Inside the conference hall of the Mizukage Building, a special chamber reserved for meetings of the village’s jōnin.
The Third Mizukage sat at the front of the room, while Elder Genji sat below him in the seat reserved for the village elder.
One after another, the jōnin who had received the summons arrived.
“Lord Mizukage, all jōnin currently in the village and not away on missions have arrived.” The captain of the Jōnin Commander Unit, Yagura Karatachi, quietly reported to the Mizukage.
There was no trace of emotion on the Third Mizukage’s slightly aged face.
Having once participated in the First Five Kage Summit, he was currently the oldest of the Five Kage still in office.
The Third Mizukage had ruled Kirigakure for more than twenty years.
His long reign and the brutal policies of the Bloody Mist had long since instilled his authority deep into the hearts of the villagers.
Although he was merely sitting in his chair, an unquestionable presence radiated from him.
His slightly graying hair was meticulously groomed, seemingly reflecting the old man’s strictness and self-discipline.
His sharp eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through people’s hearts as they swept across the faces of the various shinobi clan heads, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the younger jōnin below.
Suddenly realizing that very few shinobi who had truly survived from the Warring States Era remained, the Third Mizukage felt a sudden sense of weariness.
“Elder Genji, explain the situation.” “Yes, Lord Mizukage.” Elder Genji rose to his feet, leaning on a cane that was even slightly taller than he was.
“We received an urgent report this morning.
The Fourth Kazekage has officially succeeded to the position.
Sunagakure has condemned Konohagakure for the secret murder of the Third Kazekage and is pushing for the Land of Wind to formally declare war on the Land of Fire.” The news caused no real commotion.
After all, the Kazekage had disappeared more than two months ago, and reports linking Konoha to the incident had continued to surface ever since.
Some of the more perceptive jōnin had already realized that war might be approaching.
Seeing this, Elder Genji continued.
“Just as this meeting was being convened, a second report arrived.
Sunagakure’s advance forces have already entered the Land of Rivers.
Konoha’s reinforcements should soon arrive at the border of the Land of Fire as well.” The Land of Rivers was a small country situated between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
During peacetime, it served as a buffer between the two great nations.
During wartime, however, it often became a battlefield for them.
Upon hearing the latest intelligence, the jōnin below finally began discussing the matter among themselves.
It seemed that Sunagakure had clearly been planning its declaration of war for some time.
Although the target of the attack was the Land of Fire, the advance forces had already entered the Land of Rivers, yet Kirigakure had received absolutely no advance warning.
Clearly, Sunagakure did not intend to keep the war confined to the Land of Rivers.
They intended to push deep into the Land of Fire and tear a substantial piece of flesh from Konoha.
“The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning have yet to issue any statements,” Elder Genji continued.
“The first purpose of this meeting is to convey the intelligence we have received and Kirigakure’s internal assessment of the situation to the daimyō.” “Secondly, regardless of the outcome of the discussions, Kirigakure will enter a state of war preparedness.
Starting tomorrow, we will reduce some routine missions to ensure that sufficient combat strength is available when needed.” After saying this, Elder Genji coughed twice before turning toward the Third Mizukage.
“I know Ōnoki and Third Ay.
Neither of those two brats is the sort to sit idly by.
They will undoubtedly make a move sooner or later.” The Third Mizukage listened to Elder Genji’s addition without comment.
Still, anyone who could casually refer to the fifty-something Ōnoki as a “brat” was probably limited to an old veteran like Elder Genji.
“Lord Third, I have no objections to preparing for war.
Our Kaguya clan is ready to fight at any time.
But if the number of missions is reduced, I won’t be able to explain it to my clansmen.” The speaker was Kaguya Ryūya, the current head of the Kaguya clan, wielder of the Shikotsumyaku.
The other jōnin were already accustomed to such behavior.
When it came to a clan whose members were obsessed with fighting and not exactly known for their brains, no one was particularly surprised by anything its clan head said.
“That is not what this meeting is here to discuss.
It is an order from the village.” The Third Mizukage did not become angry.
His tone merely hardened slightly, making his displeasure clear.
Evidently, he had no intention of wasting time arguing with such a simple-minded man.
“Then, Lord Third, should we have some students from the Academy graduate early?” A shinobi from one of the bloodline clans sitting beside Kaguya Ryūya raised the question.
“Another batch of Academy students will graduate as genin in a month.
The war hasn’t even begun yet.
Surely the situation hasn’t become that serious?” Yagura Karatachi immediately spoke up, sounding somewhat nervous as he opposed the suggestion.
