This scene stunned everyone who had been clamoring around them, leaving them frozen in place.
Even Yagura, who had been weighing the pros and cons and wavering in indecision, was slightly taken aback.
He had not expected Zabuza to take advantage of the chaos and directly launch a sneak attack on Kirigakure's highest-ranking council of elders.
Gonbei's pupils constricted sharply at the sight, his face filled with disbelief and fury.
Just as he was about to open his mouth and denounce Zabuza's betrayal, another voice interrupted him.
"Gonbei..." Yagura spoke weakly, and the panicked crowd fell silent.
"Mizukage-sama!"
Gonbei turned his head and stared wide-eyed at Yagura, hoping he would order a counterattack.
"Stop." Yagura continued, his voice weary.
"This..."
With that, Yagura looked at Gonbei, then at the faces around him—some young, some worn by age.
These were Kirigakure's elite ninja, who had survived the Bloody Mist policy while he had been controlled by the mysterious man. They should not have to endure a war they were certain to lose.
At that thought, he took a deep breath and suddenly raised his voice. "I understand Elder Genji's intentions."
"But this method will bring nothing but greater destruction. Kirigakure... has already shed too much blood."
"We... cannot lead the subordinates and villagers who trust us... toward their doom."
"I, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, command in the name of the Mizukage... All Kirigakure ninja, abandon your resistance!"
"Mizukage-sama!"
All color instantly drained from Gonbei's face, leaving it filled with despair.
He could not believe that the Mizukage had chosen to surrender.
Many Kirigakure ninja looked at one another, their faces full of struggle. In the end, they glanced at Minato and Kushina, whose terrifying Chakra fluctuations erupted in the distance, and at the village that was still under attack.
Constrained by