Chapter 141: After All, It Has Come to This Point
Night had fallen when Mizuki Ryosuke finally returned home, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders. The crescent moon hung dimly in the sky, its pale glow barely piercing the thick mist that perpetually shrouded Kirigakure.
Following the day's succession ceremony, Mizuki Ryosuke had hosted an evening gathering, inviting key figures of the village such as Kuroshima Morita, Hōzuki Mangetsu, and Maeda Motoshi. They had spent hours discussing the future of Kirigakure, solidifying Ryosuke's authority as the newly appointed Mizukage. After three rounds of sake and countless political exchanges, he had finally resolved the remaining matters of the transition.
Now, after four days away from home, he had returned at last.
The sound of the door sliding open alerted Liuhua and her daughter, Mizuki Lian. They hurried toward him, their eyes brimming with warmth as they assisted him in removing his ceremonial Mizukage robe.
"Welcome back, Ryosuke," they greeted in unison.
Noting the fatigue in their expressions, a wave of guilt washed over him.
"Aunt Liuhua, Lian… why are you still awake?" he asked, his voice softer than usual.
Lian accepted his robe and smiled gently. "It doesn't matter. We were waiting for you."
Liuhua, standing beside her daughter, nodded with a faint smile. "You must be hungry, Ryosuke. There's food prepared in the kitchen. Eat before you rest."
Ryosuke felt the hollow pang of hunger in his stomach. He had been too preoccupied to eat earlier. "Alright," he agreed without hesitation.
Satisfied, Liuhua turned and disappeared into the kitchen to warm his meal.
"I'll prepare your bath, Ryosuke," Lian added before hurrying off.
As he watched them move with quiet efficiency, Ryosuke felt a rare sense of comfort. A warmth unique to the feeling of "home." The burdens he carried suddenly seemed a little lighter.
Later, after eating and bathing, Ryosuke found himself alone in his room. He gazed through the window at the blood-tinted moon, its eerie glow mirroring the turbulent world he now inhabited.
Despite being in this world for so long, his mind—rooted in his past life—could never fully detach from sentimentality toward the moon. Though in this world, the moon bore ominous significance, particularly given its link to the Uchiha Clan, the Rinnegan, and the Eye of the Moon Plan.
After a long silence, Ryosuke extended his hand toward the sky. From his perspective, the moon seemed to rest within his palm.
"Finally… it has come to this."
He stood motionless, lost in contemplation.
From an unremarkable Chūnin of Kirigakure to the village's supreme leader, he had ascended to the Mizukage's seat in a matter of months.
Ryosuke had always believed in keeping a low profile, subscribing to the philosophy that "the tallest tree catches the wind." He had sought to avoid unnecessary conflicts, ensuring his survival by staying in the shadows. But reality had forced him onto a different path.
It was never his choice to stand in the spotlight. Trouble had come to him, uninvited.
He recalled his early days—just another Chūnin in Kirigakure, trying to stay out of harm's way—until he found himself targeted by an Iwagakure Jōnin on an inexplicable mission. That incident alone had nearly cost him his life. Later, he became entangled with the Blasting Corps' elite hunter, a man hell-bent on eliminating him. And when he finally overcame those dangers, he was swept into the schemes of Kirigakure's top brass.
No matter how flawlessly he concealed himself, fate had other plans.
His situation reminded him of an old film from his past life—a protagonist who wanted nothing more than to earn a living but was inevitably drawn into the criminal underworld, ultimately rising to the top of the organization against his will.
It was no different for him.
The moment he decided to compete for the title of Mizukage, he had acknowledged one truth: true caution was not about hiding in the shadows.
It was about control.
Avoiding trouble wasn't enough. He had to eliminate it before it even surfaced.
If one contingency wasn't enough, he would prepare another. If two weren't enough, then ten.
With the authority of Mizukage, he could forge Kirigakure into an unassailable fortress, shaping it into the ultimate stronghold. From there, he could extend his influence over the entire Shinobi world.
At that point, anyone who dared threaten him would simply cease to exist.
That was true caution.
Yes, the highest form of caution was absolute power—being invincible.
And if he wanted to be invincible, the solution was simple: eliminate every potential threat before it could act.
It was a straightforward concept.
Having reached this conclusion, Ryosuke smiled faintly at the moon. A weight seemed to lift from his mind. Though his journey was far from over, he had taken the first step.
Kirigakure, still recovering from Yagura's rule and the chaos that followed, would need time to rebuild. But Ryosuke would see it through.
With that thought, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
Two Years Later
Time passed like the tides, relentless and unyielding.
Two years had come and gone since Mizuki Ryosuke had assumed the mantle of Mizukage. Under his leadership, Kirigakure had risen from the ashes, stabilizing after the brutal era of Yagura's rule. Order had been restored, and the village had begun to flourish once more.
Yet, while peace returned to Kirigakure, the wider Shinobi world was becoming increasingly unstable.
Dissatisfaction among the smaller nations had reached a boiling point, particularly against the Five Great Nations. Among them, the Land of Fire and Konohagakure faced the greatest scrutiny.
These grievances were not unfounded.
In the First Shinobi World War, battles between the great nations had ravaged smaller countries, reducing them to mere battlegrounds.
Few had suffered as much as the Land of Rain.
Positioned between the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth, the Land of Rain had been devastated during the first great war. Each power had used it as a buffer zone, caring little for the land's destruction. And when the war ended, the victorious Land of Fire had bled the Rain Country dry, seizing resources, manpower, and missions—leaving it even weaker.
This was a repeating cycle across the world. The Land of Birds, caught between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, had suffered the same fate. The Land of Claws, wedged between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, had also been exploited.
The Land of Water, isolated by the sea, had largely remained uninvolved in these disputes.
However, recent intelligence from the Land of Rain had caught Ryosuke's attention.
Reports indicated that Amegakure's forces had begun stockpiling weapons, rations, and other strategic supplies at an alarming rate. Merchants from the Land of Rain had even sought to purchase surplus resources from the Land of Water.
As Mizukage, Ryosuke didn't need further confirmation—he knew exactly what this meant.
The Second Shinobi World War was about to erupt.
In the original timeline, the war had been sparked by the Land of Rain's growing defiance against the major nations. With Hanzō of the Salamander leading Amegakure, the small nation had mustered the audacity to challenge the established order.
This, in turn, had given the great nations the perfect excuse to launch a full-scale war.
Kirigakure had remained uninvolved in the Second Shinobi War, likely due to internal conflicts weakening its military power under the Third Mizukage.
And now, Ryosuke faced a choice.
Would Kirigakure repeat history and remain passive?
Or would he change the course of the Shinobi world?
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