Kirigakure was shrouded in dense mist year-round.
This shinobi village, hidden deep within the Land of Water, always gave people a sense of mystery and chill.
But at this moment, the atmosphere inside the Mizukage's office was even heavier than the fog outside.
Mei stood by the window.
Her blue dress traced the mature, alluring curves of her body. Her jade-green eyes looked out at the hazy scenery beyond the glass, and a faint smile rested on her lips.
Behind her, an elderly figure sat in a chair.
Genji... the true power behind Kirigakure.
An old man who had weathered countless storms.
His face was lined with wrinkles, yet wisdom still shone in those clouded eyes.
"Elder, you mean..."
Mei turned around and looked at him with an amused half-smile.
"You want me to go join the fun?"
Genji nodded. His aged voice was slow and steady.
"Mei, you should know that ever since the Fourth Mizukage was killed, Kirigakure has been in chaos."
The smile on Mei's face faded slightly.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi...
That pitiful man who had been controlled by a mysterious figure...
After his death, Kirigakure had fallen into years of internal strife.
The poison left behind by the Bloody Mist era had still not been cleansed.
The major factions fought openly and in secret, and the village had never truly regained a real center of authority.
"And the most serious problem is the tailed beast."
Genji continued, his tone turning heavier.
"After the Fourth's death, the Three-Tails vanished without a trace. We lost one of the strategic deterrents that marked us as one of the Five Great Nations."
He paused.
"A shinobi village without a tailed beast loses a great deal of its voice in the ninja world."
Mei fell silent for a moment.
Of course she knew that.
The reason the Five Great Nations were the Five Great Nations was not just because of their national strength.
More importantly, it was because they possessed tailed beasts.
That was the system the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had established.
It was also the foundation for maintaining balance in the ninja world.
Without a tailed beast, what right did a shinobi village have to call itself one of the Five Great Nations?
"So..."
Mei's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You want me to go to Konoha and buy back the Four-Tails?"
"If we can buy it back, that would naturally be best."
Genji nodded.
"The Four-Tails belongs to Iwagakure, but so what? It's an auction. Highest bidder wins."
He paused, and his tone grew deeper.
"But if we can't get it... then under no circumstances can we let it fall into Konoha's or Kumogakure's hands."
Mei's brow lifted slightly.
"Konoha already has the Nine-Tails. If they get the Four-Tails too, the balance of power will tilt even further."
"And those madmen from Kumogakure have a blood feud with Iwagakure. If they get the Four-Tails, the situation will only become more chaotic."
Genji's voice turned even more solemn.
"The worst outcome would be for the Four-Tails to end up back in Iwagakure."
"Onoki is an irritating old bastard, but at least that wouldn't break the current balance."
Mei nodded thoughtfully.
"As for Sunagakure..."
Genji suddenly smiled, and there was a trace of disdain in it.
"The fact that they proposed an auction proves they don't dare keep the Four-Tails for themselves."
In his eyes, Sunagakure had always been the weakest of the Five Great Nations.
Without sufficient strength, even if they got their hands on a tailed beast, they could never hold on to it.
Rather than keeping a burning problem in their hands, they might as well trade it away for practical benefits.
That was how the weak always behaved.
"Elder, I understand."
Mei licked her red lips.
A restless, eager light shone in those jade-green eyes.
Going to Konoha.
Joining the auction.
Dealing with people from all the major shinobi villages.
This was exactly the kind of opportunity she had been waiting for.
"I'll have Ao and Chojuro accompany you."
Genji slowly rose to his feet and walked over to her, his old hand gently patting her shoulder.
"If you can complete this mission..."
He paused, and a trace of expectation flickered in his cloudy eyes.
"Then perhaps it will be time for you to step up."
Mei froze.
"Step up?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Genji smiled.
"To the position of Mizukage."
Mei's pupils widened slightly.
Mizukage... the leader of Kirigakure, one of the Five Kage.
One of the most powerful figures in the ninja world...
She had waited far too long for this.
"Elder..."
Her voice shook, but even more than that, it was filled with excitement she could barely suppress.
Genji waved a hand and turned toward the door.
When he reached it, he stopped without looking back.
"Mei, this trip to Konoha isn't just about buying a tailed beast."
"More importantly..."
He paused.
"It's about showing everyone what Kirigakure's new generation looks like."
With that, he opened the door and walked out.
The office was left with only Mei inside.
She stood by the window, looking out at the fog that was gradually beginning to thin.
A smile slowly appeared on her lips.
That smile held ambition. It held anticipation.
And something else...
A fierce eagerness to act.
"Konoha..."
she murmured softly.
"Here I come."
...
Sunlight in the Land of Fire filtered through dense leaves, casting dappled shadows across the main road.
This mixed group had already been traveling for five straight days.
