What a shame!
What an absolute waste of an opportunity!
Shihouin Naraku had originally expected that there would be an intense battle waiting for him here.
The Mizunotsuki clan, the Hozuki clan, and Terumi Mei as the Fifth Mizukage – it would have been fascinating to witness exactly how much combined power the three of them could unleash when working together in perfect coordination.
Of course, being formidable opponents was one consideration, but whether they could actually pose a genuine threat to Shihouin Naraku was an entirely different matter altogether.
Inside the tent, Terumi Mei shifted the conversation to more practical concerns. "How is the current situation back in the village?"
"Heh!" Hozuki Sakuzuki displayed a fierce and satisfied grin across his weathered face. "I took care of all of them personally."
"There were several fools who didn't understand the concept of knowing when to live and when to die. I broke their necks with my own hands without any hesitation."
Mizunotsuki Yuki added in her characteristically cold tone, "Master Genshi has been very supportive of our decisive actions. The radical faction has suffered a crushing blow this time, and they will not be able to cause any significant trouble for us in the foreseeable future."
"That's excellent news," Terumi Mei replied with visible relief. "What has been the village's general attitude toward the trade agreement we signed with Konoha?"
"Hey! Now this is definitely worth discussing," Sakuzuki said with obvious enthusiasm. "Those skeptics who were questioning your diplomatic approach before have now completely changed their attitudes. The overall situation looks very promising indeed."
"The entire atmosphere throughout the village has changed dramatically," Yuki observed analytically. "Compared to the dead, bloody, and oppressive atmosphere that dominated in the past, everyone now seems to have found clear direction and the courage needed to move forward with confidence."
"This transformation is the direct result of the changes you brought to everyone, Terumi Mei!" Sakuzuki added with genuine admiration.
That was indeed encouraging!
Terumi Mei breathed a deep sigh of relief. Kirigakure's positive changes clearly demonstrated that the path she had chosen to follow was absolutely the correct one for their village's future!
"Make sure to have someone keep a close watch on those remaining radicals," she instructed seriously. "They won't simply give up their opposition just like that, especially after such a significant defeat."
"I understand completely!" Sakuzuki declared with violent enthusiasm. "If they dare to cause any more trouble or disruption when I return to the village, I'll personally kill every last one of them myself!"
"Sakuzuki!" Terumi Mei's expression became notably more serious and stern. "Do you want to know what impressed me the most during this entire diplomatic trip to Konoha?"
"Hmm? What was it?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Seeing that Terumi Mei was wearing such a serious expression, Hozuki Sakuzuki could only sit up straight in his chair and listen carefully to whatever important point she wanted to make next.
"I was certainly impressed by the beautiful scenery, the confident and prosperous civilians, and the thriving business enterprises throughout Konoha Village, but I had actually expected to see these things before I traveled there, so I wasn't particularly surprised by their presence."
"What shocked me the most profoundly was witnessing the operations of the Konoha Academy!"
"The ninja school?" Yuki asked with mild surprise.
"Exactly right!" Terumi Mei confirmed emphatically.
As if suddenly remembering something of critical importance, she continued with solemn gravity, "The new generation of future pillars supporting Konoha Village has already been clearly decided. Shihouin Naraku will undoubtedly become the next Hokage without any serious opposition!"
"Beyond that single fact, there are also figures like the Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, the taijutsu specialist Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma who serves as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and many other exceptional individuals. Konoha is absolutely overflowing with talented people in what you might call the middle generation."
"You're already familiar with most of these notable characters and their reputations."
"However, when I deliberately turned my attention away from these already famous figures, the first thing that caught my notice was that Konoha Village is currently implementing comprehensive reforms of their ninja academy system."
"It's abundantly clear that Konoha Village isn't satisfied with securing just the present moment – they're also planning strategically for the future!"
"They are systematically paving the way for the next generation of shinobi, and even the generation that will come after that. With the full support and backing of Shihouin Naraku, who is recognized as the God of the Shinobi World, the educational reforms of the Konoha Academy have an extremely high probability of achieving complete success."
"This reality is what worries me the most about our village's future prospects!"
"If Konoha continues to develop at this unprecedented pace and with this level of foresight, they will establish completely unparalleled advantages over every other village."
"That strategic concern is precisely why I briefly considered taking direct action against Shihouin Naraku himself."
"If Shihouin Naraku were to fall in battle, the rapid development of Konoha Village would definitely be severely affected and disrupted, and many of their ambitious long-term plans might even be completely abandoned or cut short."
"Unfortunately..." she trailed off with obvious regret.
"Unfortunately, even if the three of us had joined forces in a coordinated assault, we would still be absolutely no match for Shihouin Naraku's overwhelming power!" Mizunotsuki Yuki finished the thought in her cold, analytical voice.
She now understood completely why Terumi Mei's behavior and strategic thinking had seemed so unusual and conflicted.
