"Elder!"
Mei Terumī bowed respectfully to the old man before her—frail, trembling, and looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
The elder slowly opened his sunken eyes and looked at her.
"Mizukage… have you come to see this old man for something today?"
Ever since handing over the position of Mizukage to Mei Terumī, the elder had withdrawn from the affairs of the Hidden Mist. Relinquishing authority had been the right decision.
Mei had brought back one child, and immediately afterward, the Hidden Mist underwent earth-shaking changes.
First, the Three-Tails had returned to the village. Although the child had captured it himself, it didn't matter—what mattered was that the tailed beast now belonged to Kirigakure again. Even if Shigure had not become its Jinchūriki, the Hidden Mist would not have been able to find a suitable host for quite some time.
With Shigure, everything became far easier.
Not long before, Jiraiya—the Toad Sage of Konoha—had infiltrated the village with three elite jōnin. In the past, the Hidden Mist could only watch helplessly as intruders came and went.
But this time, Chōjūrō, Haku, and even the missing-nin Zabuza—who had returned—had all performed well. They did not allow Konoha to leave unscathed. No matter what Konoha came for—even if it were to celebrate a birthday—Kirigakure would no longer allow visitors to come and go as they pleased.
"Elder, I've come to report something."
The elder nodded. "Speak."
"It's about Shigure."
"That child? Has he shown signs of betraying the Hidden Mist?"
Mei blinked. She did not understand why the elder would jump to such a conclusion.
She shook her head firmly.
"Elder, he will absolutely not betray the Hidden Mist."
"Good. In that case, there is no problem. You are the Mizukage now. As long as that child does not betray the village, you may do whatever you deem necessary."
Mei had not expected the elder to think so highly of Shigure.
"Are you surprised?" he asked.
Mei began to deny it, but the elder smiled weakly and coughed softly.
"This old man understands the current situation of the Hidden Mist, but I no longer have the strength to change it. If you young people can reshape the village and make it stronger, why would I stand in your way?"
"And don't take this old man for a blind fool. I see that child's talent very clearly."
"With talent like that… regardless of which village he originally came from, as long as he does not betray Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist will face no major crisis for at least the next forty years."
He paused and glanced at Mei.
"However… that child has no family in the Hidden Mist. That makes this old man uneasy."
Mei nodded.
"I will try my best to treat him well—so that he considers the Hidden Mist his true home."
"You did not understand this old man's meaning."
"Huh?"
Mei looked up, confused.
"You must use your own advantages. That child has extraordinary talent. The best way to keep such a prodigy tied to the Hidden Mist… is through his bloodline."
He continued calmly:
"You, as Mizukage, are still unmarried. It would be difficult to find a man in the village who can match you. That child is an excellent candidate."
The elder's two personal guards froze. Even Ao, who had accompanied Mei, stared blankly.
Was the elder telling Mei Terumī… to seduce Shigure?
He was still a child!
"Marriage may be difficult because of the age gap," the elder added, unfazed, "but if it cannot be done openly, then do it discreetly. You must seize the opportunity, Mizukage."
Mei's face flushed crimson. She hadn't expected the elder to be so perceptive—or so ruthless.
Yet… it was an effective method.
"By the way," the elder said lightly, "what did you originally come to talk about?"
Mei regained her composure and continued,
"Elder, Shigure has maintained contact with members of clans who once fled the Hidden Mist."
"To survive, they banded together outside the Land of Water."
"The Yuki Clan was not completely destroyed. Shigure still has many clansmen alive."
"Oh?" The elder paused.
"That is good news. If they bear no resentment for the past and are willing to return, it would be a great benefit for the village."
He showed no disgust toward Bloodline Limit clans.
Mei continued, "All of them possess kekkei genkai."
"Kekkei genkai… Perhaps the current Hidden Mist needs such clans more than ever. It is unfortunate that the Blood Mist era destroyed so much."
The elder let out a weary sigh.
Hearing this, Mei Terumī's eyes brightened.
"Besides being able to summon members of his own Yuki Clan, Shigure can also summon another clan—the Kaguya Clan."
The moment the name "Kaguya" was spoken, the Advisor's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Is that true?"
Mei Terumī nodded. "It's true."
"That's excellent news! The Kaguya Clan… they were once one of the strongest combat forces in the Hidden Mist!"
Mei smiled faintly.
"The Advisor hasn't even heard everything yet."
The Advisor leaned forward eagerly. Two kekkei genkai clans were already astonishing—could there be more?
"Besides the Yuki and Kaguya Clans," Mei continued, "there is also the Yumujō Clan, who wield Boil Release."
"The Kozuki Clan possesses Invisibility Release—their Yin-based concealment makes them ideal for assassination, infiltration, and intelligence gathering."
"And then there is the Namikaze Clan, all of whom excel in Water Release and possess extraordinarily large chakra reserves."
By the time Mei finished listing them, the Advisor was grinning from ear to ear.
"Splendid! If these clans are truly willing to join the Hidden Mist, I wholeheartedly welcome them!"
What the Hidden Mist lacked most now was the support of such clans. The more powerful Bloodline Limit clans, the better.
Mei nodded. "In that case, I'll proceed with making the arrangements."
"Go. I will support you fully. But you must also promise me one thing—make sure that child remains in the Hidden Mist permanently."
By "permanently," he was clearly referring to establishing a deeper tie between Shigure and the village.
Mei Terumī froze, stunned.
The Advisor had actually issued such an order.
"I… I understand."
The Next Day
Mei Terumī and the Advisor jointly announced that, after years of effort, the Hidden Mist had finally managed to locate and bring back surviving members of the Kaguya Clan and Yuki Clan who had escaped during the Blood Mist era.
They would be welcomed back into the village as official clans of Kirigakure.
Furthermore, two other powerful clans—the Kozuki Clan and the Yumujō Clan—were also granted the right to join the Hidden Mist.
With the old Hōzuki Clan and Hoshigaki Clan having declined over the years, the emergence of these new Bloodline Limit clans brought new strength and prestige to Kirigakure.
The four clans—Yuki, Kaguya, Kozuki, and Yumujō—were officially named the Four Great Clans of the Hidden Mist Village.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the entire village.
The sudden appearance of so many Bloodline Limit clans stirred intense discussion among the populace. But since both Mizukage Mei Terumī and the Advisor publicly supported the decision,
no one in the civilian faction dared speak against it.
...
TN:
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