"Did you really join Kumogakure?"
Only after that terrifying man had gone far away did the Third Hoshikage finally breathe a sigh of relief. He then looked at Natsuhi Star beside him, his gaze eventually settling on her forehead protector.
"During the years I was away, I saw a lot. I realized that Hoshigakure is small—far too small. So small that any renowned strongman from outside could destroy it."
Natsuhi Star couldn't help sighing. Hoshigakure really was tiny. It barely had any standing among the many minor ninja villages, and the only thing it had that was worth mentioning, the Mysterious Peacock Method, came with serious side effects.
"Are there many people as strong as him in Kumogakure?"
Still watching the figure being led away, the Third Hoshikage found his fear difficult to suppress.
That feeling just now had been terrifying. He didn't even know how he'd mustered the courage to approach that man and speak to him. Thinking about it now, he still felt a lingering dread.
If he had to do it again, he wasn't sure he'd dare.
Only by facing someone like that could one understand how powerful they were—far beyond anything he could comprehend.
"There are plenty who can match him."
Natsuhi Star didn't go into detail. Some things still had to remain secret.
Even so, the Third Hoshikage went pale as he listened.
"Third, you must never have visited any of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken on the title of Kage."
Turning to look at the Third Hoshikage, Natsuhi Star now thought that Hoshigakure was rather ridiculous. Its strength was nowhere near that of the Five Great Ninja Villages, yet it considered itself their equal, and its leader even called himself a Kage. How absurd.
The Third Hoshikage fell silent.