After Hakushi's reminder, Ruri remembered the existence of such a person.
On the night of the defection, Might Duy's taijutsu indeed left a bright impression, making him a taijutsu ninja worth noting.
"There indeed was such a thing. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about this guy."
"Ayane said that after opening the Seven Gates, his taijutsu becomes extremely tricky, so be cautious when you encounter him. After all, a few years have passed, and his strength must be greater than before."
"The legendary Death Gate, huh? If there's a chance, I'd like to witness it with my own eyes."
It is said that a ninja who opens the Array of Eight Inner Gates gains unmatched power in a short time, but whether this is true or not remains unknown.
"There will be such an opportunity in the future. If the Land of Demons wants to develop, it must challenge the interests of the established powers. Konoha, being the largest vested ninja village of the era of one country, one village, will eventually come into conflict with them."
Ruri nodded, agreeing with Hakushi's words.
"It's about time we leave. The news of the Fourth Hokage's death has not spread yet, and the most important thing now is to resolve the internal Blood Mist Faction of the Hidden Mist and make Yagura the Fourth Mizukage."
After speaking, Hakushi headed out of the inn, and Ruri followed, advancing toward the direction of the Hidden Mist Village.
◎
A thin mist shrouded the vast sea surface like a veil. It's not quite bad visibility, but for newcomers to this country, the view is indeed somewhat hindered.
The Hidden Mist Village is situated in such a coastal area.
On one side, it borders the sea, and on the other, the mountains and forests. The entire village is enshrouded in a pale white mist. From afar, only the massive silhouette of the village can be seen, with towering water tower buildings and a dam cutting off water.
Rather than being called a village, the size of the Hidden Mist Village appears more like a bustling metropolis.
Here, tens of thousands of well-trained ninjas live, along with countless civilians, supplying the village with a large number of ninja reinforcements every year. Even after large-scale wars, the scale of the Hidden Mist Village allows it to recover quickly.
The other great nations' ninja villages are similar.
The chunin representing the backbone forces and the jonin representing elite forces have never been in short supply.
This is precisely because the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations have been exceedingly powerful, with military strength growing year by year, creating an insurmountable gap with the smaller nations' ninja villages.
Moreover, the leaders of the great nation's ninja villages bear the title of 'Five Kage,' powerful ninjas who can sway the outcome of wars.
However, compared to the other four great nation's ninja villages, the Hidden Mist Village is isolated overseas and seldom interacts with mainland countries, having only crossed paths with the Hidden Rock Village of the Land of Earth during the First Ninja World War. At other times, it remains focused on overseas development.
As a result, what happens in this ninja village is difficult for the mainland great nation's ninja villages to learn about.
But today is an unusual day for the Hidden Mist Village.
The election for the Fourth Mizukage is going to take place today.
The Third Mizukage has ruled over the Hidden Mist for nearly thirty years, and now, older and with a series of blunders, has caused internal chaos and numerous tragedies within the Hidden Mist Village, leading to dissatisfaction among many ninjas in the village.
It's only due to his legitimate status and his years of diligent work that there hasn't been an outburst.
But if this continues to be delayed, it will only lead to more internal chaos.
To quell the dissatisfaction in people's hearts, the election of the Fourth Mizukage is urgent.
Driven by a mysterious undercurrent, the election of the Fourth Mizukage is no longer related to the will of the Third Mizukage himself.
The election meeting for the Fourth Mizukage is held in the large conference room of the Mizukage Building, officially starting at nine in the morning.
It is now eight fifty, with ten minutes before the meeting officially begins.
By now, the participants of the meeting are basically all here.
The Third Mizukage, the Mizukage Secretary Karatachi Yagura, the Seven-swords Ninja members Suikazan Fuguki and Jinin Akebino, along with other high-ranking figures, totaling more than twenty people.
"Juzo doesn't seem to be here, does he? What's the matter?"
A high-ranking jonin pointed at an empty seat, raising a question.
Biwa Juzo is a current member of the Seven-swords Ninja, the holder of the Decapitating Carving Knife, and one of the few elite jonin in the Hidden Mist Village. With the natural influence of the Seven-swords Ninja, he has many followers in the village. Although that force is not strong, it cannot be completely ignored.
"Juzo has chosen to abstain from voting; he is currently stationed on the border and does not intend to participate in this Mizukage election meeting."
The holder of the Great Sword Shark Skin, Suikazan Fuguki, answered this question.
"Is that so? I didn't expect our village's famed Seven-swords Ninja to be down to just the two of you."
Looking at Suikazan Fuguki and Jinin Akebino, with a tone of sentiment.
"Don't worry, once I become the Fourth Mizukage, the Seven-swords Ninja will soon be complete again."
Fuguki grinned widely, determined to obtain the position of the Fourth Mizukage.
He had been waiting for this moment for many years.
"But Kuriarare Kushimaru and Munashi Jinpachi were killed by the Konoha Renegade Ninja Hyuga Ayane. The Long Blade·Sewing Needle and Blastsword: Shibuki are missing, and retrieving them won't be a simple matter."