The Battle Situation Takes a Turn

Before the other party could refute, Long Ye swiftly tucked the Lightning Blade behind her waist.

"Me and him... it really is still about self-interest." Mei Terumi sighed inwardly.

Thinking of this, she felt a sense of loss.

"You can leave!!"

She seemed to have made a great decision before saying those words.

Long Ye, of course, was unaware of his inner turmoil and nodded frankly:

"That's exactly what I wanted to say. I won't go back to Kirigakure with you. Who knows what other tricks the Mizukage might have up his sleeve there..."

"Remember to tell the Mizukage that I am only keeping this sword in safekeeping. As long as Konoha and Kirigakure reach an agreement and cease hostilities for more than six months, I will return the sword to its rightful owner immediately."

Although the knife would be of great help to him, six months would be enough.

He was confident that in six months he could raise his strength to another level, at which point the knife would be dispensable to him.

Moreover, even if he doesn't need the sword, he can't easily hand it over. After all, if the negotiations between the two countries fail, the war will continue, and the other side might use the sword against his people from Konoha.

"You're going back to Kirigakure, and I'm going back to Konoha. We're going in different directions, so I'll head out first."

Long Ye bid Mei Terumi, transforming into a streak of Lightning Flash and heading towards the Land of Fire in her memories.

Mei Terumi watched him disappear, and a scroll slipped out of her sleeve.

This scroll was the very one that Mizukage had given her as a backup plan to trap Long Ye with her "Body Flicker Technique".

She glanced at it, then casually tossed it behind her, where it fell into the bottomless abyss of Hell Valley.

"He's not so easy to kill. With the Lightning Blade in hand, perfectly suited to his Lightning Release techniques, even if I go all out, I still can't kill him..."

She was talking to herself, as if trying to convince herself, or perhaps trying to find reasons for the failure of her mission.

But only she knew in her heart that none of these were the reasons. The reason was simply that she did not want to fight to the death with him, whether just now or at any time in the future.

Kirigakure.

Mizukage's Office.

The Fourth Mizukage, whose body was the size of a child, suddenly stood up, his face filled with shock and anger.

Mei Terumi stood before him, her hands clasped behind her back.

"What did you say? You... failed your mission, only bringing back a Lightning Blade, and you couldn't even kill that kid from Konoha?"

Mizukage's usual gentlemanly demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling aura.

"I usually only ask about the results, not the process, but this time... I'll make an exception and hear your explanation."

Mizukage was clearly suppressing her anger.

If it were anyone else, they would already be seriously injured and lying on the ground, but Mei Terumi is the number one Jonin Kirigakure, so it's worth making an exception for her.

"The reason I didn't kill him is because he saved my life during a mission."

Mei Terumi is a qualified ninja, so she would never fabricate lies when facing the Mizukage; she would only state the facts, even though the reasons behind it were far more complex than that.

"That reason is barely plausible. The first mission failed, but it's not unforgivable. But what about the second one? Why did they only bring back one Lightning Blade?"

Mizukage's stern voice softened somewhat.

Mei Terumi is of paramount importance to Kirigakure, and he would absolutely never agree to trade her life for that Hiden of Konoha Lightning.

In his eyes, the two lives were incomparable.

So when she heard that the other person had saved her life, it was only natural for her to return the favor and let them go. After all, people are not objects, and it's difficult for them to be heartless and ungrateful.

His face was grim as he awaited the reason for the second mission's failure.

Mei Terumi recounted from beginning to end what Long Ye had asked her to convey.

Mizukage was furious upon hearing this.

"What! He said he wants to negotiate, and that the other Lightning Blade won't be returned for another six months?"

Mei Terumi nodded silently.

"Nonsense! When did you become so naive? How can you believe this kid's nonsense?"

"Konoha is currently beset by crises, which is why it intends to seek peace. In six months, once it has recovered and the surrounding threats have subsided, the peace talks will be worthless. If this person goes back on his word, would Kirigakure really wage another war over a single sword?"

Mei Terumi did not refute this, but she did not think so in her heart.

She thought to herself, "He said he'd pay it back in six months, and he definitely will."

All of this was based on her own trust in that person, and if she were to find a reason, there clearly wasn't one, so she couldn't answer the Mizukage's question at all.

"In the course of a mission, friendship is like a steel knife held to your throat. You are no longer suitable for missions, nor can you gain my trust anymore. Get out..."

Mei Terumi walked out with a somber expression, like a walking corpse.

For a ninja who feels a strong sense of belonging and responsibility to the village, losing value means losing the meaning of their existence...

Long Ye knew nothing about any of this.

But his choice was also filled with helplessness.

As a member of Konoha, his every word and action must prioritize the interests of Konoha. He does this simply to maximize the interests of Konoha.

If the Mizukage had been hesitant about negotiating with Konoha, the existence of the Lightning Blade would make negotiating a valuable bargaining chip for Konoha, allowing them to acquire one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist in addition to their existing interests.

However, he hadn't expected that the Mizukage's suspicion and distrust of Konoha would be far greater than he imagined, and the Lightning Blade didn't achieve the desired effect.

But it was just a sword after all. The Mizukage, already considering the huge benefits offered by the Hokage, naturally wouldn't give up greater interests and let the war between the two countries continue just because of a sword.

Given that the situation in Kirigakure is not much better than that in Konoha, peace talks are the best option, both in terms of the overall situation and the interests involved.

As expected, the day after Long Ye returned to Konoha, Kirigakure sent a message accepting the Hokage's proposal for peace talks, and the two countries officially chose to cease hostilities.

Long Ye returned from her mission and recounted what had happened, earning high praise from the Hokage.

Perhaps the Hokage saw his value, or recognized his loyalty to Konoha, because he began to selectively reveal some "top secret" information to him.

This includes the secrets behind the negotiations.

In essence, the so-called negotiations are mainly about winning over one side and attacking the other.

While negotiating with the two countries, Konoha had secretly completed the redeployment of its forces, forming an alliance with Sunagakure in the Land of Wind, and launching a blitzkrieg against Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.

It's worth mentioning that Shisui, who also had a mission, didn't achieve very satisfactory results in his negotiations with Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.

The Third Raikage of the Kumogakure harbored even greater suspicion and distrust towards the Hidden Konoha Village than the Fourth Mizukage. His proposal for negotiations did not receive a positive response, but neither did it receive a clear rejection.

Each country had its own agenda and made numerous covert actions.