Inside the Mizukage Building
After being treated by a medical ninja, Yagura Karatachi slowly woke up from his coma.
He looked at the Kirigakure jonin standing in front of him with complicated eyes and asked slowly,
"How long… has it been since the day I became the Fourth Mizukage?"
The Mist ninja glanced at each other.
Finally, Genji stepped forward and answered truthfully.
"After this month passes… you will have served as Mizukage for eleven years, Yagura-sama."
Yagura froze for a moment.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"Eleven years already…"
"I still remember when you were just a young man, Genji."
"Back then, Terumi Mei and Hōzuki Mangetsu were still little brats studying at the Ninja Academy…"
As he spoke, Yagura's voice trailed off.
He sank into silence.
For a moment, it felt as if the Mizukage had suddenly aged ten more years.
The experience of being controlled by the masked man had been like a never-ending nightmare.
The cruelest part?
After waking up…
He realized the nightmare had actually been reality the whole damn time.
Because of that masked bastard's manipulation, his plans to develop Kirigakure had completely collapsed.
Instead, the village had been pushed into years of bloody internal conflict.
The Kekkei Genkai clans had been hunted and wiped out.
The legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had nearly vanished.
Now only one remained active.
The rest of the swords were either lost… or had no suitable successors.
It was like watching your house burn down while you were locked inside a glass cage.
After a long silence, Yagura asked about the current situation and about the mysterious ninja named Uzumaki Mianma.
When he heard that Naruto had been invited by Hōzuki Mangetsu, Yagura turned toward him.
"Mangetsu."
"Explain this Uzumaki's identity… and the reward he requested for helping Kirigakure."
Mangetsu looked left and right.
Clearly, he didn't really want to say it out loud.
Under Genji's subtle nod, however, he reluctantly revealed part of the deal he had made with Naruto.
As the details were explained, Yagura's expression gradually became… weird.
Very weird.
Because those conditions basically meant Kirigakure bending the knee to the Uzumaki clan.
If the treaty were signed, it would basically be carved into history as a pillar of shame for the village.
Seeing Yagura's reaction, Mangetsu frowned.
If the Mizukage rejected the deal…
He had no damn idea how he was supposed to explain that to Naruto.
And frankly speaking, explaining things to that guy sounded about as safe as trying to cut a tiger's balls off with a butter knife.
Seeing the tension rising, Terumi Mei stepped forward.
"Fourth Mizukage-sama."
"I suggest we agree to at least some of the conditions."
"If Uzumaki Mianma decides to cause trouble…"
"…our current village has no way to stop him."
Yagura shook his head.
"I plan to agree to all the conditions."
"The sooner the contract is signed, the better."
Mangetsu immediately let out a long breath of relief.
Terumi Mei, however, looked confused.
Yagura sighed again.
"You don't know who that masked man really is."
"But I've already guessed."
"If I'm not mistaken…"
"He's Uchiha Madara."
The room instantly exploded with shock.
"Uchiha Madara?!"
Everyone present had heard that legendary name before.
A man who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.
A monster who helped found Konoha.
A man whose name alone once terrified the entire ninja world.
Yagura continued grimly.
"And I suspect…"
"…that the Third Mizukage was also controlled by him."
"That's why the cruel Blood Mist policy was implemented."
"If that's true…"
"Then Uchiha Madara has been secretly manipulating Kirigakure for decades."
Terumi Mei looked stunned.
"The Third Mizukage too?"
"That's… impossible…"
Genji took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"The Fourth Mizukage is correct."
"We had suspicions back then."
"But the Blood Mist training system was supported by many high-ranking officials at the time."
"No one paid much attention to the Third Mizukage's strange behavior."
He paused before continuing.
"However… later he ordered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to invade the Land of Fire."
"And even planned to use a Jinchūriki's power to destroy Konoha."
"That strategy was completely abnormal."
"It went against Kirigakure's long-standing policy of supporting the weak and weakening the strong."
Genji's words made the Mist ninja feel as if the entire world had suddenly become fake.
For years, they had believed Kirigakure was equal to Konoha.
Yet the truth might be that a Konoha traitor had secretly been controlling their village for decades.
That realization was honestly humiliating as hell.
Yagura sighed.
"Genji is right."
"I had my suspicions about the Third Mizukage back then."
"But while I was investigating…"
"Uchiha Madara came knocking on my door."
"And then everything went to shit."
He looked around the room.
"Right now, we've finally encountered a ninja capable of fighting Madara."
"We must not let this opportunity slip away."
"Compared to face and pride, keeping Kirigakure alive is far more important."
The room fell silent again.
Then Ao, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke.
"Fourth Mizukage-sama."
"You said Madara controlled both you and the Third Mizukage."
"But judging from the battle earlier…"
"The masked man didn't seem nearly that powerful."
"That part feels… strange."
Yagura nodded slightly.
"Perhaps…"
"…because even Madara isn't confident about fighting Uzumaki Mianma."
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"In any case, we must form an alliance with him."
"At the very least…"
"He can share some of the firepower if Madara returns."
After making the final decision, Yagura dismissed most of the jonin.
Only Genji remained in the room.
The moment everyone left, Yagura's strong posture collapsed.
His face turned pale.
"Genji…"
"I plan to begin the selection for the Fifth Mizukage."
"Do you have any candidates?"
Genji's expression changed.
After thinking for a moment, he replied,
"If I must recommend someone…"
"I would suggest Terumi Mei and Hōzuki Mangetsu."
"Mei possesses both Lava Release and Boil Release."
"Mangetsu is the heir of the Hōzuki Clan and the wielder of the Hiramekarei sword."
"But personally…"
"I think you should continue serving as Mizukage."
"There's no need to resign and take the blame for everything."
Yagura slowly shook his head.
"I can withstand the pressure from the village…"
"But my body can't."
"If nothing unexpected happens…"
"I probably won't live for more than a few months."
Genji's expression darkened.
"Is it because of Madara?"
Yagura nodded.
"There's always a price for being controlled by genjutsu for years."
"I believe Madara already knew this."
"That's why he didn't bother stopping me from leaving the Mizukage building earlier."
He sighed.
"I'm not afraid of dying."
"But if my death triggers another civil war over the Mizukage position…"
"Then everything would be pointless."
"That's why even an unequal treaty must be signed."
"Only then can Kirigakure have a future."
"Otherwise…"
"We'll just keep repeating this cycle of Mizukage being manipulated like puppets."
After thinking for a while, Genji smiled bitterly.
"If that's the case…"
"Then the Fifth Mizukage will likely have to be Hōzuki Mangetsu."
"He's the one who brought Uzumaki Mianma here."
"If someone else takes the position…"
"…the Uzumaki might think we're trying to screw them over and come back to break our balls."
He added quietly,
"After all… Kirigakure participated in the destruction of the Uzumaki homeland."
"And we took quite a lot of their sealing techniques back then."
"And once the treaty is signed…"
"…you will probably be remembered as the most disgraceful Mizukage in history."
Yagura gave a tired smile.
"I was already the worst Mizukage."
"If the village can become better because of it…"
"Then I don't mind being carved onto the pillar of shame."
He looked out the window toward the mist-covered village.
"Because Kirigakure…"
"…can no longer afford to lose its title as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages."
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