The brief Jonin Meeting ended.
Natsuki turned and left.
Furuka and the others remained seated, exchanging looks.
Was it really that simple?
What about the most important part-the terms of the peace talks?
If those two matters were all there was to it, Natsuki seemed far too generous.
But no one believed Konoha had come to occupy Kumogakure just to help them choose a new Raikage.
"It looks like the rest will have to wait until the new Raikage is chosen."
Furuka offered his guess.
"That must be it."
Mabui agreed.
"In that case, let's begin nominating candidates for the new Raikage now." Furuka paused, then asked, "Who do you have in mind?"
The meeting room immediately fell silent.
Under normal circumstances, the position of Kage was an enormous temptation for any jonin.
Despite Kumogakure's fierce ways, it was no exception.
Their method of choosing a Kage, however, was simple.
The strongest would become the Raikage.
The problem was that Natsuki had killed all of Kumogakure's strongest fighters.
The remaining jonin were roughly equal in strength, with no one particularly outstanding.
Beyond that, there was another problem.
Given Kumogakure's current circumstances, being the new Raikage was hardly an enviable job.
To put it bluntly, the new Raikage would be Konoha's dog.
They might have some power, but more often, they would be constrained at every turn and caught between impossible choices. In short, they would most likely become a puppet.
Furuka glanced around and sighed inwardly.
He understood exactly what they were thinking.
In truth, he did not want to become the new Raikage either.
But someone had to step forward.
It seemed he would have to make the sacrifice.
"I nominate Mabui."
A Kumogakure Jonin suddenly spoke up.
Furuka could not help looking astonished.
Mabui was not even an