"Additional conditions?"
Faced with Hakushi's inquiry, the person in the darkness also pondered seriously.
After a brief contemplation, he smiled and said:
"I'm personally interested in the way you govern the Land of Demons. But considering the extremely confidential information obtained from the bodies of Kuriarare Kushimaru and Munashi Jinpachi, you've already deeply understood our Hidden Mist... no, the situation of the Land of Water. A large-scale coup within Hidden Mist is only a matter of time. This coup is inevitable, even if the Third Mizukage voluntarily steps down."
The chaos within Hidden Mist was indeed initially triggered by the Third's misguided policies. However, the current situation is no longer under the Third's control.
The goal of both the Blood Mist Faction and the reformists is the Fourth Mizukage.
In a sense, the Third is merely a symbolic 'puppet,' used as a shield by both sides to fend off public criticism.
The person in the darkness sighed softly and continued, "The Blood Mist Faction needs the Third to be their scapegoat, to quickly seize power in Hidden Mist. We, the reformists, need the Third to become the target of 'hatred,' establishing him as a notorious Blood Mist supporter. Overthrowing tyranny begins with erecting the image of a tyrant, and this is only natural. It's unfortunate that the Third's series of misguided policies to compromise with the Daimyo of the Land of Water for military budget cuts led to the birth of the 'Blood Mist Faction,' fueling the rampant actions of ambitious figures."
Hakushi nodded in agreement.
Not only that, the Third Mizukage further implemented the secretive policies of the previous Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, by decisively rejecting foreign engagement, making Hidden Mist unable to accurately assess external situations and difficult for outsiders to infiltrate, thereby isolating itself overseas.
The massive cuts in military funding and the staunch implementation of secrecy gave rise to ambitious individuals. The Blood Mist Policy is merely a distorted outcome of the upper echelons' power games.
Since the end of the First Ninja World War, Hidden Mist has experienced nearly thirty years without significant turmoil, falling into such prolonged peace that the Daimyo of the Land of Water no longer wanted to bear the heavy annual military expenses, hence the military budget cuts for Hidden Mist.
After failing to negotiate with the Daimyo, the Third Mizukage had to heed the advice of some and adopt an elite strategy.
Yet, as time passed, and through the sinister exploitation by some high-ranking officials, this elite strategy evolved into ruthless massacres.
The graduation exam in the Ninja School where pairs of students fought to the death was one of the sacrifices made.
Though such brutal exams produced lethal Ninja, undeniably skilled.
Task completion rates increased, and the general strength of Ninja improved.
The notorious name of the Blood Mist also instilled fear in outsiders unaware of the reasons.
Enticed by the benefits, the Third deepened the implementation of the Blood Mist Policy under the guidance of the Blood Mist Faction.
Understanding the causes and effects, Hakushi realized what the other condition was.
"If I'm not mistaken, you want to become the Fourth Mizukage to swiftly end all these disputes."
"Precisely. Only then can I wield enough righteousness to end the terrifying Blood Mist reign."
The person in darkness gazed resolutely, unapologetically fixated on the position of the Fourth Mizukage.
Although Hidden Mist is not yet entirely fractured, if the Blood Mist Faction's misdeeds continue unchecked, Hidden Mist's division is merely a matter of time.
By then, many elite Hidden Mist Ninja will abandon the village, turning into Renegade Ninja.
That's the destiny of a failure.
If he becomes the Fourth Mizukage, such circumstances can be avoided, dismantling the Blood Mist reign.
Therefore, he needs greater reputation and sufficient power to support himself, eliminating the high-ranking supporters of the Blood Mist policy.
So far, although he has secretly accumulated considerable power, he can only perform subtle actions in secret, being hunted like a street rat by the Blood Mist Faction.
The reason is simple: the Third Mizukage, utilized by the Blood Mist Faction, represents the absolute Hidden Mist orthodoxy.
"Compared to the negative impact of aligning with Renegade Ninja, the possibility of Hidden Mist collapsing due to Blood Mist is what I least want to see."
The reasoning was sound, but Hakushi shook his head and said:
"Not enough."
"Not enough? Do you want more? Feel free to ask, as long as it doesn't exceed my limits."
The person in darkness hesitated, making another concession.
"No, I'm not referring to the reward. I mean, even if you become the Fourth Mizukage, it will be of no avail. Based on the intelligence deduced currently, the root of your Hidden Mist's internal problems does not lie with the Third Mizukage or the high-ranking officials implementing the Blood Mist Policy."
"What do you mean?"
"You should understand. Why was the Third Mizukage so easily manipulated?"
The figure in the shadows suddenly squinted.
"Are you implying... the Daimyo?"
"Excessive military budget cuts hindered Hidden Mist's development. To advance, the Third Mizukage was forced to make a blunder. It's hard to determine whether the Daimyo of the Land of Water isn't secretly colluding with the Blood Mist Faction."
"This is all speculation."
"Indeed, it's speculation. But just as you guessed about me in the Land of Demons, why not consider this hypothesis? If the Daimyo's military budget cuts aren't changed, what will you do when facing the same plight as the Third Mizukage?"