Konoha, in the Hokage's office.
"I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly."
Uchiha Yoruki and Minato stared gravely at the intelligence report lying on the desk before them.
Word of the shocking developments in the Hidden Mist Village had swept through the ninja world in a matter of days. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was dead—and the Three-Tails had perished with him.
The consecutive losses of both a Kage and a Tailed Beast represented an even greater catastrophe than the assassination of the Third Kazekage before the outbreak of the Third Ninja World War.
"They've made no mention of the Fourth Mizukage being manipulated," Uchiha Yoruki observed. "Are they afraid of drawing unwanted attention from the other nations?"
Minato lowered his eyelids thoughtfully. It was obvious this information couldn't have originated from the Land of Water or Kirigakure itself. The mastermind behind the leak must be the masked man who had controlled the Mizukage.
A village's shadow manipulated by an outside force—beyond Konoha and Kirigakure who already knew the truth, other nations would inevitably take significant interest in such a development.
If the masked man intended to continue implementing his plans in secret, this exposure would create substantial complications.
However, neither Kirigakure nor Konoha would willingly make this information public. Kirigakure naturally wanted to preserve its dignity and international standing as much as possible. If Konoha were to spread such news, not only would it make an enemy of Kirigakure, but more critically, it would reveal to Kirigakure's leadership that clandestine dealings had occurred between Konoha and Kirigakure ninjas.
Such revelations would severely damage Mei Terumi's prospects of succeeding as the Fifth Mizukage.
"Regardless, we've achieved a significant victory," Uchiha Yoruki said with a slight smile. "The enemy has completely lost control of Kirigakure."
The remaining problems would be Kirigakure's to manage. From Konoha's perspective, a major hidden threat lurking in the shadows had been eliminated.
"Have they really?" Minato's solemn expression remained unchanged, suggesting he had different concerns.
"True, we've eliminated the enemy's foothold in Kirigakure, but by deliberately spreading this information throughout the Five Nations, they've created new complications," Minato explained.
"The Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village are vulnerable right now. Beyond the Land of Wind and the Sand Village, which borders the Land of Fire and possesses relatively modest military power, both the Hidden Stone and Cloud Villages will certainly exploit this opportunity."
"I suspect our own village elders have already begun strategizing on this matter."
"Though peace treaties exist between our nations, everyone knows they're little more than hollow words," Uchiha Yoruki shrugged. "It's inevitable that villages will capitalize on the weaknesses of their rivals. Isn't that the way of the ninja world?"
Although they had aided Kirigakure in this instance, he believed Mei Terumi and her people understood the harsh reality—the weak are always preyed upon by the strong.
In this respect, there was no reason for the Land of Fire and Konoha to show excessive mercy.
"If this were merely a dispute between nations, such an approach would be acceptable," Minato replied. "However, once the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village recover their strength, they'll harbor deep resentment toward those who exploited them."
"So what?" Uchiha Yoruki countered. "With their limited strength, they lack the capacity to hold other nations accountable, don't they?"
Minato's eyes darkened. "Certainly. But if events unfold that way, even if a full-scale ninja war doesn't erupt, tensions between the Five Great Nations would escalate daily."
"With everyone's attention and resources focused on these conflicts, the masked man and his associates would find it much easier to advance their true agenda."
It was clear that the masked man hadn't released this information simply to target Kirigakure. His ultimate goal must be to create rifts between the Five Great Nations and intensify their conflicts.
"What a grim perspective."
Uchiha Yoruki's eyes flickered. He hadn't considered this angle—not because his analytical abilities were inferior to Minato's, but because their perspectives differed.
As Hokage, Minato's considerations naturally diverged from those of ordinary ninjas, even elite ones like Yoruki.
"We cannot allow them to succeed," Minato said firmly. "If they do, the situation will spiral beyond our control."
"Agreed." Minato nodded, his brow furrowed. "However, our approach must be handled with extreme care."
First and foremost, attempting to use the might of the Land of Fire and Konoha to intimidate the Hidden Cloud and Stone Villages into abandoning their opportunistic plans would never work.
Although Konoha currently stood as the strongest among the Five Ninja Villages, employing such heavy-handed tactics would inevitably generate deep resentment from the other nations.
The only viable path forward was to forge an alliance with the Land of Water.
This way, the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village could invoke the prestige of the Land of Fire and Konoha to deter potential aggression from the other nations.
"If we pursue an alliance, I doubt our village elders will readily approve," Uchiha Yoruki remarked with a faint smile.
"Persuading the council isn't the primary obstacle," Minato replied. "The real concern is that if we form an alliance with the Land of Water now, the masked man will undoubtedly spread that news throughout the ninja world as well."
Minato knew that his infiltration of Kirigakure to conduct a classified mission, along with the secret negotiations between Konoha and Kirigakure ninjas, wouldn't remain hidden forever.
"As long as Mei Terumi becomes the Fifth Mizukage, with our combined strength, couldn't we easily suppress such rumors?"
The enemy possessed no concrete evidence proving communication between Konoha and Kirigakure. Even if whispers reached the ninja world, they would remain unsubstantiated speculation.
"Indeed. So the critical factor is ensuring Mei Terumi successfully becomes the Fifth Mizukage." Minato nodded in agreement.
"Given Mei Terumi's current standing in Kirigakure, isn't her appointment as Fifth Mizukage merely a formality at this point?"
Uchiha Yoruki pointed out that these recent events had undoubtedly elevated Mei Terumi's already considerable reputation to new heights within Kirigakure.
"Don't underestimate our adversary," Minato cautioned. "He operated within the Hidden Mist Village for many years. Though his visible influence has diminished, we can't assume he lacks additional resources or strategies."
Minato's voice deepened. "The masked man escaped unscathed from the combined efforts of myself and multiple Konoha masters. He is certainly no ordinary opponent."
"What are you suggesting?" Uchiha Yoruki's eyes sharpened with sudden alertness.
"I fear that from the moment news of Kirigakure's upheaval spread throughout the ninja world, someone has already moved against Mei Terumi."
Though news of the Hidden Mist Village's crisis had reached the broader ninja world, Kirigakure itself had received no relevant intelligence due to its isolated geographical position.
In the days following the incident, under the guidance of Kirigakure's leadership, the turbulent situation within the village had gradually stabilized.
During today's high-level council meeting, Mei Terumi had been formally nominated as candidate for the Fifth Mizukage.
Since childhood, Mei Terumi's ambition had been to transform Kirigakure. She had accepted the nomination with determination. Though she hadn't yet received official authorization from the Land of Water's daimyo, she had already begun exercising the responsibilities of the Mizukage.
After changing out of her ANBU attire, Mei Terumi donned a light blue dress, placed the Mizukage's ceremonial hat upon her head, and began the solitary walk back to her residence.
The streets of the Hidden Mist Village were shrouded in dense fog as night fell, drastically limiting visibility.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, from within the darkness, came the distinctive sound of a blade cutting through air. Something was slashing toward Mei Terumi with extraordinary speed!
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