"Lord Yagura, ahead lies the Fire Nation's shipping route, and a Konoha warship is directly in our path," one of the Mist shinobi reported, breaking Yagura out of his thoughts.
Looking out at the seemingly insignificant Konoha warship, Yagura's eyes narrowed.
"Approach them," he ordered in a cold tone.
"Yes, sir!" came the sharp reply.
Despite Yagura's youthful appearance and slightly soft voice, the Mist Village shinobi didn't dare ignore his orders.
Over the years, Yagura had personally eliminated many individuals while serving under the Third Mizukage.
He might look small and innocent, but his hands were soaked in the blood of both enemies and his own comrades.
Even more shocking, he was already a father...
Although the Fire Nation had many coastlines, their warship construction couldn't compete with Mist Village's. Konoha's warship looked like a large toy compared to the more formidable Mist warships.
"Prepare for battle," Yagura commanded as the distance between the two ships shrank.
"Yes, Lord Yagura!"
The Mist shinobi on board began preparing for combat.
"Wait!"
As the two ships drew closer, Yagura spotted someone standing at the bow of the Konoha vessel. The figure had one foot propped on the ship's railing, casually observing the approaching Mist ship.
Yagura's mind raced, piecing together the information he had on the figure before him.
"Everyone, move to the other ship. Do not approach without my command, and do not engage!" Yagura suddenly ordered.
The Mist shinobi exchanged confused glances. What? We're about to fight, and now we have to leave?
Still, they didn't question Yagura's command.
"Yes, sir," they chorused, quickly boarding the second ship, which remained anchored at a distance. Only a few shinobi stayed with Yagura as he closed in on the Konoha warship.
"That's Samehada! So, it was Konoha after all," Yagura muttered darkly.
Even from a distance, Yagura could clearly see the large, bandage-wrapped sword strapped to Xin's back. Samehada's unique design, especially its handle, made it unmistakable. Despite being wrapped in bandages, there was no mistaking it-Xin was carrying one of Mist Village's seven legendary swords, Samehada.
"Be careful. This one is no pushover," Yagura cautioned his remaining men.
Just as Yagura had recognized Xin, Xin had also identified Yagura.
This was no ordinary Mist shinobi-it was Yagura, the personal bodyguard of the Third Mizukage, future Fourth Mizukage, and host of the Three-Tails... and a puppet of the Uchiha.
That's right-just a puppet.
Mist Village had been thoroughly manipulated by Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito.
Although the original story never explained this in full detail, Xin was convinced that Madara had tampered with the Third Mizukage's mind.
Think about it: a Mizukage who once loved his village and his people suddenly turned cruel, kicking off the Bloody Mist Era, where his temper flared violently, and he killed anyone who displeased him.
It was as if the Third Raikage had possessed him!
But no, even the Third Raikage wasn't that brutal. At least the Raikage didn't slaughter his own people.
But the Third Mizukage? He massacred his own shinobi with relentless cruelty.
The direct proof of this manipulation came during the Third Shinobi World War, when Mist Village sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin Nohara and sent her back to Konoha, intending for the beast to be unleashed and wreak havoc.
Xin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this. Was Mist Village out of their minds?
The war between Konoha and Mist was already over, and peace talks were underway.
Yet, Mist Village suddenly had the insane idea of sealing their own tailed beast inside a Konoha girl, hoping to create chaos in Konoha?
Did they really think Konoha's shinobi were stupid?
A Jinchuriki, especially one who had just been sealed, couldn't control the tailed beast's chakra. They'd be detected from miles away.
Xin could confidently say that even if Rin hadn't been killed by Kakashi, she never would've made it past Konoha's border checkpoints.
The entire plan reeked of one purpose: to drive Obito Uchiha to madness, pushing him toward complete despair.
Who else could possibly conceive such a senseless, cruel plan besides Uchiha Madara?