The Hidden Mist Jonin Squad Leader was speechless. This won't work; that's not right. So, what exactly should be done?
"From now on, refrain from unnecessary actions; let's watch and observe," the Third Mizukage said after contemplating his thoughts.
He believed that given Konoha's current situation, even if they had the upper hand, they couldn't advance into the Land of Water, implying that the Hidden Mist Village could safely sit back and watch from the sidelines, quietly waiting for an opportunity.
When Konoha shows signs of weakness, they can re-emerge and launch an attack against Konoha, securing both glory and the chance to reclaim the ninja blades upon victory.
As for the scenario where Konoha defeats all enemies and wins, the Third Mizukage hadn't considered such a possibility.
After the meeting ended, the old master sighed slightly and left the Mizukage Building.
This war made him realize the weakness of the Hidden Mist.
Although they had two Jinchuriki, neither the Three-tailed Jinchuriki nor the Six-tailed Jinchuriki was perfect, unable to perform a complete Tailed Beast Transformation while conscious.
The younger generation of ninja in the Hidden Mist was far inferior to Konoha's. Konoha had the Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato, who could contend with the new AB combination of the Hidden Cloud, and Habu Mokgetsu, who could kill Jinchuriki. There was no ninja in the new Hidden Mist generation who could make a name for themselves in the Ninja World like this.
Not just one generation, but even Karatachi Yagura's generation of ninja was outshone by Konoha.
Except for Yagura, who might compare to one of the Sannin, neither Minazuki Kan nor Hozuki Zangetsu could rival the Sannin.
Minazuki Kan and the others were even annihilated by Konoha's new generation of ninja. Minazuki Kan and Hozuki Zangetsu both died at Mokgetsu's hands.
"Master, do you have time now? I've recently encountered some problems with my Water Release cultivation," Terumi Mei said, her eyes brightening at the sight of the old master.
"What is the issue? Tell me, and I'll listen," the old master asked with a kindly smile when he saw Terumi Mei.
Terumi Mei was a genius ninja unearthed during the joint Chunin Examination period, and the old master had high hopes for her future, believing she would become a leader of the new generation in the Hidden Mist.
Terumi Mei quickly explained the problems she encountered.
After a little thought, the old master provided an answer. Although he hadn't been doing much cultivation due to age, he was once a renowned Water Release expert in the Hidden Mist.
"Thank you so much," Terumi Mei said, bowing in gratitude.
"You must train harder. Those opponents you once encountered in Konoha have all made quite a name for themselves on the battlefield," the old master said cheerfully, encouragingly.
Among Konoha's most renowned four young geniuses, three had participated in the same joint Chunin Examination as Terumi Mei. Uchiha Obito was even defeated by Terumi Mei once in the second round.
"The opponents I encountered in Konoha?" Terumi Mei showed a contemplative expression.
Of course, the Hidden Mist wouldn't spread news of its major defeat within the village. Other than Mokgetsu, who had already made a name throughout the Ninja World, Terumi Mei wasn't very aware of Obito and the others' achievements.
"Lighting Fang Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Green Beast Might Guy, they were all ninja who participated in the Chunin Examination with you," the old master briefly recounted Kakashi and the others' deeds on the battlefield.
Terumi Mei's eyes widened, her mouth falling open unconsciously, her face full of shock.
Might Guy's strength was something Terumi Mei was well aware of, after all, she hadn't forgotten the scene where Might Guy crushed Kisame Squad.
However, she truly hadn't realized that Might Guy and their strength had become so terrifying, to the point of directly repelling the Seven-Swords Ninja.
As a ninja from the Hidden Mist, Terumi Mei knew all too well the weight of the Seven-Swords Ninja.
The Seven-Swords Ninja was a special squad directly under the Mizukage, with each member carefully chosen from the Jonin, and each equipped with a powerful ninja blade.
She simply couldn't imagine what Kakashi and the others had experienced during this time to achieve such formidable power. Those were the Seven-Swords Ninja!
Clearly, during the Chunin Examination, Kakashi and the others were still back and forth with Kisame Squad.
Feeling a bit ashamed in her heart, Terumi Mei sometimes felt self-satisfied with her current strength, while her former opponents had already reached another level.
"I have to work and cultivate harder," Terumi Mei decided to put more effort into her training to become stronger and catch up with Kakashi and the others.
...
Because of the significant results, coupled with Konoha's deliberate efforts to boost morale, the news of Konoha's major defeat of the Hidden Mist and Mokgetsu's slaying of the Jinchuriki quickly spread throughout the Ninja World.
Land of Earth, The Hidden Rock Village, Tsuchikage Office.
"The Hidden Mist actually lost a Jinchuriki; Konoha's threat level needs to be raised further," Onoki said, somewhat surprised as he looked at the latest information in his hand.
In his plans, the Hidden Mist should at least grind away at Konoha's strength on the East Coast Battlefield for two years.
"Blazing Sun Habu Mokgetsu..." Onoki went over all the information in his mind, feeling that this ninja named Habu Mokgetsu would be very difficult to deal with.
According to existing data, Habu Mokgetsu not only possessed a strong Flying Thunder God Jutsu but also mastered a powerful Fire Release; moreover, his Ice Release level wasn't low.
"We need to accelerate our actions in the Land of Rain," Onoki became more determined in his thought to continue antagonizing Konoha.
Konoha's strength was too formidable, so more enemies needed to be found for them.
If Habu Mokgetsu's Fire Release was indeed formidable, then let Ninja Master Sosuke go and compare his Fire Release with Mokgetsu's, to see if it could surpass Sosuke, known for the strongest Fire Release.
Konoha had four outstanding young geniuses, while the Ninja Sect had the mysterious and formidable Nagato, making Onoki increasingly think that having the Ninja Sect face off against Konoha was a good idea.