Pheeww š„²
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It had been more than ten hours since the coup in Kirigakure.
The battle wasn't yet completely over, occasionally, the sound of fights could be heard somewhere. Despite the main force of the Blood Mist Faction being wiped out, there were still some diehards who refused surrendering; they planned to fight to the bitter end.
However, Yagura didn't need to personally lead a team to the following battles. The Blood Mist Faction was about to be completely wiped out, so the most important task for now was the immediate reconstruction of the village.
Because most of Kirigakure was shrouded in smoke, several other places were destroyed due to the battle, including important structures like the Mizukage Building.
The region where he fought with the Third Mizukage bore the brunt of the devastation, with the continuous large-scale destructive water release and the Tailed Beast Bomb explosion. Almlst all the buildings and streets in that region were completely destroyed, leaving ruins behind.
On the rocky island a little north of Kiri, the sea breeze blew slightly across the border.
Yagura waved his left arm lightly. His left arm had been severed by the Third Mizukage's water flow, but it had been completely reconnected to his shoulder at the moment, it was intact as before.
"I didn't expect your medical ninjutsu to have reached this level. I was already ready to use an alternative ." Yagura said, looking at Shiraishi, who performed medical ninjutsu on himself after connecting the severed arm.
He looked at Shiraishi in admiration, believing that even Tsunade, one of the Sannin, might not be able to do this. Compared to Konoha's medical technology, Kiri's medical technology was even less likely to reach this level.
He thought of Ringo's illness which most of the medics felt helpless, but Shiraishi had been able to heal her. Yagura had a more intuitive understanding of Shiraishi's medical ability.
Shiraishi looked at Yagura, who was swinging his newly recovered left arm, "I advise against moving that arm randomly for the next half-month, otherwise, I can't guarantee it won't detach again. Moreover, the jutsu I just used differs from the normal medical ninjutsu...."
"The legendary Sage Mode? I didn't expect you to have signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest ."
Yagura said, quite surprised. However, considering Shiraishi's time as Tsunade's student, perhaps the contract with Shikkotsu Forest was recommended by Tsunade, so he felt relieved.
Shiraishi didn't intend on explaining anything, recognizing that such information was irrelevant to their future cooperation.
"Compared to this, you're the one who truly surprised me."
"What do you mean?"
"You can control the Three Tails."
Shiraishi was genuinely surprised that Yagura could control the Three Tails, becoming the second Perfect Jinchuriki.
As far as he knew, Kumogakure was the only ninja village with the most thorough research on Tailed Beasts, they had always been the most complete in developing the power of Tailed Beasts.
Unexpectedly, Yagura could perfectly control the power of the Three Tails even under the condition that the research on Kirigakure's Tailed Beast wasn't perfect.
It really did surprise Shiraishi. This meant that Yagura, a human, and the Tailed Beast, which was hostile to humans, had become best friends who could connect with each other.
"I don't need Kiri's system completely infiltrated by your group like you've done in Konoha." Yagura glanced at Shiraishi speechlessly.
After all, he had been dormant for a long time for the position of the Fourth Mizukage to suppress the Blood Mist Faction. If Shiraishi knew everything, he would be far too inferior as the Future Mizukage.
"I'm merely gathering information to prevent future problems before they happen ." Shiraishi shrugged his shoulders.
Due to his past as a Konoha ninja, he possessed a deeper understanding of Konoha's strengths and weaknesses compared to Yagura. Konoha wasn't without its imperfections, but their power was undeniable. Their ninjas, from Jonins to Chunins, consistently outmatched those from other villages.
In addition, relying on the rich resources of the Land Of Fire, sufficient development funds, and maintaining good cooperative relations with important national officials such as the Land Of Fire's Daimyo, Konoha's strength often increased steadily rather than regressing.
"By the way, I haven't had time to ask, what's the current situation on Konoha's side?" Yagura suddenly recalled something and he asked Shiraishi.
Kirigakure's internal conflicts had significantly weakened its power, and several years of development would be required for recovery. Yagura thus required a diversion to draw attention away from Kirigakure and lessen its exposure. Konoha was the ideal candidate.
"The Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato sacrificed himself. If Kumo don't change their strategy, I believe that within the next month, they'll be attacking Konoha again."
