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Theoretically, until the peace talks concluded, the two villages remained in a state of hostility. This was the fundamental reason the conference room was thick with the smell of gunpowder. The irony, however, was that when the two Kage met face-to-face, they actually nodded in greeting. It was their respective entourages who glared daggers at each other, looking as if they might come to blows at any moment. If not for the fear of disgracing their villages and offending the Leaf, a simple "What are you looking at?!" would have likely been enough, given the atmosphere, to trigger a massive brawl.
Mei Terumi sat in her chair, legs crossed, leisurely sipping tea. Opposite her, Rasa resembled a statue, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed. Both chose to ignore the tense atmosphere in the conference room and showed no inclination to restrain their subordinates from glaring at the opposing side.
"Well, well. Everyone seems quite spirited," Kazuki remarked as he entered the conference room with Kisame and Itachi in tow. Seeing the two sides locked in a mutual death glare, he couldn't resist a teasing jab. "Should I have someone tidy up a bit, let you all have a fight first, and then start the negotiations?"
Kazuki's casual joke instantly rendered both sides speechless. They no longer had the presence of mind to glare at each other, and the palpable hostility dissipated. The Sand Village delegation settled quietly back into their chairs. In contrast, the Mist Village contingent was noticeably agitated. Even Mei Terumi studied Kisame with a cheerful, appraising gaze. The others were even less restrained, staring wide-eyed at Kisame, their faces practically screaming the word "traitor." Kisame ignored his former fellow villagers and stood silently behind Kazuki.
"It seems Kisame is doing quite well in the Leaf Village. That puts my heart at ease," Mei Terumi suddenly offered.
Rasa opened his eyes and glanced curiously at Kazuki.
"Not bad. Wearing stockings today, I see – fishnets, even. Good taste," Kazuki commented, acting as if he hadn't heard Mei Terumi's remark at all, his gaze brazenly fixed on her beautiful legs for a long moment.
"Enjoying the view?" Mei Terumi raised an eyebrow.
"Very much," Kazuki nodded honestly. "It's just a pity you're wearing them so thick. Can't quite tell how fair your skin is underneath."
"YOU—" You actually expect me to wear less so you can get a better look at how fair I am?! Mei Terumi was instantly both furious and amused.
"This..." The Mist Village delegates exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to say, or whether they should step forward to defend their Mizukage! But their Mizukage didn't seem particularly angered.
Having successfully turned the tables on Mei Terumi, Kazuki rested his hands on the table, leaving no face for the Mist Village. "Alright, enough with the snide remarks. With the brutal way your Mist Village runs things internally, it'd be a miracle if you could retain talent and strong individuals. Kisame didn't have a major clan backing him up. Pushed into a corner with no way out, his only option to save himself was to kill his traitorous superior and defect from the village. Ultimately, the problem lies with your Mist Village itself."
Satisfied now? You tried to gain an advantage and instead got your face slapped. Rasa wanted to laugh, but he forced himself to maintain his impassive, expressionless facade.
Yes, yes, yes. It's all our village's own fault. Mei Terumi fell completely silent. If Hoshigaki Kisame had defected from the Mist Village and directly pledged loyalty to the Leaf, she might have had grounds to argue. But the man had first joined the Akatsuki, and only after reaching a dead end had he defected to the Leaf. Anything Mei Terumi tried to say would only make her look unreasonable. Without a leg to stand on, anything she said was futile. Mei Terumi was utterly speechless. Rasa remained as impassive as ever, seemingly with no intention of speaking.
"Should the two of you perhaps begin?" I'm merely the intermediary. How the negotiations proceed is up to you. Don't expect me to act as both father and mother, bustling around helping you sort everything out while you two sit there looking like sages, doing nothing. It was time for the main event to start.
Rasa and Mei Terumi exchanged a glance. Mei Terumi raised an eyebrow, showing no inclination to speak first. In the negotiations between the two villages, the Sand Village was more desperate than the Mist Village. She could afford to wait. At the negotiating table, the one who spoke first was always at a disadvantage. But Rasa couldn't afford to sit steady on the fishing platform like Mei Terumi.
"In that case, let us begin," Rasa said, nodding to Kazuki in thanks before proactively addressing Mei Terumi.
"Mizukage, this war was instigated entirely by the Akatsuki. Both the Sand Village and the Mist Village were passive participants..." Oh, Rasa, you clever little fellow. Trying to play the sympathy card? Were you planning to handle Mei Terumi the way Yagura was handled? Even Yagura wouldn't have been so easily dismissed. Kazuki found this utterly amusing the moment he heard it.
"Kazekage," Mei Terumi interrupted, having absolutely no patience for such games. Just as Kazuki had predicted, she cut Rasa off decisively and reminded him, "How the war was instigated – let's not rehash that. It's hardly a glorious topic for anyone. Our Mizukage was controlled by the Akatsuki, and your Sand Village's patrol squads were no better. We both have our own problems, so let's drop the side tangents and get straight to the point. This war must end. At the very least, the Mist Village has no desire to continue this meaningless stalemate. I believe the Sand Village shares the same sentiment, or you, Kazekage, wouldn't be sitting here. Since you are sitting here, it means you are also willing to bring this war to a close. So let's have an open discussion. As for the origins of the war – there's no need to keep harping on those."
The Mist Village had lost face, and the Sand Village had done the same. The Akatsuki had been pulling strings from behind. Both villages were victims; the only difference was the scale of humiliation – the Mist Village's being considerably greater. After all, the Mist had lost their Mizukage, Yagura, to control, while the Sand had merely lost a few patrol squads. The two weren't even in the same league.
But Mei Terumi was determined to drag them down to the same level, shutting Rasa down completely and preventing him from quibbling over semantics and nitpicking his way to greater compensation. We're all willing to talk. I'm sitting here representing my village to demonstrate our sincerity, so don't push your luck, Sand Village. Be reasonable.
Indeed, anyone capable of outmaneuvering numerous rivals to become Mizukage was no pushover – even if she was a young, beautiful woman.
"Mizukage, you can't put it that way! After all, the war was started by your Mist Village first!" someone from the Sand Village immediately protested, seeing Mei Terumi attempting to gain a decisive upper hand.
"WHAT do you mean, 'the war was started by our Mist Village first'?!" Mei Terumi's face darkened. She slapped the table and erupted. "I've made it perfectly clear – the war was provoked and instigated entirely by the Akatsuki! What do you mean, 'our Mist Village started the war'?! If the Daimyo of your Land of Wind had been assassinated by Mist Village ninja without you knowing the truth behind it, would your Land of Wind have just sat there and done nothing?!"