On the other hand...
Kirigakure's forces have already retreated to their own camp.
Terumi Mei's complexion gradually returned to normal after being flushed, but she did not recover her previous seductive state. Instead, she seemed somewhat angry.
However...
Terumi Mei raised her head and looked at the high-ranking ninjas around her, noticing that they all had unpleasant expressions.
"We lost a third of our forces in just one battle... Although we still have the advantage in terms of numbers, resources and occupied territory, what does this advantage mean in the face of that overwhelming power?"
Everyone forced a bitter smile and sighed softly. Natsuo alone caused so much damage.
Even if Kirigakure currently has a large number of ninjas, reserves of resources, and occupies a significant amount of territory in the Land of Fire, what does it mean?
Natsuo can easily recover those losses in minutes. How the hell are they supposed to fight this?
Of course, there are also people with strong determination.
"What are you afraid of!" A sturdy man slammed the table. "A bunch of cowards, what is there to be afraid of?"
"Our Mizukage-sama has already stopped Uchiha Natsuo, hasn't she?"
As the conversation continued, the ninjas who stayed behind to 'help' Terumi Mei fight Natsuo began to exaggerate things more and more, blowing the situation out of proportion as they became excited. With the sturdy man as the instigator, the conversation turned to how the Mizukage-sama has the same strength as Natsuo which is why she was able to hold him back so they could escape.
"This means that our Mizukage has the same power level as Natsuo!"
"Besides Natsuo, there is no one in Konoha who can stop us."
Terumi Mei: "...!"
'I stopped Uchiha Natsuo? Who said that?'
Terumi Mei couldn't help but look at the sturdy man again and found that it was a ninja who looked familiar. She vaguely remembered that the Kirigakure ninjas had already decided to retreat, but this guy raised his arm and shouted: "If you are men, follow me to help the Fifth Mizukage-sama."
So, he took a group of ninjas and went to 'help'.
But he should not be underestimated just because he is reckless, his strength is still quite good, meeting the standards of an Elite Jonin. He is fast and has extremely strong survival skills.
So he kept 'helping' until the end, and among the Kirigakure ninjas who left with Terumi Mei, the figure of him was there...
So...
When Terumi Mei recognized him, she roared in her mind: 'You were one of the culprits by whom I was bullied for ten more minutes!'
Looking at the Kiri ninjas who originally had low morale, but now raised their heads with renewed hope. Terumi Mei realized that some of the high-ranking ninja wanted to use her to boost morale, and perhaps manipulate her later.
Half stunned she tried to explain to them that she couldn't face Natsuo, but in the end they interpreted it as her being modest. In the end, Terumi Mei could only force herself to say: "I'm still not as good as Uchiha Natsuo, but if I use all my strength I can still stop him for a while."
She thought: 'I'll use 'Lava Release' to tangle him for a few minutes, I already did it once, so I can do it again. But sacrificing more would be too much...'
However, as soon as Terumi Mei finished speaking, everyone became excited.
Looking at the Fifth Mizukage who fought against Uchiha Natsuo without any injuries, it was obvious that she still had plenty of strength.
Some people in their minds began to think, 'If the Fifth Mizukage can entangle Natsuo, then if we send more capable individuals to cooperate with the Mizukage, will we have any chance of defeating Natsuo?'
Everyone's morale instantly soared, and even many ninja who were not originally loyal to the village became excited.
Soon in the hearts of many ninjas, Terumi Mei became the existence that every town dreams of... Of course, except Konoha. Even some ninjas began to say that the Fifth Mizukage is the strongest Mizukage.
Seeing the Kiri ninjas getting more and more excited, Terumi Mei was completely confused. 'Wait! Wait! How did things end up like this? I clearly said, 'I'm not as good as Uchiha Natsuo,' did everyone forget that? When did I become the strongest Mizukage? Can you just listen to me?'
However, everyone completely ignored Terumi Mei's expression and discussed excitedly among themselves.
