In Kumogakure, the Third Raikage received the intelligence regarding Konoha and was in a fantastic mood.
"It's been a long time since the last war, and the Ninja World is becoming turbulent once again," the Raikage boomed, his massive muscles tensing. "Now that Konoha has lost another major pillar, I can already hear the bugle call of war. Immediately begin a major military buildup!"
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
The Kumogakure military buildup required a massive influx of weapons and raw minerals. Since Kiichiro owned several mines in the region, he quietly made a small fortune.
Seeing their financial situation improve so drastically, the butler, Mikuri Tomokazu, smiled all day long. "Hehe, Young Master, the Kumogakure ninjas have increased their orders again. We've made a lot of money during this period."
Kiichiro glanced at the ledger, and his next sentence instantly wiped the smile off Tomokazu's face.
"Perfect. I want to aggressively expand the operations of my hotels into the Land of the Moon, and I happen to need the capital. Sink it all in."
Tomokazu tried to persuade him earnestly. "Young Master, isn't this too risky? If something goes wrong, our capital chain will break entirely. It's much better to expand slowly and securely."
Kiichiro waved a dismissive hand. "The bolder the man, the greater the yield. Don't worry, Tomokazu. I will definitely make a killing."
Currently, Kiichiro was racing against time. He spent every single penny he earned, aggressively reinvesting all income as he sought to complete his primitive accumulation of wealth as quickly as humanly possible.
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Mist Village, the Mizukage made the exact same decision as the Raikage and began expanding military preparations.
Consequently, the training for Mishu and the other academy students became even more bloody and cruel. Fortunately, Mishu could consistently tap into Nagato's Chakra through the Black Rod and quickly stood out among the survivors.
One day, Mishu, Rinko Terumi, and Hozuki Naoto were assigned their graduation exam by the academy. After the three of them passed smoothly, they graduated early and officially became Genin.
"Hey, why didn't I see Zabuza at the exam? With his strength, he should have easily been able to pass too."
Having passed the exam but not seeing his quiet rival, Mishu asked Naoto beside him.
Our relationship isn't that good, and Rinko still clearly hates you, Naoto thought, seeing Mishu act so familiar. But he still answered helplessly, "I heard he simply refused to graduate early. I don't know what he's thinking."
Rinko snorted coldly. "I think he knows his strength is actually weak and is afraid of losing face by failing the combat portion, so he got cold feet. What a useless man."
As she spoke, Rinko shot a provocative glare at Mishu, as if the person she was insulting wasn't Zabuza, but Mishu himself.
Mishu completely ignored Rinko. Instead, he looked to the side, spotting a vaguely familiar face.
"Mei! You've become a ninja too! Let's go shopping and buy some gifts to celebrate," Rinko called out, her demeanor instantly sweetening.
The newcomer was a young girl with long, curly brown hair and bright emerald green eyes. Although she was still somewhat youthful and didn't yet possess the mature, deadly 'big sister' vibe she would have in the future, Mishu instantly recognized her.
This girl was the future Fifth Mizukage—Mei Terumī.
"Mei, what are you doing here?" Rinko was very happy to see her and went up to hug her arm.
Mei Terumī, Rinko Terumi... so they're from the same clan, Mishu noted internally.
After exchanging a few words with Rinko, Mei looked at Mishu with interest. "You must be Mishu. I've heard you're quite capable; Rinko has mentioned you many times."
Mentioned me? She probably cursed my name to high heaven!
Mishu nodded blankly. "That's right, I am Mishu. And I am indeed quite capable."
To think he'd be so shameless as to casually agree... Mei was so stunned she didn't know what to say.
Rinko immediately began to mock him. "Hmph, stop being so arrogant. Mei is the true genius here. She can use two types of Bloodline Limits: 'Lava Release' and 'Boil Release'. Do you even know what a Bloodline Limit is, peasant? From the look of you, you probably don't!"
I not only know about Bloodline Limits, but I also know about Kekkei Tota, Mishu thought dryly.
Seeing there was nothing else of value here, Mishu turned and left, not giving Rinko any chance to boast further, leaving her to angrily badmouth him behind his back.
"See, Mei? Just like I said, he's a terrible person! You don't know, back then during the island exam..."
Meanwhile, among the Iwagakure ninjas, the Third Tsuchikage felt a complex mix of envy and spite upon seeing the news of Sakumo Hatake's suicide.
