People of the Mist Do Not Deceive Their Own
The great assembly hall of the Kirigakure within the towering Mizukage Building was soon filled with the village's highest-ranking shinobi.
Nearly every active jōnin had answered the summons.
The air itself felt heavy.
"Hey, do you know why Mizukage-sama called all of us here?"
"You're asking me? How would I know? Mind your own business."
"It's been a long time since the village gathered like this…"
"Keep your voice down! Do you want the ANBU to hear you?"
Whispers traveled in low currents, like mist drifting across still water.
Since the reimplementation of brutal internal purges under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, large assemblies had become rare. Suspicion was the norm. Trust was a luxury.
The jōnin formed clusters based on clan ties and long-standing alliances, their eyes flickering toward the main seat.
Then
A frail yet dignified figure entered the hall.
"Elder Genji-sama…"
"It's Elder Genji!"
The murmurs shifted into respectful silence as Genji, the senior advisor who had served since the era of the Third Mizukage, slowly made his way forward with the aid of a cane.
Though age had stolen his strength, it had not diminished his authority.
The crowd parted instinctively.
Moments after Genji took his seat beside the Mizukage's position, the doors opened once more.
The Fourth Mizukage entered.
Small in stature. Calm in expression.
But the oppressive chakra that accompanied him silenced the entire chamber.
"I will not waste time with pleasantries," Yagura said evenly. "We will proceed directly."
His gaze swept across the assembly.
"Where are the representatives of the Kaguya clan?"
A ripple passed through the hall.
One of the senior Kaguya jōnin stepped forward. Tall, sharp-featured, his presence carried the restrained ferocity characteristic of his bloodline.
"Mizukage-sama," he said carefully, "what matter requires the Kaguya clan's attention?"
Yagura's expression did not change.
"What matter?" he repeated softly. "You truly do not know?"
The tone alone caused several jōnin to stiffen.
"With respect," the Kaguya representative replied, his voice tightening, "if there is an accusation, it would be clearer to state it directly."
A faint smile curved Yagura's lips but it did not reach his eyes.
"Very well."
He lifted one hand.
An ANBU operative flickered into existence before him, kneeling.
The hall tensed.
"Remove your mask," Yagura ordered.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
The ANBU complied.
A shark-like face was revealed.
Recognition spread instantly.
"That's… Hoshigaki!"
"It's Hoshigaki Kisame."
"So he entered ANBU…"
Standing there, composed and unreadable, was Kisame Hoshigaki already known within the village for his ruthless efficiency and unwavering loyalty to orders.
Yagura spoke again.
"The Hoshigaki clan has long upheld a simple principle: loyalty to the village above all else. Deception among comrades is intolerable."
His gaze sharpened.
"Kisame. Report your findings."
Kisame stepped forward, his voice low and steady.
"Several weeks ago, Mizukage-sama authorized an internal investigation."
He paused deliberately, letting the silence deepen.
"Evidence suggested that certain members of the Kaguya clan had engaged in unauthorized contact with external forces."
A collective intake of breath echoed.
"The investigation uncovered irregular movements along the eastern coastline," Kisame continued. "Encoded transmissions were intercepted. Their pattern matches known cipher styles once used during clandestine exchanges with shinobi from the Land of Fire."
Murmurs intensified.
"The implication," Kisame said plainly, "is attempted collusion."
The Kaguya jōnin's eyes flared.
"That is slander!"
Yagura's chakra flared subtly not explosively, but with suffocating precision.
Silence returned.
Kisame continued, "Further historical research reveals distant bloodline connections between certain Kaguya branches and clans that later migrated toward the Land of Fire during the Warring States Period."
At this, all eyes turned toward Elder Genji.
The old advisor closed his eyes briefly before speaking.
"Long ago," Genji said, "before the establishment of the Five Great Nations, migration between clans was common. It is historically accurate that splinter groups of multiple bloodline clans dispersed across regions. However"
His gaze sharpened.
"Historical connection does not equal present betrayal."
The tension in the hall shifted.
Yagura's expression remained calm.
"No one is being executed today," he said.
But those words carried no comfort.
"We are verifying loyalty."
He looked directly at the Kaguya representative.
"If your clan is innocent, then transparency will clear your name."
The unspoken threat lingered: refusal would confirm guilt.
Kisame's eyes flickered not with emotion, but with assessment. He understood the pattern. Under Yagura's administration, suspicion alone often preceded elimination.
And yet
Behind Yagura's composed exterior, something far more insidious pulsed.
High above the hall's rafters, unseen by all present, a distortion of space briefly shimmered.
A masked observer watched.
And deep within unseen layers of reality