Sarada let out a long sigh and patiently broke down their hopeless predicament for Kisame, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"You're missing the logic at the top."
"From beginning to end, the evidence doesn't matter. Neither does the truth."
"However we explain it, however much we deny it, I'm still suspected of killing nobles."
"And what the nobles of every nation fear most has never been me alone."
"What they fear most is the armed shinobi class no longer obeying the daimyo's control, no longer following the millennium class rules."
Sarada stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the streets of the Land of Rain as she said slowly:
"If the Four Great Kage openly favor me, shelter me despite knowing I'm a suspect, and refuse to send troops..."
"Then, in the eyes of the daimyo and nobles of every nation, the whole situation changes."
"They'll conclude that the shinobi of the Five Great Hidden Villages have begun banding together and intend to rebel against the ruling elite."
"When that happens, they'll focus all their anger on me."
"Only my death can quell the nobles' panic and give them a satisfactory answer."
"Only killing me can intimidate every shinobi and tell the entire Shinobi World: shinobi cannot defy the nobles, and the rules cannot be broken."
After hearing her incisive analysis, Kisame went rigid, a chill sinking straight into his heart.
Only then did he realize that they had been trapped in a closed loop from the very beginning.
Stand still and await death, and the more allies they had, the sooner they would die;
Listen to Naruto, and they might cross the red line and die;
Kisame's expression turned grim. He gritted his teeth, and a bold idea struck him.
"Then let's just go