"What?"
The Hozuki Clan's leader froze for a moment.
Only then did he notice that the Fifth Mizukage, Hozuki Zangetsu, had long since lost his left arm.
He also looked utterly disheveled, as though he had just been through a major battle.
"Well? What is your decision?"
At some point, Ning Feng had stepped out from behind Hozuki Zangetsu and addressed the Hozuki Clan's leader with a calm expression.
"Well..."
The Hozuki Clan's leader was a shrewd man.
He could tell at a glance that Hozuki Zangetsu had likely been coerced into persuading them to join Amegakure.
An Amegakure Village Ninja this young, capable of fighting his way into Kirigakure and coercing the Mizukage...
He could think of no one in the shinobi world other than the Third Rain Shadow.
He simply had not expected this. Just a few months ago, he had been listening to amusing stories of Uchiha Minato visiting other ninja villages to extort them and flex his power.
And now, mere months later, it was Kirigakure's turn?
Was this Rain Shadow... truly not afraid that offending too many ninja villages would cause them to join forces against him?
As he pondered this, he sized Ning Feng up.
Though young, he gave off an intimidating presence simply by standing there.
It felt as though the instant he said "no," this seemingly harmless Lord Rain Shadow would draw his blade against him.
He made a discreet gesture to Hozuki Zangetsu.
He was asking whether they could muster the clan's strength to keep this Lord Rain Shadow here.
After all, Uchiha Minato's strength was something they had only heard about.
Even though Uchiha Minato had killed the previous Mizukage during the Night of the Nine-Tails.
Hearing about it still did not make them feel much.
That was human nature,