The person in front of him is also the current holder of the Great Sword Shark Skin—Suikazan Fuguki.
Among the Seven-swords Ninja, he is a staunch supporter of the Blood Mist Faction.
Although they both belong to the Blood Mist Faction, he has many disagreements with Yagura.
In terms of fame and strength, Yagura is a strong Jonin not weaker than him, perhaps even stronger.
Moreover, according to his investigation, Yagura has also been secretly cultivating a force for unknown purposes.
However, it's not hard to guess that it is a long-prepared force for the position of the Fourth Mizukage.
"Have you already swelled to this extent by absorbing the forces of Kuriarare Kushimaru and Munashi Jinpachi? Fuguki, don't forget, you were once defeated by me."
Yagura sighed gently, then raised his head, gazing at Suikazan Fuguki with emotionless purple eyes.
The Great Sword Shark Skin flew towards Yagura.
Facing this monstrous attack, Yagura remained unfazed, intercepting the Great Sword Shark Skin with a hook-backed long staff, unmoving.
"If indulging in past victories is your excuse for eventual failure, I permit you to speak this way now, Yagura."
Suikazan Fuguki laughed, his sharp teeth seemingly stained with blood, appearing extremely cruel and fierce.
"Boring."
"Who is the truly boring one, huh? Unlike you, always scheming in the shadows like a rat, the power in my hands is displayed openly as a righteous army. If you surrender to me now, after I become the Fourth Mizukage, I can promise you the position of Minister of the Anbu. How about it? Isn't this position fitting for your strength?"
Suikazan Fuguki solemnly invited Yagura to join his camp.
Being an outstanding representative of the Blood Mist Faction, Yagura certainly understands his ambition.
Although he was defeated by Yagura in the past, for the sake of the Fourth Mizukage position, he can overlook past grudges as long as Yagura can work for him.
This way, he would have someone to monitor the Third Mizukage, gather the first-hand information of the village, and with the support of other high-level leaders, the contention for the Fourth Mizukage would become an excellent stage where he stands out.
This truly makes him excited and happy.
"Speak of such dreams when you wake up."
Yagura left only this sentence and walked past Suikazan Fuguki.
"Yagura! You will regret rejecting me today. I am clear about your affairs, but you know nothing about my power!"
Suikazan Fuguki shouted angrily from behind.
Unfortunately, Yagura's steps continued without hesitation, walking in the opposite direction.
"Tch, just like the old days, not giving up until the end, not shedding a tear until seeing the coffin, truly a stubborn bone."
Seeing Yagura disappear into the distance without showing any sign of admitting wrong or yielding, Suikazan Fuguki's face turned extremely sullen.
He thought the confident attempt to win over Yagura had resulted in this outcome, all due to Yagura's failure to grasp the opportunity.
Having absorbed most of the Blood Mist Faction's power, he possessed the foundation to become the Fourth Mizukage, just waiting for the Third Mizukage to step down; he could end this all.
He was merely one legitimate reason away from the position of the Five Kage.
He didn't understand why Yagura still stubbornly resisted; no matter what kind of power he accumulated in the shadows, it couldn't threaten him.
He, who mastered the general situation, was the future Fourth Mizukage.
"Let's go, Kisame. There will be a time in the future when he will grovel before me."
Suikazan Fuguki also turned to leave, calling out to the Hidden Mist Ninja who came with him.
"Yes, Lord Suikazan."
The young boy named 'Kisame,' roughly twelve or thirteen years old with a face remarkably similar to a shark, followed behind Suikazan Fuguki with utmost respect.
◎
"Lord Hakushi, the Dragon Vein Crystal Stone has been crafted."
In the Land of Demons, Katsuyu spat out a diamond-shaped crystal smaller than a palm from its mouth, dropping it in front of Hakushi, sparkling with Katsuyu's saliva.
"..."
"I'm sorry, Lord Hakushi, it seems I've soiled your table."
Katsuyu's soft voice sounded.
"No, I don't mind such a thing."
Katsuyu's saliva, although it looks disgusting, actually has tremendous medicinal properties. If applied to a wound on the human body, it can speed up the healing process.
