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The Mizukage Building stood at the heart of Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage’s office, the two most powerful figures in the entire village sat together: the Third Mizukage and Elder Master Yuan.
“Mizukage, this is the village’s quarterly fiscal report.”
Elder Master Yuan handled all administrative affairs in Kirigakure.
Put simply, everything in the village not directly related to shinobi military forces fell under his jurisdiction.
The Third Mizukage accepted the thick stack of reports.
“Done already. You’ve worked hard, Elder.”
Elder Master Yuan smiled.
“Heh. No trouble at all. Just doing my duty.”
The Third Mizukage lowered his head and began turning through the pages, reviewing Kirigakure’s financial situation for the quarter.
The further he read, the grimmer his already deeply wrinkled face became.
He questioned each problem line by line.
“Why is income still this low? Only a 4% increase from last quarter. We have over 10,000 active-duty shinobi aside from border patrol and Anbu.”
Elder Master Yuan said, “Mizukage, the number of missions available in the Land of Water is limited. No matter how many shinobi we deploy, without missions to take, it amounts to the same thing.”
The Third Mizukage’s heart sank.
He’d lived in the Land of Water for decades.
He knew exactly how poor it was.
Unlike mainland villages like Konoha, which could occasionally receive commissions from neighboring countries, Kirigakure was separated from the other nations by a vast sea.
Distance alone was a problem.
Receiving mission commissions from other countries was harder and far less convenient for Kirigakure.
And then there was the long-standing isolation policy.
Shinobi mission commissions could basically only come from internal supply and demand.
Another issue: the Land of Water’s government forbade Kirigakure from interfering in internal affairs, yet missions involving high-ranking officials and dignitaries were precisely the highest-bounty S-rank and A-rank missions.
Now the problem was that internal supply and demand for shinobi missions was no longer sufficient.
This income stream was one of the village’s primary revenue sources.
As for the rest…
The Third Mizukage turned to the detailed income breakdown on the following pages.
Per capita tax revenue declining…
He didn’t need to ask Elder Master Yuan.
The Third Mizukage already knew the reason.
This income had been declining all along.
The reason: the Bloody Mist.
Since the First Mizukage’s era, Kirigakure had practiced authoritarian rule.
The Bloody Mist had elevated that to an entirely new level.
Under such high pressure, the people of Kirigakure had low desire to procreate and high mortality rates.
The desire to emigrate was high, even at the risk of defying the isolation policy and the Kiri shinobi sealing the borders.
The Third Mizukage’s original intent in implementing the Bloody Mist had been to pursue an elite shinobi force and reduce financial expenditures.
The other benefits were merely incidental.
The root cause came down to two words: no money!
Since the Bloody Mist was implemented, the shinobi forces had indeed shrunk, and individual combat strength had grown stronger.
But Kirigakure had grown poorer and poorer.
The population decreased.
Not just per capita tax, other taxes like agricultural, fishery, and so on naturally dropped as well, to say nothing of commercial tax.
Kirigakure’s visible expenditures were also growing smaller.
For a shinobi village, the bulk of spending naturally went to shinobi stipends and the purchase and maintenance of ninja tools.
The stipends Kirigakure paid its shinobi were second only to Konoha’s among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Not exactly low.
After all, you were already demanding your shinobi throw away their lives.
If you then demanded they throw away their pay, you’d be throwing away your shame.
The Third Mizukage still had shame.
So even though Kirigakure was so poor it and Sunagakure could be called brothers in misfortune, not a single coin of the Kiri shinobi’s stipends was ever shorted.
It was just that as the number of shinobi decreased, this portion of expenditure grew smaller.
But the covert expenditures, the Third Mizukage knew in his heart they hadn’t decreased one bit.
In fact, they showed a rising trend.
And correspondingly, the covert income was growing smaller and smaller!
“That Watermelon Mountain fellow.”
The Third Mizukage thought to himself: “He needs a warning.”
He was growing greedier with his take.
Watermelon Mountain, the commander of Kirigakure’s Anbu, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen: Suika Fuguki.
Most of Kirigakure’s covert affairs, the ones that couldn’t see the light of day, passed through his hands.
Setting aside the vexing financial report, the Third Mizukage let out a heavy sigh.
There’s an old saying: a single coin can stymie a hero.