"Hey! What's so terrifying about this situation?" Sakuzuki interjected with his characteristic boldness. "We're not the only ones who can clearly see and recognize the incredible strength of both Shihouin Naraku and Konoha Village as a whole. The other major shinobi villages are also feeling completely suppressed and unable to breathe freely under this pressure. Isn't this the real underlying reason why you undertook this diplomatic mission in the first place?"
Hozuki Sakuzuki placed his right foot casually on his chair and rested his hand on his knee. "Let me give you some important advice – don't expect those potential allies to provide any meaningful help when it really matters. At the most critical moments, it would be fortunate enough if they don't actively stab us in the back and make our situation even worse."
"I'm well aware of that reality," Terumi Mei nodded with understanding. She had personally experienced many brutal battles and political betrayals throughout her career, and she certainly wouldn't be naive enough to pin all of her hopes and strategies on the reliability of temporary allies. "However, with the mounting pressure from both Konoha and Shihouin Naraku affecting everyone, the chances of our plan succeeding have actually become significantly greater than before. Now I feel considerably more confident about our prospects."
"By the way, what has been Iwagakure's attitude toward our proposals?" she asked, shifting focus.
Terumi Mei looked directly at Mizunotsuki Yuki, who had been specifically responsible for maintaining contact with Iwagakure and eliminating various troublesome obstacles from the very beginning of this operation.
"Iwagakure's attitude appears to be quite favorable toward cooperation," Yuki reported in her measured tone. "If the old Tsuchikage Onoki were still in power, negotiations would have involved endless back-and-forth maneuvering and delays. However, now that Han has assumed the position of Fourth Tsuchikage, he also wants to establish some notable achievements during his early reign and seems genuinely tempted by our overtures for alliance. Nevertheless, you will still need to personally discuss the specific details and terms of any agreement."
"I'll handle those negotiations myself," Terumi Mei confirmed with determination.
"My personal safety during the remainder of this mission is now completely in your capable hands. I sincerely hope that we can all return safely to Kirigakure together!"
"Hey! Let's just eliminate all the remaining garbage and threats while we have the opportunity," Sakuzuki suggested with violent enthusiasm. "If we clean everything up thoroughly right now, we can save ourselves a tremendous amount of energy and trouble in the future. I'm absolutely itching for some serious combat!"
High above in the sky, powerful winds continued sweeping across the landscape.
Shihouin Naraku looked down at the scene below with thoughtful consideration.
"Terumi Mei certainly does possess the proper mindset and strategic thinking required of a village leader," he mused to himself.
"She spoke beautifully about resolving conflicts and maintaining peace, but within the blink of an eye, she was fully prepared to launch an attack against me if the opportunity presented itself."
"She is indeed a thoroughly qualified politician in every sense of the word!"
"It's fortunate for them that these three individuals possess enough self-awareness to recognize that they would be completely outmatched against me in any serious confrontation."
"But what exactly is the story behind those two particular individuals down there?"
Naraku felt genuinely puzzled and curious. In his extensive knowledge and memory, the names Mizunotsuki Yuki and Hozuki Sakuzuki had never appeared in any significant context before now.
It wasn't particularly surprising that a powerful warrior had emerged from within the Hozuki clan. After all, this family had always maintained an extremely high status within Kirigakure's political hierarchy, possessed a large number of clan members, and had even produced a Mizukage in their distinguished history.
Therefore, Naraku could easily understand how someone named Hozuki Sakuzuki might suddenly appear on the scene without prior notice.
Moreover, it seemed apparent that Sakuzuki was not particularly young and should properly belong to the older generation of experienced shinobi, which would explain why Naraku wasn't familiar with his reputation or accomplishments.
However, Mizunotsuki Yuki presented a much more puzzling situation.
There had been a particularly dark period in Kirigakure's history when conflicts between civilian shinobi and those possessing bloodline limit abilities were frequent and intense, resulting in countless tragic bloodshed incidents throughout the village.
During this prolonged and bitter conflict, several of the most famous bloodline limit families in Kirigakure had been systematically destroyed and eliminated, including the prestigious Mizunotsuki clan, who were renowned for their mastery of Ice Release techniques.
Most of the powerful Ice Release practitioners had been completely wiped out during the purges, and only a fortunate few had managed to escape death by carefully hiding their true identities and bloodline abilities, surviving by blending in as ordinary civilians throughout the Water Country.
Occasionally, someone would accidentally reveal their bloodline limit abilities, and if they were discovered by civilian informants and reported to Kirigakure's authorities, they would face absolutely catastrophic consequences.
Haku, who had once been taken in and trained by the rogue ninja Momochi Zabuza, served as a very obvious and tragic example of this systematic persecution.
He had initially lived a peaceful and comfortable life with his family, but when his bloodline limit was exposed and his Ice Release abilities were witnessed by others, Haku was forced to live as a wandering refugee from that moment forward.
The fact that such a naturally gifted bloodline limit user was forced into a life of constant wandering and danger clearly demonstrated just how serious and widespread this discriminatory problem had become throughout the Water Country.
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