The Third Raikage's word was something Yagura could trust.
Had it been Ōnoki or Hiruzen Sarutobi on the other side, he would've had to think twice—maybe even force them to pay a higher price.
With a flick, Yagura withdrew the tail behind him and extended his fist toward the Third Raikage.
"Let's be real—your side started this fight. Don't back out now just because you lost."
The Third Raikage extended his own fist, their large and small knuckles bumping together.
A straightforward acknowledgment of defeat—and recognition that Yagura was a worthy opponent on equal footing.
Seeing the self-satisfied smile on Yagura's face, the Raikage narrowed his eyes.
"Mizukage… so it was you behind the Eight-Tails rampage."
"I already told you, I'm not that capable."
Yagura played the innocent to the end.
"But now that everything's settled, guess it doesn't hurt to let you know. The one who attacked Killer B? One of the Three Sannin from Konoha—Orochimaru."
His goal had already been achieved.
So Yagura sold Orochimaru out without hesitation.
"His objective was to collect Tailed Beast specimens for research. When you suppress the Eight-Tails again, Raikage-san, you might want to keep an eye out."
The Eight-Tails chakra that Orochimaru collected would, in the future, become part of the energy used to resurrect the Ten-Tails during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
But as long as Yagura lived—as the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails and with the Six-Tails under his control—there would be no chance of the Ten-Tails returning.
Still, it didn't hurt to offer the Raikage a warning.
A thoughtful glint passed through the Third Raikage's eyes. Orochimaru—the Konoha Sannin who had kept a low profile throughout the war—had been targeting the Eight-Tails all along.
"You seem to know quite a bit."
"Well, I'm technically a cooperative partner of Konoha. We share...mutual interests."
He couldn't hide the fact that he had ties to Konoha—but he could at least make sure no one thought he had masterminded anything.
Yagura smiled.
"Same logic applies here. Kirigakure and Kumogakure could also become partners. We share one very clear interest—neither of us wants Konoha to win this war."
"But that's not why you're doing this."
"Purely business. We can talk details some other time."
Yagura withdrew his fist, not wanting to say more than necessary. He shifted his stance.
"You've got a rampaging Tailed Beast back home. I won't keep you here."
Every second the Raikage lingered meant Kumogakure would suffer more damage and risk.
The Third Raikage cast his gaze over the Mist ninja standing behind Yagura.
They were clearly angry with him—but not a single one showed even the slightest resistance to Yagura's decision.
It had only been a few months since he took office, yet he'd already won their loyalty.
"You're a powerful Kage."
His son would someday face off against this Mizukage.
There'd be no shortage of worthy opponents.
The Raikage clasped his hands together.
"Thank you."
Even though Yagura had his own interests in mind, the Raikage recognized the deed for what it was.
He expressed his gratitude.
Then, he turned and left—leading the Kumogakure shinobi back toward their village.
There, another great battle awaited him.
...
Yagura turned away as well.
He had his own thanks to give.
To Sasori, who had rushed in upon hearing of the battle.
To Mei Terumī, who had sent out a call for reinforcements out of concern for his safety.
To all the Mist shinobi who had responded and supported him in this mission.
What he saw was the aftermath—the Mist forces had lost many during the earlier battle. Many more were injured.
The Kaguya clan had fought with reckless abandon—and suffered the worst casualties.
The medical squad, along with Sasori who had jumped in to help, focused their attention on treating the Kaguya.
Yagura closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he called out, his voice loud and clear:
"All Kirigakure shinobi, listen up! Head into the sea and recover the bodies of our fallen comrades!"
He would never forget the Mist ninja who gave their lives for the village. He wouldn't let them die nameless in these foreign waters.
This command meant more than a thousand hollow words of thanks.
The dead weren't just names—they were brothers, sisters, mentors, students, friends…
This wasn't about safeguarding secrets.
It was about one thing—
"Bring them home."
Moved by Yagura's trembling voice, the Mist shinobi responded in unison:
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
The battle had ended recently, so most of the bodies hadn't sunk too deep.
Even the few that had fallen into the crushing depths of the sea were brought back—by Yagura and Isobu.
When the count was complete, all were accounted for.
1,076 Mist ninja had gone into battle.
217 had fallen.
Among them, 82 were from the Kaguya clan.
49 died, and 33 more were wounded, some gravely.
