Bijiao Island, once a prosperous and strategically vital location, had now been reduced to a ruin filled with wails of sorrow. Charred wreckage, unquenched flames, and blackened, twisted corpses visible everywhere formed a scene straight out of hell. The surviving Kirigakure Ninja and a few civilians, like startled birds, numbly searched through the ruins for comrades who might still be alive, or tried in vain to extinguish the remaining embers. The air was thick with the pungent smell of burning, blood, and the saltiness of the sea, mixing into a sickening scent of despair.
The Patriarch of the Kaguya Clan was wrapped in thick bandages, blood still seeping through. His face was pale, not entirely from his injuries, but from the unforgettable humiliation and horror he felt. He leaned against a broken stone pillar, watching as his clansmen and Kirigakure colleagues cleared more and more bodies, many of which were the charred remains of Kaguya Clan elites. His fists were tightly clenched, his knuckles cracking from the force, and his eyes were bloodshot, filled with a nearly insane rage.
"Sunagakure... Pakura... and that damned Iron Giant..." He squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, each one carrying monstrous hatred. When had the Kaguya Clan ever suffered such a profound disgrace? They had been invaded, their descendants slaughtered, their homes destroyed, and they couldn't even mount an effective counterattack!
"Patriarch... the Communications Squad... the Communications Squad can release the ninja hawks..." A Kaguya Jonin, also injured, stumbled over, his voice hoarse and urgent. "We must immediately... immediately send the message back to the Village!"
The Kaguya Patriarch snapped back to attention. Yes, the message! The Village must immediately know what happened here! Fighting through his injuries, he nearly roared the command: "Immediately! Use the highest-level ninja hawk! Send the situation back, word for word! Bijiao Island was attacked, the port is completely destroyed, defensive forces lost over seventy percent, the fleet is annihilated, and the Kaguya Clan... suffered heavy casualties! The attackers are Sunagakure's Scorch Release User Pakura and an unprecedented giant puppet! Go now!"
"Yes, sir!" The Jonin scrambled toward the hastily set up communications point.
An urgent battle report, stained with blood and fire, filled with terror and despair, was sent via the highest-level ninja hawk, crossing the vast sea like a death knell toward the Hidden Mist Village, deep within the Land of Water.
Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage's Office.
The atmosphere was already stagnant due to the negotiation deadlock with Sunagakure. The Third Mizukage, a man who exuded a cold, oppressive aura, was listening to a subordinate's report on the latest—or rather, non-existent—progress of the talks, his face growing darker by the minute.
Suddenly, the office door was violently thrown open. A Communications Squad Ninja, pale-faced and ignoring all etiquette, held a scroll high in his hand, his voice shrill and distorted: "Mizukage-sama! Emergency military intelligence! Highest priority! From Bijiao Island!"
The Third Mizukage's brows furrowed sharply, and a sense of foreboding instantly gripped him. Bijiao Island? That distant, yet crucial, southern island? He snatched the scroll and quickly scanned its contents.
In just a few seconds, the cold aura surrounding him suddenly turned violent! The temperature in the office seemed to drop instantly, as if an invisible storm were brewing!
"Wh—What?!" The Third Mizukage's voice was distorted by extreme shock and fury. "Bijiao Island attacked?! Port completely destroyed?! Fleet annihilated?! Seventy percent loss of garrison?! Kaguya Clan suffered heavy casualties?!"
Every word that left his mouth caused the other high-ranking officials in the office, including Elder Genshi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, to snap open their eyes, their faces etched with disbelief!
"It's Sunagakure! It's Pakura and... a giant puppet?!" The Third Mizukage finished reading and slammed the report onto the table, instantly cracking the hard surface in several places!
"Impossible!" A high-ranking Kirigakure official cried out in disbelief. "Sunagakure just suffered a massive defeat, where did they get the strength for a cross-sea expedition?! Especially all the way to Bijiao Island!"
"A giant puppet? What kind of puppet could cause this much destruction? Could it be a new creation by that old hag Chiyo from Sunagakure?"
"What good is the Kaguya Clan?! To be beaten so miserably!"
The office instantly erupted into chaos, filled with emotions of doubt, shock, fury, and confusion.
"Silence!" The Third Mizukage roared suddenly. A terrifying Chakra pressure instantly enveloped the room, bringing all noise to a halt. His face was so dark it looked like water might drip from it, his chest heaving violently, his eyes flashing with the insane murderous intent of someone thoroughly provoked and humiliated.
The importance of Bijiao Island was self-evident; it was the economic pillar and naval stronghold of the southern Kirigakure! Now that it was destroyed, the economic losses were severe, and their maritime power was crippled. More importantly, the face of Kirigakure had been rubbed fiercely into the dirt by Sunagakure—a Village he despised and one that Konoha had just crippled!
This was an absolute disgrace! A hundred times more shameful than being repelled at East Sea Bay!
"Sunagakure... Rasa... Pakura... and that damned Iron Clump!" The Third Mizukage's voice sounded like grinding ice shards, filled with bitter malice. "How dare they?! How dare they do this!!"
He suddenly looked at Genshi: "Elder Genshi, what is your assessment?"
Elder Genshi leaned on his cane, his aged face equally solemn. He said slowly, "The message should be accurate. Although the Kaguya Clan is arrogant and warlike, they would never falsify a military report of such a devastating defeat. Sunagakure... it seems they have undergone changes we could not have foreseen. That giant puppet is likely the key."
"No matter what it is!" The Third Mizukage abruptly waved his hand, cutting off Genshi. He was completely blinded by rage at this point. "If we don't avenge this, how can my Kirigakure stand in the Ninja World?! Immediately mobilize the troops! Notify the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! I, the Mizukage, will personally lead the army to flatten the Hidden Sand Village! I will use the heads of Rasa and Pakura to wash away this shame!"
He delivered the orders almost as a roar, the killing intent radiating from him making the entire office feel like an ice cave.
However, the moment he spoke, the faces of Genshi and the few more rational high-ranking officials instantly changed.
"Mizukage-sama! Please calm down!" Genshi urgently tried to dissuade him. "If we rashly send out all our forces now for a distant campaign into the Land of Wind, setting aside the unknown strength of Sunagakure with that mysterious puppet, what if other great nations, especially Konoha, take advantage of our weakness..."
"That's right, Mizukage-sama! The Village itself is unstable!" "Please reconsider!"