Chapter 335: Intelligence and Plan
"Impossible!" Haruno Sakura retorted almost reflexively!
A village's Kage could be controlled? It was possible in a small ninja village, but the Mist was one of the five great ninja villages!
Imagine if Tsunade was controlled for more than a decade without being discovered, and even issued many absurd and bloody orders, what would it be like?
Sakura's first feeling was one of utter absurdity. She couldn't believe it!
"It's true. We have a lot of evidence!" Hagura said coldly.
"What kind of means could control a Mizukage for more than a decade?" Sakura asked in astonishment, her brow furrowed tightly.
She still didn't believe it.
That was a Kage-level ninja! What kind of means could control a ninja of the Mizukage's level for more than a decade?
Impossible, impossible, impossible!
Hagura gave her a deep look.
"The Sharingan."
"The Sharingan can do this," he said calmly.
Haruno Sakura sucked in a cold breath!
"The Sharingan? The Uchiha clan?"
"Yes... from the intelligence, he might be Uchiha Madara!" Hagura continued, revealing another shocking secret!
Sakura's almond eyes widened, and she suddenly took a step back!
Uchiha Madara? Why is it him again?
What is his relationship with that masked ninja she encountered when she traveled through time?
The Akatsuki could actually do such a thing. Even a great ninja village was once under its control. How strong is its true power?
Thinking of this, Haruno Sakura shuddered.
"What exactly is going on!" She suddenly grabbed Hagura's hand and stared into his eyes.
"Don't get excited. I'll tell you everything!" Hagura said calmly. "But before that, I must confirm whether you want to join our operation!"
Haruno Sakura caught her breath, released Hagura's hand, calmed down, and said, "If what you say is true, I agree!"
"Then I'll tell you... I hope this intelligence will be helpful for our cooperation in fighting against the Akatsuki!"
About twenty years ago, Yagura Karatachi came to power and became the Fourth Mizukage.
At first, everything was normal. Later, he became more and more brutal, implementing many inhumane systems. The graduation exam system where students killed each other started from that time.
He hated Kekkei Genkai clans; the two major Kekkei Genkai clans of the Mist, the Yuki clan who mastered Ice Style and the Kaguya clan who mastered the Shikotsumyaku, were deliberately suppressed, marginalized, and finally exterminated during his reign.
Those who opposed him were eventually killed by him. Resistance, massacre. Those who survived in the Mist Village were angry but dared not speak out against him.
Finally, under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, the Mist Village became the "Village of the Bloody Mist"!
Back then, many people resisted his tyranny one after another. Some were ambitious, and Zabuza the Demon, whom Sakura was familiar with, was one of them. There were also insightful people who truly cared about the Mist, wanting to break the bloody shackles he had set; but they either failed and died or defected, or strangely became loyal supporters of the Fourth Mizukage.
The bizarre situation and the reality that the Mist Village continued to lose blood and become weaker and weaker made everyone gradually realize that only by overthrowing the rule of the Fourth Mizukage could the Mist Village have a future!
This consensus reached its peak as Mei Terumī mastered two Kekkei Genkai and completely turned the Terumi clan into a Kekkei Genkai clan; with the ability to resist and the reason to act, the Terumi clan finally launched a coup brazenly.
After a fierce battle, Yagura Karatachi was finally defeated. Before he died, the Fourth Mizukage regained his consciousness and revealed the shocking secret that he had been controlled by a Sharingan genjutsu all along!
"Was the genjutsu only dispelled when he was dying?" Haruno Sakura's expression was a little grave.
"Yes," Hagura said heavily. "Lord Fourth Mizukage used to be a ninja who loved the Mist deeply. Before he was controlled, the Mist was a united village without strife..."
He sighed and continued, "We later looked through many files and materials, and interrogated the diehard ninja of the Mizukage back then. Some of them were controlled by genjutsu, while others were conscious. From this intelligence, we discovered traces of the Akatsuki."
"The person who controlled the Fourth Mizukage was a member of the Akatsuki. The new generation genius ninja of the Mist back then, Kisame Hoshigaki, also defected from the village under his bewitchment!"
"Kisame Hoshigaki?" Haruno Sakura frowned. In the intelligence collected by Konoha, they hadn't completely figured out who the members of the Akatsuki were. This was the first time she had heard this name.
"Who is he? Did he join the Akatsuki later?" she pressed.
"He is a very burly man, nearly two meters tall, with shark-like stripes on his face, very easy to recognize," Hagura recalled. "Back then, he had a nickname called the Tailed Beast without a Tail. The amount of chakra in his body was amazing, and he was especially good at Water Style. Although his Water Style was not as refined and dexterous as yours, its momentum was grander and its power was more terrifying..."
Haruno Sakura pouted and said nothing. She didn't believe that anyone's Water Style was more powerful than hers.
Sakura looked at Hagura and watched him continue, "It is worth noting that after he killed Fuguki Suikazan, who was colluding with the enemy, he obtained the Samehada sword. That sword can absorb chakra, and the effect is very amazing! In short, he is a very powerful and dangerous ninja!"