Due to the constant internal conflicts within Kirigakure, some clan leaders saw this situation as an opportunity to weaken their rivals.
So they began to divert the conversation towards Terumi Mei's strength and as with such power she was unwilling to pressure the Kiri ninja to fully support the war efforts. Using this as an excuse they attempted to pressure their rival clans into handing over their secret techniques and supplies to support the Fifth Mizukage in the war.
This led the ninjas who did not know these ins and outs to think that Terumi Mei was truly a benevolent Mizukage, a wise ruler who would not appear in Kirigakure again. So helping the wise and benevolent Mizukage defeat the evil Uchiha became her destiny.
After all, Terumi Mei 'clearly possessed such terrifying power', but she did not use force to oppress others. How compassionate she was!
Terumi Mei was completely confused. She couldn't understand why things had taken this turn.
Well, if the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, saw Terumi Mei's current situation, she could empathize. "Yes, I was also pushed to become the strongest Kazekage this way."
But seeing that the situation could get out of her control she quickly said: "Before we fully understand Natsuo's strength, I suggest we focus on preserving Kirigakure's strength."
Then without giving anyone the chance to speak, Terumi Mei continued saying: "As ninjas we must gather more information about the enemy before making a decisive and fatal attack..."
"I can't let the people of Kirigakure shed too much blood..."
Terumi Mei's face was filled with sorrow, but what she really wanted to say was: 'I don't want to sell my body and go 'distract' Natsuo again!'
First, delay for as long as possible. It would be best to delay until she finds an excuse to sign a peace treaty with Konohagakure...
Of course, the high-ranking officials present were even more moved when they heard this statement.
There were even ninjas who immediately burst into tears and said: "Is this the benevolence of Fifth Mizukage-sama?"
"Our Fifth Mizukage-sama has inherited the kindness of the First Mizukage, Byakuren-sama! Back in the turbulent Sengoku Period, First Mizukage-sama traveled around, relying on his unique charisma to establish Kirigakure!"
"Byakuren-sama, you have a successor now!"
Terumi Mei: "..." She just wanted to find an excuse to delay time even more, but in the mouths of these guys it became another act of her benevolence. 'Although I love Kirigakure, but I'm not as benevolent as you say.'
But since things have reached this point, Terumi Mei can only pretend to show her benevolence and tolerance, then emphasized the need to buy time, investigate more information about Natsuo, and strive to make a strategic plan for a decisive blow in the future.
The Kiri ninjas also agreed as they understood the importance of intelligence in ninja battles.
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Terumi Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief. 'Alright. As long as I buy enough time, I'll be able to find a solution to escape this situation... Maybe tomorrow, Konoha will face a critical situation on any of the other battlefronts and Natsuo will have to deal with it first, right?'
Terumi Mei is very clear about the current situation in the ninja world. Even if Konoha has a ninja as skilled as Natsuo, it can't change the fact that Konoha is fighting the four major ninja villages in the world with the strength of a single village.
If the situation wasn't so dangerous, Natsuo wouldn't have been able to get rid of the trouble he caused earlier so quickly.
So... She has to buy time. Buying time is the key!
However, Terumi Mei's plan was well thought out, but in the next second...
[Boom!]
A huge shockwave came.
The people gathered at this time were all experienced ninjas, so they quickly ran out. Then their expressions changed.
"Oh no! Uchiha Natsuo is attacking again!"
The Susanoo was unleashing its power without restraints!
The Kiri ninjas panicked and fled. The high-level ninjas did not hesitate and stepped forward to stabilize the morale. Then they started shouting:
"Rest assured! We still have the Fifth Mizukage here!"
"Natsuo is alone, our Mizukage can stop him!"
"Hold on for a while longer! The Fifth Generation will deal with him soon!"
Terumi Mei: "...?" She stood there in a daze, but she noticed that all the Kiri ninjas in the camp were looking at her with hopeful eyes. She felt a lump in her heart. Then she lamented in her mind: 'It seems that... The plan to buy time will no longer work.'
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