Chapter 216: 212: The End of the Blood Mist (1)
"Namikaze Minato is dead."
The next day, in an inn within a town in the Land of Water, Shiraishi calmly said the news he had just received from Konoha.
The specific battle damage hadn't yet been calculated, leaving Shiraishi unaware of the number of ninjas Konoha had sacrificed to suppress the Nine Tails. Of course, the losses incurred by other ninjas were not within Shiraishi's considerations.
The point of the matter was Namikaze Minato's death. From Shiraishi's view, none of the thousands of Konoha ninjas had brought him as much pressure as Namikaze Minato.
After hearing Shiraishi's news, Ruri was slightly stunned. She knew Shiraishi had used Nagato to attack Konoha, but she hadn't anticipated the scale of the repercussions. The death of a Hokage was a significant event, not to be taken lightly. Konoha was likely in a mess currently.
"It seems that the power of the Rinnegan can't be underestimated." Shiraishi remarked, aware of Ruri's likely misunderstanding. He clarified, "It's not what you think, Ruri. Although the cause of Namikaze Minato's death is still uncertain, there is a high probability that he wasn't killed in battle."
"Yeah?" Ruri showed minimal interest in the cause of Minato's death, considering it a trivial matter to her.
Firstly, their past as Konoha ninjas had involved minimal social interaction. Secondly, now standing on the opposite side of Konoha, there was no disturbance in her heart after being surprised by Minato's death.
It was simply the death of an enemy unrelated to her. There was only one regret, however. She had not been unable to engage in a one-on-one fair battle with a powerful ninja like Minato. This opportunity had never existed before and was now even more impossible after Minato's death.
"So.. he has died at your hands twice." Ruri laughed.
Recalling Shiraishi's previous attempt on Minato's life when he left Konoha five years ago, using Kushina as bait, it marked the second time Shiraishi had moved against Namikaze Minato.
"Hey, don't label me indiscriminately for something of such. I wasn't the one who killed Namikaze Minato this time." Shiraishi said, wanting to disassociate himself from being the culprit.
"But you did provide the information, right? Do you dare deny you weren't completely part of it?"
"I just provided information. How the information is being used is beyond my control."
Up to this point, Shiraishi continued to deny being responsible for Minato's second death. After all, he really couldn't have predicted the consequences of sharing the information. He didn't have much confidence in Nagato's use of the Nine Tails rampage to eliminate Namikaze Minato initially. It could only be said that Nagato had done a very good job, and Shiraishi wasn't dissatisfied in the slightest.
As for the outcome, even if Konoha survived, sacrificing the Yellow Flash Minato meant the plan wouldn't be considered a failure. It could be deemed a complete victory.
"Even so, Konoha's power shouldn't be underestimated. While the strength of the Third Hokage has declined, he still retains some of his strength from his peak period. The two advisors are the same generation, the leader of the roots, Shimura Danzo, are also top-notch ninjas. Furthermore, Konoha has a powerful faction like the Sannin."
Ruri folded her hands on her chest, cautioning Shiraishi not to relax his vigilance towards Konoha just because Namikaze Minato died. In the ninja world, there weren't a few people who had capsized in the sea due to being relaxed.
"Of course, I understand these things. Compared to the old Hokage and his friends, the existence of the Sannin should naturally be given more attention. However, I'm very clear about the strength of Tsunade-sensei. Except for medical ninjutsu, her strength isn't enough to pose a significant threat to us. The remaining two Sannin are the key." Shiraishi's tone grew more serious.
"Jiraiya and Orochimaru?"
"That's right. Leaving aside Jiraiya, Orochimaru is an all-round genius ninja. He has no shortcomings in taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, even kenjutsu. He also has his summoning from Ryuuchi cave and possesses strong scientific research and commanding capabilities. In addition, he has a cautious personality... Even when Kakashi came in contact with him, he hasn't obtained any useful information so far."
It could be said that he was a ninja without weaknesses. But no matter how strong a ninja was, there were usually some weaknesses to exploit. However, Orochimaru didn't have this flaw and could fight any type of ninja in any environment without being at a significant disadvantage. Like an undead poisonous snake, at a critical moment, he could deliver a fatal blow.