"Did you even make the Hokage sacrifice himself? The noise you've made this time is a bit too much."
Yagura was taken aback; he didn't expect Shiraishi's handiwork to be so significant. There was no one worthy of fame, and Yellow Flash could be said to be the most popular ninja in the world.
The Yellow Flash, the most well-known ninja recently, was widely recognized and respected. He single-handedly ended the war with Iwagakure and thwarted Kumogakure's invasion of the Land of Fire, inflicting heavy casualties. Yagura was surprised by the sudden death of such a renowned ninja, who had instilled fear in all nations.
"I've been looking for opportunities to eliminate him, but the timing has never been right. I never expected to achieve my goal by accident this time." Minato, thr master of space-time, was undoubtedly one of Shiraishi's future enemies. Shiraishi felt a great sense of relief now that Minato was gone.
"It seems Konoha can rest easy for the time being. It will be interesting to see what Kumo does next." Yagura nodded.
"Before that, I have something important to warn you about." Shiraishi's expression became a little more serious.
"What is it?"
"The one who used the Nine Tails to cause Namikaze Minato's death this time wasn't me. I only provided this information to a man named 'Nagato'. He was in the organization called 'Akatsuki'. He's the one who carried out the attack."
"Akatsuki?" Yagura stroked his chin for a moment, looked into Shiraishi's eyes, and said, "I believe I've heard of this organization somewhere. They're said to be a well-known organization within the Land of Rain. I followed the War in the Land of Rain a few years ago. I made some intelligence summaries about it, and the organization 'Akatsuki' was among them."
"Yes, that's correct. Although Amegakure is now reduced to Konoha's vassal, the 'Akatsuki' will not be disbanded because of this, they're likely to cause a major upheaval in the world in the future ." Shiraishi added.
"Even so, this shouldn't concern me, should it? I have no connection to the Land of Rain." Yagura questioned.
The Land of Rain's tragedy was due to its special geographical location and the devastation was caused by the ninjas from Konoha, Suna, and Iwa. Kirigakure, an isolated island nation, was unaffected. No Kiri ninja participated in the previous wars in the Land of Rain, resulting in a weak relationship between the two countries.
"No, it does concern you by alot. Nagato possesses the legendary Rinnegan. If my assumptions are correct, his next step will be to gather information on the tailed beasts of the five major countries in secret and devise a plan to capture them. Now with you being revealed as the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, you will become his target sooner or later ."
Hearing Shiraishi's words, Yagura's eyes widened in shock. Rinnegan? Tailed Beasts? If he hadn't known Shiraishi wasn't one to make baseless claims, he would have dismissed Shiraishi's words as a fairy tale. The Rinnegan of the Sage of the Six Paths, he had always believed, was merely a myth.
"Here is some information about Nagato. Please make sure to destroy it after reading it. According to the information I got recently, Nagato's subordinate, White Zetsu, has been secretly gathering information on rogue ninjas from various countries. I'm not sure what they're up to, but there's a strong possibility they intend to use the power of thr recruited rogue ninjas to assist in capturing the tailed beasts." Shiraishi said, handing Yagura a scroll.
Yagura took the scroll and felt that things had suddenly became troublesome. He knew how powerful Shiraishi was, and if even Shiraishi was concerned about this Akatsuki member, Nagato. Before eliminating this threat immediately, Shiraishi had already explained some of the potential problems.
"I understand. I will be careful and increase my security."
Yagura assured Shiraishi. Given the formidable opponent Shiraishi took seriously, Yagura believed it was essential to increase his protection. After all, he would soon assume the duties of not only as Kirigakure's Three Tails Jinchuriki but also the Fourth Mizukage.
Shiraishi paused for a moment, observing Yagura's determination, and then smiled. "Of course, there is no need to be too nervous about this matter. When Nagato actually takes action, it will probably take a very long time for preparations. Moreover, I still need him to attract Konoha's attention for me for the time being."
.....
"Are you done?"
Ruri approached.
"It's over, smoother than expected. Now, we just need to wait for news from Kumo." Shiraishi replied, breathing a sigh of relief. Kirigakure had finally been won over, promising a smoother development for the Land of Demons.
"It's not that simple for a traditional ninja village to break away from the 'rule' of daimyo and nobles." Ruri remarked, pointing out the challenges they might face.
