Chapter 317: Terumi Mei Invitation

Riku looked at Terumi Mei. He knew she wasn’t here for a simple greeting, so he said calmly, “Fifth Mizukage, I don’t know what you’re here to ask about, but if it’s concerning the flying fortress, it has nothing to do with Konoha.”

“It was just a farce orchestrated by a rogue ninja from the Land of Sky who got his hands on a weapon and tried to use it to conquer the Five Great Nations.”

“The reason we were involved was solely to prevent unnecessary conflict between our two villages.”

Terumi Mei didn’t argue. She could see that clearly enough.

Looking directly at Riku, she said, “Please explain the situation to us in detail.”

The leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Nations never backed down simply because the enemy was powerful. As shadows of their respective villages, they carried the weight and pride of their people. Even if they weren’t strong enough to defeat their opponent, they would never simply compromise.

Though Terumi Mei remained polite, her stance was firm and unwavering.

Riku paused for a moment, then turned to Yamato. “Looks like we’ll need to stay in Kirigakure for a little while, sensei.”

Yamato, a former ANBU, understood all too well that diplomatic exchanges between villages were never straightforward.

He nodded slightly.

In any case, with Riku around, there was nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, Ao kept a sharp eye on their every move, and Chojuro remained alert, ready to draw his sword at a moment’s notice.

Still, Terumi Mei didn’t make any aggressive moves—because she knew the truth.

If Riku truly wanted to destroy Kirigakure right now, there was no one in the village who could stop him—not even herself.

The strength Riku had displayed earlier was beyond what even the Kage-level could contend with.

Riku, along with Yamato and the unconscious Naruto slung over his back, followed Terumi Mei into Kirigakure.

After all, Riku intended to explain the matter of the flying fortress to them.

Of course, he could’ve chosen not to.

But that would likely lead to misunderstandings, and Riku had no intention of provoking unnecessary trouble.

Though he had the power to force their hand, he wasn’t the type to threaten others into submission.

As they entered Kirigakure, Riku couldn’t help but notice how underdeveloped the village truly was.

Whether in terms of shinobi strength or infrastructure, it was far behind Konoha.

The disparity was obvious.

Although Konoha’s overall strength had declined somewhat in recent years, it was still leagues ahead of Kirigakure.

The primary reason lay in the relationship between the daimyo and the village.

The Fire Daimyo maintained a relatively favorable relationship with Konoha. Though he, like the other daimyos of the Five Great Nations, had reduced military spending in peacetime, he hadn’t cut funding too severely.

Konoha’s military budget remained relatively sufficient.

Kirigakure, however, had suffered a very different fate.

After the Daimyo of the Land of Water was nearly assassinated by Hoshigaki Kisame, he had completely lost trust in the Hidden Mist.

To develop a shinobi village, the most crucial resources are financial—support that can only come from the daimyo.

Even the Wind Daimyo, who wasn’t particularly fond of Sunagakure, hadn’t completely cut their funding. Though tight, their military expenditure was still manageable.

But the Water Daimyo had gone so far as to halt funding to Kirigakure altogether.

Adding to the village’s woes, the Land of Water had several small shinobi villages. With the Water Daimyo redirecting his support to those, many talented ninja began emerging from them.

Moreover, Kirigakure had once been manipulated and thrown into chaos by Obito. During that period, many of the village’s elite shinobi either died or fled.

As a result, the rise of these smaller shinobi villages nearly brought them on par with Kirigakure itself.