Chapter 238: The Situation is Settled, the Mizukage's Ascension
Soon, the group had returned to the Minazuki clan's ancestral home.
"Go and prepare for the final assault on the Hozuki clan. The moment my injuries have healed, we will launch a full-scale counterattack," Minazuki Saya commanded, her expression stiff and unnatural. She then disappeared into her chambers with Dark Owl at her side.
Her clansmen were filled with a sense of excitement, but as they looked at the closed door, a strange feeling crept into their hearts. Since when had the Clan Leader become so close to Lord Dark Owl? Could it be...
Sensing their strange looks, one of the Minazuki elders' face darkened. "Get your minds out of the gutter and get to work. If I hear any of you spreading baseless rumors, I'll have your tongues."
He was the third-strongest member of the clan. His words were harsh, but no one dared to defy him. They quickly dispersed to carry out their orders.
The elder cast one last, worried glance at the closed door before leaving.
The moment she sensed they were gone, Dark Owl's body swayed, and she collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
"Sigh."
White Zetsu's form slowly emerged from the floor. He looked at the peacefully sleeping Dark Owl and found it hard to believe that this was the same person who had fought with such insane ferocity just a short time ago.
Madara was right, he thought to himself. A love twisted into hatred... it really can completely destroy a person.
He glanced at the puppet-like "Minazuki Saya" standing silently by the bed, a look of scorn on his face, mixed with a hint of an almost imperceptible fear.
Dark Owl's ability was a powerful counter to a lifeform like him. He had experienced it firsthand countless times. But he had never imagined that she could do the same to a living person, and a veteran Kage-level shinobi at that. Even if Saya had been gravely injured and unconscious when the jutsu was cast, it was still...
He struggled to find the words to describe his feelings. With a sigh, he gave up and moved the puppet to the side of the bed. He then transformed himself into Saya's likeness, to deal with any subordinates who might come to disturb them.
"Tch. First you act like you don't need my help, and now I have to clean up your mess," he muttered, looking at the sleeping Dark Owl.
A week passed. Under the leadership of the "recovered" Minazuki Saya, the Minazuki clan launched an all-out assault on the Hozuki.
With Hozuki Mangetsu's mysterious disappearance and the Kaguya clan's refusal to intervene, the Hozuki were doomed. In a matter of days, their clan was all but wiped out. If not for a quick-thinking elder who managed to evacuate some of the younger members, the Hozuki clan would have been completely erased from history.
The Minazuki's ruthless tactics drew the ire of some of the Mist Village's other high-ranking officials, but they were all quickly "persuaded" by Dark Owl. Faced with a threat to their own lives, they abandoned their principles and threw their support behind the now-dominant Minazuki.
With the leadership's capitulation, the smaller, undecided clans and other powerful shinobi also joined the Minazuki's side. The entire Mist Village was now effectively in their hands.
It was clear to everyone that the position of Mizukage was now within Minazuki Saya's grasp.
Everyone, that is, except for the incredibly stubborn Kaguya clan.
With their former allies, the Hozuki, now extinct, and with everyone else having bent the knee, the iron-willed Kaguya clan chose to stand alone against the Minazuki.
It was a decision that took everyone by surprise and only served to reinforce the common belief that the Kaguya clan was, to put it mildly, not entirely sane.
Just as everyone was waiting for the Minazuki to declare war, Saya did something completely unexpected. Accompanied by the mysterious Dark Owl, she announced that she would be going to negotiate with the Kaguya's current clan leader.
What was even more baffling was that the negotiations were to take place within the Kaguya's own territory. Had she gone mad? Did she not fear that she would be walking into a trap? Everyone in the village knew what the Kaguya were like. To say they were unorthodox was an understatement. If the negotiations went south, the madmen would not hesitate to swarm her and tear her to pieces.
But Saya ignored all advice and, with Dark Owl by her side, went to the Kaguya's ancestral home.
No one knew what was said during the negotiations. They only knew that when the doors finally opened, Saya and the Kaguya clan leader emerged, talking and laughing as if they were old friends.
The Kaguya clansmen who had been waiting outside, ready to pounce at a pre-arranged signal, could only stare in stunned silence.
What kind of potion did that woman give our leader? they wondered. How could he trust a woman who came to power through such bloody means?
Could he have fallen for her beauty? the thought crossed more than one mind.
But regardless of their speculations, the impending war between the two clans had been averted, a fact that brought a sense of relief to many. The Mist Village had already been weakened by the loss of its bloodline clans and the Seven Swordsmen. They needed to preserve what little strength they had left, lest they fall to the bottom of the five great nations.
And so, the civil war in the Mist Village officially came to an end. With the support of the entire village, Minazuki Saya ascended to the position of Mizukage.
That night, in the Mizukage's chambers, four figures were gathered, their voices low and conspiratorial.
"I never thought that last battle would cause your power to leap to such a degree," White Zetsu said with a strange, eerie laugh, glancing at the two silent figures standing by the window. "I doubt anyone would ever guess that the esteemed Mizukage and the Kaguya clan leader are both puppets in your hands."
"A man who had barely reached the Jonin level dared to face me alone in his own chambers. He deserved to die," Dark Owl said with a sneer, looking at the puppet that had once been the Kaguya leader.
She clenched her fists, feeling the Hashirama cells now perfectly integrated with her own body, and a satisfied smile touched her lips.
The plan is proceeding smoothly. Just you wait. I'll be coming for you soon.
Uchiha Kyosuke...
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