Traditional ninjas didn't engage production, they usually earned remuneration. After maintaining their equipments and purchasing training resources, they could barely solve the problems of food and clothing.
The funds for a Ninja Village's development came from the daimyo and nobles of the country. If these funds were cut off by the daimyo, the village would have to 'lay off' ninjas, which meant the weakening of the Ninja Village's military strength..
Kirigakure was a typical example of this, and it's a bad example.
The Blood Mist originated from reduced military expenditures by the Land of Water's daimyo and nobles, which prevented the healthy development of Kirigakure's military power.
As the Mizukage, Yagura's primary goal was to ensure the prosperity and development of the village. To maintain military strength amid declining funds, they adopted the elite route. The so-called elite route is a prototype of the previous 'Blood Mist.'
Let the graduates kill each other and learn the essence of ninja fighting in advance.
This path involved graduates fighting each other to learn the essence of ninjas fighting in advance. Later on, it spread even beyond the ninja academy making Kiri always filled with smoke and a bloody smell. While it strengthened Kiri's military power, it left behind a terrible disaster.
Many Kiri ninjas' spirits were severely affected, leading to a rapid increase in suicide and defection rates. Those who retained sanity were marginalized and assassinated, with some forced to station at the border to escape persecution by the Blood Mist faction ninjas.
Behind this tragedy were the shadows of the Land of water's daimyo and nobles. Te hoped with the Blood Mist Policy it would turn Kirigakure into their personal weapon rather than maintaining a 'cooperative' relationship.
"For this reason, there's a need to cooperate with Yagura. Ultimately, it was the daimyo of the Land of Water and those nobles who pushed Yagura and Kirigakure to our side. For this, I really want to thank them for their overreaching ambitions, which helped me a lot."
With the Kirigakure matter settled, Shiraishi and Ruri returned to the Land of Demons.
...
"Sit."
After bidding farewell to Shiraishi, Yagura returned to the village and entered a fairly complete room.
Someone was already waitingāElder Genji, sitting on a loose chair with his snake-shaped crutch in hand.
He had prevented Yagura from further chaos, stopping him and the Third Mizukage to prevent Kirigakure from descending into worse chaos.
"Most of the Blood Mist Faction has already surrendered, and only a small number of stubborn forces are still resisting. I believe that before sunset today, the turmoil will be completely quelled ."
Yagura sat opposite to Elder Genji and spoke first.
Elder Genji nodded and said, "Restoring the development of the village as soon as possible is the most important thing right now. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the village couldn't find a suitable candidate, I would definitely not support you to become the Fourth Mizukage. Even if you had mastered the power of the Three Tails, the result would have been the same."
Yagura's biggest issue was the controversy surrounding him, fueled by public opinion. It was going to be more serious in the future.
Supporting Yagura to become the Fourth Mizukage, Elder Genji is also under enormous pressure from public opinion.
Elder Genji asserted that Yagura's prowess and strength were unmatched among all the ninjas under the age of forty within the village.
Moreover, Yagura commanded a vast network of subordinates, leading Elder Genji to believe that he had already seized control of all the garrisons in the Land of Water, amounting to at least thousands of ninjas in addition to those within the village itself.
The prospect of Yagura not being appointed as the next Mizukage posed a significant threat, as any dissatisfaction or protest from his loyalists could easily escalate into a disastrous situation.
"It's just a last resort. If Elder Genji wants to restrain me from being the Mizukage, it won't take more than ten years."
Yagura also knew that Genji supported him because of Kirigakure's overall situation, not because he really liked him becoming the Fourth Mizukage.
On this point, Yagura retained self-awareness.
"Before then, the Mizukage's position is temporarily entrusted to you. Your way of handling things is too chaotic, please exercise caution in the future. And avoid resorting to violence to solve every problem you run into ."
Elder Genji's tone sounded quite dissatisfied with Yagura's previous behavior.
Because the aftermath of Yagura's methods would prove troublesome, potentially leading to more confusion.
With the method Yagura had used in taking the Mizukage's position there would be provocations in the future. His actions set a negative precedent for future generations.
"Gentleness may not be suitable for the current Kirigakure. We need to use strong measures against the Blood Mist faction. Elder Genji, you already knew they were colluding with Kumogakure. Without my help, you would have proposed against Fuguki becoming the Fourth Mizukage at the meeting ."
