"I've heard your name many times before."
Yagura Karatachi looked up at Kyoichi, his round, boyish face wearing a cheerful smile—like a farmer admiring a fine ox he'd just bought.
"Now that I see you in person, it's no wonder your reputation precedes you! Handsome and capable indeed! No wonder you managed to kill Hanzō of the Salamander and even defeat Orochimaru!"
"You flatter me," Kyoichi replied humbly.
"No need to be so formal—come, have a seat."
Still smiling, Yagura gestured for the group to move toward the guest area.
The so-called "guest area" was set up in front of the portraits of the previous Mizukage. There stood an old tea table and a few aged sofas—furniture that had clearly seen years of use, their surfaces marked by the passage of time.
Once everyone was seated, Yagura called for tea to be served.
"Phew."
He held his cup carefully, blew away the steam, and took a small sip. His expression instantly relaxed. Looking across at Kyoichi, he smiled wryly.
"Forgive me, Kyoichi. I must look a bit disheveled. I've been so busy lately that even taking a sip of water feels like a luxury. It's been days since I've been able to just sit down and enjoy a cup of hot tea like this."
"Mizukage-sama, are you really that busy?"
Before Kyoichi could respond, Biwa Jūzō—warming his hands on his own teacup—spoke in surprise.
"What do you think? We lost the war. Someone has to clean up the mess, and that someone is me. Do you think it's easy?"
As soon as he mentioned the matter, Yagura's boyish face twisted into a pained grimace.
"That's true," Kyoichi nodded in understanding. "If you win, everything's negotiable. But if you lose… trouble will always come knocking in droves."
War, after all, was an opportunity to reap great profits—
But only if you won.
For Yagura and Kirigakure, victory would have meant increased power, prestige, and stability. But since they lost, even if it didn't shake Yagura's position outright, it would still deal a heavy blow to his already limited prestige.
Given the political structure of Kirigakure, it was fortunate that the elder Genji hadn't set his sights against the Fourth Mizukage—
Otherwise, Yagura might not have been able to hold his seat at all.
"That's about the size of it," Yagura said, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Ever since I received the report of our defeat at the front, I've practically lived in my office. I haven't gone home in days—just drowning in endless paperwork and problems that seem to multiply every hour. Honestly, I should be thanking you all for coming. At least I can take a breather like this."
He sighed. Then, as if realizing he sounded too dispirited, he straightened up, meeting Kyoichi's gaze seriously.
"Actually, if it weren't for the news of your victory over Orochimaru spreading, calming some of the public backlash from our defeat, I'd probably be even busier right now—and might not have had time to see you at all."
"Then Mizukage-sama," Jūzō said, seizing the moment, "you'd better reward Kyoichi properly. You can't let such a great deed go unrewarded!"
"I don't need you to remind me of that," Yagura replied, amused but unoffended. "I'm not so dull as to forget to reward merit."
He turned back to Kyoichi.
"Kyoichi, is there anything in particular you'd like as a reward? Speak freely—I'll consider it carefully."
"...Before that," Kyoichi said after a brief pause, "may I ask how my clansmen have been settled?"
"Of course."
Yagura's smile was gentle.
He exchanged a quiet glance with his elder advisor, Anjō Oniyuzu. The concern for his clan was a good sign—it meant that as long as the Koeda Clan could take root in Kirigakure, Kyoichi himself wouldn't be a source of trouble.
"Elder Anzō," Yagura said with a chuckle, "why don't you explain? Let me take a break and enjoy my tea."
"By all means, Mizukage-sama."
Oniyuzu nodded and addressed Kyoichi.
"At present, all members of the Koeda Clan are temporarily housed in residences provided by the Kirigumo Clan. The Mizukage has already allocated a section of land for your clan in the southeastern part of the village. You're free to build your homes there as you wish."
"Would it be possible for the village to help with construction?" Kyoichi asked.
"You mean... have the village assist directly?"
"That's right."
Kyoichi nodded. "When we left Iwagakure, it was a hasty retreat. Just getting everyone out safely was hard enough—we couldn't bring much of our wealth. So... perhaps it'd be simpler if you just gave us some funds instead. With money, we could hire builders ourselves."
He had used Earth Release techniques to build houses before—during their flight from Iwagakure, he'd raised entire rows of stone dwellings.
But Earth Release could only shape the structure; things like water lines, wiring, and fittings weren't something jutsu could handle.
"That won't be a problem."
Before Oniyuzu could even respond, Yagura set down his teacup and decisively nodded.
"Even though we lost at the front, the village's finances are still in decent shape. The village can cover part of the expenses for the Koeda Clan's construction."
The Land of Water, being isolated by the sea, had limited contact with other nations—but that same isolation gave it economic self-sufficiency. Almost every domestic mission went through Kirigakure, unlike in the Land of Wind, where the nobles often gave their missions to Konoha instead.
No wonder Sunagakure was so poor—poor enough that Orochimaru, posing as the Fourth Kazekage, could easily manipulate them into launching the "Konoha Crush" plan during the Chūnin Exams.
Kirigakure, by contrast, never had that problem. Its coffers were always stable—certainly not as desperate as Sunagakure's, where shinobi practically gnawed on sand to survive.
Building free housing for the entire Koeda Clan might be too costly, but covering part of the cost was well within their means.
"Still," Yagura mused, tapping his cup, "that doesn't feel like enough. The Koeda Clan traveled thousands of miles to join us... the village should show some real sincerity."
Then, his eyes suddenly brightened.
"That's it, Kyoichi—how about this: would you like to take a look at Kirigakure's Forbidden Scroll? I'll allow you to select one forbidden jutsu from it to study."
The Fourth Mizukage's offer of alliance—
was thus extended toward Koeda Kyoichi.