Terumī Mei was completely bewildered as she looked at the Fourth Mizukage.
"Why do you call that man a benefactor?"
"That guy kidnapped you, and he even seized the Tailed Beast and stole Ao's Byakugan."
None of those actions were anything but harmful to the interests of the Mist Village.
The Fourth Mizukage let out a long sigh.
"Those things don't matter."
"The Tailed Beast and the Byakugan... they're no longer important."
"Now, take me back. I have a major announcement to make."
The most urgent priority was to correct the Mist Village's current erroneous policies.
The Ninja Academy could no longer implement those blood-soaked training methods.
They also couldn't continue the persecution of those who possessed Kekkei Genkai.
While under the control of the White-Masked Man in Black, his mind had been severely damaged.
He had to set the Mist Village on the right course while he was still alive.
He wanted the Mist's academy to cultivate talent for the village, just like the one in the Leaf Village.
Mei was deeply confused.
What was wrong with the Fourth Mizukage?
He actually didn't care about the Tailed Beast or the Byakugan anymore?
She could clearly sense that the current Fourth Mizukage had changed significantly compared to before.
Could it really have something to do with that masked man?
She also wanted to hear what this important announcement was.
Half a day later.
The Mist Village office was packed with all the village's high-ranking figures.
Unlike the Fourth Mizukage, who sat at the head of the table with a face full of sorrow...
...most of the people there were consumed by rage.
A cacophony of voices filled the room.
"Have we identified the attacker yet?"
"We must find this person and make them pay dearly."
"Exactly! Our Mist Village is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. We cannot allow this man to run rampant in our home."
"I propose we put a massive bounty on that White-Masked Man in Black."
Mei, seated among the others, watched the Fourth Mizukage with a lingering sense of confusion.
Though most were eager for revenge...
...it was clearly not going to happen.
Because the Fourth Mizukage regarded the man who kidnapped him as the village's savior.
The Fourth Mizukage would likely explain the reasoning behind this soon.
Looking at the assembled ninja, the Fourth Mizukage's heart was a mess of complex emotions.
"There is no need to issue a bounty on that man."
"He is a benefactor of this village."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the entire meeting room fell silent.
Everyone in attendance stared at the Fourth Mizukage in disbelief.
The man had turned the village upside down.
To think that the target nearly every ninja in the village had been mobilized to catch was now being called a benefactor.
Most of the ninja were starting to feel indignant.
If it weren't for the Fourth Mizukage's usual immense authority...
...there would likely have been a landslide of questioning voices by now.
They simply couldn't understand.
Leaning on his wooden staff, Genji spoke with a grave expression.
"Why does the Fourth Mizukage say such a thing?"
"Please, give us an explanation."
The Fourth Mizukage felt a deep sense of shame.
Forcing his body to stand, he bowed deeply to the gathered Mist ninja, even slamming his head onto the table with a heavy thud.
"Everyone, I am truly sorry."
Eyes widened throughout the room.
Was this still the cold, majestic Fourth Mizukage they knew?
What on earth had happened?
One ninja asked, completely baffled.
"Why is the Fourth Mizukage apologizing?"
"Is it because you were kidnapped for the sake of the village's honor?"
"Actually, we can't blame you for that. Every one of us sitting here shares a great deal of responsibility for what happened."
Those present nodded in agreement with that sentiment.
The village had only just suppressed the rebellion of the Hōzuki Clan; who could have known such a powerful individual would suddenly appear?
The Fourth Mizukage had been taken from within the Mist Village itself while they were all there, so they were equally responsible.
Failing to detect an intruder in time was a massive failure on their part as well.
A look of agony crossed the Fourth Mizukage's face; that wasn't why he was apologizing.
Raising his head, he spoke painfully.
"This is all my fault."
"The truth is, long before this, I was placed under a Genjutsu and controlled by an Orange-Masked Man in Black."
"While being controlled, I was forced to issue those inhumane training policies for the academy and the orders to slaughter the Kekkei Genkai users within our village."
"I have caused immeasurable loss to our village."
Everyone in the room was struck dumb.
Some ninja simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Lord Mizukage, you must be joking, right?"
"Is there anyone in the shinobi world capable of controlling you with Genjutsu?"
"You are the Perfect Three-Tails Jinchūriki!"
No one dared to believe it, and no one wanted to believe it.
The Kage of a village was the strongest person in that village. How could he be controlled?
If those policies had been dictated by someone else, then they—who had steadfastly executed them—were nothing more than executioners who had turned their blades against their own comrades.
Mei's expression shifted drastically.
She was starting to believe him.
If the previous Fourth Mizukage was cold and cruel beyond measure...
...he now possessed a shred of humanity.
Suddenly, a realization hit her.
She spoke up, asking, "Lord Mizukage, is the reason you call that man a benefactor because he was the one who broke the Genjutsu?"
The Fourth Mizukage replied with a bitter smile.
"Yes. So even if that man took Ao's Byakugan or the village's Tailed Beast, it doesn't matter."
"If I were still under that Genjutsu, I don't know how much further that person would have gone in destroying the Mist Village."
Even if the Orange-Masked Man in Black hadn't used more direct means to dismantle the village...
...if things had stayed the same, countless more academy students would have died at each other's hands.
Those children were the future hope of the Mist Village.
Furthermore, the powerful Kekkei Genkai clans would have been further purged.
Doing so would not only leave the village in ruins but also drastically reduce its strength.
The Mist Village was already not particularly strong among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Under current conditions, it was bound to be the weakest of the five.
Even several members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had defected.
It wasn't their fault; it was his own.
Thinking of this, the Fourth Mizukage felt an even sharper pang of grief.
Mei finally understood.
So that was it.
Those policies weren't the Fourth Mizukage's own doing.
They had been far too extreme.
Instead of leading the Mist Village to greater strength, they had led to its decline.
From that perspective, the White-Masked Man in Black really was a benefactor.
Dispelling the Genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage was equivalent to saving the Mist Village, a feat that far outweighed the value of a Tailed Beast or a Byakugan.
The village was already in a state of ruin.
Keeping a Tailed Beast and the Byakugan would have been meaningless in that state.
This conclusion left Mei feeling a bit conflicted.
That guy really was the savior of the Mist Village.
Should she still seek revenge against him?
'Sigh, if only he were a handsome guy, I wouldn't have so many worries.'