Yagura said, emphasizing the necessity of decisive actions. He understood the risks, adopting a lead-with-sword mentality. A win-or-die strategy that could usher in a new era for Kirigakure. The repercussions of this approach were uncertain, but Yagura saw no other alternative apart from the path.
The ruling system of the Land of Demons had become a matter of critical concern for Yagura in recent years. The nobles of the Land of Water could no longer be trusted, and Kirigakure needed to find a new path forward. However, the one country, one village system, established by Senju Hashirama, the legendary "god of Ninjas ." had been in place for decades and enjoyed widespread support from most countries and ninja villages.
It was still an unprecedented occurrence for a ruling class like the daimyo and nobles of the Land of Water to undermine Kiri's own authority and disregard contracts and rules. Kirigakure's blood mist evolution was merely an anomaly in the historical trajectory of development, not a universally applicable model.
While it remained possible to lead Kirigakure back to its former glory and reconcile with the ruling class, mending broken trust was a difficult challenge. Building trust between the two parties again could take decades, but losing trust could happen in an instant.
"Since you have this awareness, let's lead Kirigakure to become stronger. However, I will also monitor your every move behind the scenes, and I will not let you mess around in this village again."
Elder Genji sighed. Yagura wasn't his favorite candidate for the fourth Mizukage. Hiding his ambition beside the Third Mizukage for so many years, he even got involved with the Three Tails in the village without anyone noticing, under the condition that the research on the Tailed Beast wasn't perfect when he had already become a perfect Jinchuriki.
All of these things showed that Yagura was a ninja whose aggressiveness was for more terrifying than that of Fuguki. It was just that his radical thinking in the past which jad been covered up by his harmless face..If Yagura hadn't initiated a coup this time, it would be hard for him to believe that there were such excellent 'ninjas' in Kiri.
He failed to discover Yagura's plan in advance, and only focused on the Blood Mist faction; Genji thought it was his own dereliction of duty. Otherwise, he would have been able to negotiate with Yagura in advance to subvert the ninjas of the Blood Mist faction in a more gentle way.
"The constant scrutiny from the village's most esteemed figure is indeed a source of pressure. However, I accept the consequences of my actions. Regarding the next Mizukage, I've already identified a suitable candidate. In fact, I'm aware that my tenure as the fourth Mizukage will be short-lived, and retirement at the age of sixty or seventy, as the third did, isn't an option for me."
Regardless of how one attempts to conceal their inadequacies for the position, criticism from others was inevitable. Even for the fourth Mizukage, his ability to serve until the age of forty is questionable.
"Who is it?"
Elder Genji slightly opened his eyes, staring at Yagura.
"Terumi Mei from the Anbu. She's absolutely loyal to Kirigakure and hasn't been swayed by the bad atmosphere of the Blood Mist Faction. She's proficient in fire, lightning, earth, and water chakra nature changes. She also possesses two kekkei genkai - Lava Release and Boil Release. With proper training, she can become a solid pillar for the village ."
Yagura recommended his candidate to Elder Genji.
Genji nodded slightly. Terumi Mei, a ninja with two kekkei genkai, which was extremely rare in the world. She's already a Jonin at a young age, and her strength is commendable.
In fact, he paid a lot of attention to the younger generation of Kirigakure ninjas.
He originally meant to prepare to leave the fourth Mizukage position vacant, and he would be at the helm, slowly phasing out the blood mist policy, and then start training the younger generation, waiting for the right opportunity to elect the fourth Mizukage.
However, all of this was disrupted by Yagura, forcing him to change his plan.
"I will train her myself."
"Of course, It is her honor to be trained by you personally. I believe she will be an excellent Mizukage in the future." Yagura responded with a smile.
Standing up from the seat, the conversation was almost over, and Yagura walked outside.
"Has your arm recovered yet?" Elder Genji's voice came from behind.
Yagura stopped, nodded, and said without looking back, "Yes, it was healed by a friend i have a good relationship with."
"Ringo too?"
"Yes."
"It seems that there are still many unknown secrets about you. According to my informant, yesterday, on the sea not far from the village. An overwhelming thundercloud appeared out of thin air, surrounding 500 ninjas from Kumo. After the thundercloud dissipated, the five hundred Kumo ninjas also disappeared, leaving only a few traces of battle."
