The Mizukage's visit was unexpected for Jugo, not entirely, after all he released Utakata knowing this possibility, but he thought that Utakata, as in the original, would be able to remain hidden for a few years or would be caught by Pain first.

  Therefore, he expected an attack from Akatsuki, but only after the first 5 tailed beasts were captured.

  What he didn't know was that Utakata, having changed his mindset, was much more lenient with the Kirigakure ninjas and because of that, he was caught. He hadn't expected the man's change of heart, that was his mistake.

  So, looking at the red-haired woman who had come to his territory openly, he couldn't tell if he was very trustworthy or if she was very stupid.

  With her were Ao and Chojuro, but there was a squad waiting outside now, even so, Jugo was confident he could keep them all there without too many casualties.

  -Jugo-kun.- the woman began, sitting in front of him in the same position Jiraiya had been in months before. -You must know why we're here.

  Guren looked at Jugo with concern, sensing that more trouble was on the horizon.

  Jugo rested his chin on his hands on the table and looked carefully at Terumi Mei.

  The woman was very beautiful and made no attempt to hide it, in fact, from the moment she entered the room, she had a seductive air about her, but her level of danger only increased.

  If Jugo had to rank the current 5 Kages in terms of strength, he would place A (the 4th Raikage) in first place, Onoki in second, Tsunade in third, Terumi Mei in fourth and finally Gaara in fifth.

  Of course, this is just a simple extrapolation and the actual results depend on several factors. In terms of speed and defense, A is ahead, in terms of pure attack, Onoki is ahead, in terms of resilience and strength, Tsunade is ahead, in terms of field control, Gaara is ahead and Terumi Mei is average at this level, but she can't be disregarded because of that.

  She came from the Blood Mist period and managed to stand out to the point of becoming Mizukage, which in itself shows that she is not easy to deal with.

  Unfortunately for her, Jugo had already surpassed the standard "Kage level" and reached the level of legendary figures like Madara and Hashirama.

  Thus, even though he felt the pressure Mei was consciously exerting, he didn't feel much, he only thought the situation itself was irritating. Furthermore, given the unpredictability of his powers, he would become even more dangerous than those figures.

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  He let out a soft sigh as he spoke. -What do you want?

  -The six-tails you stole.- She went straight to the point.

  -Correction, you missed the Six-Tails. Utakata was a rogue ninja, therefore he wasn't part of Kirigakure.- Jugo leaned back in his chair as he spoke.

  -It doesn't change the fact that the Six-Tails belongs to Kirigakure.- Mei pressed even harder. Jugo didn't expend any energy, merely watching the woman's solo performance in boredom, but sensing that Guren's legs were getting weak, he stopped holding back.

  The dark aura emitted by Jugo was visible to the naked eye, his eyes narrowed and turned a clear, malicious red. Ao barely moved and Chojuro froze in place, his face contorted in fear.

  Terumi Mei no longer possessed that air of seduction and power, her eyes were filled with caution. That completely malevolent level of chakra filled her with immense fear inside, but outwardly she managed to remain calm.

  -Did you seal the six tails inside you?- She finally asked, she could only think of that explanation for sensing such a powerful and malevolent chakra in Jugo.

  Jugo chuckled softly as his chakra calmed down. - No, I have no interest in becoming a Jinchuuriki.

  Mei didn't fully believe it, but she didn't bring up the subject again. Although she didn't release her chakra as before, she swallowed hard, feeling that the situation was becoming increasingly problematic.

  -Jugo-kun, can you tell me how willing you would be to give up the six tails? We could pay a good amount for them.- Terumi finally lowered her voice, feeling that coming in person hadn't been a good idea, Jugo's power had truly worried her.

  -I'm not giving it up.- Jugo shook his head, not moving, jokingly. In recent months, Kimimaro's relationship with Saiken had been slowly thawing, they couldn't quite call themselves friends yet, but Saiken was already willing to listen.

  Mei narrowed her eyes, annoyed. -Jugo-kun, this is not a joke, it could lead to war between our villages.

  Jugo almost laughed, he alone could dismantle Kirigakure. Did she want to start a war with him? -You can try.- he said with a mocking smile.

  At this point, if it weren't for the Otsutsuki, Jugo could have expanded the territory of the Land of Sound a long time ago, he had no interest in playing games with Mei, his problems were much bigger than her.

  Mei bit her lip, she wanted to press Jugo again, but sensing his former power, she didn't think it would do any good.

  Finally, she sighed and stood up. -In that case, there's nothing more to talk about.

  She shook her head and left quickly. Chojuro completely sweaty and Ao with his single visible eye narrowed, followed her as she left the tower.

  Jugo didn't stop them, he had no real interest in starting a fight in the middle of the village, nor was it worth diminishing the power of the ninja world just because of an argument. Even so, he felt he still needed to warn Kirigakure.

  This made him sigh. Beside him, Guren, who had finally seen the Mizukage leave, finally straightened her posture. She looked at Jugo, feeling complicated again. Jugo always acted like this, without taking a step forward or back. Sometimes Guren wondered what was going on in his mind.

  -So what do we do now?- Guren asked from the side.

  -Now? Well, let's give Kirigakure a taste of their own medicine, otherwise more trouble will come.- Jugo shrugged.

  The next moment, he raised his hand, which quickly transformed into a white snake, extending away from his body and finally detaching itself. Jugo's hand then reformed, the snake, on the other hand, merging with the wooden floor and swimming away.

  He wouldn't make the trip to Kirigakure alone, it wasn't necessary. The power of a cobra clone was enough.