"Maybe after Namikaze Minato's death, he will immediately take over as the Fifth Hokage."
Ruri nodded, acknowledging Orochimaru as a difficult ninja.
"Yeah, no surprises. Orochimaru will be the fifth Hokage. In the fifth Hokage campaign, Konoha has no opponent for Orochimaru... But killing the Fourth Hokage is already the limit. It will be difficult to target Orochimaru who is under the Konoha's protection. What's important is that we still have too little information about Orochimaru, and we never have much contact with him in the past."
Shiraishi sighed. He felt that Konoha truly was filled with talents. The third Hokage abdicated, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed, and the Fifth Hokage immediately had a suitable candidate.
After a series of upheavals, Konoha still manages to produce such backgrounds, which could only be described as terrible.
"Of course, there is another person worth noting. The Konoha ninja who has mastered the Eight Inner Gates, called Might Dai. Remember his son; he was your student in Konoha in the past."
After Shiraishi reminded her, Ruri also recalled the existence of such person. On the night of the defection, Might Dai's taijutsu impressed them, making him a noteworthy ninja.
"True. If you hadn't told me, I've almost forgotten about him."
"Ayane said after he opened the seventh gate, his taijutsu becomes extremely difficult, so please pay attention whenever you encounter him. After all, a few years have passed, and his strength must be stronger than before."
"Should it be the legendary gate of death? If there is a chance, I would like to see it with my own eyes."
According to information, opening the Eighth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates granted unrivaled power for a short period. they had no idea if it was true.
"There will be such opportunities in the future. If the Land of Demons wants to develop more, We'll be challenging the vested interests. And Konoha is the biggest vested interest in the era of one country and one village. Sooner or later, we will meet them."
Ruri nodded, agreeing with Shiraishi's words.
"It's almost time; let's go. The news of the death of the Fourth Hokage will not spread so quickly. What's more important currently is to deal with the Blood Mist faction inside Kirigakure and make Yagura as the Fourth Mizukage."
After Shiraishi finished speaking, he walked out of the hotel, and Ruri followed, heading towards Kirigakure.
...
The vast sea covered with a layer of tulle-like water mist, which offered a unique view, but for those new to this country, the sight may be somewhat affected.
Kirigakure was located in such a coastal area.
One side bordered by the sea, the other by mountain forests. The entire village was shrouded in a pale mist. From a distance, only the massive outline of the village, towering Mizukage Building, and the dam intercepting the water were visible.
Compared to the title of the village, Kirigakure's environment looked like a bustling metropolis.
Tens of thousands of well-trained ninjas lived here, along with numerous civilians who contribute new ninja troops to the village each year. Even in a large-scale war, given the size of Kirigakure, they could recover quickly. The same held for ninja villages in other major countries.
Chunins represent edthe backbone, and Jonins represented the elite. It was precisely because the power of the ninja villages of the five major countries were so powerful, and their might increased each year, that there was an insurmountable gap with the ninja villages of smaller countries.
Moreover, the leader of the great ninja village were powerful ninjas called the Kages Each of them could influence the outcome of a war.
However, compared to the other four major ninja villages, Kirigakure isolated overseas and rarely interacted with the mainland countries. They only engaged in battle during the first ninja world war period. Otherwise, they focused on development. Hence, information about what happens in this ninja village was challenging for mainland ninja villages of major countries to obtain.
But today was an unusual day for Kiri. The election of the Fourth Mizukage was taking place today. It gad been nearly thirty years since the Third Mizukage governed Kirigakure. Now that he was old, coupled with his series of foolish actions, the interior of Kirigakure was in chaos, leading to many tragedies and causing dissatisfaction among many ninjas in the village.
It was only due to his traditional standing and the fact that he had tried his best over the years, which was considered as hardworking, that prevented an outright explosion. But if the delay persisted it will only increase the chaos in the village. In order to calm the dissatisfaction among the heart of the people, the election of the fourth Mizukage was imminent. Driven by a mysterious undercurrent, the election of the Fourth Mizukage had nothing to do with the will of the Third Mizukage himself.