“There is no need for that yet.” The Third Mizukage glanced meaningfully at Yagura, but ultimately agreed with his assessment.
Several jōnin who were acquainted with one another had already begun discussing matters in small groups.
“Lord Third, Kirigakure has developed quite well in recent years.
Given our geographical position, none of the great nations is likely to attack us directly.
Do we really need to involve ourselves in the battlefield on the continent?” Ao was among the younger jōnin present, but he nevertheless took the initiative to voice his opinion.
“The daimyō has always been deeply dissatisfied that Kirigakure did not participate in the previous Shinobi World War,” Elder Genji replied.
“He has repeatedly expressed his hope that we will seize several ports in the Land of Fire so that the Land of Water can expand its trade.” As the elder who frequently handled the village’s affairs, Genji had regular dealings with the daimyō’s government.
“Ao, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?
The Second Shinobi World War ended only a few years ago.
Konoha certainly hasn’t recovered its strength yet.
This is precisely the opportunity Kirigakure has been waiting for.” The massive figure of Fuguki Suikazan looked down at Ao, contempt evident in his voice.
“Indeed.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning certainly won’t pass up the chance to take a bite out of Konoha either.
The Land of Fire has occupied those territories for far too long.” Zabuza Momochi?
No—the speaker was Jūzō Biwa, who revealed a cruel smile as he voiced his agreement.
As members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, none of them particularly respected the others.
But when it came to killing enemies on the battlefield, their desires were clearly aligned.
More and more jōnin voiced their agreement.
Clearly, most of the shinobi of the Bloody Mist still harbored resentment over Kirigakure’s absence from the previous Shinobi World War.
However, under the Third Mizukage’s suppression, there had been little they could do about it.
Fortunately, only a few years had passed since the last war.
Now that it was becoming increasingly obvious that the confrontation between Sunagakure and Konoha would not remain a minor skirmish, the prospect of a full-scale war was exactly what these battle-hungry shinobi of Kirigakure wanted.
“看来大家还是渴望战争的,那么我会在会后通知大名府.尽快以水之国的名义对木叶发出谴责.” “It seems that everyone is still eager for war.
In that case, I will inform the daimyō’s government after this meeting.
We will issue a formal condemnation of Konoha in the name of the Land of Water as soon as possible.” A trace of cruelty also appeared in the Third Mizukage’s somewhat aged eyes.
At the First Five Kage Summit, the guards accompanying each village’s Kage had ultimately gone on to become the Second Kage of their respective villages.
Only he had become a Third Kage.
Strictly speaking, the one who should have accompanied the First Mizukage, Byakuren, to the summit was the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki.
However, Gengetsu had fought his mortal enemy, the Second Tsuchikage Mū, and suffered severe injuries that left him unconscious and unable to attend.
That was why he had been given the opportunity to accompany the First Mizukage to the Five Kage Summit.
And Mū, too, ultimately attended the summit alongside the First Tsuchikage while covered in bandages.
The Third Mizukage had always been deeply bothered by this.
He had never stopped wanting to prove that he was the more qualified man to become Mizukage.
Later, during the First Shinobi World War, that mustached man—by then the Second Mizukage—and Mū both died in battle.
Although he was appointed Third Mizukage in the midst of the crisis, Kirigakure no longer possessed the strength to participate in the war and was forced to withdraw back to the Land of Water.
As a result, the Third Mizukage had failed to prove himself at the most opportune moment.
Then came the Second Shinobi World War.
Kirigakure had only recently endured an internal rebellion, leaving its military strength in a transitional state.
The village could only counterbalance the Land of Lightning, which likewise remained outside the war, while watching the other three great nations fight fiercely.
In the end, even the leader of Amegakure, the legendary shinobi Hanzo of the Salamander, had used the three great nations as stepping stones to establish his fearsome reputation as the “Demigod.” The Third Mizukage had spent all this time unable to prove himself in the shinobi world.
Ironically, that made him the person in the entire room who most desperately wanted the Land of Water to enter the war.
Now, however, Kirigakure was strong and well-equipped, with a powerful generation of shinobi.
The Third Mizukage, already advanced in age, would not miss such an opportunity a second time.
After all, no Kage had ever been allowed to simply grow old and die peacefully in that position.
The oldest of the Five Kage, a man who had fought his way through the Warring States Era, could no longer conceal the murderous intent in his eyes.
“Everyone!” “Prepare yourselves to welcome the coming war!”