Chapter 362: The Fifth Mizukage Cultivation Plan
Although Suikazan Fuguki was not staying within Kirigakure, he was not a rogue ninja like Jūzō Biwa. He had an appointment letter issued by the village; he was an active-duty ninja on the official roster. Therefore, finding traces of Suikazan Fuguki was a very simple and smooth matter.
Ishiro wrote down the current situation of the village as an intelligence report and secretly sent a copy to Suikazan Fuguki.
The intelligence read: "Lord Fourth Mizukage has been abandoned by all. The Minazuki clan and Elder Genshi are about to launch a coup to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage."
This, Suikazan Fuguki already knew.
"There is currently no suitable candidate for the Fifth Mizukage in the village. At that time, the ninja with the greatest strength will have the highest probability of taking the position."
A thought stirred in Suikazan Fuguki's heart.
"Of course, the Mizukage cannot be a commander without an army; he must have his own supporters. Minazuki Gyō is powerful in his own right and has the support of numerous bloodline clans. His chances of taking the position are extremely high."
"Although Elder Genshi's side has many supporters, it lacks a Fifth Hokage candidate who can command the respect of others. If Lord Suikazan Fuguki can cooperate with Genshi, then the probability of successfully taking the position is extremely high."
These were a few sentences from the anonymous intelligence report Ishiro had written for Suikazan Fuguki.
Naturally, Suikazan Fuguki was no idiot who understood nothing. His two years away from Kirigakure were, in fact, also a way of avoiding getting involved in the muddy waters. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist having their spirit broken by a Konoha genin had caused him to fall from the peak of being feared and envied by all to the trough of being ridiculed by everyone.
It was precisely because he knew he was unpopular and could not reap the fruits of victory in this chaotic situation that Suikazan Fuguki had chosen to stay away from Kirigakure.
But this letter from Ishiro had rekindled his ambition.
Who could refuse the temptation of the title of Kage?
At first, Suikazan Fuguki could still think calmly, wondering who had sent him this intelligence and what their purpose was. But later, all he could think about were the mocking expressions of the villagers and his former subordinates.
"The Mizukage..." Suikazan Fuguki sighed, stood up, and looked in the direction of Kirigakure.
After a night of internal struggle, Suikazan Fuguki still chose to return to the village.
At the same time, Minazuki Gyō also received news of the cooperation between Genshi and Suikazan Fuguki.
However, this time, the intelligence was not given directly and anonymously by Ishiro. Instead, it was passed on in the name of one of Suikazan Fuguki's subordinates, as a pledge of allegiance.
The name signed on this intelligence report was Hoshigaki Kisame.
In the report, Ishiro, posing as Hoshigaki Kisame, made only one request: the greatsword Samehada. He also said that he would turn against his master at the critical moment.
Upon seeing the intelligence, the first reaction of Minazuki Gyō and the others was disbelief. Why would Suikazan Fuguki suddenly cooperate with Genshi for no good reason?
But after carefully analyzing the exchange of interests involved, a cold sweat broke out on all of them.
In the current distribution of power in Kirigakure, the overthrow of Yagura Karatachi's rule was only a matter of time. This was almost a consensus; even the ninja coerced by Yagura thought so. And after Yagura stepped down, the most likely to take power were the bloodline ninja represented by Minazuki Gyō and the small and medium-sized ninja clans represented by Genshi.
But Genshi's side lacked a top-tier expert who could, like Minazuki Gyō, barely gain the recognition of the masses. So, in everyone's mind, the final victor would most likely be Minazuki Gyō. Genshi might be able to win some benefits for the small and medium-sized ninja clans from Minazuki Gyō, but that was all.
Based on this, Genshi's side had always acted as semi-onlookers, as if they were waiting for the highest bidder. It was Minazuki Gyō's side that had been actively opposing Yagura.
But what if Genshi's side had an expert who could compete for the position of Mizukage? Would they still be content to be spectators?
In fact, the reason why Genshi had reacted so quickly to Ishiro's warning back then was also due to this consideration. If the lone Ishiro had the strength of a top elite jonin like Minazuki Gyō, then the two sides could cooperate. It was just that Genshi hadn't expected Ishiro to refuse directly, and even kill the confidant he had sent to show goodwill.
At that time, Genshi had suspected Ishiro's identity. It was only when the news that Ishiro was from the Hōzuki clan spread that Genshi had temporarily dispelled his suspicions. This was something Minazuki Gyō and the others hadn't thought of before. But now that they had, the cooperation between Genshi and Suikazan Fuguki could not be allowed to happen.
"In that case," Minazuki Gyō said, "we'll send people to intercept and kill Suikazan Fuguki."
Terumī Chiaki said, "Genshi's side will definitely try to stop us."
"Neither you nor I will go. We will stay behind to tie down Genshi. We'll send a small number of elites to intercept him. Isn't that Hoshigaki Kisame planning to turn against him? With our people attracting attention at the front, his surprise attack should be much easier," Minazuki Gyō said.
Hōzuki Hotaru said, "Samehada's ability to absorb chakra is too overpowering. We can't send ninjutsu ninja to assassinate Suikazan Fuguki; we have to use taijutsu. It's a pity there's no one left from the Kaguya clan."
Terumī Chiaki said, "Let's send some swordsmanship specialists. Send out all the candidates we've been training to compete for a spot among the Swordsmen."
