Within a week, all the civilians in the Land of Water knew the story. A young man from a distant land was working hard for their peace, but the leaders on both sides of the civil war refused to hold talks, clinging to their own desires for power.
When the Daimyo of the Land of Water heard this news, he suddenly felt a glimmer of hope for his own survival. After all, his safety was hardly guaranteed during a war. When Zabuza Momochi defected, he had assassinated the Daimyo from two generations prior. When Kisame Hoshigaki rebelled, he had killed the previous Daimyo.
The position of Daimyo of the Land of Water was a dangerous one. When rogue ninjas from Kirigakure couldn't assassinate the Mizukage, they would kill a Daimyo to vent their frustration, as if to prove their own village was useless.
Naturally, the current Daimyo was a coward. After learning that Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was at his residence, he immediately sent someone to summon him.
Naruto Uzumaki agreed. As he watched the official leave with a satisfied look, he asked, "Looks like our plan is starting to work?"
"Mmm..." Tobirama Senju nodded coldly. "With the civil war raging in the Land of Water, the Daimyo can't afford to sit still. This is a good opportunity to press our advantage."
The Second Hokage's guess was right.
When Naruto met the Daimyo, the first thing the old man brought up wasn't the war, but another matter entirely. "I heard that after the Third Great Ninja War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind gave up the Sand Village and handed all of his missions to Konoha in exchange for protection... Is the Daimyo of the Land of Wind still doing well?"
It was a cleverly worded question. The man didn't ask about the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—Konoha's own sovereign—but about the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. His intentions were transparent. From this, it was clear that even the Daimyo was on pins and needles during the civil war, let alone the ordinary civilians.
"I don't know," Naruto said calmly, before raising another point. "However, when the Sand Village tried to force the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to reallocate funds, I destroyed Sunagakure and imprisoned the Fifth Kazekage in Konoha as a hostage, on the Daimyo's orders."
"..."
The Daimyo of the Land of Water was completely stunned. Just because the Sand Village pressured him for funds, Konoha destroyed their village and captured the Kazekage? Was their protection really so thorough?
Suddenly, the Daimyo's spirits lifted. "Lord Hokage, if I give all of the Land of Water's mission requests to Konoha... can you protect me the way you protect the Daimyo of the Land of Wind?"
"The distance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water is too great..." Naruto began, watching the Daimyo's face fall. He then continued softly, "But we have a better proposal. Your Highness can completely abolish the Mist Village, and Konoha will protect the entire Land of Water."
"No, no, no..." The Daimyo panicked, waving his hands repeatedly. "Kirigakure is, after all, a village of the Land of Water. Its existence is what allows us to be called one of the Five Great Nations. I can't just go against the ninjas..."
This highlighted the awkward position of the Land of Water. As a great nation, its territory was far smaller than the others, comparable to minor countries like the Land of Waterfalls or the Land of Grass. It was only because of Kirigakure that it was considered a great nation at all. The Daimyo was afraid the rogue ninja would harm him, but he also didn't want the village to disappear. The man wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
"Understood," Naruto nodded. "Your Highness, after I mediate an end to the war, we can discuss the commissions between Konoha and your office. Is that alright?"
"Of course." The Daimyo nodded seriously, his face solemn. "Then I leave the peace of the Land of Water in your hands, Lord Hokage!"
"..."
Naruto simply lowered his head.
That afternoon, news spread throughout the Daimyo's office: the Daimyo of the Land of Water hoped Konoha would provide protection and publicly supported the Fifth Hokage's efforts to mediate the war.
That evening, the Daimyo was assassinated.
Tobirama Senju watched indifferently as Root ninjas killed the officials one by one. He and Naruto had originally planned to use the Daimyo, but the man wanted too much. Besides, Konoha was already overwhelmed with its own missions. Why invest so much power in an overseas country to protect a useless Daimyo?
"Don't forget to leave a few alive," Tobirama ordered Fu Yamanaka in a low voice. "You know who to blame for this, right?"
Fu Yamanaka, who was used to this kind of dark work, understood instantly. "Of course. The Mizukage of the Mist Village."
After Tobirama left, Fu made a few hand signs to the other Root members and said loudly, "Remember to check every corner! Don't leave anyone alive. I'm going to report to the Mizukage now!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The Root members dispersed, rampaging through the residence to hunt down anyone who might be hiding.
The next day, news of the Daimyo's death spread through the capital and nearby villages. Except for the Daimyo's wife and son, who were lucky enough to escape, everyone else—relatives and officials alike—had been killed.
The Daimyo's wife took her son and went directly to Konoha's young Hokage, tearfully accusing the ANBU of the Mist Village.
When the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, arrived at the inn to retrieve the Daimyo's wife and the future heir, her face was grim. Where did this accusation come from, and why was she being framed?
She could never admit to this. Besides, she hadn't done it. In fact, it was Zabuza Momochi who had a criminal record of killing a Daimyo.
The Daimyo's wife trembled as she looked at Mei's grim face and placed all her hope in the Konoha ninja. "Lord Hokage, before His Highness passed away, he always said that you would be the future of the Daimyo's office..."
The Daimyo, who should have been protected by Kirigakure, had seen three of their leaders die in just a few years. Now, his widow was willing to trust an outsider rather than her own country's ninja.
Mei's face hardened. She tried to deflect with the same old excuse. "Lord Hokage, this is an internal affair of the Land of Water. It's not appropriate for you to get involved, is it?"
"Before, it wouldn't have been," Naruto replied, slowly standing up to face her. "But yesterday, I reached an agreement with His Highness that would have brought hundreds of millions of ryo to Konoha. That evening, he was assassinated by ANBU sent by the Mizukage."
"This has nothing to do with the Mist Village!" Mei's mood was foul. The beautiful, brown-haired Kage wanted nothing more than to fight Naruto on the spot and drive the bastard away.
"I suspect it does," the young Hokage said coldly, watching her expression. "His Highness decided to entrust the protection of his office to me. Can the Mizukage really accept that?"
Mei was silent.
The kid was talking nonsense, wasn't he? If Konoha took all the Daimyo's missions, would the entire Mist Village be left to starve?
But if she didn't agree... how could Kirigakure clear its name? And if she did agree, her village really would starve.
-----
Bonus:
Mei: "Chojuro, I finally understand what the previous Mizukage was thinking..."
Chojuro: "What?"
Mei: "The only reason he launched wars against Konoha was because those bastards deserved it!"
Chojuro: "..."
Mei: "When I get control of the Land of Water, I'm going to launch a war against Konoha too!"
Chojuro: "..."