Yagura simply nodded and didn't need to elaborate.
It wasn't yet time for a showdown with Genji; if he exposes his cooperation with Shiraishi, Genji will definitely object due to Shiraishi's rogue status, potentially jeopardizing Yagura's claim to the position of Fourth Mizukage.
Yagura plans to wait until he has complete control over the village and has restored Kirigakure's power. Then, it won't be too late to confront Genji. Even if Genji objected at that time, it won't shake Yagura's position as Mizukage.
"I won't say much about your friend, but don't provoke Konoha like Fuguki. The strength of that village is beyond Kirigakure."
Elder Genji's tone carried a rare sense of helplessness and caution.
Given that many institutions in Kirigakure, including the important ninja academy and the Anbu system, were established by imitating Konoha, Kirigakure's military strength had significantly improved. This only emphasized how powerful and terrifying Konoha was.
By merely imitating Konoha, Kirigakure's power had soared. As the pioneer of the ninja academy and the Anbu system, Konoha's strength was beyond imagination.
Wars between the two sides would undoubtedly result in Kirigakure's defeat, as evidenced by the examples with Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure.
Ninja villages that have fought against Konoha have all been defeated without exception, and their position as the number one in the ninja world was unshakable.
"Don't worry, what Kirigakure needs now is recovery, and there are still too many internal problems to start moving to external wars."
At least for now, Yagura has no plans to attack Konoha. And as for the future, he believed it to be a matter for time to judge.
Ending the era of one country and one village, established by the god of ninjas sounded quite thrilling to Yagura.
Elder Genji was too old, and though his intentions were for Kirigakure's overall benefit, his thinking was too conservative. But he was different, he was still young and he had enough time to develop Kirigakure.
Compared to saying some meaningless, grandiose words, Yagura preferred proving his strength through practical actions.
If even the Kage loses their aggressive ambitions, Yagura saw it as the true source of sorrow for Kirigakure.
On this point, he admired Kumogakure's resolute thinking, they were constantly seeking ways to get more powerful.
"This is for the best. The Third has retired, don't target him again. Let him spend his old age in peace. I'll send someone to watch over him, ensuring he won't interfere with your rule."
The Third Mizukage had a deep conflict with Yagura due to the previous incidents. The Mizukage, who had lost the support of a large number of Kiri nins, had become a loner in the village. Genji was concerned that the retired Mizukage might secretly plot against Yagura which coulc cause more problems.
"This is the best approach. I don't want to be accused of killing my predecessor ."
Yagura dropped those words and left the room.
Walking outside, Terumi Mei, in her Anbu uniform, had been waiting for a quite a while.
"Yagura-sama."
"Has the battle damage statistics been calculated?"
"Yes. More than 2,300 people were killed in battle, more than 600 people were seriously injured, and more than 3,000 people were slightly injured. As for the damaged buildings and facilities... countless." Terumi Mei reported.
Yagura couldn't help but fall silent upon hearing these numbers.
"After I assume the role of Fourth Mizukage, I'll meet with the daimyo. Kiri has suffered a severe blow, and there should be discussions. Have you prepared all the materials?"
Terumi Mei nodded, confirming that the correspondence between the Blood Mist Sect and the Land Of Water's daimyo and nobles, along with other material evidence were ready.
Not only physical evidence but also witnesses were in place, which many significant figures were captured.
Kiri now in damage, could only gather funds by resorting to disgraceful tactics like blackmail and threats against the daimyo.
As a ninja village who were supposed to be cooperating with the rulers of the country, they were not resorting to extortion to obtain funds. It has to be a kind of sadness.
Terumi Mei believed that the relationship between Kirigakure and the Land Of Water had completely entered the twilight stage, and darkness wasn't far away.
"But, what if they refuse to admit it?" Terumi Mei asked worriedly.
"At this point, it doesn't matter whether they admit it or not, and I don't need them to admit it, as long as I can silence their stupid mouths and continue to provide funds for the village. I'm different from the third, and i won't be manipulated by them."
Yagura's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei had no doubt that, when the time was right, Yagura would personally lead Kirigakure ninjas to the Land Of Water's capital. There, he would confront and eliminate the daimyo and nobles who interfered in Kirigakure's internal affairs.