The election meeting of the Fourth Mizukage was held in the large meeting room of the Mizukage Building, and the official start time was 9:00 am. It was now 8:50, and the meeting will officially begin in ten minutes. But at this moment, the attendees have largely arrived.
The Mizukage, his right-hand Karatachi Yagura, Suikazan Fuguki, Akebino Jinin, and the rest of the high-level, numbering over twenty people.
"Juso doesn't seem to be here? What's wrong?" a high-ranking pointed to an empty seat, expressing their doubts. With the natural influence of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, there were many followers in the village. Although the power wasn't a lot, it couldn't be completely ignored.
"He chose to abstain from the vote. He's currently stationed at the border and has no plans to participate in this election meeting." Fuguki answered the other party's question.
"Really? I didn't expect there would he only the two of you." Another spoke, looking at Fuguki and Jinin, his tone quite emotional.
"Don't worry; as long as I become the Mizukage, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will be completed automatically soon."Fuguki grinned, confident in his inevitable victory on becoming the Mizukage. After waiting for so many years, this moment was what he had been waiting for.
"But... Kushimaru and Jinpachi were killed by Konoha's rogue nin Hyuga Ayane with Shibuki and Nuibari still missing. It wouldn't be an easy task to get them back."
"That's right, that Hyuga Ayane. From the information we have it's known that even Kumo's Fourth Raikage wasn't her opponent."
The ninja swords held by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen each had a special ability, and now they lost two at once, with several years gone by and still no trace of them. Everyone understood that the chances of retrieving the swords from the rogue ninja were slim.
If other ninja villages acquired the two swords, they could potentially retrieve them through normal diplomatic means. But having fallen into the hands of a rogue ninja, it isn't that simple to get them back. Because the most challenging aspect was their inability to track her whereabouts and find a negotiator for discussions.
Fuguki snorted coldly, refraining from claiming that he could easily defeat the Konoha S-rank rogue nin. Being able to overcome the Raikage, one of the Five Kages, spoke of her strength. By estimate, all the Seven Ninja Swordsmen in their prime had a chance of victory. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen weren't on the same level as the 'Five Kages.'
'As long as I control Kiri, I can send a large number of ninjas to hunt her down. I won't believe we won't be able to recover the two missing swords!' Fuguki thought indignantly, feeling underestimated by the other high-levels, which left him quite displeased. Even if it was the truth, as a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he wasn't to be underestimated.
"Since Juzo abstained, and the rest are here, let's start the meeting, Mizukage-sama."
The Third Mizukage's old face wrinkled as he sighed inwardly - the moment had arrived. After all, he felt remorseful towards his sensei for not leading the village to develop properly according to his dying will. Kirigakure needed yo be handed over to the younger generation with more ideas.
"Elder Genji, what do you think?" The Third Mizukage asked, looking at the silent old man beside him.
Older than his appearance, the man called Elder Genji, with seniority surpassing even his sensei was of the same age as the First Mizukage. In his youth, he was a renowned ninja in Kiri, dedicating his life to the village's construction and development.
"Let's start, this era should be dominated by young people, and Konoha is doing the same." Elder Genji, having experienced various periods in Kiri, supported the election meeting of the Fourth Mizukage.
Previously, Gangetsu emulated Konoha and established the Anbu and Ninja Academy of Kirigakure, significantly boosting the village's military power.
Even in this era, Konoha chose to let the young people guide the village, and Genji agreed to the election meeting of the Fourth Mizukage. At least in this way, fresh vitality could be injected into Kiri. The Third Mizukage was old after all, unable to handle many things, and lacked the decisiveness of his youth. This has led to cracks within the village, and the third couldn't escape blame.
"Then, the Fourth Mizukage election meeting will officially begin."
With Elder Genji's consent, the Third Mizukage nodded. Even the farsighted Elder Genji believed that the election of the Fourth Mizukage was imperative. He, the Mizukage, had indeed reached the age to abdicate.
Although it was called an election meeting, the necessary preparations had already been made before the meeting.