"Those arrogant fools in Konoha don't know how to cherish such a genius ninja at all. If only Iwa had a warrior that powerful."
Ōnoki had been the Tsuchikage for decades and had witnessed the rise of batch after batch of terrifying geniuses in Konoha. It left him with many bitter emotions.
Kitsuchi, standing nearby, asked, "According to intelligence, the Kumogakure ninjas are expanding their military strength. Should we take defensive measures?"
The Third Tsuchikage floated in a circle in the air, stroking his beard. "Hold our ground for now. Strengthen intelligence gathering. It's best to let them fight each other first, and then we'll strike when they are weak."
"By the way, Roshi has left the village without permission again. How should we handle it?"
Kitsuchi's question gave the Tsuchikage a massive headache.
"That fellow Roshi... he's not as old as me, but he's even more stubborn! Just send an Anbu squad to monitor him. As long as he doesn't leave the Land of Earth, ignore him."
Every village had its own internal problems. The Tsuchikage only lamented that they didn't have as many raw talents as Konoha, but the Hidden Sand Village was even more pitiful. Many of their absolute brightest geniuses had been slaughtered.
For example, Granny Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had been given high expectations, but in the Second Ninja World War, they were killed directly by Sakumo Hatake.
Many elites of the Hidden Sand had fallen under the White Fang's blade, nearly causing a complete generational gap in talent for the village. The legendary fame of the White Fang of Konoha was primarily built upon a mountain of Hidden Sand corpses.
Hearing of Sakumo Hatake's suicide now, Granny Chiyo's feelings were incredibly complex. "A pity... I won't have the chance to avenge my son with my own hands."
Ebizo sat to the side, holding a fishing rod, and reminded her gently, "Sister, lately Sasori seems to be hiding many things. You should pay closer attention to him."
Thinking of her beloved grandson, Chiyo's mood improved significantly. "Sasori is brilliantly talented. He will surely surpass all traditional Puppeteers. With him leading in the future, the Hidden Sand will definitely become even stronger."
Seeing his sister wouldn't listen to reason, Ebizo sighed. He knew that because of the tragic death of her son and daughter-in-law, she felt immense guilt toward Sasori. Thus, she pampered the boy greatly and was dangerously indulgent of his secretive actions.
Sigh, I just hope things don't turn for the worse, Ebizo thought silently, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
Meanwhile, miles away in the desert, Chisuke was lying perfectly still behind a sand dune, monitoring Sasori in the distance.
A month ago, Chisuke had graduated early from the academy. Since then, he had been routinely performing missions while secretly investigating Sasori on the side.
However, because Sasori was exceptionally strong and paranoid, Chisuke didn't dare get close. At the same time, he couldn't let the village suspect his motives, so the progress of the investigation was painfully slow.
It wasn't until a few days ago, when Chisuke used a courier mission as cover to tail Sasori again, that he made a massive breakthrough discovery: he saw Sasori using a microscopic Control Technique to manipulate a high-ranking Hidden Sand ninja.
It seems this hidden cave is Sasori's true base. Hehe, I've finally caught him slipping, Chisuke thought gleefully.
Having made the discovery, Chisuke's Shadow Clone formed hand seals and immediately dispersed.
Far away, the original Chisuke received the clone's memories and immediately sought out his teacher, Pakura.
With a deadly serious expression, Chisuke looked at her and asked, "Teacher, can I trust you?!"
Pakura slapped the back of Chisuke's head and said succinctly, "Spit it out."
Chisuke gently rubbed his head and leaned in, whispering cautiously, "Teacher, you know Sasori, right? I found him using a forbidden Puppet Technique to secretly control someone. And not just anyone—a loyal ninja from our own village."
"What?!"
Pakura was deeply shocked. She grabbed Chisuke by the collar, pulled him close to her face, and asked in a freezing cold tone, "Are you absolutely sure?!"
Sasori was Chiyo's grandson and the hailed genius Puppeteer of the Hidden Sand. He held great political influence in the village and was admired by many shinobi.
If Chisuke were lying to frame Sasori, the consequences would be extremely severe. Similarly, if what Chisuke said was true, the problem was even greater. It meant Sasori was secretly betraying and harming his own comrades. Once this news spread, it would surely cause a massive, bloody uproar!