Even though the Third Mizukage was a living history book who’d survived since the Warring States era, the Mizukage at the very peak of Kirigakure’s pyramid, he still couldn’t conjure money out of thin air.
Not every Kage is the Fourth Kazekage.
Coincidentally, stacked beneath the financial report was a report from the Ninja Academy.
The Third Mizukage picked it up to see if there were any noteworthy individuals in this year’s class.
The academy headmaster was his own man and naturally knew what the Third Mizukage cared about most, so the report placed the most important content right at the beginning.
A ranking of all students by potential and ability, based on their first day’s performance.
First: Karatachi Clan, Yagura Karatachi.
Ability: Chunin or above, not yet Jonin.
Assessed Potential:?
Second: Hozuki Clan, Mangetsu Hozuki.
Ability: Chunin.
Assessed Potential: Elite Jonin.
Third…
His eyes had only just started reading the first two lines when the Third Mizukage lost patience.
He flipped to the student profiles in the back.
Taking in the detailed information on these two, the Third Mizukage closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
A 7-year-old Jonin!
And a 7-year-old Chunin!
The Third Mizukage thought of the little girl from the Terumi clan, Mei, whose early graduation exam he’d approved just a while ago.
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be happy or dismayed.
What was worth celebrating: after decades, the Bloody Mist policy had finally borne fruit.
With just Yagura Karatachi, Mangetsu Hozuki, and Mei Terumi alone, the next generation of Kirigakure would undoubtedly be immensely powerful!
But all three of them, without exception, came from those great clans!
And one of them was a Hozuki!
Knock, knock.
The Third Mizukage said in a deep voice, “Enter.”
Grandpa Karatachi opened the door.
Seeing both of them present, he respectfully addressed them.
“Mizukage-sama, Elder Master Yuan.”
The Third Mizukage looked up.
He hadn’t expected this visitor.
“Karatachi? What wind blows you to my office today? Sit, have some tea.”
Elder Master Yuan cast a surprised glance over.
The Karatachi clan’s relationship with the Mizukage wasn’t as hostile as the Hozuki’s.
To avoid suspicion, aside from routine major matters, Karatachi, the clan head, rarely showed his face at the Mizukage Building.
The Third Mizukage and Elder Master Yuan ran through recent events in their minds.
There were no major matters requiring this clan head’s participation.
Grandpa Karatachi laughed.
“Haha, Third-sama, can’t I come just to have a cup of tea?”
“Of course you can.”
The Third Mizukage rose and shifted to the host’s seat at the tea table.
“Kirigakure may be poor, but I can still afford a few cups of tea. Please, sit.”
Grandpa Karatachi sat down.
“I’ll trouble the Mizukage for the tea.”
Brewing tea…
After a few cups and some idle small talk,
Grandpa Karatachi didn’t beat around the bush and stated his purpose.
The Third Mizukage and Elder Master Yuan exchanged a glance.
The former repeated, “You want to use your family’s child as the Three-Tails’ jinchuriki.”
“Yes.”
Grandpa Karatachi spoke with his eyes wide open.
“The Three-Tails has never found a suitable jinchuriki. For the village, lacking a tailed beast jinchuriki as a weapon means the village lacks considerable strength and deterrence. Especially in the eyes of the other four shinobi villages.”
“As it happens, that worthless grandson of mine has some potential. I believe he could be suitable as a jinchuriki.”
The Third Mizukage’s gaze darkened slightly as he drank his tea.
“…Your grandson. Yagura, I recall?”
“Yes.”
Grandpa Karatachi laughed.
“Hahaha, for the Mizukage, busy with countless affairs of state, to remember his name, if that brat knew, he’d get a swelled head again.”
“Hm. That child gives you a lot of headaches?”
“Not your ordinary kind of headache.”
If the listener weren’t this particular person, Grandpa Karatachi could pour out a whole day’s worth of grievances.
Without repeating himself.
“Haha, geniuses always have a bit of personality.”
The Third Mizukage responded evenly.
“I understand. Regarding your proposal, I need to discuss it with Elder Master Yuan before giving you an answer.”
“As it should be. After all, it’s a major matter concerning the village. Then I won’t disturb you two any further. You’re both busy.”
Grandpa Karatachi rose, left, and gently pulled the door shut behind him.
➤ Next: The Third and the Fourth (Part 1)