Haruno Sakura pondered for a moment, silently digesting the information Hagura had spoken in her mind.
"Thank you for providing the intelligence. When facing the Akatsuki, this intelligence should be of great help!" She nodded solemnly and said seriously.
"You're welcome. You also shared the Akatsuki's intelligence with us! Lord Mei Terumī said that we stand on the same ground in fighting against the Akatsuki. Both villages have been seriously harmed by the Akatsuki, so everyone should work together!" Hagura said seriously. "We will write more detailed intelligence on a scroll for you to take back."
Unexpectedly, when other ninja villages were indifferent to the Akatsuki or even appeasing them, a village like the Mist actually stood up, willing to join hands with Konoha to actively fight against the Akatsuki.
Even Konoha's ally, the Sand Village, couldn't reach this level of activeness.
Perhaps later, when other ninja villages were truly hurt by the Akatsuki like Konoha and the Mist, would they realize the threat of the Akatsuki?
It was just that at that time, when the Akatsuki dared to offend the remaining few ninja villages and become a thorn in the side of the entire ninja world, the Akatsuki would probably have already obtained the power to contend with the ninja world...
Haruno Sakura sighed inwardly.
This visit to the Mist Village was definitely worth the price. Just the intelligence obtained was already worth the price of admission.
However, the more intelligence she obtained about the Akatsuki, the more alarmed Sakura became. They could even control a great nation, so why did they need more power?
What exactly do they want to do?
In the face of the Akatsuki's power, Haruno Sakura also began to feel heavy in her heart; what would happen when the Sharingan genjutsu that could even control a village's Kage faced her? Could she resist it?
However, these were topics to consider later; the girl suppressed her chaotic thoughts and asked, "Let's get back to the topic at the beginning. What do you need me to help you with?"
"Very simple. Although Lord Mei Terumī firmly believes she is right, if she kills the opposition just because she is opposed, she will become the new Yagura Karatachi. So, today and tomorrow's Jonin meeting is the last chance. If they still can't be persuaded..."
Sakura glanced at him. "Then you'll make a move?"
Hagura shook his head. "We are no longer the Village of the Bloody Mist. Lord Mizukage will engage in a verbal battle with them at the meeting, even deliberately falling into a disadvantage to stall them; and we are responsible for collecting evidence. Do you know why the First Elder opposes the opening-up policy?"
Without waiting for the girl to answer, he answered himself, "Because his family is the largest smuggling gang in the Land of Water. The smuggling of high-quality minerals and high-end ninja tools from the Land of Water and the Mist has always been controlled by them. Selling such strategic resources is not just smuggling, but treason! They control several smuggling channels. Once the opening-up policy is implemented, their smuggling business will instantly vanish into thin air, losing an astronomical amount of profit!"
Haruno Sakura immediately pouted.
What the elder had said in the meeting room sounded quite reasonable.
Unexpectedly, he was this kind of person whose "mouth is full of ideology, but heart is full of business."
"You can't judge a book by its cover. The First Elder still looked like a loyal minister who dared to raise objections," Sakura said sarcastically.
Hagura shook his head and didn't comment much on him. He just said, "Collect evidence of their smuggling and treason, make it public to the village, let the people in the village know the true face of the First Elder who bewitched everyone, and the voice opposing the opening-up policy will naturally vanish. This is our plan. If Lord Mizukage still can't convince them within today, then at tomorrow morning's meeting, we will randomly select a team and lead them to raid the First Elder's family's secret base, which is their smuggling warehouse!"
"Is it that simple and hasty?" Haruno Sakura said. "I thought you would be more thorough in doing such a big thing."
"The more detailed and longer the preparation time for a plan, the easier it is to leak information," Hagura said helplessly. "The simpler it is, the easier it is to achieve. At first, we planned to kill the First Elder directly, but although that would be clean and neat, the sequelae would be too great."
Haruno Sakura laughed dryly. This simple, crude, and direct style of doing things, the Mist Village was quite like the Russians!
"In short, just follow me," Hagura said finally. "Plans may not keep up with changes. We'll act according to the circumstances."
"Alright. If even you can't figure out the specific arrangements of the plan, the enemy will definitely not be able to make targeted precautions..." Sakura shook her head, a little speechless.
Hagura raised his eyebrows helplessly, said nothing, and turned to take her away from here.
"By the way," Haruno Sakura asked finally before leaving, "why did you come to me for this kind of thing?"
"It was also a spur of the moment for us," Hagura turned his head and looked at Sakura. "But we trust the credibility of Konoha ninja."
"Is it that simple?" Haruno Sakura was a little dumbfounded and complained, "You guys really have big hearts!"
Hagura stopped and sighed. "Do you want to hear the real reason?"
"Tell me." She also stopped.
"We are in desperate need of combat power, but we can't find anyone more trustworthy than you, and whose strength can handle this mission." The corner of his mouth curled up into an extremely bitter smile.
Hagura started walking forward again.
"It's that simple. After experiencing the period of the Village of the Bloody Mist and the battle to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage, the Mist Village... is already like this."
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