"Uchiha Shisui, huh?"
The Third Mizukage turned in his chair, looking first at the boy who couldn't move a finger under the double suppression of Four Symbols Seal and snake venom.
Then he looked at Kaguya Ren standing behind him—calm as drifting clouds, and noticeably more proud and confident than their last meeting.
The Third Mizukage let out a long sigh.
"You really did bring me a grand gift the moment you returned, Ren."
"After being an outsider for so long, I had to do something to make up for the damage my absence caused," Ren replied, adjusting the Kirigakure forehead protector at his throat.
He pointed at Shisui.
"So, Third—has the village decided how to use this Uchiha prodigy? Peace-talk leverage with Konoha? Or keep him by force as material for research—taking the Uchiha bloodline?"
The Third Mizukage didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave Ren a question that sounded almost tempting.
"Haven't you considered other options, Ren? For example…"
His eyes narrowed.
"You take his eyes… and help Kirigakure win this war."
Ren sighed and closed one eye, watching the Third's expression stiffen just slightly.
"Putting aside whether Shisui's eyes would even suit me… the front is already in that state, and you're still thinking about winning this war?"
"With you, Ren, we can win. Easily," the Third Mizukage said quickly.
His finger jabbed toward Shisui, and for the first time, something like fawning eagerness slipped into his tone.
"Think about it—your body is already the strongest in the shinobi world. If you gain a Sharingan that can see through things and cast genjutsu… what could ever stop you then? Even if Konoha calls back the Sannin, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado all take the field together—plus the Yellow Flash and their hidden Nine-Tails jinchuriki—none of them could stand against you!"
"You're optimistic, Third," Ren said, voice sharp.
His slit pupils pinned the Mizukage down.
"But have you thought about what happens to you afterward? If I truly achieve something equivalent to defeating all of Konoha by myself, what position would that leave you in—an old man sitting in the Mizukage's chair?"
Ren's smile held no warmth.
"Don't forget—Kirigakure is absolute strength-worship. If you can't show power greater than mine then, even if I do nothing, the village won't allow you to remain Mizukage."
The Third Mizukage answered without hesitation, as if he'd rehearsed it.
"I'll take responsibility for my wartime mistakes and submit my resignation to the Land of Water's daimyo. I'll hand the Mizukage's position and authority to you, and you will become the Fourth Mizukage."
He kept going, voice swelling with greedy vision.
"Even if the village suffers losses in the war, as long as we defeat Konoha, we can recover everything from the Land of Fire and Konoha. Once Konoha is erased, Kirigakure will become the strongest village in the shinobi world, owning both the Land of Water and the Land of Fire—"
"And because we don't have enough shinobi raised in our own village to govern that territory," Ren cut in, eyes flat with disappointment, "we'll have no choice but to absorb the former Konoha clans who hate us."
Ren's voice turned colder with each word.
"Which means Kirigakure becomes a hollow shell filled with agents from every great village. The Mizukage's orders get twisted beyond recognition before they even leave the village."
Ren shook his head slowly.
"Third… if that's the best 'grand feast' you can paint for me, then I'd rather take Kirigakure back from whatever is sitting behind you right now—before you get another chance to ruin it."
The Third Mizukage's face flashed with panic for an instant, then he forced it down into stiff calm.
"…What are you talking about, Ren? Someone behind me? Me ruining the village? I don't understand what you mean."
"I mean exactly what I said."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"And it shouldn't be hard to understand."
Then he raised his voice, directing it outward—toward the shinobi gathering around the Mizukage's office.
"I'm saying the Third Mizukage has already been turned into a puppet under someone's genjutsu."
Ren seized Shisui by the collar, lifting him up like a prop, and spoke with almost careless menace.
"The Third has deliberately suppressed the growth of sensory-type shinobi for years. But to keep basic operations running, there should still be a few competent sensory shinobi among the ANBU and veteran jonin."
He tilted his head.
"If you think I'm spouting nonsense—making up a flimsy excuse—then sense the Third's chakra flow yourselves. See if it's abnormal."
His tone was calm.
"It won't cost you much chakra. I'm only doing this to give you a chance—before you decide to swear loyalty to the Third and become my enemies—to think and choose for yourselves."
"Enough of your poisonous lies, Kaguya Ren."
A massive silhouette appeared on a lamppost outside the office window.
Suikazan Fuguki narrowed his small eyes and gripped the handle of Samehada, staring into the room.
"You're trying to steal the Mizukage's seat using your battlefield fame. You're afraid no one will acknowledge you after a coup, so you invented this ridiculous story to deceive everyone—"
Fuguki's voice rose.
"You vanished from the battlefield without warning for months. You didn't report immediately when you returned—you went to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain and met the Akatsuki, who have recently been active."
He sneered.
"Then, after returning, you just happened to run into the Uchiha raid. You killed every Konoha shinobi—except the Uchiha. You even brought back their brightest star, Uchiha Shisui, forcing the Third to approve your proposal to escort him back."
His gaze turned razor-sharp.
"And now, in front of those of us loyal to the Third, you smear him as a puppet controlled by genjutsu."
Fuguki's lips curled.
"You've prepared plenty of escape routes for when your rebellion fails, haven't you, Kaguya Ren?"
Another ANBU captain slashed open the office door with a blade, his eyes cold as he pointed at Ren.
"Your rebellion has already been seen through, Kaguya Ren. From this moment on, you are no longer Kirigakure's war hero."
His voice rang like a sentence.
"You are a traitor trying to stage a coup—a rogue shinobi who will be nailed to the pillar of shame forever, and your foolish actions will drag the entire Kaguya clan into burial with you!"
Ren felt the murderous intent from all directions.
He looked at the Third Mizukage—whose face had settled into eerie calm again, a faint mocking smile at his lips—and Ren let out a scornful laugh.
He began forming seals, entering Sage Mode, while tightening his grip on Shisui.
"Since it looks like they've decided you're my accomplice, I'll give you a little lesson in practical society, Uchiha Shisui."
Ren's eyes gleamed with a cruel, playful edge.
"The lesson is simple."
"In a situation where insects control a village's power—and they intend to harm you and your clan—how do you clean them out completely…"
He leaned forward, voice dropping into something dangerous.
"…and take every bit of authority back into your own hands?"
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