The elder's words instantly silenced everyone present.
Then they all turned to look at him.
For them, all this arguing really came down to wanting a definite answer.
The uncertainty was agonizing.
On the one hand, if they went along with the Radical Faction, there was no telling whether Kusagakure would be destroyed.
But once the monster inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss was released...
Everyone would be affected.
The entire Shinobi World might be plunged into war.
And the other villages would no longer stand idly by.
Kusagakure might become a battlefield, with every village joining forces against the Grass Ninja.
That would make the already unpopular Grass Ninja even more despised.
Then there was the monster inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss itself.
As far as they were concerned, that thing should never be released.
In fact, if they had a chance to destroy the Box of Ultimate Bliss...
They would naturally want to destroy it, rather than leave something that sealed away a monster sitting here.
On the other hand, surrendering would brand them as traitors.
And whether they would receive the treatment they deserved afterward was still an open question.
No one could be certain of that.
Of course, deep down, more of them were actually willing to trust Konoha.
Konoha was a powerful village with vast resources, after all. Surely it would not break its promises so casually?!
Besides, since word of this had spread...
That meant Konoha must have already done something here.
So when they thought it through, they were naturally more inclined to believe it.
But there was another crucial point: the price of betrayal was simply too high.
If they succeeded and everything went according to plan, that would be one thing.
Even then, they would still bear a tremendous stigma.