The Betrayal of Loquat Ten Zang
Alongside Naruto, the individuals who discovered the actions of the Mist Ninjas included Zabuza and Ghost Lantern Moon, both of whom were hiding near the Mizukage Building.
They gathered a group of over a dozen Mizukage loyalists and planned to attack the Mizukage Building under the pretense that the "Mizukage is being manipulated" in an attempt to free the Fourth Mizukage from the control of their enemies.
In addition to these dozen or so people, Ghost Lantern Moon had specifically contacted respected Jonin in the village, asking them to observe the area. If they found signs that the Mizukage was under any kind of manipulation, they were to act immediately against the Fourth Mizukage.
As for the masked individual who may have been pulling the strings behind the Fourth Mizukage's actions, it was left to the Uzumaki ninja to handle.
However, before this plan could unfold, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, left the Mizukage Building on his own initiative, departing the village with some of his loyal Anbu.
This unexpected move left Ghost Lantern Moon confused, as he furrowed his brow—had the masked man discovered their plan?
At this moment, a Kirin appeared before Ghost Lantern Moon, bowing their head and reporting: "Master Full Moon, enemies have infiltrated the village. Based on their appearance, it seems the rebel Uchiha Itachi and the traitor Loquat Juzo are involved."
How had Loquat Juzo and Uchiha Itachi appeared so near the village?
After considering the situation, Ghost Lantern Moon decided to leave the village with a dozen subordinates, understanding that the plan had been compromised and that they would have to adapt on the fly.
Meanwhile, high-ranking members of the Mist Village, lurking in another part of the village, also took notice. These included Terumi Mei, a master of Boil Release and Lava Release techniques, as well as Qing, a perception-class ninja, and Master Yuan, an elder who had helped establish the village.
Master Yuan, leaning on his crutches, opened his eyes and turned to Qing, slowly asking, "After encountering foreign enemies, the Fourth Mizukage still made an appearance. Qing, do you think the Fourth is under the influence of an illusion?"
Qing, who had captured the Byakugan on the battlefield, was able to see through illusions. However, Mizukage's position was sacred, and it would be a grave offense to spy on him without permission. Qing had only dared to use the Byakugan to investigate the Fourth Mizukage because Master Yuan had granted her leave.
"Byakugan, activate!"
After opening her eyes, Qing's face grew grim. She nodded toward Terumi Mei and Master Yuan, confirming what they feared.
Master Yuan sighed with resignation and said, "The boy from the Ghost Lantern family was right. The Fourth Mizukage has indeed been controlled by an illusion. It seems that many of the ridiculous orders from the government in recent years were being issued from behind the scenes by this unknown figure."
Terumi Mei frowned and asked, "Master Yuan, what should we do? The Fourth Mizukage is the host of the Three-Tails, how can we remove the illusion from him?"
Master Yuan smiled softly, "The Three-Tails can be handled by the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. As for how to get close to Yagura, we'll need to risk some lives. I don't know if that boy, Moon, will be able to make a difference."
"However, things within the village can be delayed. We must focus on dealing with the outside enemies. Yagura can still be trusted for now."
"Understood, Master Yuan," Terumi Mei and Qing nodded in agreement, preparing to lead their forces outside the village.
…
While various factions within Kirigakure were mobilizing, Naruto had successfully infiltrated the village, disguised as an ordinary Mist Ninja, and rushed toward the outskirts of the village for support.
Soon, Naruto's expression darkened as he noticed the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
Shouldn't Yagura have been confined to the Mizukage Building? Why had he led a group of loyalists out of Kirigakure? Could it be that Obito had uncovered the plans of Zabuza and Ghost Lantern Moon?
But if they didn't kill them, they were obviously still within Kirigakure, and Naruto could only communicate through shadow clones.
After trailing them for a while, Naruto found Yagura engaged in combat in the forest, facing off against Loquat Juzo and Uchiha Itachi, which left him even more confused.
Wasn't the Fourth Mizukage already under Obito's control? Why was he now involved in a battle with the Mist Ninjas?
Could it be that there were internal conflicts within the Akatsuki organization? Perhaps Nagato had discovered Obito's covert control over Kirigakure and began to suppress Obito's influence?
After thinking it over, Naruto concluded that this theory seemed likely.
After all, the Akatsuki was a rebellious ninja organization, and due to the diverse backgrounds of its members, it could never truly be united under one leader.
At that moment, more Kirigakure ninjas arrived, rushing toward the battle.
With the growing number of people, Naruto couldn't afford to think any further. He blended in with the crowd of Mist Ninjas and began searching for the location of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki.
He was more interested in the Six-Tails and Three-Tails' chakra than in meddling with Akatsuki's internal affairs.
After all, what had truly allowed Ghost Lantern Moon to rise to power was not the puppet village of Kirigakure but the acquisition of the chakra of the Six-Tails and Three-Tails. That was the true purpose of his mission.
Naruto searched through the crowd, using genjutsu to control a few Kirin, but still couldn't find any trace of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki. He finally relaxed, realizing that only high-ranking officials of Kirigakure, besides the Fourth Mizukage, knew the Jinchuriki's location.
Among them, only Master Yuan still had influence, but there were too many Jounin surrounding him, making it difficult for Naruto to take action.
At that moment, Naruto felt a piercing gaze and instinctively responded with an illusion.
It could only be the perception abilities of Kirigakure's top-tier ninja, Ao. Even though Ao, who possessed the Byakugan, couldn't see through Naruto's identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he was still able to perceive one ninja who was hidden from his eyes.
Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto decided to pay a visit to the Mizukage Building, hoping to uncover more information.
After being struck by the illusion, Qing covered her eyes, clearly in pain.
Terumi Mei, who stood beside her, dispelled the genjutsu and pointed in Naruto's direction. "Master Yuan, I've found the spy. Could he be the one behind Mizukage-sama's control?"
After a brief moment of thought, Master Yuan ordered with a worried look in his eyes for the future of Kirigakure.
"We can't rule out that possibility. Be prepared for battle."
…
Inside the Mizukage Building, Obito stood in his familiar position, looking out at Kirigakure below.
But this time, Obito was no longer his usual carefree self. His face under the mask was filled with fury as he cursed Nagato in his mind.
After secretly controlling the Fourth Mizukage for nearly ten years, Obito knew that the illusion would eventually be discovered.
That was why he had kept Yagura in the Mizukage Building, limiting others' ability to notice his control. However, he hadn't expected that the person who allowed Yagura to leave the Mizukage Building would be none other than his own subordinates—Uchiha Itachi and Loquat Juzo, whom he had personally recruited.
After all, Nagato had given the order to investigate Kirigakure, but it was Itachi and Loquat Juzo who had carried it out.
Itachi, having struck a deal of non-interference, was unaware of Obito's covert control over the Fourth Mizukage. Thus, the only traitor was Loquat Juzo.
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