Chapter 529: ...for only two things

A moment later, Mizunuki Ryosuke landed lightly in the main seat, his face still wearing that signature gentle smile, radiating full approachability.

The bodyguard he had carefully selected stood naturally and prettily behind him.

After a calm and collected comparison, the Third Raikage and the Third Kazekage finally fixed their gazes behind Mizunuki Ryosuke.

The first impression given by this bodyguard, meticulously chosen by the Mizukage, was very striking: two words—young.

Her youth did not actually exceed the expectations of the two Third Kages, but what surprised them was that the girl was perhaps a bit too young.

Thanks to Mizunuki Ryosuke’s active performance in this Ninja World War, not only did he become famous throughout the ninja world, but several of his capable generals also rose to prominence.

The two had assumed that Mizunuki Ryosuke’s bodyguard this time would be one of his other subordinates who had recently made a name for themselves on the Raikage’s battlefield.

But they never expected it to be such an unfamiliar and young face.

She wore a well-fitted blue dress, her chestnut-colored long hair draped casually behind her, and her fair, lovely face held a quiet, gentle beauty.

Carefully styled bangs cleverly covered the girl’s right eye, lending her a hint of mystery.

Even though she was young, the blue dress did not make her figure look bloated; rather, it was exquisite and well-proportioned.

Given the girl’s age, it was not hard to judge that she would surely have a "formidable" future.

From every angle, this girl was a rare beauty.

The Third Raikage withdrew his gaze, recalling a certain "rumor" about a certain Mizukage, and a strange expression gradually appeared in his eyes.

Could it be that Mizunuki Ryosuke bypassed other talents and chose this unknown girl as his bodyguard for some "deep-seated" reason?

Behind the Third Raikage, Bee, who was standing guard in full readiness, suddenly felt a flash of complexity and emotion in his eyes. For some reason, Bee suddenly thought of Samui, who was still far away in the Mist.

"Thought Samui could at least be the second in line in the Mist, but now it seems she might not even be the third, but the fourth."

If anyone could hear Bee’s inner thoughts, they would certainly be shocked.

Clearly, Bee was feeling indignant for his former friend, Samui.

Meanwhile, in the shopping street of the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water.

Samui, who was holding the arm of Mizunuki Ren and pestering a merchant who kept smiling apologetically, suddenly froze.

"Achoo!!!"

Then, she sneezed violently.

"What’s wrong, Samui? You didn't catch a cold, did you?"

Mizunuki Ren immediately asked Samui with concern.

In response, Samui just rubbed her delicate nose and waved her hand immediately.

"I'm fine, Ren, just a sneeze."

As Samui spoke, she secretly felt strange in her heart. She wondered what was wrong with her lately; why did she keep sneezing for no reason?

"As long as you're okay."

Seeing that Samui was fine, Ren smiled again.

Then, she grabbed the hand of her good friend and continued to torment the merchants of the Mist shopping street.

Mizunuki Ryosuke was naturally unaware of the thoughts of the Third Raikage and Bee.

After taking his seat, he did not speak immediately but scanned the room.

Within his view, the representatives of the six major forces were:

Waterfall Ninja representative, leader Shibuki.

Rain Ninja representative, leader Hanzo of the Salamander.

Iron Country Samurai representative, General Mifune and the armored samurai behind him.

Land of Wind Sand Ninja representative, Third Kazekage Sate, and his bodyguards Rasa and Ye Cang.

Land of Lightning Cloud Ninja representative, Third Raikage Ai, and his bodyguard Bee.

Finally, naturally, the Land of Water Mist Ninja representative, Fourth Mizukage Mizunuki Ryosuke and his bodyguard, Terumi Mei.

Among them, Hanzo of the Rain and Shibuki of the Waterfall brought no bodyguards, while the Third Kazekage brought two, totaling eleven people gathered for this meeting that would decide the fate of the ninja world.

When Mizunuki Ryosuke’s gaze swept over everyone, their expressions were all different.

Shibuki’s panic and nervousness, Hanzo’s stiffness, Mifune’s seriousness, the Third Kazekage’s eagerness, and the Third Raikage’s composure.

And when Mizunuki Ryosuke’s gaze passed over the face of Ye Cang behind the Kazekage, a hint of shyness flashed across her lovely face.

To this, Ryosuke could only return an awkward but polite smile.

After a brief exchange of glances, Mizunuki Ryosuke finally spoke.

"Everyone, it is an honor to invite you all to gather in the Land of Iron."

"I have gathered you all in the Land of Iron for only one thing."

"The topic is very simple, just two words—peace."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said unhurriedly; his pace was not fast, but every word was full of weight.

Once these words were spoken, the expressions on everyone’s faces did not change in the slightest.

After all, no matter what, gathering so many prominent forces of the ninja world in one place required at least a plausible pretext.

Peace, an enduring topic in the ninja world.

Whether it was Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, or everyone sitting here, they had all declared that peace was their pursuit.

It was just that no one had ever been able to bring true peace.

Now that Mizunuki Ryosuke had brought up the banner of peace, whether it was "true peace" or "false peace," as long as he acted under this banner, he was at least acting with a legitimate cause.

"From the First Hokage Senju Hashirama to everyone present, all have wanted to secure peace for their own countries and villages."

"Because peace is equivalent to profit."

"But despite countless people pursuing peace, the situation in the ninja world remains one of constant war."

"Everyone sitting here is also a victim of war."

Mizunuki Ryosuke continued, but as soon as this sentence was spoken, many clever people in the room heard the subtext.

That is, if everyone sitting here is a victim of war, then what about those not sitting here? Are they the beneficiaries and perpetrators of war?

Besides the small fry, the only major forces in the ninja world not present were the Leaf and the Rock. So, after this statement, did the true target of Mizunuki Ryosuke need to be spelled out?

The Third Kazekage and the Third Raikage’s eyes flashed with a sharp light upon hearing this; they naturally understood the deep meaning in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s words.

Of course, they had anticipated this, as it was one of the reasons they had come here.

"So today, I have only two goals."

"First, to heal the wounds brought by war for everyone."

"Second, to bring peace to the ninja world."

As he spoke, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s tone remained calm, but his words carried a hint of arrogance.