Kirigakure, Severe Punishment Building.
As the door creaked open, it was filled with darkness, dampness, and an eerie silence enveloping the place.
The oppressive aura in the air felt unnaturally tyrannical to Juzo. Once inside, the surrounding atmosphere became overwhelmingly oppressive. The narrow and dimly lit passage resembled a route leading into the depths of hell. Yagura led the way, he was accustomed to this environment and he showed no signs of discomfort.
"Why did you bring me to this place?" Juxo confused asked, as he followed Yagura.
The severe punishment room, as the name suggested was designed to detain those from the village who had committed severe crimes. For example, some of the defeated Blood Mist were held here for mandatory reform. In essence, it was a place which discomforted Juzo in various ways. Hence, he considered a possibility.
"You're not planning on imprisoning me here, are you?" Juzo asked with some doubts. Yagura's elusive demeanor made him somewhat anxious, he was even more mysterious than the former Mizukage.
"Why would you think that?" Yagura responded rhetorically without turning around.
"Because.. I can't think of any other reason why you would bring me here."
"Don't worry. If you haven't committed a crime, I can't detain you here without cause. Besides, if I truly wanted to detain you, I wouldn't have taken you on such a long path." Yagura reassured Juzo, urging him not to overthink the situation.
"Though I'm a bit upset, what you say seems to be true." Juzo sighed. Indeed, there was no need for Yagura to go through such detours if he intended to imprison him within the severe punishment room. With Yagura's capability to even defeat the Fuguki, apprehending him would be a simple task.
As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Juzo acknowledged the strength of Fuguki. and Yagura who wiped out Fuguki and his force undoubtedly surpassed himin strength.
Any resistance on Juzo's part would be futile.
"Then, your reason for bringing me here is..."
"You're aware of the current situation in the village. We urgently need more manpower. I'm exploring if we can find capable talents here."
"Here?" Juzo's expression turned strange. If his own judgment was sound, then something must be wrong with Yagura's head. Coming to this place to search for manpower seemed weird from every angle.
"That's right, the village has suffered a significant decline in strength due to the internal conflicts over the years. Especially among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, only you and Ringo are left."
"In that case, wouldn't it be enough to recruit from your direct subordinate Anbu?" Juzo inquired, still confused. Kiri's Anbu undoubtedly had many skilled Jonins capable of welding the seven ninja swords. Yagura's approach left him bewildered.
"The other ninja swords are manageable, but the large sword - samehada is special. That sword prefers those with a huge amount of chakra."
"In other words, you want to choose an owner for Samehada? Indeed, that sword is quite unusual and not something someone ordinary can wield." Juzo concurred with this point of view.
Among the seven ninja swords, Samehada was the only sentient one. To become its owner, one needed chakra levels beyond the ordinary, or they wouldn't even qualify to touch it. The stronger the chakra of the sword's master, the more powerful the power of the sword.
While Samehada lacked the destructiveness of Kiba, the strength of Kabutowari, the piercing power of Nuibairi, or the cutting power of his Kubikiribocho, it didn't diminish Samehada's own formidable strength.
On the contrary, Samehada was an incredibly powerful sword. When facing ninjas who were also members of the Seven Swordsmen, whoever had mastered the use of Samehada was the one who Juzo would be unwilling to fight against. The difficulty level of the sword was undoubtedly the highest among the seven swords.
"I've already found a candidate, but due to my prior commitments to the village, I delayed it until now."
"Oh?" Hearing Yagura had found a suitable candidate for Samehada, Juzo smiled with interest.
"Though he's inexperienced, he is undoubtedly an excellent ninja."
"Then I have to look forward to it."
"Oh, you won't be disappointed."
The two of them, one in front of the other, walked towards the depths of the torture room. There were no words all the way. About five minutes later, Yagura stopped in front of a cell.
Juzo followed Yagura and stopped, gazing into the iron fence. He immediately curled his lips and said, "What, it turned out to be just a brat. Can he really control Samehada?" He doubted Yagura's eyesight.
The teen sitting on the cell floor heard Juzo's remark, slowly raised his head, revealing a young face which almost resembled that of a shark. With a rare blue complexion, judging by his age, he appeared to be about seventeen years old.
"Karatachi.... Yagura..."
The teem didn't pay attention to Juzo's complaints but looked at Yagura, whispering Yagura's name in a low voice.
