"That wasn't something that could be done overnight. But right now, the two great ninja nations, the Hidden Sand Village and Konoha, are developing at a rapid pace. Konoha might not even have annexed the Hidden Sand Village yet before our other ninja villages have already been swallowed up. So the best outcome is to form an alliance with Konoha as soon as possible. The Fourth Mizukage caused far too much damage to the Hidden Mist Village. We had no choice but to close off the village, but if we remain closed, we'll definitely be left behind by the times. We won't even need other ninja villages to attack us—we'll destroy ourselves. That's why forming an alliance with Konoha is the best option. Even if Konoha eventually annexes the Hidden Mist Village, our people will still be properly settled and able to live good lives," Mei Terumi said.
Juro and Ao could not help nodding at Mei Terumi's words. The Mizukage's perspective was remarkably farsighted. While other ninja villages might still be wrangling over petty interests, Mei Terumi had already begun considering the future development of the ninja world.
Suddenly, Ao frowned and shouted in one direction, "Who's there?! Stop skulking around and eavesdropping on us."
"Hey, hey! Watch your mouth. We weren't eavesdropping—we were listening openly. You were talking so intently that we felt too awkward to interrupt. We were being so polite, yet you're being downright rude," Hidan said as he emerged from behind a tree, a massive three-bladed scythe slung over his shoulder.
The three of them froze slightly when they saw the black Cloud Robes on Hidan and Kakuzu, then their expressions turned grave. Akatsuki had been extremely active over the past two years, especially recently. This organization, composed of S-Class Rogue Ninja from various ninja