The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had led Kirigakure through its darkest times.
At the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War, they were full of ambition and hope—only for those hopes to be shattered in an instant by Konoha's counterattack that led to a complete defeat. Then came "punishment," and for ten years, they lost their status as a Great Ninja Village.
This was Kirigakure's fate.
Now, at last, the painful agreement that haunted every ninja of the mist had finally reached its expiration date.
Though the village could not yet claim it had fully cast off the darkness or been reborn after the treaty's termination, at least it had hit rock bottom. From this point on, any direction they moved would at least be an uphill battle...
Or so it should have been.
Who could have known that just as dawn seemed near, the only leader with enough authority to guide Kirigakure—the Fourth Mizukage—would suddenly die?
Restoring Kirigakure's status as a Great Ninja Village was a matter of critical importance. Beyond the village's own desires, it carried major political implications. Therefore, the Fourth Mizukage left Kirigakure, accompanied by his Guardian Ninja Squad, and personally traveled to the Daimyo's Castle in the Land of Water to negotiate related matters with the Daimyo.
The process and conclusion need not be repeated. In short, after everything was settled, the Fourth Mizukage departed from the castle but was assassinated on his way back to Kirigakure.
The Fourth Mizukage was killed, and his entire Guardian Ninja Squad was wiped out.
Thus, all of Kirigakure's dreams were now confined to imagination alone. At this crucial moment, he had nearly been the only one capable of controlling and uniting the village.
Without him, Kirigakure might very well collapse into chaos, entering a 'free-for-all era'—each shining like a lone star.
The identity of the enemy who attacked the Fourth Mizukage remained unknown, yet suspicions immediately pointed toward Konoha. Though the motives behind Konoha carrying out such a "terrorist attack" were unclear, most Kiri ninjas believed Konoha was indeed capable of doing so.
Their belief wasn't entirely wrong either—for the truth was, the actual perpetrator did come from Konoha. This was indeed factual—yet ultimately, the act had nothing to do with Konoha itself. In other words, Konoha had taken the blame for something it didn't do.
Whether or not to retaliate was a concern for later. Right now, Kirigakure's top priority was to figure out what the village's future path should be.
But they found themselves at a loss... and chaos soon followed.
...
Konoha Year 50. The Third Great Ninja War was nearing its end, and the unexpected death of the Fourth Mizukage occurred.
Five whole years passed without determining the next Mizukage's identity. Meanwhile, other ninja villages had already begun cautiously testing each other, then gradually moved on to signing formal ceasefire agreements—one thing after another, everything proceeded smoothly and step by step.
Legally speaking, this ninja war was officially coming to an end.
The brutal war had been the dominant theme of the world during this period, so much so that the hidden undercurrents went unnoticed by anyone outside those directly involved… Whether it was the battle between Haseo and Madara Uchiha or the gradual gathering of "Pain" and the initial signs of a new Organization taking shape, all of it was buried beneath the chaos.
Chronologically speaking, this great war lasted a total of fifteen years. Considering the lack of a clear dividing line from the previous Great Ninja World War, the ninja villages had actually been locked in continuous warfare for more than twenty years.
Casualties, resource depletion, loss of strength, and no visible results—ultimately, none of the major ninja villages had the capacity to continue fighting anymore. Therefore, the war had to end—it simply had no other choice.
Viewed across its historical span, the Third Great Ninja War occurred during three different Hokage eras: the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and the Fifth Hokage. From this perspective, the brutal and icy war gained a slightly grander historical atmosphere.
The Third Hokage died heroically. The Fifth Hokage worked hard and fought bravely. The Fourth Hokage? Well, he avoided responsibilities, acted out a bit, and then quietly retired… Anyway, under the leadership of these three great Hokages, Konoha's legacy continued on. It resisted four opponents alone and still stood firm.
After the signing of peace agreements, the world seemingly began returning to calm amidst a heavy stench of bloodshed.
Hmm, seemingly.
…
Time had moved forward another three years, bringing us to the present time in the Land of Bears.
Within the bustling capital city of this country, in a certain establishment highly favored by male ninja—a place where mutual understanding often involved plenty of drinks and company—a "friendly meeting" filled with such mutual understanding was currently taking place.
Two men sat face-to-face, with some delicate dishes placed upon the table. Jiraiya drank heartily, long past caring about ninja rules, while Haseo simply sipped his tea… With nobody else around to join them in either drinking or conversation, the two of them even appeared somewhat upright and respectable.
They almost looked like the proverbial noble lotuses rising untainted from muddy waters [a metaphor for maintaining purity amidst corruption].
Well, of course—if someone really believed that, they'd at least owe an apology to the mud itself.
So honestly, if it was just about having drinks and chatting, wouldn't any normal venue have sufficed?
"It feels like our last meeting was only yesterday," Jiraiya remarked. He'd previously visited this nation because of Orochimaru's betrayal against Konoha—but back then, it was Konoha Year 50; now it was already Konoha Year 58.
Even the setting looks similar, though… I hope nothing problematic happens this time?
"Last time, just because you showed up there briefly, the entire street got destroyed the next day… completely and 'randomly' destroyed."
Random? That wasn't random—it was purely collateral damage.
"I haven't heard anything like that before. Probably some natural disaster… maybe an earthquake?" Haseo replied as though he truly had never heard such news.
But what kind of earthquake destroys only one single street? Was nature really that moody?
"I'm different from you. I've always been virtuous, upright, faithful and family-oriented, so of course I earn my family's trust..."
These words earned Haseo a look from Jiraiya that clearly said, "Yeah, right."
But there was no point getting hung up on small stuff like that. Jiraiya had come here for an important reason this time.
"Haseo, have you heard about what's been happening in Konoha recently?"
"Recently? Ever since I left Konoha, I've stopped keeping track of village affairs. How could I possibly 'pay attention or not' now? I'm just a retired old man. Fishing and playing shogi — those are the things that fill my days now...
It's been years since I held the title of Hokage... You're not here trying to drag me back to Konoha, are you? Isn't the Fifth Hokage doing just fine?"
The implication behind these statements was obvious—Haseo definitely knew more than he was letting on. Therefore, Jiraiya absolutely didn't believe even a bit of his claim that he hadn't heard anything about Konoha. Otherwise, he wouldn't have directly pointed out Jiraiya's purpose like this.
So although they seemed to be having casual conversation, Jiraiya actually looked very serious at this moment.
"Haseo, you've definitely heard about what happened in the village."
Persuading someone to return to the village? Why did this scene feel so familiar to Haseo? Only this time the roles were reversed.
Wasn't Namikaze Minato still alive and well?
"Jiraiya, I'm almost sixty years old now. I really can't be of any use anymore. What would be the point of returning to Konoha now?
To be honest, recently I've started waking up frequently during the night, and I always feel like I can't completely empty my bladder when going to the bathroom... See? This is just what happens when you get old, buddy."
Jiraiya: "..."
Even though Jiraiya knew every word Haseo was saying was pure BS, somehow it all made sense together... That's why Tsunade trusted Haseo enough to let him roam freely, even into hostess bars or wherever?
Well, after all, the guy did have a bad back.
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