"Hey, don't ignore me, brat. Besides, it's disrespectful to call Mizukage-sama by his name that way. Just give him the death penalty." Juzo laughed.
"Really? Has you already become the Mizukage? It seems the situation outside has been dealt with."
Although his face was immature, his tone of voice wasn't impulsive like an immature boy but appeared very calm and composed. Since the defeat of the Blood Mist Faction that day, he had been labeled as a rogue and imprisoned in a severe punishment room to serve his sentence. He couldn't understand what happened outside.
"This is the situation. Hoshigaki.. Kisame, I need your strength." Yagura took a step forward and spoke to him standing outside the iron fence in a light tone.
Hearing Yagura's words Kisame's face twitched.
The Severe Penalty Room was, without a doubt, where the village gathered severe criminals who have been completely stripped of their human rights and freedom. Those who enter here, there were very few who could go out. Kisame was also ready to be tortured here for the rest of his life. But, with access to freedom and human rights, who would want to spend their whole life in this endless darkness?
Before Kisame could speak, Juzo had already spoken.
"Are you serious, Mizukage-sama? Although I don't mind such a brat joining the ranks of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, I heard he betrayed Fuguki. It would be better we keep someone like him leader in here."
Juzo's intention was simple. A ninja who had betrayed his leader wasn't worthy of trust. If Kisame could betray his Fuguki, then in the future, he might betray Mizukage.
As the Mizukage, Yagura's safety was no longer a personal matter but concerns the overall interests of Kirigakure.
A ninja with doubtful loyalty like Kisame isn't suitable to be placed next to Yagura, let alone with a weapon like Samehada.
"I'm glad you're worried about my safety, Juzo. But I've made up my mind, and I won't change it midway."
"You are Mizukage, no one can refute your opinion. But I still want to remind you that if he betrays you or even the village in the future, don't just regret it." Juzo sighed, and that's all he said, whether Yagura could listen to it or not, he couldn't decide.
Yagura smiled slightly, turned to Kisame who was silent there. "What do you think, Kisame? If you do agree, I can release you immediately, and you will be the new wielder of Samehada, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of this generation."
"...i'm really flattered.. Mizukage-sama. I never expected you to be such a naive Mizukage. But, as Juzo has said, I've already betrayed Fuguki, so aren't you really worried that I will betray you one day too?" Kisame grinned his teeth with deep malice. His meaning clear. If he betrayed Fuguki, he could also betray the Mizukage Yagura.
"Excuse me for asking too much, but what opportunity did you use to betray Fuguki?" Yagura calmly looked into Kisame's eyes and met his gaze. Kisame subconsciously averted his eyes and snorted softly.
"Don't act like you know me well. I succeeded in attacking him because he assumed he knew me too well. That was his price for trust. Don't you think this world is quite fake?"
Before Yagura answered, Juzo snorted coldly and looked at Kisame unhappily:
"Hey, brat, I'm the only one who gets to complain about the hypocrisy of the world. You've indeed had a miserable life in the past, but in this world, there are more people who are more frustrated and miserable than you. Don't act like you now know some kind of truth. From your logic, me and the rest of my colleagues have lived in vain for so many years? Having a nobody like you deny our life's meaning is annoying."
Kisame remained silent, whether out of acquiescence or disdain to argue with Juzo.
"Say less, Juzo." Yagura galnced at Juzo.
"Hey, i was clearly helping you to teach this ignorant junior a lesson." Juzo retorted.
"Be careful what comes out of your mouth."
Yagura warned. He then shook his head helplessly, retrieved the key, and unlocked the cell door.
Kisame stepped out of the cell, taking a deep breath. The oppressive prison life was over, and the fresh air outside invigorated every cell in his body.
Looking at Yagura, who was a head shorter than himself, Juzo spoke in Kisame's place,
"How about it Kid, how does it feel looking down on Mizukage-sama?"
Yagura's face darkened, and a dark aura swirled around him. "Juzo! Shut up, or I'll kill you!"
Yagura's eternal height was his sore point. He was quite satisfied with everything about himself, the only aspect he wasn't content with was his height, it was as if he was under some kind of curse.
Juzo fell silent, realizing Yagura's murderous gaze.
'But is Mizukage-sama truly only 1.5 meters tall?' Juzo had his doubts.
