Mei Terumī pointed to the chairs beside her and said, "It will take about an hour to confirm the intelligence. During that time, I'll have to ask you to stay here."
Yōsuke understood what Mei meant—she was telling them to remain here obediently and submit to her supervision.
The five of them took their seats and waited while Mei verified the information.
Meanwhile, ever since seeing Chōjūrō, Gyūtarō seemed lost in thought.
Yōsuke asked curiously, "Is something bothering you?"
Gyūtarō shook his head. "Before I left the village, the water-using kid asked me to look into something. The two swords that glasses-wearing kid was carrying on his back just now looked somewhat similar, but they were wrapped in bandages, so I couldn't confirm."
Yōsuke didn't give it much thought and replied casually, "Suigetsu, huh… I see. Then we'll check after this is over."
Silence fell over the office. Mei continued to observe Yōsuke and the others intently.
After a while, Mei could no longer hold back and took the initiative to ask, "You said earlier that you don't belong to any shinobi village. Then are you a mercenary organization? Is that why you wear masks—because you were once missing-nin?"
Yōsuke explained calmly, "We are an organization, but we don't accept employment. And we aren't missing-nin—we're simply companions who share the same ideals."
"In that case, why not take advantage of this opportunity to accept commissions from the villages?" Mei pressed on with childlike curiosity. "During wartime, organizations like yours are extremely popular. Why would you instead choose to actively try to stop the war?"
Yōsuke answered succinctly, "Because not everyone longs for war."
Finding the reply uninteresting, Mei stopped speaking and silently waited for the intelligence report.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Chōjūrō returned to the Mizukage's office.
"Mizukage-sama," he reported, "the reconnaissance unit has confirmed the information. All Kumogakure ninja have withdrawn from the border of the Land of Fire. Kumogakure was indeed attacked by an unknown force. The Two-Tails' jinchūriki is missing, and the entire village has mobilized its ninja forces to search for her location and prepare a rescue."
Mei's expression turned serious. "I understand. Chōjūrō, you may withdraw."
After Chōjūrō left, Yōsuke stood up from his seat. "Now you can confirm that the intelligence I provided was accurate. This is the perfect opportunity for Kirigakure to withdraw cleanly from this war."
Mei did not relax. "It's not as simple as you think. Even if Kumogakure has withdrawn, there's still Sunagakure and the Iwagakure, which is watching restlessly from the sidelines. Once Kirigakure declared war, it meant standing on the same front as the others—you can't just pull out at will.
"Besides, something happened within Kirigakure earlier. Sunagakure has seized upon it as leverage, which means the initiative in this war isn't entirely in our hands."
Pakura stepped forward on her own initiative. "Because Kirigakure killed Pakura and was seized upon by Sunagakure for that, right?"
"Where did you get that information?" Mei frowned at the masked Pakura.
After all, the official story released to the outside world was that Pakura had been killed by Konoha ninja in an attempt to shift the blame onto Kirigakure.
Pakura removed her mask. "Because I am Pakura."
Mei was shocked. "So you really are still alive. As the famous Scorch Release user Pakura, there was no way you would die so easily. But you're a hero of Sunagakure—why are you now a member of another organization? And since Sunagakure cooperating with Kirigakure benefits them, why would you want to stop this war?"
"The moment Sunagakure betrayed me, I ceased to be a shinobi of Sunagakure," Pakura replied coldly. "On the contrary, I'd be more than happy to watch you dogs tear each other apart."
Faced with Pakura's sharp mockery, Mei did not take offense. Anyone betrayed by the village they had protected would find it impossible to remain calm.
"In that case," Mei said, "you should be even less inclined to stop the war."
Pakura snorted. "I'm only agreeing because my companions want to stop it. If you refuse, that would be even better—I'd be delighted to see Kirigakure and Sunagakure suffer heavy losses."
Mei asked in surprise, "What kind of power does your organization have, to make you set aside such hatred?"
Pakura sneered. "People like you, driven by power and interest, will never understand."
Seeing how intense Pakura's anger was, Mei did not press further. "Since you've chosen to reveal your true identity, that means you're prepared to announce that you're still alive—and to expose the fact that Sunagakure abandoned you in order to force Kirigakure into this war, correct?"
"Since you already understand," Pakura replied coldly, "what's the point of asking?"
From start to finish, Pakura never showed Mei a friendly expression.
Yōsuke stepped in at the right moment. "Now that both justification and moral high ground are in your hands, Mizukage, what is your decision?"
After thinking for a moment, Mei did not answer directly. Instead, she asked, "Then what if I require you to hand Pakura over to Sunagakure?"
Yōsuke's expression turned icy. "If that thought has crossed your mind, I suggest you abandon it immediately. Since we were able to enter this place without anyone noticing, we can just as easily assassinate you without a sound. If the Mizukage were assassinated and Kirigakure fell back into civil war, our objective would still be achieved."
Mei let out a cold laugh. "You certainly talk big. Do you really think just the few of you could stand against all of Kirigakure?"
"I'm simply stating a fact," Yōsuke replied. "If you insist on going your own way, then we will immediately declare war on Kirigakure."
Yōsuke released all of his killing intent.
Gyūtarō, Deidara, and Itachi did the same, their expressions solemn as they stared at Mei.
At a single word from Yōsuke, they would launch into battle without hesitation.
Mei felt a surge of shock. Just Yōsuke's presence alone made her feel genuine fear—something she had only ever experienced once before, from the former Three-Tails' jinchūriki and Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
And Mei could tell that Yōsuke wasn't bluffing. If she continued to bring up handing Pakura over, the fighting would begin immediately.
"Since you won't allow me to hand Pakura over to Sunagakure," Mei finally said, "then I need Pakura to attend a Kirigakure council meeting—so that everyone can know she's alive, and that all of this was a conspiracy by Sunagakure."
Yōsuke looked toward Pakura. If she refused, no one could force her.
After facing Mei's proposal, Pakura ultimately nodded and agreed.