"Akiko-sama…" Hanae hesitated, fingers clenched tight in her sleeves. "It's true that you need greater strength if you want the Mizukage's seat—but is this really necessary? This is… too dangerous. Even if it works, there's no guarantee you'll be able to control that power."
Her voice echoed uncomfortably in the deserted island.
If what they were planning ever leaked beyond this island, Kirigakure would erupt into chaos overnight.
Hanae wasn't alone in her concern. More than fifteen Yuki clan Elite Jōnin shinobi stood behind her, joined by over thirty others from different bloodlines—veterans, assassins, and loyalists who had survived Kirigakure's worst years together.
Not one of them wanted Akiko to go through with this.
From their perspective, wasn't this all excessive? Ryūkotsu was dangerous, yes—but not invincible. If it came down to it, they were ready to throw their lives away to drag him down with them.
None of them hesitated at that thought.
Akiko shook her head slowly. If only it were that simple.
Even if she somehow defeated Ryūkotsu cleanly, it wouldn't change the truth—she was not Kage-level.
And then what?
How was she supposed to strike Uzushiogakure when even the Third Mizukage—stronger than she was—had been torn apart and even his body wasn't recovered?
How was she meant to stand before the other Kage?
Hide behind bravado? Smile and bluff?
That was suicide.
No. If she was going to rule, she needed power. Real power. The kind that made nations hesitate.
No matter the method.
Her gaze drifted forward.
In the center of the sealing array lay a boy—no older than fifteen—unconscious, chakra restrained, breathing shallow but steady.
What she was about to do would kill him.
That fact barely registered. Akiko had killed enough people in her life that her heart no longer bothered pretending it cared.
She turned back to the gathered shinobi, her voice calm, cold, and absolute.
"Everyone here is someone I trust," she said. "If you're standing here, then you already know what I'm about to do."
A pause.
"I am confident I can seal this beast within myself," she continued. "But confidence alone is meaningless in situations like this. If anything goes wrong, I expect you to act. Immediately."
Akiko's path to power was not training, nor alliances, nor political maneuvering.
She was going to seal a Tailed Beast inside herself—
And become Kirigakure's next jinchūriki.
Akiko leaving the village—and doing so with half a small army in tow—was the kind of thing that couldn't be hidden even if Kirigakure suddenly decided to go blind.
The news reached Ryūkotsu before her footprints had even dried.
He didn't take it seriously. In his mind, it was obvious what this was, plain and simple cowardice.
She didn't dare remain in the village, not with him breathing the same mist-filled air. And of course, even when she fled, she did it wrapped in layers of escorts like a porcelain teacup, which he simply found pathetic.
He had already begun drafting—very enthusiastically—the many ways he would humiliate her once she crawled back in front of everyone important.
Unfortunately, his imagination was currently being hijacked by a far more annoying problem.
That old fossil Genji, from the same generation as the first Mizukage, was his real obstacle.
Whether Akiko or the other candidates, he truly didn't take them seriously. Just that damned elder who had a habit of surviving things he really shouldn't—and, worse, of not agreeing with Ryūkotsu on anything.
As Ryūkotsu sat there, lost in a pleasant daydream involving power, blood, and a very fancy Mizukage hat—
"Ryūkotsu-sama! Urgent report—the village is under attack!"
The door burst open, reality kicking him square in the face.
Ryūkotsu snapped back to the present, eyes sharp.
"What?" He stood up instantly. "Under attack? Is Akiko rebelling already?"
He connected the dots at lightning speed—while also not bothering to scold the Kaguya ninja for failing to knock. Kaguya weren't exactly known for politeness or subtlety, enough for doors surviving their entrances.
The messenger shook his head. "We can't say with absolute certainty that she's uninvolved… but it's unlikely. The outer barrier, ten kilometers from the village, was deactivated from the outside. Shortly after, we lost all contact with the guards stationed there."
Kirigakure didn't have some grand, flawless long-distance communication system but within ten kilometers? They had methods.
Especially at posts whose sole purpose was to scream 'We're being invaded!' before things went wrong.
Ryūkotsu didn't dwell on the technicalities. Instead, a wide grin split his face.
"An attack… now?" he said, excitement bubbling over. "Hahaha! Whoever dares strike Kirigakure at a time like this must be strong."
His mind immediately painted a beautiful picture: the village struggling, buildings damaged, people panicking—right up until he arrived. The strongest, the savior, the man who turned the tide. By the end of it, his claim to the Mizukage seat would be ironclad.
But then— His laughter faded. His eyes narrowed.
"…Tch." Akiko had just left with elite forces. And now the village was attacked?
"There's no way this is a coincidence," he muttered, bloodlust and suspicion mixing nicely. "Even if she isn't the one attacking… she's involved somehow."
Even if she truly unexpectedly isn't involved, he wouldn't let it slide but would find a way to muddy her name in the water.
After making up his mind, he looked toward the Kaguya ninja. "Go gather the clansmen who aren't on mission. It's another opportunity to prove why we are the strongest in the village."
...
...
...
The assault on Kirigakure was, of course, spearheaded by Uzushiogakure.
Unlike Mizura's fleet—which announced its presence with all the subtlety of a drunken tailed beast—the Uzumaki forces were… conspicuously absent. Albeit smaller and weaker in momentum, but the most important thing is that they were simply invisible.
Contrary to popular belief, there was no such thing as an Invisibility Seal. What the Uzumaki used instead were layers upon layers of obscenely advanced barrier techniques—something people conveniently forgot whenever they mocked Uzushio as 'just seal freaks'.
Sealing was only half their madness.
The other half? Endless varieties of Barriers.
Among the most infamous manifestations of that mastery were the Adamantine Chains. Known for restraining Tailed Beasts like unruly pets, those same chains could also weave defensive barriers sturdy enough to shrug off full-blown Kage-level attacks.
From the outside, there was nothing. No fleet, no chakra signatures, or even the faint unease sensors usually felt when something very wrong was nearby. Even specialist sensors would've sworn the sea was empty.
Azula, however, shook her head slightly.
"By now, they should already know the village has been attacked," she said calmly. "I just hope they're as aggressive as they pretend to be—and don't scatter at the first hint of danger."
She knew better than anyone that no concealment was perfect. The moment the outpost shinobi had been eliminated, Kirigakure would've felt it one way or another. Blood had a way of echoing in the ninja world.
Oddly enough, the journey itself was… peaceful.
Whether it was because Kiri had sent a large portion of its forces alongside the fleet that attacked Uzushio, or because of internal instability, resistance at sea was almost nonexistent.
A few reconnaissance squads did appear—briefly.
Their strength wasn't worth mentioning as they vanished just as quietly as they'd appeared.
Not until they reached the island itself did they encounter anything remotely resembling a challenge—and even then, the famed defensive barrier protecting one of the Five Great Villages looked, to the Uzumaki, like a poorly locked door.
It shattered with embarrassing ease.
"We've crossed the final defensive line," the sensor announced loudly. "From here on, the path to Kirigakure's outskirts is completely open."
Several others—far more sensitive than him—had known that minutes ago. Still, reporting it was his job, and he did it proudly.
Azula stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the assembled forces.
"Alright," she said evenly, as she was the commander for this mission. "Everyone knows their assignments."
Her tone sharpened just slightly.
"Priority one is survival. Stay within range of the main force at all times. When the retreat signal is given, I don't want confusion, heroics, or anyone playing the lone wolf."
(END OF THE CHAPTER)
Today's chapter even if it's