In the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water, the tall Mizukage Office Building overlooked the fog-covered harbor.
Inside the office, the atmosphere was unusually tense.
A middle-aged man with a shaved head stepped forward. In his hand he held a serpent-shaped wooden staff, which tapped lightly against the wooden floor as he walked.
His name was Genji.
He currently served as the assistant to the Mizukage.
"Mizukage-sama," Genji began in a serious tone, "two passenger ships passed by the Chiana Islands yesterday."
"We dispatched two Anbu ninja to monitor the situation."
"But…"
He paused slightly.
"Neither of them returned."
Sitting behind the large desk was the current Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu.
The man leaned lazily in his chair.
He had golden hair, a small mustache, and a relaxed expression that made him look more like a carefree traveler than the leader of a powerful ninja village.
Gengetsu waved his hand casually.
"Maybe they went off somewhere to play and forgot to come back."
Genji's expression twitched slightly.
"Mizukage-sama…"
"This is an urgent matter."
"The ninja who join the Anbu are all elite operatives."
"They would never behave in the way you just described."
His voice carried a hint of helpless frustration.
Genji had served the Hidden Mist Village for many years.
Yet dealing with this newly rising Second Mizukage was often exhausting.
At this point in history, Genji had not yet become the strict Elder Genji known in later generations.
Meanwhile, Gengetsu himself was still actively reforming the systems of the Hidden Mist Village.
Inspired by the organizational structure of Konohagakure, he had begun implementing several changes.
He introduced the Ninja Academy system.
He reorganized the Anbu forces.
He even planned to create a new elite unit called the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Unfortunately, that plan had not yet been realized.
The current Hidden Mist Village suffered from a serious lack of talent.
Although several clans possessed Kekkei Genkai bloodlines, truly outstanding individuals were rare.
This shortage made it difficult to form powerful elite squads.
Gengetsu scratched his head lazily.
"Alright, alright," he said.
"I understand."
"To be honest, I was planning to go out anyway."
"I wanted to find that idiot Mu and fight him again."
As he spoke, he straightened up in his chair.
For the first time that morning, he looked somewhat like a proper Mizukage.
"Did you gather intelligence from any other sources?"
Genji nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"We received information from the Land of Waves."
"A group of Uchiha clan members arrived there a few days ago."
"They departed on passenger ships shortly afterward."
"And their destination appears to be…"
Genji paused.
"Our Land of Water."
The office became silent.
Gengetsu tilted his head slightly.
"At the same time," Genji continued, "news also arrived from Konoha."
"According to their reports…"
"Uchiha Madara has defected from the village."
"And he took half of the Uchiha clan with him."
Gengetsu blinked.
Then he slowly dug his finger into his ear as if trying to clear it.
"Wait."
"Did you just say…"
"Madara defected?"
His tone was full of disbelief.
"What kind of Ninja World joke is that?"
After all, who was Uchiha Madara?
He was one of the founders of Konoha.
The Vice Leader of the village.
One of the legendary heroes who ended the Warring States Era.
The Uchiha clan leader.
The terrifying warrior known as the Rose of the Battlefield.
A man like that… defecting?
Even Gengetsu found it difficult to accept.
Genji sighed.
"I also hoped it was false."
"But after verifying the information through multiple channels…"
"I can now confirm it."
"Madara has indeed defected."
"And based on the direction of travel…"
Genji swallowed slightly.
"He may be heading straight for our Hidden Mist Village."
A Sudden Realization
Gengetsu suddenly jumped to his feet.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER?!"
He grabbed Genji's collar and shook him violently.
Genji's face darkened.
"Mizukage-sama."
"I placed that report at the very top of the documents you needed to review this morning."
He glared at Gengetsu.
"Did you skip your paperwork again?"
Gengetsu froze.
"Ah…"
"Did you?"
He awkwardly released Genji's collar and patted it.
"I noticed your collar looked dirty," he said with a nervous laugh.
"So I was just cleaning it for you."
Genji's eye twitched.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"What should we do now?"
Gengetsu stretched his arms.
"Simple."
"I'll go meet them myself."
He grinned widely.
"When the village faces a powerful enemy…"
"Isn't it the job of the Kage to step forward?"
"Or do you want you little ones to go instead?"
His voice suddenly became excited.
"To be honest…"
"I've wanted to fight those two legends for a long time."
"The men who ended the Warring States chaos and founded the ninja villages."
His eyes burned with enthusiasm.
Before leaving, Gengetsu suddenly turned around again.
"Oh right."
"There's one more thing."
Genji felt a terrible premonition.
"Mizukage-sama…?"
"If I lose," Gengetsu said casually, "open the village gates."
"Let the Uchiha enter."
Genji froze.
Gengetsu continued calmly.
"They didn't come here to destroy us."
"They're looking for a place where their clan can live peacefully."
"There's no need to fight them to the death."
"Besides…"
He shrugged.
"Our Hidden Mist Village needs new blood."
"If they join us…"
"That's actually a pretty good deal."
Then he waved his hand.
His body vanished instantly.
Genji stood alone in the silent office.
For the first time, he realized something.
Perhaps he had never truly understood this carefree Mizukage.
Arrival of the Uchiha
Meanwhile, along the coastline of the Land of Water, two enormous passenger ships slowly approached the harbor.
The Uchiha clan disembarked in orderly lines.
More than two hundred clan members stepped onto the shore.
The weather was beautiful.
Golden sunlight sparkled across the ocean like scattered fragments of glass.
Gentle waves rolled against the shore.
The breeze carried the salty scent of the sea.
In the distance, the outline of a large village appeared through the mist.
That was their destination.
The Hidden Mist Village.
Uchiha Setsuna observed the landscape with curiosity.
"So…"
"This will be our future home?"
"It looks pretty decent."
Uchiha Nami nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes."
"It's acceptable."
Nearby, Uchiha Su stretched lazily.
He scanned the surroundings carefully.
The architecture here differed greatly from the Land of Fire.
Most buildings were constructed from heavy stone, designed to withstand harsh coastal weather.
"Uncle," Su asked.
"What do you think of this place?"
Beside him stood Uchiha Madara.
Madara observed the distant village silently.
Then he replied calmly.
"It's lacking."
"At best…"
"It's barely acceptable."
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the air.
"Hey!"
"If you arrive at someone else's doorstep, you should at least greet the owner."
"And you call it barely acceptable?"
"Is that how guests behave?"
A figure appeared out of thin air.
It was Hōzuki Gengetsu.
Madara crossed his arms.
"I know you."
"You're the successor of that ignorant fool Byakuren."
"The Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu."
Gengetsu clapped his hands dramatically.
"Oh my!"
"I didn't expect someone like you to know my name!"
"What an honor!"
His tone sounded suspiciously sarcastic.
Madara frowned slightly.
He tilted his head.
"Do you want to die?"
Gengetsu laughed loudly.
"Of course!"
"That's exactly why I came here today!"
"Even if I die…"
"Don't think you'll enter the Hidden Mist Village easily."
"Everyone here has backbone!"
Madara clapped slowly.
"Impressive."
He turned toward Uchiha Su.
"Su."
"Watch carefully."
"Although Gengetsu isn't the best opponent…"
"He's still better than the rest."
Gengetsu gritted his teeth.
"You really look down on me that much?"
He raised his hand like a pistol.
Water condensed rapidly at his fingertips.
With a sharp whistle, the compressed water shot forward.
"Water Gun Technique!"
This was the secret technique of the Hōzuki clan.
The high-pressure water bullet could pierce steel with terrifying force.
And it was flying straight toward Uchiha Madara.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)