The Hidden Mist Village contingent had arrived in Kumogakure at almost the exact same time as the Hidden Leaf.
Yet the Kumogakure ninjas acted as if they couldn't even see them. Their entire focus was on Jie and the Hidden Leaf shinobi behind him, putting up a tense and guarded front as though they were facing a major enemy.
That left the Hidden Mist shinobi in an extremely awkward position; speaking up felt wrong, but staying silent felt just as bad.
If they suddenly interrupted, Kumogakure might misunderstand and think the Mist and Leaf had joined forces to pressure them together. If that happened, even jumping into the ocean wouldn't be enough for Mei to clear her name.
But if they continued standing there silently like background grunts, they were simply ignored.
After all, she was Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage. The Hidden Mist was also one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. So why was the Leaf receiving such a tense and serious reception while her village was treated like some unwanted stepchild, ignored without even a second glance?
Fortunately, the Fifth Raikage finally seemed to notice them.
Mei waited expectantly for Yugito to acknowledge the Hidden Mist. Unexpectedly, Yugito only gave them a brief glance before immediately turning back toward Jie.
"To think a mere joint exam would actually bring the Hokage here personally," Yugito said meaningfully. "This truly surprises all of Kumogakure."
The meaning behind her words was obvious.
'Jie Uchiha, you really have too much free time if you're personally overseeing a small Chunin Exam. Kumogakure does not welcome Hidden Leaf shinobi. If you have no real business here, then return to Konoha.'
But now that he had already come this far, Jie obviously wasn't going to turn back just because of a few sarcastic remarks from Yugito. Otherwise, all his preparations would have been meaningless.
Besides, something else had already caught his attention. Other than the Three Great Alliances treaty, what exactly was Mei Terumi planning to do in Kumogakure? To find out her real purpose, Jie naturally couldn't leave now.
Hearing Yugito's thinly veiled mockery, Jie's expression turned colder. A polite smile still remained on his face, but there wasn't the slightest warmth in his eyes.
"So the Raikage does not welcome me?" Jie asked calmly. "In that case, I'll personally visit the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning in a few days and ask him myself. I'd like to see whether everyone in the Land of Lightning looks down on Hidden Leaf shinobi."
Hearing Jie's threat, Matatabi's breathing nearly stopped inside Yugito's body.
'Ask the Daimyo why Kumogakure doesn't welcome Leaf shinobi? ' On the surface, it sounded harmless enough. But how exactly would a Leaf ninja like Jie question a foreign Daimyo?
The answer was obvious.
He would first mobilize an army, wipe out Kumogakure, and then march straight to the capital to question the Daimyo personally.
At that moment, Matatabi couldn't help cursing inwardly. Why had she ever taken on the role of the Fifth Raikage? Wouldn't it have been far better to simply take over Yugito's body and wander the ninja world freely as an unrestrained Tailed Beast?
Instead, she, a mighty Tailed Beast, was now forced to represent Kumogakure's humans in this exhausting political and psychological battle against Jie. If news of this ever spread, how would she still have the face to meet the other eight Tailed Beasts?
But there was no other choice.
Yugito Nii had been her closest friend. Now that Yugito was gone, Matatabi felt a deep responsibility to protect her friend's village in her place.
Taking a slow breath, Matatabi looked toward Jie.
"The Hokage jokes," she said with a forced smile. "Your arrival is a great honor for Kumogakure. The shinobi gathered along the streets simply wished to witness your presence for themselves, which is why they came to welcome you."
"Since this was only a joint Chunin Exam, I did not wish to trouble the Hokage with a formal invitation from the Leaf. It seems I was the one being inconsiderate."
The words tasted bitter.
For a proud Tailed Beast to lower herself and speak so humbly to a human was a humiliation Matatabi never wanted to experience a second time.
Still, even if it was only diplomatic courtesy, the Raikage had already backed down considerably. Seeing this, Jie nodded in satisfaction.
He hadn't come here to destroy Kumogakure in the first place, and since Matatabi had chosen to yield, he naturally wouldn't press the matter further.
"The Chunin Exams will officially begin tomorrow," Matatabi continued calmly as she looked toward Jie and the three young Genin standing behind him.
"Until then, the Hokage and your disciples may rest within the village."
As her gaze swept across the trio's unusually youthful faces, surprise flashed through Matatabi's eyes.
'These are Jie's disciples? Why are they so young?'
For children of this age to participate in the Chunin Exams, there could only be two possibilities.
Either Jie was telling the truth, and they were merely here to broaden their horizons...
Or the talent of these three children was so terrifyingly monstrous that they were fully confident in crushing the older Genin from every other village.
'He's here to show off', Matatabi realized instantly, feeling that she had finally understood Jie's true purpose. 'He wants to flaunt the Leaf's newest generation of peerless geniuses and deliberately crush the confidence of the other hidden villages.'
Confident in his overwhelming strength, Jie clearly wasn't worried about any schemes Kumogakure might attempt. After giving the Raikage a small nod, he calmly led his three disciples straight into the village.
Watching Jie receive such respectful treatment as he entered, Mei Terumi was completely stunned. A moment later, blazing fury erupted inside her chest.
'This has gone too far! Absolutely outrageous!'
They were both Kage of their respective villages, so why was there such an enormous difference in treatment?
Yugito acted cautious and respectful toward Jie, not even daring to breathe too loudly after being openly threatened, yet she had practically ignored the Hidden Mist from beginning to end.
So many Mist shinobi were standing right there, but the Raikage hadn't even given them a proper glance. It was as if the Hidden Mist ninjas were nothing more than weeds by the roadside, completely unworthy of even the most basic diplomatic courtesy.
Just as Mei was reaching the limit of her patience and was about to angrily demand an explanation, Matatabi finally shifted her gaze toward them.
Watching Jie's figure disappear deeper into the village, Matatabi immediately dropped her polite expression. Her face turned cold and distant as she looked at the Mist contingent.
"You are the shinobi from the Hidden Mist, correct?" she asked indifferently. "Since you're already here, you may enter as well."
In Matatabi's view, the Hidden Sand, Hidden Stone, and Hidden Leaf were already inside Kumogakure anyway, so adding one more village hardly mattered.
More importantly, she had already noticed Mei Terumi among the group.
If the Mizukage also entered the village, then all Five Kage would be gathered in one place, creating the perfect setting for an unofficial Five Kage Summit. As for what they would discuss, they could decide that later.
Hearing Matatabi's casual, almost afterthought-like invitation, Mei nearly burst into tears from sheer frustration.
Her entire body trembled with rage as a cold chill spread through her chest.
'Will the Hidden Mist never catch a break? What exactly are we supposed to do to satisfy them? When will the shinobi of the Hidden Mist finally be able to hold their heads high?'
Taking a long breath to calm herself, Mei clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw nearly hurt.
"Lead the way!" she snapped through gritted teeth.
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