"Since you insist… then fine. Come with me this time."
To Shigure, it didn't matter who guarded him.
With his strength, if he couldn't resolve a battle, relying on Liangming's so-called Mizukage Guards wouldn't change anything.
Since one of his guards was already decided—Hinata—then for the second guard, Shigure had two realistic choices:
Either pick a Jinchūriki, or choose someone from the many Bloodline-Limit clans now gathered in the village.
The thought came and went. He didn't bother dwelling on it.
"Shigure-kun, do you want to take a bath and relax? I'll go prepare the water for you."
Hinata's gentle, well-behaved demeanor made him smile.
Meanwhile—far behind the Mist Village—Sasuke arrived with Fugaku and several Uchiha clansmen.
"This is the land I applied for from Shigure, for the Uchiha clan. The Mist Village has expanded a lot… looks like we're pretty far from the main district now."
"But according to Shigure's new urban plan, this area is still part of central Kirigakure. If the Uchiha settle here now, we'll definitely become the core of the new Mist Village."
Fugaku frowned as Sasuke continued explaining.
"Sasuke… have you truly thought this through? You really won't return to Konoha?"
Sasuke didn't hesitate.
"No. I don't want to go back to a place like Konoha. They clearly don't need the Uchiha clan—so why should we need Konoha?"
Fugaku wanted to bring up Itachi, but Sasuke spoke first.
"Today's Mist Village is the strongest village in the entire ninja world. And unlike the old Bloody Mist era, the current Mist is completely different—there are countless Bloodline-Limit clans here."
Fugaku blinked.
"What do you mean—'countless Bloodline-Limit clans'?"
Sasuke smiled.
"Mist now has: the Kaguya clan with their Shikotsumyaku, the Yuki Clan, and the Yumujō clan with their Boil Release."
Fugaku didn't react much to those. Kaguya and Yuki originally were Kirigakure clans.
But the Yumujō clan? What was that?
Then Sasuke continued listing them—
Red Valley, Akayama, Chidori, Wave, Mitsuki, and many others… one after another.
Fugaku was stunned.
"Why have so many Bloodline-Limit clans suddenly gathered in the Mist Village?!"
Sasuke frowned slightly.
"I don't know the exact details. But I heard that during the Bloody Mist era, countless Bloodline-Limit families escaped from Kirigakure."
"During their exile, they relied on each other to survive… living secretly outside the village. But after Shigure became Mizukage, he reversed Mist's policies."
"He offered generous terms and personally invited those Bloodline-Limit clans back."
So that was it.
Fugaku suddenly understood—the kid really had skill.
Regaining the trust of families who once lost faith in the village… wasn't something easily done.
Originally, Fugaku had been concerned that Shigure wanted the Uchiha clan only for their Sharingan.
But if Shigure genuinely intended to steal their dōjutsu, he could simply resurrect Uchiha in secret and harvest their eyes.
There was no need for all this.
"You and Shigure… you're close, aren't you?"
Fugaku finally asked.
Sasuke nodded.
"Yeah. Shigure… he was originally a Konoha shinobi too. But back then, due to certain political reasons, Konoha traded him away like an object."
"So he came to Kirigakure and eventually became the Mizukage."
This revelation made Fugaku even more astonished.
A foreign-born shinobi had managed to gain the recognition of an entire hidden village and rise all the way to the position of Mizukage.
That was even harder than convincing the scattered Bloodline-Limit clans to return to Kirigakure.
Just how did Shigure accomplish that?
"When Shigure and I were still in Konoha, we were in the same squad," Sasuke explained. "Back then, he taught me many techniques—he helped me improve my strength more than anyone else."
So that was the connection between Sasuke and Shigure.
Understanding now, Fugaku slowly nodded.
"I see. Sasuke… since the Uchiha clan has been restored thanks to you, the arrangements moving forward should be decided by you. I believe no one in the clan would object."
After all—the lives of every revived Uchiha were owed to Sasuke.
But Sasuke shook his head.
"You're thanking the wrong person. If the clan was resurrected, that was because of Shigure."
Fugaku acknowledged this with a nod.
At that moment, a Mist shinobi arrived.
"Sasuke-sama, Lord Mizukage will be traveling to the Land of Iron tomorrow for the Five Kage Summit. After discussion, Lady Terumi has decided that you will serve as Lord Shigure's Mizukage Guard."
Sasuke nodded without hesitation.
"No problem."
Mizukage Guard.
Being assigned to this role was an unspoken sign of qualification—almost a quiet acknowledgment that Sasuke had the potential to inherit the Mizukage position someday.
It was no small honor.
But Fugaku suddenly spoke up.
"Sasuke… let me go in your place."
"The Uchiha clan has only just settled in Kirigakure. I believe Lord Mizukage welcomes our presence—but the other Bloodline-Limit clans may not. Until the clan fully stabilizes, you are still needed here…"
Sasuke paused, thinking it through. He understood.
Even though most of the Bloodline-Limit clans no longer harbored discrimination, there were still rivalries.
Nothing large-scale—just subtle frictions between clans.
Benign competition, but competition nonetheless.
Now the Uchiha would inevitably join those rivalries.
Shigure himself would never oppose them—but expecting the Mizukage to personally deal with every minor clash between clans was unrealistic.
"Alright."
Sasuke turned to the messenger.
"I recommend my father, Uchiha Fugaku, to serve as the Mizukage Guard."
In the Mizukage's office, Terumi Mei listened to the report.
"Uchiha Fugaku… as guard?"
She smiled faintly.
Perhaps Sasuke didn't understand his father's true intention—but Terumi did.
Fugaku was making a declaration to all of Kirigakure's upper echelon:
The Uchiha clan has no ambition to seize the position of Mizukage.
Fugaku was the clan head. He was older than Shigure. By serving as a simple guard, he made it clear that he only wanted to contribute to the village—not compete for future leadership.
A clan leader with that much awareness and tact genuinely surprised Terumi.
If Sasuke had taken the position, the other Bloodline-Limit clans would certainly grow wary of the Uchiha from the start.
And fostering jealousy on day one was never good for stability.
Terumi also judged Fugaku's personal strength. With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was more than qualified.
A shinobi with Mangekyō…
His power was more than sufficient.
(End of Chapter)
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