The Third Mizukage and the Water Daimyo returned to their country aboard a massive boat. Throughout the journey, however, they exchanged almost no words—each maintaining an almost excessive level of coldness.
In the mind of the Water Daimyo, there was no doubt that the responsibility for the war's failure lay squarely on the Third Mizukage. Otherwise, why would he himself have been dragged there to endure such humiliation?
The arrogance and subtle disdain expressed by the Fire Daimyo infuriated him deeply—but what could be done? Although both were Daimyos, clearly the quality of their hired hands differed significantly.
Was it that the Land of Water only produced inferior ninja?
As soon as the massive vessel docked at the harbor, the Daimyo immediately parted ways with the Third Mizukage without even offering the politeness of a farewell.
Naturally, the Water Daimyo's disgust wasn't something the Mizukage failed to notice. Yet… this was precisely what he deserved.
Weakening Konoha gradually through prolonged warfare had been his strategy. At first glance, the plan seemed promising, and its initial steps had indeed succeeded, albeit imperfectly.
If Konoha continued following the battle tactics established since the Third Hokage took power, especially those maintained from the end of the last Great Ninja World War onward, then the two sides would surely engage in back-and-forth combat indefinitely.
Sure, Mist would take losses too—but remember, Konoha was fighting on multiple fronts at the same time. Its losses would be at least twice those of Mist, gradually tilting the balance and suppressing the Leaf over time.
But Konoha's response turned out far more aggressive than expected—a style completely unlike that of the Third Hokage. Now, the Mizukage understood precisely why.
The reason lay entirely with Haseo, the commander. Had it not been for him, the war likely would have unfolded exactly as the Mizukage envisioned.
Yet now, there was no point in dwelling on it anymore. What once appeared so promising had now utterly failed, and so all the blame fell squarely on the Mizukage.
Mist had initiated the battle against Konoha, yet suffered the worst defeat in its history, ultimately forced into the humiliating position of submission… Tagged with labels like "arrogant and incompetent," the Third Mizukage became the target of the harshest criticism.
At the time, just about everyone in Mist loudly called for victory over Konoha, yet now most conveniently forgot ever saying so. Attacking Konoha was suddenly seen exclusively as the Mizukage's unilateral decision.
"Originally," "If only we'd known," "I told you so," "We should never have…"—such regretful comments, though painful to hear, came freely from everyone.
Regarding these developments, the Third Mizukage had already made peace with reality.
Upon returning to Kirigakure, the Mizukage immediately summoned his deputy.
"Mizukage-sama, shall I update you on the village reconstruction situation?" the subordinate offered.
Rebuilding the damaged areas should naturally be Mist's top priority.
But the Mizukage simply waved his hand—this was not what concerned him at present. "There are several orders I must issue. Listen carefully. For quite some time, Mist must silently lick its wounds. We are no longer in a position to interfere in the grand wars of the Ninja World."
The village's governance must become more isolated and stringent. No one shall voice dissent against me personally, nor may any discussion of the forces involved in this war occur publicly; otherwise, all such incidents will be dealt with severely.
Every ninja who fell in this war will be erased from memory. The defeated should be left to rot in obscurity. Their names shall be removed, and even their remains are forbidden from being buried in the Memorial Park...
The Mizukage continued issuing similar orders. In short, he intended to impose "high-pressure rule" over Kirigakure—just slightly milder than the "Bloody Mist Village" era.
His aide grew more stunned and incredulous with every word. The Third Mizukage had never been someone unable to accept personal failure. At a time of crisis like this, shouldn't Kirigakure be striving harder to strengthen itself?
"What do you want to say? Speak freely."
"Mizukage-sama, these actions will only increase criticism against you—perhaps even worse than mere criticism."
Because of his previous defeat, the Third Mizukage had already been placed under intense scrutiny. Now, his approach amounted to pouring gasoline onto this fire. The Mizukage shouldn't be such a narrow-minded person.
"The path of renewal I pursued under my leadership has already become meaningless because it's fundamentally unattainable. Once broken, unity cannot be easily restored... Don't you understand? I've placed my hopes on the next generation.
If I can provoke a single unified emotion among Kirigakure's ninja toward me now, that emotion would undoubtedly be hatred. However, when hatred reaches its peak, it can easily give birth to new support—but only after I 'disappear.'
Kirigakure's unanimous resolve and rebirth will come precisely at that moment."
Currently, the Third Mizukage does not fear the hatred of Kirigakure's ninja—he only fears they won't hate him enough.
Despite having failed before, the Mizukage was still determined to fulfill his duties as Kage. One must never despair, no matter what happens, for no failure is truly irreparable.
The aide understood the Mizukage's words, but his shock simply shifted directions.
"Mizukage-sama, you..."
"I've already made my decision." The Third Mizukage signaled his subordinate not to try persuading him further. "Have you gathered the most talented young ninja as I ordered?"
At this point, the aide finally realized that the Mizukage had already made up his mind long ago, which explained why he'd issued those orders beforehand—it also explained why the Mizukage prioritized addressing this issue immediately upon returning to the village.
"Yes, Mizukage-sama. Seventeen in total—all highly gifted young ninja under fifteen years old... Jyuju is among them," the aide said quickly after understanding everything.
He wanted to say more, but try as he might, his mouth wouldn't form the words.
"Gather them together. I have something to say to them."
Before long, the Third Mizukage met the group of very young ninja at the nearest training field.
"Mizukage-sama, did Kirigakure really surrender to Konoha?"
"Sir, is there truly no way to continue fighting the war?"
"We will fight with all our strength. It's far from being over yet! We must retaliate—we must make Konoha regret everything they've done!"
Young ninjas were always bursting with energy, headstrong, and fiercely radical.
It was only natural for them to be irrational and prone to emotion. They couldn't possibly understand the sacrifices a Mizukage had made—but that didn't matter.
The Third Mizukage lifted his hand slightly, commanding silence before he finally spoke. "You can all see the scars Konoha left on Mist. The matter of war is not something for you to concern yourselves with right now.
What I am about to bestow upon you is an extremely important mission—that is…"
To inherit Mist's ideology, uphold its will, remain loyal to our village, help reunite it, and…
Accept the duty of killing me.
And become…
The new Kage."
Among this group of youths, one would become the Fourth Mizukage. The Third Mizukage's role was to nurture him and pave the way forward.
He was to become the "tyrant."
And the one who defeats the "tyrant" shall become the "hero."
The tyrant would be sacrificed, but the hero would be someone worthy of everyone's loyalty… the only slight irony being that this "hero" was raised by the "tyrant" himself.
In any case, from this moment onward, Mist began a brand-new chapter, known as…
"The Rebellion of Hozuki Riman."
The Third Mizukage had merely failed once—he hadn't been broken.
No one's life is ever truly ruined so easily.
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