, Fifth," Ao said, eyes widening despite himself. He wanted to object, but the words wouldn't come. It wasn't that he wanted to compete with Mei for the position—he just didn't think becoming Mizukage now was a good idea.
But when he thought about Kirigakure's current situation—if no one took up the Mizukage's name, or if some reckless fool seized power instead—the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Quickly. We don't have time to waste." Mei only pressed her lips together, then hurried toward Genji's residence. She needed to persuade Genji as soon as possible—only then could she become the Fifth Mizukage in the shortest time.
Inside Kirigakure at that moment, the surviving shinobi had already gathered together without even needing to coordinate. Aside from those out on missions or stationed on outer islands, more than half of Kirigakure's total remaining shinobi—fewer than five hundred in all—were present. The rest were either injured and temporarily unable to fight, or so terrified they had chosen to hide and not show their faces.
"Is everyone here?! Get ready for battle! We move out—now!"
A Kirigakure jōnin with shark-like serrated teeth barked the order urgently. He had only just returned to the village and hadn't witnessed the earlier battle himself. All he knew was that an enemy had invaded, defeated the Fourth Mizukage, and then gone on a killing spree through the village.
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