The Mizukage election system in Kiri consisted of three steps: public opinion surveys, Jonin surveys, and high-level surveys.
Public opinion surveys, imitating Konoha, were given the most weight, followed by Jonins and the high-level votes.
"So, how did the polls turn out?" A high-level inquired.
The executive in charge of this aspect stood up and said, "Among all the candidates participating in the selection for the Fourth Mizukage, Fuguki-san received the most votes. Not only that, but the Jonin side also yielded a similar result, putting him completely ahead of the other candidates."
"A victory without the slightest suspense? It looks like it was done deliberately." A dissatisfied executive expressed doubt about the result.
Fuguki remained calm and didn't get angry. It was fine to deal with objections afterward; there was no need to make a big fuss here now. Especially since he was the one involved, quarreling at this time would only deepen others' doubts about his ability.
"However, this is indeed the result of voting according to the formal process." The executive in charge of statistics clarified.
"What if you, as the intermediary, was bought off and you're colluding with someone?" The high-level questioned with a cold smile.
"What did you say? Are you questioning my position?"
"Who knows what's going on inside? Compared to Fuguki, I prefer Yagura as the Mizukage. His strength is no weaker than Fuguki, and he has been working hard to assist the Third, accumulating considerable experience. After being promoted to Mizukage, he can immediately lift the village from the shadows of the past."
"I'm sorry, but among the candidates, Yagura-sama only ranked fourth in the number of votes. It's a rather delicate situation. Even if you have strength and experience in dealing with situations, if you don't have good popularity and with people disliking you, your journey can only stop here. The will of the people is the most correct notary." The executive glanced at Yagura, who sat on the Third Mizukage's right, wearing a blank expression as if unfazed by the discussion.
"How could that be?"
"There's no need to question the eyes of the people. They can determine who is more capable at a glance."
"Can people deliberately blinded really see so far away? What did the inspection team say?"
The Yagura support still persisted, convinced that Fuguki would lead Kirigakure to ruin if he became the fourth Mizukage.
"There's no mistake. After investigation, most lean towards Fuguki."
As for what was tricky in it, it remained unknown. Opinion polls were the most critical part of the Mizukage election, but they could also be considered the most useless. As long as someone deliberately guided it, public opinion below can be controlled, and the public's tone can be changed.
Compared to seriously considering who to support, they were more like bystanders joining in the fun, and what they see may be just an illusion created by others. Because of the unequal information and intelligence, they were seriously misled. But in any case, the result has been set.
"Damn it! This is problematic no matter how you look at it. I demand a new vote! There must be something wrong here!" The Yagura supporter still couldn't believe Fuguki having so many supporters.
"Your face really looks ugly. Whether you do believe it or not, this is the truth. You can't deny this fact just because you don't believe it. Mizukage-sama, Elder Genji, the result is already obvious. Fuguki has won such strong support. Even if the final high-level vote isn't made, I believe you two can see the final result." The executive looked at the Third Mizukage and the elder Genji.
Elder Genji just frowned, but didn't speak.
The Third Mizukage sighed; for him, it didn't matter who was the Fourth Mizukage, as long as Kirigakure's power could be restored as soon as possible, it didn't matter if it was a member of the Blood Mist faction or the Reformist.
Fuguki had no emotion on his face, but he was also happy in his heart. There was no doubt that the Fourth Mizukage belonged to him.
"Also, I have one more question." The executives in charge of counting the votes suddenly said again.
"What's the problem?" The Third Mizukage asked.
"Yagura-san needs to answer the question."
"Yagura?" The Mizukage turned to the right and looked at Yagura with a surprised expression. Did Yagura do something?
"Please." Yagura replied flatly.
"According to the information I suddenly received this morning, the garrison troops on the southern border began to abandon border defense and returned to the village. It is said that it was ordered by someone." The words were very clear. He meant that the garrison on the southern border was mobilized by Yagura.
"What!? Yagura actually—"
The meeting room exploded immediately, and everyone stared at Yagura with shocked eyes. The garrison troops on the border were never to be transferred back without special permission.
