Capítulo 232: Chapter 231: Deal with Mei Terumi
"Lord Mizukage, it's time to make a decision."
The head of the Kaguya Clan looked at Mei Terumi with an unmistakable tone of melancholy.
"After tonight, Kirigakure will be nothing but history. With the forces of Wind, Earth, and Lightning Nations standing by, we won't be able to withstand the Konoha army led by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shisui Uchiha. Moreover, the enemy has powerful shinobi like Ruri Mochizuki and Itachi Uchiha, so..."
"So, surrender outright?" Mei didn't turn around, her voice cold as she spoke.
"Joining Konoha would indeed be a good choice for the Kaguya Clan."
"Lord Mizukage!" The voice of the Kaguya Clan head suddenly grew heavier.
"This war has raged on for a year and a half. The Kaguya Clan has fought on the front lines without ever retreating. At this very moment, our most talented children are still battling on the field. Apart from the guards and me, the only ones left in Kirigakure are children who can't even pick up a kunai!"
"So many have died in this war. The Land of Fire has also suffered enormous losses. The hatred between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water has deepened to the point of blood feud. If we let those Konoha bastards break in, who knows what might happen?"
"Was the dream of founding this village to see everyone perish?"
"Gorou, stop talking." Mei turned around and looked directly at the people in the room.
Compared to six months ago, many were missing from the room. Even the survivors standing before her were all injured. Gorou Kaguya, the forty-two-year-old head of the Kaguya Clan, had an empty sleeve flapping in the wind—Shisui Uchiha's handiwork.
Their eyes reflected exhaustion and sorrow, as well as deep fear of the future.
Maybe these high-ranking members of Kirigakure weren't afraid of death, but none of them wanted to see their wives and children die before their eyes. Just as Gorou said, the founding of the village was driven by the beautiful hope of bringing peace to all, not by the idea of dragging everyone down to death with it.
The night breeze blew, lifting Mei's long red hair, wild as weeds in a field. As the Mizukage, she hadn't had a good night's sleep since the war began.
'What a difficult command...' she thought, sighing softly. "Clan Head Gorou, Elder Genji, I know you've already made plans to surrender... Proceed as you have discussed."
A collective sigh of relief echoed through the wide room.
"Lord Mizukage, thank you. This is a wise decision!"
"Lord Mizukage, please look at this scroll. We plan to surrender to the Fifth Hokage in the most humble manner..."
"Please issue the order to retreat, so the forces at Tiger Biting Mountain can stop resisting."
"You don't need to tell me all this." Mei waved her hand dismissively and turned away.
"Gorou and Elder Genji will oversee the overall situation. As for me... as the Mizukage, surrendering is not an option."
She quickly left the room, no longer paying attention to the people behind her. She made her way back to her room through the dimly lit corridors and stairs.
With a thud, Mei collapsed onto the floor. The feeling of helpless despair filled her heart. She didn't want to get up; she just wanted to regain some strength before rushing to the front lines and dying in a blaze of glory, so she could apologize to the previous Mizukages in the Pure Land.
Mei knew well that Gorou was right; the shinobi of the village had already given everything for Kirigakure.
But they were outmatched, plain and simple. Rather than being wiped out entirely, it was better to join Konoha with what little strength they had left—although aligning with Iwagakure or Kumogakure would have been a better choice, the Fifth Hokage Orochimaru was a cunning individual who had long since blocked Kirigakure's escape routes, locking the last strength of the Land of Water in place. Not even a bird could escape.
"I'm sorry, Yagura-sama, Mangetsu, I ultimately failed to protect what you entrusted to me," Mei muttered to herself as she slowly tried to get up to prepare her combat tools.
However, she couldn't even get up.
A hand pressed down on Mei's head, pinning her to the ground.
"To think that someone like you, who possesses Lava Release and Boil Release, would be so easily caught off guard by me. This year and a half has drained too much of your energy... Hmph, war is truly a vile thing."
A cold sweat dripped down Mei's temple. As the Sixth Mizukage, her office was always filled with the most classified information, and she recognized this voice.
"You're... Yuto Hyuga!"
"Your hearing is quite sharp. Get up." Yuto removed his hand from Mei's head and chuckled.
"Don't lie there in such a position... It's unbecoming."
'Isn't it all your fault?' The woman felt stifled, but considering Yuto's glorious battle record and immense power, she didn't retort. Instead, she got up and took a good look at the man before her.
Dressed in a black cloak, with long hair cascading down to his waist. He stood casually in the room as if it were his own home.
"Yuto Hyuga, the name 'Moon God' rings like thunder in my ears, but for someone like me who is about to die, no matter how strong you are, it doesn't matter. If you're here to make some last-minute profit off Kirigakure, I advise you to..."
"You're wrong, Mizukage, strength does matter," Yuto said as he sat on Mei's bed, a sneer on his face.
"Kirigakure is in this situation because it wasn't strong enough to withstand Konoha; and you, the last Mizukage leading the village to its doom, are so pathetically weak that you can only relieve your guilt by choosing death."
Mei clenched her fists.
"If you want to mock me, save it for when you're standing over my grave... Why are you really here?"
"To give you a choice: whether or not you want to make a deal with me." Yuto tilted his head slightly.
"You can either let Kirigakure perish tonight, or help me with one thing in exchange for the power to survive this calamity."
"You... you intend to act personally?" A glimmer of hope flashed in Mei's green eyes as she looked at the man expectantly.
Yuto was widely recognized as the strongest shinobi of the current era. His power alone could destroy a village. Under his protection, Amegakure had enjoyed six years of peace. If this most notorious rogue shinobi were to take action, he could surely drive back Konoha's forces.
"Don't be delusional." Yuto said lazily.
"The cost of hiring me is high... Even if you sold your entire village, you couldn't afford me. I have other ways to make them retreat."
"And the price? What do I and Kirigakure have to pay?"
"Keep fighting Konoha," Yuto's words made Mei's face change drastically.
"Control the intensity of the war and turn it into a prolonged stalemate. Since I'll be secretly assisting you, Konoha won't be able to destroy Kirigakure."
The red-haired woman lowered her head, carefully considering Yuto's intentions.
He wanted to use Kirigakure to tie down Konoha. A war between the two great shinobi villages would be beneficial to him...
After a long silence, Mei raised her head and softly asked.
"Why choose Kirigakure?"
Yuto looked at her with surprise.
"Not bad, you're not foolish. As my temporary ally, asking this question puts my mind at ease." He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Because I have no conflict of interest with Kirigakure... You don't have a jinchuriki."
(End of Chapter)
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