"Sunagakure was wiped out like that, and they actually still dared to make a move?"
"They clearly have no regard for our Five Great Nations!"
"They claim to be neutral, but in reality, they wiped out Sunagakure and captured Tailed Beasts. Everything they do is twisted and evil. They're courting death, and sooner or later, they'll pay the price."
Several Kage guards lowered their voices and exchanged opinions with their companions.
Mei Terumi, however, did not join the discussion.
Sunagakure had been destroyed without so much as a Mu sound, and Akatsuki's mark had even been brazenly left behind in the village. That alone was enough to prove that Akatsuki Village's strength far exceeded anything they had imagined.
The current Hidden Mist Village, like Sunagakure, belonged to the third tier among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Hidden Mist had been crippled by the Blood Mist Policy Obito had enforced for years, while Sunagakure had long struggled under its daimyo's economic sanctions.
But even so, Sunagakure was still a ninja village under one of the Five Great Nations. If Akatsuki could erase it without a Mu sound, they might well be able to deal with Hidden Mist in the same way.
She had finally managed to give the village a few days of peace. Was she supposed to send all of Hidden Mist toward the same fate just because she stood up against Akatsuki? That would be far too unjust.
Yet she had only just become Mizukage when she ran into such a dilemma. The thought alone made her feel stifled.
Mei Terumi frowned and looked back at the photographs on the table.
"From the Mizukage's perspective, I admit that we are indeed in a passive position right now," she said slowly. "But having the Tailed Beasts taken does not mean