The Ninjas Who Had Long Since Thought It Through

As a Kage who had ruled longer than even Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki was no less discerning when it came to judging people.

He saw through Terumi Mei's expression at a glance.

She had merely seen that the other Kage were all in the same predicament as her, compared their situations, and felt relieved.

Honestly, under normal circumstances, if he encountered this inexperienced Mizukage, he might have put on airs and lectured her a little for the sake of his pride.

But now that he had seen through Terumi Mei's comparative mindset, Ōnoki, who was feeling thoroughly miserable inside, immediately snapped back at her.

After all, unlike this little blonde girl...

or that red-haired brat from Sunagakure, and those damned Kumogakure barbarians, he had lived through the founding of the ninja village era, and now he was witnessing its demise.

Who in the Ninja World could feel more distressed over the end of the ninja village era than him?!

However, upon hearing Ōnoki's response, Terumi Mei—never one to be obedient—immediately furrowed her delicate brows.

Her lips parted as she was about to fire back.

Just then, the calm Sasori beside them spoke. "Enough, you two. Stop wasting your breath. The King of Ninja... has already arrived."

Sasori did not particularly care about failing to become Kazekage.

After all, no one in the village had suffered any casualties. Once they became part of the ruling class, Sunagakure's ninjas might even see a qualitative leap in their standard of living.

Therefore, among the Kage present, he was the least bothered by surrendering to Konoha.

Of course, more importantly...

once he cast off the burden of being a Kage, he could devote himself wholeheartedly to researching his art.

That was one of the main reasons he cared so little about surrender.

After all, in