Yagura refocused on Kisame. "I won't waste my time speaking much. If you truly betray us, I'll take your head off with my own hands."
"That's exciting, and I would love to see it." Kisame chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Yagura's threat.
"Come with me. Additionally, your immediate supervisor in the future will be Juzo, and he will guide you."
"Huh? Me?" Juzo's expression froze after hearing Yagura's decision.
Kisame was slightly surprised but then laughed, "Please give me more advice in the future, Juzo-senpai. I will definitely work hard behind you."
Juzo doubted the wisdom of placing such a potentially dangerous element by his side. He suspected that Kisame might betray them one day, stabbing them in the back, like he did to Fugaki. Perhaps Yagura sought revenge for Juzo's previous words.
"Well, Mizukage-sama, is this matter..."
"Kisame is an excellent ninja. Only by being guided by you, an experienced ninja, will he not waste his talent. Or, do you have any objection to my decision as Mizukage, Juzo?" Yagura's sharp eyes stared directly at him, silencing Juzo.
Looking at Kisame, who continued to laugh, Juzo couldn't shake off the chill down his spine.
"Yes, I understand, Mizukage-sama. However, if he changes, can I kill him directly?"
Knowing nothing could be done about the decision, Juzo accepted but je posed a question.
"It will be up to If you do have the ability to do so."
Yagura responded, leaving Juzo dissatisfied. He wouldn't dare utter such bold statements in front of Fuguki, but this young ninja, even if he mastered the use of Samehada, held no fear for him.
....
In Konoha, within an unremarkable house, a woman fed a blond-haired child with three pair of whiskers on his cheeks, which different from ordinary babies. His blue eyes showed he was energetic. While he drank milk, his energetic eyes moved around as he observed the room.
The woman didn't mind the baby's lively behavior, she just continued feeding him. While she didn't know of the child's identity, she was summoned by the third Hokage himself. Being asked by the Hokage personally meant the child's identify was exceptional.
After feeding, she placed the child in the cradle, letting him fall asleep peacefully. Turning around, she met a black shadow flash before her eyes. Her consciousness plunged into darkness, as she collapsed weakly on the floor.
The intruder, clad in black from head to toe, their face hidden behind an ugle ghost mask, making them appear extremely hideous. The child in the cradle widened his eyes, looking at the scene with curiosity, he stretched his hand finding the mask interesting.
As the mysterious figure reached out to the baby, ready to pick him up.
Snap!
A hand clamps down on the intruder's wrist. The mysterious figure turned their head, noticing a man with white hair had appeared close, stopping the hand.
"Sorry, but you can't have this child. Can you tell me who sent you to do this?"
The white-haired man said. Jiraiya's expression was cold and his eyes are filled with murderous intent as he confronted the intruder.
The mysterious figure remained silent, shook off Jiraiya's grip, stepping back.
Jiraiya's figure swiftly in place, and before the mysterious figure had time to react, he was punched in the face and the mask shattered. As the figure flew backward spitting out blood, they still tried their best to cover their face.
Jiraiya was about to take advantage of the opportunity, when he suddenly noticed several kunai falling from the intruder's cuff. His expression changed. Without a second thought, he rushed towards the cradle, scooped up the child, and jumped out through the window.
Boom!
With a resounding explosion, the entire house was flattened. A massive flame surged outward, carrying debris that injured numerous passersby underneath.
Jiraiya stood on top the roof of the opposite building, clutching the baby in his arms. He watched the injured people on the street screaming and wailing while the mysterious figure had disappeared, leaving his expression solemn.
.....
The explosion near the street drew the attention of high-level officials. Those affected by the explosion directed their anger towards the Uchiha clan, accusing them for their inaction. As the village guards, they evidently failed to stop the intruders' dangerous action in time.
They were unable to find an outlet to vent their anger, the public naturally sought to denounce the Uchiha clan's Police force.
Despite various explanations from the senior managements of the Police force, they couldn't satisfy the public. They believed that the Uchiha had gotten funds from the village but failed to fulfill their security obligations..They needed a public apology.
Leaving the chaos of the Police force aside, the higher-ups were equally troubled. This terrorist attack involved not only a Sannin but also targeted the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. It increased the severity of the attack, demanding immediate action.
"Sensei, what are you going to do next?"