After leaving the Land of Wind and entering the Land of Fire, the scenery along the way had changed from desert wasteland to green mountains and clear waters.
For those who had grown used to Sunagakure's dry climate, it all felt strangely fresh.
But these five days of travel had not been peaceful.
Starting from the third day, unidentified shinobi had begun trying to approach the group.
Some hid in the shadows and watched.
Some tried to block the road ahead.
Some even launched direct attacks...
But all of it had been small-scale harassment.
"Enemy attack! Three from the southwest!"
"Taken care of!"
"Five more from the northeast!"
"Konoha Style - Slash!"
Kakashi's Lightning Blade, Guy's taijutsu, even the teamwork of Shikamaru and the others...
Every attack was easily dealt with by the Konoha group.
And Teizawa?
He just sat in his carriage, leisurely drinking tea.
Every now and then, he would lift the curtain and glance at the fighting outside.
Then he would calmly say, "Thanks for your hard work."
Once or twice was tolerable.
After enough times, though, resentment among the Konoha group began to build.
"That Kazekage... is he using us as free bodyguards?"
Choji muttered under his breath. Even his chips had stopped tasting good.
"Don't say it."
Shikamaru sighed.
"He's the Kazekage. We're genin. The capable ones do more work, get it?"
"But..."
"No buts."
Shikamaru glanced at the carriage that had remained perfectly still the whole time, his eyes complicated.
"We're almost there anyway."
Ino walked with the group, stealing glances toward the carriage now and then.
Why isn't he helping?
Is it because he can't be bothered to act, or...
She shook her head, not daring to think too deeply.
Sakura kept her head lowered and said nothing.
She did not dare look at that carriage.
Every time her gaze drifted that way, she remembered those nights, those humiliating moments.
We're almost there...
She silently prayed in her heart.
Just let us get back to Konoha...
...
And yet, just as the group passed through a dense stretch of forest and was preparing to stop at an open area for a short rest...
Something suddenly changed.
Boom!
The ground beneath their feet shook violently.
This was no ordinary earthquake.
It was a deliberate, large-scale ninjutsu.
The solid earth instantly softened and caved in.
It was as though the ground had turned into a massive swamp.
Mud surged. Sand and gravel flowed.
The entire area where the group stood began to sink.
"Not good!"
Kakashi's pupils contracted as he instantly leaped up and landed on a tree.
"Earth Style - Swamp of the Underworld? On this scale..."
Guy reacted even faster.
With one hand, he grabbed two genin and hurled them toward the nearest tree trunk.
"Everyone, get off the ground!"
But it was already too late.
The swamp covered too wide an area...
Its diameter exceeded a hundred meters, swallowing the entire section where the group stood.
The carriages, the cargo, even the specially reinforced prison wagon holding the Four-Tails...
All of it was slowly sinking.
And at that very moment...
"Earth Style - Rock Pillar Spears!"
From every direction, countless sharp stone spikes burst out of the swamp.
They shot straight toward those still struggling within it.
"Water Style - Water Wall!"
Kakashi formed hand seals with both hands.
A wall of water rose before him and blocked three waves of rock spikes.
But even more spikes kept surging forward, their targets precise...
The horses. The cargo. The prison wagon.
"Enemy attack!"
someone shouted.
"It's Iwagakure!"
Shikamaru landed on a tree and stared at the still-churning swamp below, his expression grim.
"An Earth Style technique on this scale could only come from Iwagakure!"
Teizawa had somehow already appeared on a broad tree branch, looking down at everything from above.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
So they finally couldn't hold back anymore?
He had been waiting for this moment all along.
All those petty skirmishes on the road had only been probes.
The real fish were here.
His gaze swept over the surrounding forest.
Between the shadows of the trees, dozens of figures could faintly be seen moving rapidly.
This was no ragtag mob.
These were true elites.
"Lord Kazekage!"
A Sunagakure ANBU landed beside him.
"We're surrounded! At least thirty of them! All jonin-level!"
Teizawa nodded and said nothing.
He only watched the prison wagon sinking lower and lower.
Watched the stone spikes repeatedly stab toward the sealing tags on the wagon...
Their target was Roshi.
No, it was the Four-Tails.
The smile on his lips deepened.
Good.
"Don't panic,"
he said softly.
His voice was not loud, yet it reached every Sunagakure ANBU clearly.
"Let them fight."
The ANBU froze for a moment.
"But..."
"I said..."
Teizawa turned to look at him, and there was not the slightest trace of tension in his eyes.
"Let them fight."
The ANBU fell silent.
In the distance, Kakashi and Guy were desperately trying to fend off the stone spikes.
Konoha's genin were each fighting their own battle, struggling not to be dragged into the swamp.
And that prison wagon... was still slowly sinking.
(End of Chapter)
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