Minazuki Gyō nodded. "Alright. Tell them to kill Suikazan Fuguki first. As for that Hoshigaki Kisame, we'll see how the situation develops. If he's willing to surrender, we can spare his life."
...
A few days later, Ishiro received intelligence from Noboru: Suikazan Fuguki had been ambushed and killed a few dozen kilometers from the village. The identity of the culprit was still under investigation.
Ishiro was not surprised by Suikazan Fuguki's death. He asked Noboru, "Investigation? Who is investigating?"
Noboru was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then said awkwardly, "It seems no one is investigating publicly. All factions have sent ninja to investigate, but it's all being done in secret. Even Lord Mizukage's side seems to have sent out ninja."
"Take your squad and go too. We will also investigate. Do it openly. Since we have taken on the task of maintaining order in the village, this is our responsibility."
"Not only are we to investigate, but we are to call on the other ninja of the village to cooperate."
"Yes," Noboru hurriedly replied.
Then, a rumor began to spread within Kirigakure: Suikazan Fuguki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, had been ambushed on his way back to the village. Lord Suikazan Fuguki had stayed behind to cover the rear, sacrificing himself to buy time for his comrades to escape. The subordinates entrusted with protecting the greatsword Samehada were still being pursued by the enemy.
Lord Sei, of the Third Mizukage's direct Anbu, called on everyone to go and support Suikazan Fuguki's subordinates and protect Samehada.
Thus, a large number of ninja left Kirigakure and went to the place of Suikazan Fuguki's death to search for clues.
That night, Ishiro also left Kirigakure. But he did not go to the scene of the incident like the others. Instead, he went alone to a cave far from the scene.
"Lord Sei, Hoshigaki Kisame is on that mountain not far ahead. He is injured," the speaker was one of the Iwagakure Anbu from before.
"Have you made contact with him? What's your impression?" Ishiro asked.
The Anbu replied, "Yes, but we didn't have much contact. We just hung back far behind him, waiting for your arrival, Lord Sei."
"However, this Hoshigaki Kisame is very skilled. He has already discovered us. He tried to escape and also tried to counterattack. If it weren't for his serious injuries, our superior numbers and well-rounded configuration, and our prior knowledge of Samehada, we wouldn't have been able to stop him or even track him."
Ishiro nodded. A genius with a chakra amount comparable to a Tailed Beast, Kage-level potential, and the assistance of Samehada was indeed not someone these Anbu could compare to.
Ishiro said, "Alright, you can go back now. Be careful. I've mobilized many ninja back in Kirigakure, and they are all currently searching for clues about Hoshigaki Kisame. Don't let them find you."
"Yes." These Anbu immediately departed.
Ishiro then used the Light/Heavy Boulder Technique and flew towards the mountain where Hoshigaki Kisame was hiding.
Under his Mind's Eye, the injured Hoshigaki Kisame was like a bright lamp in Ishiro's vision.
Sensing someone approaching, Hoshigaki Kisame held Samehada and took a defensive stance.
Ishiro landed in front of him but did not look at him. Instead, he turned his gaze towards a tree in another direction.
Seeing this, Hoshigaki Kisame's body stiffened. He was quite decisive. He threw the Samehada in his hand towards the tree, while his own body dissolved into a puddle of water.
At the same time, the tree that Ishiro was looking at transformed into the likeness of Hoshigaki Kisame in a puff of smoke.
"Cough, cough!" Hoshigaki Kisame coughed twice, looked at Ishiro, and asked, "Who are you?"
Ishiro took off his mask, revealing his true face. "Do you recognize me?"
Hoshigaki Kisame did not recognize Ishiro, but his identity was easy to guess. The Light/Heavy Boulder Technique alone basically confirmed his identity. Looking at Ishiro's age, Kisame understood.
"Fourth Tsuchikage, Ishiro! I suppose the ambush our village's ninja encountered was also arranged by you. The 'Fox of Iwagakure' truly lives up to his name," Hoshigaki Kisame's tone was somewhat dejected as he said this.
Facing the ninja who had ambushed Suikazan Fuguki, he had been surprised but not panicked. And the facts proved it. After he had sneak-attacked and killed his own superior, Suikazan Fuguki, he had then counter-killed the ambushers. Although he was heavily injured, Hoshigaki Kisame did not hold those people in high regard. The few Anbu squads he encountered later were troublesome, and in his heavily injured state, he was probably not their match. But he still didn't take these people seriously. He was confident that even if he died in battle, he could drag at least half of them down with him.
But facing the person before him, Hoshigaki Kisame felt a deep sense of powerlessness. This was a truly top-tier ninja of the world, not just in terms of strength and status, but even his style of doing things made Kisame feel helpless. The entire ninja world knew that the Fox of Iwagakure was not a ninja who cared about his so-called Tsuchikage status.
Ishiro did not speak but waited for Hoshigaki Kisame to make a choice. To fight with all his might, or to give up resistance.
The hand holding Samehada tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened. Finally, Hoshigaki Kisame let out a deep sigh and said, "Lord Tsuchikage, are you laying the groundwork for the future?"
Ishiro smiled. "Hoshigaki Kisame, you are not bad, not bad at all! Compared to the genius ninja of Konoha, you only lack some fame."
Ishiro threw a ninja tool pouch to Kisame. "Treat your wounds first, eat something. We'll talk in a bit."
Hoshigaki Kisame caught the pouch that Ishiro had thrown, somewhat puzzled, but opened it nonetheless.
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