"A sixty-year-old Kaguya genin surely wouldn't still be stationed on the front lines."
In the next instant, Rasa felt his body suddenly disappear. His consciousness was pulled free and moved at astonishing speed, leaving Sunagakure behind in moments and arriving at another village.
Countless small islands connected together.
Endless seawater on all sides.
Rasa only felt his consciousness plunge sharply downward.
And when it stopped, he had already awakened in the body of an old man.
Kaguya Mirror.
At this moment, the Kaguya Clan seemed to be holding a heated clan meeting.
"The Third Mizukage is old. It should have been time for a replacement long ago. As for the position of the next Mizukage, I say none but our Kaguya Clan is qualified. Other than us, no one else has the right to inherit it."
"In terms of strength, our Kaguya Clan is the number one ninja clan in Kirigakure today."
"In terms of merit, our Kaguya Clan has contributed the most in this war."
An old man nodded.
"That's right. By all reason and all logic, it should be our turn. But our Kaguya Clan has one huge problem. At present, none of our clansmen has built enough prestige to inherit the position of Mizukage."
A middle-aged man said angrily, "That's because the Third Mizukage has been deliberately suppressing us!"
"Because he's afraid."
"Just like Konoha fears the Uchiha Clan, the Third Mizukage fears our Kaguya Clan as well."
"No matter how you count it, one place among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen should have gone to our Kaguya Clan. But the Third Mizukage refused to give us even a single ninja sword."
"And then he made excuses, saying no one in our clan could bring out the true power of the swords."
"That's all bullshit!"
"They're nothing but excuses to suppress our Kaguya Clan!"
Originally, Rasa had been wondering how to gather information, spread rumors, and drive a wedge into Kirigakure's internal structure.
But after seeing this, a strange thought rose in his mind.
Did Kirigakure even need him to divide it?
Wasn't it already fractured enough?
Rasa knew that in the future, the Kaguya Clan would clash head-on with Kirigakure's higher-ups and end in total annihilation.
But he had not expected their resentment toward the village leadership to already have grown to this extent.
The Kaguya Clan compared themselves to the Uchiha.
And when it came to the Uchiha, Rasa was all too familiar with them.
"At this rate, the Third Mizukage will never hand the position of Fourth Mizukage to our Kaguya Clan. He may even intensify the suppression against us."
"After all, the Uchiha are a precedent."
"They'll worry that we'll rebel just like the Uchiha Clan did."
Rasa raised his hand high.
"Everyone, please hear me out."
The gazes of everyone present turned toward him.
Kaguya Mirror was weak. Nearly sixty years old, yet still only a genin.
But his age and seniority were there for all to see. And since this was a clan meeting, everyone still gave him a measure of respect.
"All these years, I've seen clearly how the village has targeted our Kaguya Clan."
"I'm not afraid of being laughed at. My strength is low. Even at nearly sixty, I'm still only a genin. But precisely because of that, I've paid especially close attention to the village's situation, always hoping I might find some simple and easy work."
"And because of that… I've seen many things."
"The village has treated our Kaguya Clan far too unfairly."
"Have you all heard the news about Fuguki Suikazan?"
A young ninja replied, "Yes. I heard Fuguki Suikazan colluded with Sunagakure, betrayed the village, and is now on the run."
Rasa shook his head.
"I don't believe Fuguki Suikazan colluded with Sunagakure."
"If he truly had, then with the position he held at the time, he could have wiped out the entire Kirigakure army."
"And even if he didn't destroy them completely, he could at least have crippled more than half of them."
"And if he really had colluded with Sunagakure, then why didn't he flee directly to Sunagakure? Why choose to run elsewhere instead?"
The young ninja frowned in confusion.
"Then Mirror-senpai, what do you think it was?"
"Because Fuguki Suikazan's merit had become too great."
Rasa said, "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are already second only to the Mizukage and the elders. They are powerful contenders for the Mizukage's seat. And among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Fuguki Suikazan had the greatest merit."
"His merit had become too great for his ruler."
"The Mizukage feared Fuguki Suikazan would threaten his position. Or perhaps… the Mizukage already had another candidate in mind for the next Mizukage, and getting rid of Fuguki Suikazan was simply clearing the road for that person."
The Kaguya clansmen around him all showed anger.
"That makes sense!"
"If Fuguki Suikazan really betrayed the village, then why didn't he flee to Sunagakure?"
"Most likely, it wasn't Suikazan who betrayed the village. It was the village that framed Fuguki Suikazan!"
Rasa continued, "For our Kaguya Clan, the situation is exactly the same."
"The Mizukage knows what our Kaguya Clan desires. He knows how strong we are. That is why he has spent so many years suppressing us."
"He also knows that if the Mizukage's seat does not fall into the hands of our Kaguya Clan, we are very likely to resist fiercely."
"That means he will definitely act against us in advance."
Kaguya Ta, seated above, nodded.
"Mirror, what you said is right."
"I've seen these things too. That's why I've been so worried. Night after night, I haven't been able to sleep, always trying to find a way to break this deadlock."
"Especially after the Uchiha rebellion broke out in Konoha."
"Before, the Mizukage may only have feared us stirring up trouble. But now, he may fear outright rebellion. And if that's what he fears, then the way he deals with our Kaguya Clan will be different."
"With his vicious temperament, he may very well try to erase the threat before it can erupt."
"To exterminate our Kaguya Clan."
Rasa said, "Clan Head, that's exactly why we must act first."
"Right now is the best chance our Kaguya Clan will ever have."
"Jinin Akebino is heavily wounded. Fuguki Suikazan has defected. Hozuki Yunwu, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Jinpachi Munashi are all on the front lines. Only Raiga Kurosuki remains, and Genji is away as well."
"At a time like this, the Third Mizukage's available support is extremely limited."
"We can take advantage of this and head straight for the Mizukage Building. As long as we kill the Third Mizukage, we can immediately arrange the succession of the Fourth Mizukage."
"Kirigakure will be ruled by our Kaguya Clan."
A flicker of eagerness appeared in Kaguya Ta's eyes.
"But the Third Mizukage is no weakling. And there are still many ANBU around him."
Rasa raised his hand again.
"Clan Head, I've lived my whole life as a coward. A whole life as a waste. I've failed the clan that raised me. Now I'm old, and I don't have many years left anyway."
"I'm willing to repay the clan."
"Let me be the one to assassinate the Third Mizukage."
Kaguya Ta's expression stiffened.
"You?"
He was starting to wonder whether Kaguya Mirror had gone mad.
A mere genin…
Trying to assassinate the Third Mizukage?
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Inkveil_