Even on the orders of the Mizukage, it must be decided by a high-level meeting; otherwise, the group had the right to hold Mizukage accountable. Because once there was a problem with the garrison troops, foreign ninja forces may directly invade the Land of Water, bringing problems to Kiri.
"That's right, the garrison troops in the south, I gave the order without authorization to let them return to the village."
Yagura admitted frankly. This made the Yagura supporter who spoke up choke. He hadn't produced further evidence yet, so why did Yagura just admit it so easily? This sort of crime was enough to drive Yagura into a situation of eternal doom.
The other supporters of Yagura were also dumbfounded. They didn't expect Yagura to be so bold. He directly skipped the high-level meeting and dispatched the southern garrison to return to the village under the guise of Mizukage's order.
"Yagura, are you crazy? If at this time, the south is invaded by enemies, what should we do?"
Now they all had no time to deal with the election of the Fourth Mizukage because the position of the Fourth Mizukage was already determined. The most important thing now was to get the southern garrison back to the border as soon as possible.
Fuguki was quite happy. He didn't expect Yagura to be so crazy, directly dispatching the garrison troops back to the village was beyond his authority. It seems that the other party has run out of ideas and he knew he wouldn't be an opponent in the voting, so he was taking the behavior tantamount to a lunatic in the eyes of everyone - A Coup D'état!.
The rest of the top executives also realized this and glared at Yagura with unkind eyes, ready to take him down at any time. But knowing of Yagura's strength, they didn't make a move immediately but looked at the Third Mizukage. Among all the people here, only the Third Mizukage can restrain Yagura.
The Third Mizukage looked at Yagura with complicated eyes. He never thought that Yagura, who had been following him and performing his duties silently, would be such a crazy person.
"Yagura, don't you have anything to say?"
"The success of the king and the defeat of the bandits, as long as they want to get the position of the Mizukage, Won't this be a natural outcome, Third-sama?" Yagura stood up from his seat, his immature face emotionless, but his purple eyes revealed astonishing determination.
"It isn't too late to stop now, don't make anymore mistakes! Even if you don't become the Mizukage, you are still an excellent jonin within the village!" The Third Mizukage also stood up, not wishing to meet Yagura in battle, because that would cause Kirigakure to lose a powerful ninja.
There were only three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen left. If they lost another powerful faction like Yagura, Kiri will have no deterrent power for a long time in the future. This was something the Third Mizukage didn't want to see.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to betray your trust." Yagura shook his head; this situation had come to this point, there was no other possibility except a coup d'état. Moreover, for today's game, he had prepared for more than five years, and it was impossible to give up halfway here.
"Do it!."
After Yagura finished speaking, the door of the meeting room suddenly exploded, with fierce lightning flashing around.
A figure sprang out like lightning, the soles of their feet stepping on the ceiling, their long brown-red hair hanging down, the whole person hung there upside down.
"Yagura, you really are too slow. I've been impatiently waiting outside! I've endured it for several years, and now I can finally have a big fight!"
"Rin- Ringo!?"
When they all saw the true face of the ninja who was ignorant of basic etiquette, rushing into the meeting room to make trouble, they widened their eyes as if they had seen a ghost.
'Didn't she die because of a serious illness? How is this happening? Why is she still colluding with Yagura?'
Fuguki also stared round-eyed, looking at Ringo in disbelief; he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.
Facing the panicked expression of the others, Ringo accumulated lightning with her two swords while showi g a kind smile to all of them.
"Lightning Release - Lightning Gate!"
Boom!
Thick smoke and explosion swept across the meeting room immediately, causing a large area of the external Mizukage Building to collapse.
The sky was covered with overcast clouds, and thunder flickered, constantly falling, hitting the Mizukage Building, attempting to turn the whole building into powder.
Yagura was the first to escape from the explosion, jumping outside, and stared helplessly at Ringo, who was caused the commotion.
Even the important symbol of the village— the Mizukage Building, she dared to explode it, which wasn't insignificant. But considering the grievances she had suffered in the past few years, it was understandable to blow off some steam first upon returning to the village.
"Forget it, just destroy it. Anyway, I also think the current Mizukage Building appears too old. I can rebuild a more good looking one in the future."
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