After washing the crystal clean, Hakushi examined it carefully in his hand.
Transformed by Katsuyu over several months, the half Dragon Vein Crystal Stone now looked like a complete crystal, radiating a faint violet glow, appearing more transparent and beautiful.
Within it, Hakushi felt an extremely powerful Chakra...no, Sage Art Chakra.
If it was just for storing Chakra, it wouldn't have taken so much time, whereas Sage Art Chakra is much harder to store and make, which is why Katsuyu delayed bringing it to him until now.
After all, since there's currently no situation requiring him to fight personally, even if Katsuyu took a few months longer to bring this, it wouldn't affect him too much.
"Thank you for your hard work, Katsuyu."
Hakushi expressed his gratitude.
With this crystal, he would never have to worry about running out of Chakra again, allowing him to use Ninja Techniques that consume a lot of Chakra as he pleases.
After all, the stored Chakra energy inside is comparable to a Tailed Beast, and when the energy is insufficient, he can usually accumulate Natural Energy and Chakra, fuse it into Sage Art Chakra, and store it within. Use it when needed.
In Hakushi's view, this function is somewhat similar to the Yin Fuinjutsu of the Uzumaki Clan.
It's also about storing accumulated Chakra and using it when necessary, without any concern of running out of Chakra.
However, in terms of convenience, the Dragon Vein Crystal Stone should be superior, with a larger storage capacity.
"I'm glad to have been of assistance to you, Lord Hakushi."
"More like a great help."
With this item, in battle, he could transmit Chakra to Ruri and Ayane, and be more confident dealing with Uchiha Madara.
Speaking of Uchiha Madara, the opponent's actions have been even more concealed lately, and according to the feedback from Earth General, some of White Zetsu's hiding abilities have become increasingly troublesome, evidently undergone special strengthening, which makes them so vexing.
Madara clearly knows that losing the visions provided by White Zetsu, he would ultimately suffer a complete defeat, so he has to enhance some of White Zetsu's hiding capabilities to collect outside information, right?
"What do you plan to do next, Lord Hakushi?"
"Eliminate the White Zetsu beside Uchiha Obito. I want to test how Uchiha Madara will respond."
"When?"
"I plan to do it next year. After all, the more we act, the likelier it is we expose our position. Currently, I don't wish for Konoha to find out my location."
"Indeed, it's necessary to be a bit cautious, Lady Tsunade has also asked me multiple times about your location, Lord Hakushi."
"Lady Tsunade is too serious; perhaps it's a common issue with women."
Hakushi chuckled.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade is very worried that you might seek revenge on Konoha in the future."
"Revenge on Konoha? If I were to attack Konoha one day, it wouldn't be out of revenge; it would merely prove that the era led by a single country, a single village, and ninja has ended."
Hakushi declared confidently.
Revenge on Konoha? That's impossible. He bears no grudge against Konoha; even if a battle becomes inevitable, it would simply be because the new era cannot allow the continued existence of a ninja village led by Konoha.
Besides that, he couldn't think of any other reason to make a move against Konoha.
In the face of greater trends, so-called personal grudges and hatred are no more than tiny specks of dust.
From whenever, Hakushi never wanted to put the words 'hatred' into his practical actions.
"Speaking of which, in two months it will be New Year's, and this year's New Year festival should be well organized. After all, it marks a new beginning, and also serves as an opportunity to inspect the city's development. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."
"The New Year festival in the Land of Demons? It might have many interesting activities."
Katsuyu mentioned cheerfully.
"Interesting?"
"Yes, the Land of Demons has always been influenced by witch culture, and I remember that every year during the festival, there is a witch dance sort of activity."
Hearing this, Hakushi nodded.
Indeed, in the Land of Demons steeped in witch culture, the New Year festival would naturally differ greatly from those in other countries.
The belief in witches is perhaps the unique faith of the Land of Demons.
Just like how the people of Konoha believe in the Will of Fire.
Witch dance… it sounds like a very good entertainment project.
It's worth looking forward to.