The midday sun pierced through the clouds, casting its warm and glaring light upon the land.
Today, for once, the Village Hidden in the Mist was not shrouded in its usual thick fog.
"Ao, we're heading back."
Yagura brushed off his sleeves and strode past Ao, making his way toward the cemetery's exit.
"Yes!"
Ao snapped back to reality, quickly stepping forward to catch up. Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly corrected himself, adding the proper honorific: "Mizukage-sama."
Hearing this, Yagura paused for a moment, slightly surprised as he turned back to look at Ao.
Although, in name, he was still only the acting Mizukage, it was only a matter of time before he officially took over. After spending these past days beside the two elders at the highest echelons of Kirigakure, Ao was well aware of this fact.
Moreover, during Yagura's time as a "guard" at the Mizukage's office, Ao had been watching.
He recognized and accepted Yagura as the next Mizukage.
"Back to the Mizukage's office."
Yagura didn't dwell on Ao's choice of words.
The title of Mizukage still made him feel slightly unworthy.
But so what?
He would give everything he had to ensure that he could stand by it with a clear conscience.
...
Returning to the familiar office, Yagura barely stepped inside before his eyes landed on the towering stacks of documents piled atop the desk. He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Since the passing of the Third Mizukage, Elder Genshi had been handling affairs in his stead over the past few days.
However, his authority only extended to routine matters.
The most critical decisions—those only the Mizukage could make—had been left untouched. Genshi had simply categorized and arranged them in order of importance.
Just two months ago, Yagura had been a mere subordinate, running around. Now, he sat in the main seat, just as he had envisioned—he had become the Mizukage.
Yet...
Faced with the mountain of paperwork that loomed taller than himself, Yagura found himself at a complete loss. In the end, he turned helplessly toward Elder Genshi.
"Elder, save me—no, save my life."
"Hahaha."
This was exactly as Genshi had predicted.
Had Yagura been able to dive straight into handling everything effortlessly, that would have been the real surprise.
Chuckling, Genshi stepped forward, glancing at the documents to ensure they were in the same order he had left them.
"Let's see... The most pressing matter right now is—"
As he spoke, Genshi glanced over at Yagura, noting the young Mizukage's line of sight barely reached the desk's surface.
Oops, he had overlooked something.
"Mizukage, you do realize that the chair is adjustable, right?"
Yagura tilted his head, confused by the remark.
But when he caught the knowing smile in Genshi's expression and the way his gaze landed on his head, something clicked.
A knife to the heart.
"Oh."
With a dull response, Yagura climbed off the chair and began fiddling with the height adjustment.
Why was it always about his height?!
He would definitely grow taller!
He refused to be stuck at 140 centimeters like his original self!
At the very least, he had to reach 160!
After raising the chair by two notches, Yagura sat back down. Now, his eyes and hands could comfortably reach the desk.
Genshi handed him a few documents.
"These are diplomatic messages from the other five great nations. Start with these. I'll be working nearby, so if you have any questions, ask me."
Pushing aside his earlier irritation, Yagura solemnly took the files and opened them before him.
"Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Elder."
...
Sorting things by priority, the most pressing matter was undoubtedly the ongoing Third Great Ninja War, a conflict steadily inching toward full eruption.
The sudden passing of the Third Mizukage and the succession of the Fourth had introduced an unpredictable variable into this volatile situation.
The future direction of Kirigakure was no longer dictated by the will of the Third Mizukage—it was now in the hands of the Fourth.
More precisely, in the hands of the acting Mizukage.
Yagura had several questions that needed answers.
"Elder, why did you and the Third change your minds?"
"Surely my weak arguments weren't enough to convince either of you."
He was self-aware enough to recognize that.
Especially after witnessing the way the Third had handled things.
"War or peace—truthfully, even we were uncertain at first. The Third leaned toward war, while I leaned toward peace."
Genshi spoke slowly. "The reasoning was simple: differing perspectives. The Third believed war would bring greater benefits, while I thought otherwise."
Now that Yagura had assumed this position, Genshi felt it was time to clarify some things.
"Diplomacy and military matters ultimately depended on his judgment."
"As for why he suddenly changed his stance... the main reason was your position."
"The Third's exact words were: 'Once this brat decides on something, even a tailed beast couldn't pull him back.'"
[Isobu: Pfft!]
[Yagura: Isobu, you're laughing too loud!]
"In this regard, you're quite similar to the Third. Though rather than being stubborn, he was more... obsessive."
The infamous Blood Mist policy targeting Kekkei Genkai clans had been a product of that obsession.
"Fortunately, he had no such fixations concerning you. Good thing you're not from the Hozuki clan."
As he reminisced, Genshi didn't forget to take a playful jab at his old comrade.
"Since both you and I shared the same stance, he made his decision."
Yagura clenched his fists. "His health... was it really that bad?"
"It had been declining for years."
Though the Third had kept it a secret, Genshi—who had been by his side for so long—had seen through it.
"After you left, he stopped taking his medicine. You could say he passed away peacefully."
"... I see."
...
The Third Mizukage had been willing to end his own life for the sake of Kirigakure's future.
The path had already been paved.
Now, it was on Yagura's shoulders to decide how Kirigakure would move forward.
Flipping through the diplomatic letters from the other villages, Yagura quickly took stock.
These weren't the first of their kind to arrive, nor was it his first time reading them.
The earlier sections were mostly formalities—condolences for the Third Mizukage's passing, meaningless diplomatic pleasantries.
The real substance was in the latter half: congratulatory remarks on his succession and, more importantly, probing questions about his stance.
Four letters, four different tones.
Kumogakure's attitude was the friendliest.
Sunagakure and Iwagakure were the most agitated—understandable, given their longstanding hostilities with Kirigakure.
Kumogakure, on the other hand, had never clashed with them significantly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's words carried a paternal tone, unlike the aggressive Onoki. While he extended pleasantries, he also dangled incentives—mentioning the Chunin Exams as a means to sway Yagura.
In contrast, Kumogakure's friendliness seemed more like indifference.
They had offered no concrete benefits in their letter.
Confident, aren't you, Kumogakure?
Sunagakure and Iwagakure, however, were uneasy.
Yagura tapped his pen against the desk, deep in thought.
He still believed Kirigakure should stay out of the war—or, if it had to participate, it should align with Konoha.
But before making their stance clear, they had an opportunity.
"Before revealing our position, we must extract the greatest possible benefits from the other villages."
"If we play our cards right, we can blackmail all four nations."
Genshi laughed approvingly. "Now that is an opportunity worth seizing."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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