Jiraiya sighed in relief, addressing his sensei, Hiruzen.
Encountering such an incident upon his return, Jiraiya's mood was in a very bad mood.
"Our carelessness has exposed Naruto to danger. After the recent meeting, we will double the manpower to ensure Naruto's safety and prevent any further attempts."
"Is that all?"
Jiraiya seemed dissatisfied with Hiruzen's decision, feeling that he was underestimating the influence behind the attack.
"The rest of the Anbu have other tasks..."
"I'm not talking about the Anbu for protection. While the Anbu's protection is inadequate, our top priority is pursuing the criminal.""
If the forces against Naruto remained hidden, similar kidnapping incidents may occur in the future.
"I don't know if the perpetrator is from within Konoha or an external enemy. It will be troublesome to investigate... But, of course, I'll take this matter seriously and ensure nobody takes advantage of it."
"Let's hope so. Otherwise, I might have to go and warn someone myself." Jiraiya pointedly remarked.
Clearly, he had identified someone behind the incident. Within Konoha, there was only person who could orchestrate such an incident. Regardless of the conspiracy, as long as Naruto was involved, Jiraiya won't let the plan succeed.
"Are you... are you going to cause a scene in the village as soon as you returned?"
Hiruzen smiled wryly. The matter's connection to Danzo needed verification, and Jiraiya's conviction that Danzo was the mastermind gave him a headache.
"Naruto is not just important as the Jinchuriki but also Minato's child. I don't want Minato's child to be attacked in the village after his sacrifice for the village." Jiraiya stated firmly, his eyes darkening.
"I'm sorry about Minato... It happened suddenly, and I couldn't even stop it if i wanted to." Hiruzen sighed sadly.
"It was Minato's own choice. I've heard of the specific details from the toads. The attacker had a Mangekyou Sharingan, but their identity is unclear. I'll thoroughly investigate this matter."
Jiraiya's eyes showed his determination.
Though he understood his own weakness, watching his disciple Minato die while he couldn't change anything was humiliating. Regardless, he would relentlessly pursue the murderer behind the incident.
"I know I can't stop you, but be careful when you investigate. If you face an irreversible crisis, run for your life." Hiruzen warned Jiraiya seriously.
Despite being one of the Sannin, Jiraiya acknowledged that escaping was the only option when confronted by an enemy that even Minato couldn't defeat.
"Of course..I've passed the age of being competitive. If I do encounter an irreversible danger, I'll prioritize saving my own life. Besides, it's time i got serious anyway. Not to mention the group of people who defeated me, the strength of the black hand behind the Nine-Tails attack will only be more terrifying."
Jiraiya sighed. The recent surge of strange occurrences had shaken him, making him realize the need to adapt to the evolving times. Stagnation would only lead to his elimination.
"Oh...Sage Mode? Are you considering learning how to use Senjutsu chakra from Mount Myoboku? You told me before you failed during the training."
Hiruzen understood Jiraiya's reference.
Senjutsu, a power different from regular chakra, was once mastered by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, as documented in his writing. However, due to the harsh training involved, no one in Konoha had succeeded in mastering Sage Mode since the First Hokage's era.
"Even so, I can't remain stagnant. I'll try my best to master Sage Mode."
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Jiraiya." Hiruzen nodded.
Jiraiya nodded as well, he understood the slim odds of mastering Sage Mode, but it was the only path available to him. Only by acquiring Sage Mode could he gain the power to confront the lurking threats.
"Well, there's no reason to stay here. I'll go first. Naruto still requires protection. Afterwards I'll have a drink with Orochimaru..It feels like a long time since we relaxed together." Jiraiya smiled nostalgically.
"Hmm.... Orochimaru... his recent behavior has been rather strange...Be careful."
Hiruzen cautioned, puffing on his pipe as he released a plume of smoke.
"Hey, are you getting senile? He's one of the Sannin. Why would you suspect him?" Jiraiya glanced at Hiruzen speechlessly.
"I hope I'm overthinking."
"Really?, it seems you've grown old and foolish. Time is indeed ruthless. I don't really have much to say. You should decide on selecting a candidate for the Fifth Hokage as soon as possible. Only you can keep the likes of Danzo in check. If Minato were still alive, Danzo wouldn't dare to act so brazenly within the village."
Jiraiya dropped his words and jumped from the office window.