Chapter 267: The Qualification to Challenge!
"Elder Genji... why?!" Kukurīn's eyes widened involuntarily, staring in utter disbelief at the prayer beads in Gonbei's hand. "Why would Elder Genji support that woman?! Fifth Mizukage! What right does she have to become the Fifth?!"
"Bastard! Are you trying to oppose Elder Genji's decision?!" Gonbei shouted back with extreme severity. He didn't know why Genji had chosen Mei Terumī either, but since the Elder had made his choice, Gonbei would naturally defend Mei Terumī—the one chosen by Genji—with all his might.
"From this day forward, I am the Fifth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist!" Mei Terumī took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over the crowd with a chilling solemnity. She then declared in a firm voice: "If anyone is dissatisfied, feel free to step forward. I will give you a chance to challenge me!"
Hearing Mei's declaration, the Mist shinobi gradually snapped out of their shock regarding Genji's stance. Many began to feel a surge of restless ambition.
If they could defeat Mei Terumī under these circumstances, even with Genji's support, she would lose the qualification to become the Fifth Mizukage.
It was just like the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, who had decisively stepped forward after the death of the First Mizukage, Byakuren, defeated the chosen successor, and forcibly took the position for himself.
In any other nation, such a thing would be unthinkable. But in the Hidden Mist Village, which championed the supremacy of strength, it was taken for granted that the Mizukage should be the strongest person in the village. It was only right for the winner to take everything from the loser.
In that situation, even the dying wishes of a predecessor or the support of a faction would be useless. Moreover, the current Genji possessed prestige but lacked actual power; while his support was influential, it wasn't as absolute as that of the First Mizukage back then.
However, the conservative Mist shinobi looked at each other, trying to nominate someone qualified to challenge Mei Terumī, yet they couldn't think of a single person who could defeat her as she was now.
Mei Terumī, with her dual Kekkei Genkai, was a figure of overwhelming authority in a Mist Village where Kekkei Genkai clans had practically gone extinct. Even if the conservative Jōnin led by Kukurīn had always looked down on her, they had to admit her strength was formidable.
Just as the conservative Jōnin were caught in a dilemma, a somewhat raspy voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Fifth Mizukage! Fifth Mizukage! Fifth Mizukage!"
Hearing the voice, Kukurīn flew into a rage and glared fiercely at the person who had shouted: "Ringo Ameyuri!"
It was a girl who looked to be less than ten years old with long, brownish-red hair. She had unique braids on either side of her face that looked like rabbit ears. When she spoke, she revealed a mouth full of sharp teeth, just like Kukurīn.
"What? I saw that none of you dared to step up, so I thought you'd already accepted it!" The girl named Ringo Ameyuri grinned, egging them on with a touch of mischief. "Or is it that you don't dare to act yourself, dear brother, and you're still waiting for someone else to speak up for you?"
Kukurīn felt like strangling his rebellious half-sister, but facing Mei Terumī's murderous gaze, he instinctively looked away.
Stepping forward to challenge Mei now offered high rewards but even higher risks. With the precedent of the Second Mizukage, Mei would likely go all out to kill the challenger on the spot to establish her authority.
Kukurīn was just an ordinary Mist Jōnin; he wasn't even ranked high among the conservatives. If Uchiha Ikeizumi hadn't single-handedly wiped out the conservative high-ranking officials led by Yagura, it wouldn't have been his turn to take charge of the faction here.
Seeing Kukurīn, their temporary leader, choose to shrink back, the other conservative shinobi dared even less to step forward. The momentum between the two camps shifted instantly.
"Fifth Mizukage! Fifth Mizukage! Fifth Mizukage!" Ameyuri, quite happy to annoy her older brother, shouted again. Ao finally snapped out of it and led the group of reformist Mist shinobi to join the chant.
The sound of support spread like a virus. Especially with Ameyuri leading the charge, the majority of the previously neutral Mist shinobi also began to take sides.
Seeing this, the conservatives finally realized the tide had turned. With various lingering thoughts, they were forced to accept the reality of Mei Terumī becoming the Fifth Mizukage.
There was no joy on Mei's face. Becoming the Mizukage was only the first step. Next, she had to suppress any opposing voices that might arise and persuade all Mist shinobi to execute Uchiha Ikeizumi's [Absolute Justice].
The most difficult part wasn't even persuading the shinobi, but completing it all before Uchiha Ikeizumi ran out of patience.
However, what Mei didn't know was that Uchiha Ikeizumi's patience was much better than she imagined. Especially after executing so many Mist shinobi, the rewards provided by his "Cheat" hadn't been fully organized even as dawn approached.
[Ding! You have successfully executed Absolute Justice in the Shinobi World! Your chakra has received a slight increase! Congratulations, you have obtained: Mist Swordsmanship Experience Book.]
[Ding! You have successfully executed Absolute Justice in the Shinobi World! Your chakra has received a slight increase! Congratulations, you have obtained: Silent Killing Technique.]
[Ding! You have successfully executed Absolute Justice in the Shinobi World! Your chakra has received a slight increase! Congratulations, you have obtained: Water Surface Combat Specialization.]
Hundreds of notifications flooded the screen of his mind. The Mist shinobi who died at his hands were almost all "Red Names," so the drop rate was naturally high. Unfortunately, for the current Uchiha Ikeizumi, these rewards were like "mosquito legs"—trivial. They were better than nothing, but only just.
Fortunately, Ikeizumi wasn't here for the rewards; he was just looking through them to pass the time.
The giant Katsuyu nearby wasn't just standing there stupidly either. She had split off three other large Katsuyu, and the four massive beings huddled together, touching their tentacles as if four people were squatting in a circle chatting.
While chatting with oneself might seem strange, considering that Katsuyu-Sennin had lived alone in Shikkotsu Forest for over a thousand years and only occasionally communicated with summoners, developing a habit of "self-talk" was quite normal.
Just as Ikeizumi had finished skimming through most of the notifications and Katsuyu was preparing to split again because four versions of herself weren't "interesting" enough to talk to, several figures appeared at the edge of the ravaged battlefield.
Uchiha Ikeizumi, who had been leaning against Katsuyu, straightened his body and looked calmly at the Mist shinobi walking toward him.
At the front were still Mei Terumī and Ao, followed by over twenty grim-faced Mist Jōnin. Behind them were hundreds of Chūnin and Genin with various expressions.