With the bodies of their fallen comrades on their backs, the Mist forces began their journey home.
...
The day after they returned to the village, the deceased—both from this latest battle and those who had died earlier fighting Kumogakure—were buried with full honors.
By then, it was already the end of January.
Not long after, on January 31st, the first full moon of the year rose—and with it came the Sea Lantern Festival that Yagura had meticulously prepared.
But after so much loss, the festival felt more like a quiet memorial than a celebration.
Yagura included.
He had no interest in festivities.
He fulfilled his duties—met with the Daimyō of the Land of Water, who had come to attend the festival as a guest.
Then he returned to the rooftop of the Mizukage Tower.
There, he sat cross-legged, one arm propping up his body, silently watching as lanterns slowly lit up across the village.
Thanks to the Culture Department's Satō, the entire main district of Kirigakure had been blanketed with lanterns—distributed to the citizens, who lit them one by one and released them into the sky.
A warm orange glow bloomed against the cold, hazy sky of the Land of Water, turning night into a dreamlike imitation of day.
Reflected in Yagura's eyes was a scene Kirigakure had never seen before.
...
He was briefly lost in thought—until Mangetsu landed beside him, hopping up onto the roof.
"Hey! It's a festival—why are you up here all alone?"
Not waiting for an answer, Mangetsu threw his arm around Yagura's shoulder and tugged him around to face the Hōzuki clan compound.
"Look over there! Our Hōzuki family's lanterns are about to go up!"
As he spoke, a cluster of lanterns rose from the direction of the Hōzuki estate.
Each one bore the image of a vibrant green plant, heavy with round, bright orange berries—a scene of celebration.
"What's that?"
"C'mon, you think we Hōzuki would lose when it comes to lanterns?" Mangetsu boasted, dragging a finger across his nose with a grin.
"That plant's a ground cherry, also called a ghost lantern. In legends, it's said to guide the souls of the dead to the Pure Land."
"To guide the souls to the Pure Land..." Yagura repeated the words softly to himself.
As if on cue, the other clans joined in.
The Yuki clan released their lanterns next—their design showed a crescent moon hanging over a misty white river, with no reflection on the water below.
The Kaguya clan, true to form, simply drew a few bones.
Karatachi's lantern looked like it had copied the Hōzuki's idea—a round orange painted to look like a tangerine.
...
Down in the courtyard of the Mizukage Tower, not far from where Yagura sat, a group gathered.
Mei Terumī, Zabuza, Ringo Ameyuri, and Kisame Hoshigaki all released their lanterns into the night sky.
Then they turned in unison to stare at the one person who hadn't moved—Sasori, their lantern artist.
"Sending wishes to the gods in the sky… How foolish," he muttered.
Still, Sasori casually let go of his lantern—and somehow, it rose faster than all the others, quickly catching Yagura's eye.
Drawn on it was a gentle father and mother, holding their child by the hand.
The craftsmanship was stunning—one glance was all it took to know who had drawn it.
By contrast, Zabuza's lantern was a chaotic mess, as ugly as his handwriting—featuring a blade, a name, and some peaches.
Ringo had drawn a lightning bolt.
Kisame's was surprisingly cute—a cartoonish little shark that looked nothing like him.
Mei Terumī's bore her clan's emblem: a thorned rose.
Yagura murmured, "It's beautiful."
Mangetsu, hearing that, grinned and thrust a lantern into Yagura's hands.
"Here! I made this one just for you!"
Painted on the lantern were a chibi Yagura and a chibi Isobu.
No words were needed—the gesture said it all.
"Happy Sea Lantern Festival."
Yagura smiled faintly.
"Do you have another lantern?"
"I do!" Mangetsu replied instantly.
"Whatever you want, I've got it!"
He pulled out a still-unlit sky lantern from his scroll, lit it up, and handed it to Yagura.
"Thank you. Let's release it together."
They stood side by side, holding the Hōzuki lantern between them.
As the air inside heated up, the lantern began to rise.
"Three, two, one—releasing!" Mangetsu called.
"Okay," Yagura said softly.
He tilted his head up toward the starry sky and slowly let go.
His biggest wish this year...
Was to guide the souls of Kirigakure's heroes to the Pure Land.
The Mist ninja who died in battle.
The old Third Mizukage who passed away.
...
May heroes never walk alone.
May their spirits rest in peace.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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