Finding the Third Mizukage alive was undoubtedly great news for the Mist Village.
Even with the extensive damage to the village, as long as the Mizukage was unharmed, they could avoid the chaos of a leadership transition.
Otherwise, disputes over the Mizukage's position might lead to bloody conflict — who would still be in the mood to wage war with Konoha?
"Master Genji, we found the Mizukage. He has some injuries, but nothing severe."
The news quickly reached Genji, who sighed in relief.
"Good. At least he's safe."
With the village engaged in a war with Konoha and internally in turmoil, Genji knew they couldn't afford the instability of a Mizukage transition. He'd lived long enough to witness the Mist Village's rise and challenges and never imagined a single enemy could plunge them into such chaos.
"Send word to Yagura and ensure they do everything possible to support the rescue effort."
The incident had sparked widespread anger, Genji included.
If it weren't for the ongoing war, they might have demanded an explanation from Konoha or rallied the Daimyo's support to pressure Konoha for accountability.
But they were at war, and Konoha had infiltrated the Mist Village to create havoc; there was no one to complain to. Other villages would only mock them for being shaken to the core by a single Konoha shinobi, a far cry from the might expected of a great village.
Why could Takuya alone throw the Mist Village into such turmoil?
Beyond his own strength, it was inseparable from the context of the war.
With Mist's strongest shinobi deployed to the front lines against Konoha, few elite defenders remained in the village. And Takuya, intent on avoiding direct combat, had focused solely on destruction.
Within minutes, he'd reduced the Mist Village to a chaotic mess before slipping away with Minato.
By the time most people realized what had happened, Takuya was already gone, leaving many still trying to process the extent of the damage.
This was no small feat.
"Sigh…"
Looking at the still-burning sections of the village, Genji could only heave a helpless sigh.
If there had been no war, with more powerful defenders remaining in the village, would Takuya have dared to be so brazen?
Undoubtedly not.
Even if he had dared, it would have been impossible for him to cause such widespread destruction with a team of Mist elites on his trail.
But life doesn't grant "what-ifs" — there was no way to turn back time.
The war had drawn Mist's strongest away, leaving the village vulnerable to Takuya's rampage.
"Too bad I couldn't find the Mizukage," Takuya remarked as he rested on the ground, catching his breath. "I would've loved to make him dance for me."
Despite all the chaos he had caused, Takuya wasn't tired at all; Minato, however, was another story.
The chakra consumption from all this destruction was something Takuya could handle, but not the long-distance teleportation Minato had endured.
Now, Minato was collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
As Takuya stirred up trouble, he had hoped to capture the Third Mizukage, perhaps even confirm if White Zetsu was controlling him — or maybe Black Zetsu was involved personally.
Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to locate the Mizukage.
After all, the Mizukage's office building had been destroyed so suddenly — who knew if the Mizukage had survived the explosion?
Ninjas, after all, were known for their high offensive but low defensive capabilities. Without proper preparation, even elite jonin or kage-level shinobi with insufficient defenses would have been vaporized by the Spiral Tailed Beast Bomb.
After all, not every shinobi had the formidable defenses of the Third Raikage.
Even if the Third Mizukage survived, he would surely be in bad shape.
Minato gave him a look, his expression unreadable.
To be targeted by Takuya — who could say if that was fortunate or unfortunate for the Third Mizukage?
The thought of being trapped in Takuya's genjutsu made Minato shudder, instinctively inching away as if Takuya might cast it on him too.
"???"
"What's with you, Minato? Why are you running?"
As one of Takuya's previous genjutsu victims, Minato had plenty of reason to be wary.
"Trust me, I have no intention of putting you in a genjutsu," Takuya assured him.
Minato nodded seriously, "Better safe than sorry. I'd rather not relive that embarrassing moment."
"Oh, come on!" Takuya scoffed, flipping him the bird. "You were the one who got cocky after learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. Can't blame me for that."
The time Takuya had cast his humiliating dance genjutsu on Minato had been the result of Minato getting too cocky, trying to catch Takuya off guard.
In that situation, Takuya had happily "treated" Minato to a dance-induced social death.
As a result, Minato had endured a solid two weeks of teasing from Shōshū until Shōshū himself fell victim to the same fate.
After that, both of them silently agreed to forget the incident, pretending it had never happened.
"It was just a spar!"
"I'm sure it was," Takuya replied, rolling his eyes. "Who attacks with a deadly move without any warning and uses the Flying Thunder God, no less? If I hadn't reacted fast enough, that sparring match could've ended in disaster."
"Cough… I only wanted to test it out, not actually hit you."
"Oh, get lost — it's done and dusted," Takuya muttered.
After a bit more banter, Minato regained enough energy, and the two of them departed the transit island, returning to their base in the Land of Whirlpools.
In the command center, Jiraiya was anxiously awaiting their return.
Back at the coastal outpost, Orochimaru was also waiting for news.
Inside the command center, Jiraiya, agitated by the wait, had just picked up his water cup when Takuya and Minato finally appeared. Jiraiya's hand trembled with excitement, a grin spreading across his face.
Seeing both return safely, Jiraiya let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Jiraiya-sensei, thank you."
Collapsing onto a chair as if his strength had been completely drained, Minato accepted Jiraiya's cup and took several gulps of water.
That's my cup…
And that was supposed to be my water…
Looking at the exhausted Minato, Jiraiya swallowed his words. It was just a cup of water, after all; no big deal.
Besides, if Minato wasn't worried, then neither was he.
"So, how did it go?" Jiraiya asked eagerly.
Takuya waved his hand nonchalantly. "Not bad. Took down quite a few buildings, made a huge mess. Mist Village is probably still in chaos, with loads of casualties, plus Manda and Gamakichi had a good time causing destruction."
"…"
Thanks for nothing, Jiraiya thought, turning to Minato. The younger shinobi rolled his eyes.
You could've just said it straight, but no, you had to drag me into it. I need rest, man.
Under Jiraiya's expectant gaze, Minato recounted the events.
"Takuya infiltrated Mist Village, and I followed to provide support. He started the mission right away — his first target was the Mizukage's office, which he destroyed along with several surrounding buildings. All in all, the destruction was extensive; Mist Village won't be recovering any time soon."
"You blew up the Mizukage's office?" Jiraiya's jaw dropped.
My goodness. I sent you to cause trouble, but did you have to go this far?
Mist Village must be absolutely furious right now.