It was a night shrouded in thick fog in the Land of Water.
Yagura stood by the window of the Mizukage's office, holding a secret letter that had just arrived. The ink on the letter had not yet completely dried, indicating it had been delivered in an extremely short amount of time.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Water dares to betray Kirigakure ? Is this intel reliable?"
Yagura's pupils contracted sharply in the dim light.
The content of the secret letter was clear and cruel. The Daimyo of the Land of Water planned to use Shun to eliminate him, as well as some ninja clans of Kirigakure.
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain's voice was unusually calm. "It was sent urgently by our spy embedded in the Daimyo Capital."
Fuguki grinned, his sharp teeth glinting coldly, and Samehada wriggled restlessly on his back.
"Have those nobles finally lost their patience?"
Jūzō leaned against the wall, the blade of Kubikiribōchō reflecting the candlelight. "We are still fighting on the front lines, while they are plotting how to get rid of us in the backyard."
Raiga played with Kiba, electricity flickering at his fingertips. "If you ask me, we should just do it tonight."
"Quiet."
Yagura suddenly raised his hand, and the room instantly fell silent.
His finger drew a circle in the air, and a ripple spread out.
Water Release: Water Mirror Technique.
On the water's surface, the scene of the Daimyo's mansion appeared.
In the brightly lit banquet hall, nobles clinked glasses, and the Daimyo was drinking heartily.
Minister Fujiwara Tomo smiled fawningly. "Your Highness, as soon as Shun makes his move, Yagura will surely die. At that time, Kirigakure will be yours for the taking."
The Daimyo took a proud sip of wine and said, "Hmph, that crazy Mizukage should have died long ago."
The constantly changing images on the water mirror, and the discussions, all revolved around eliminating the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, and some disobedient ninja clans of Kirigakure.
Yagura slowly turned and looked at the few confidants standing in the shadows.
His voice was icy cold. "The Daimyo no longer trusts Kirigakure. They would rather trust an outsider, an Uchiha, than accept us anymore."
With the situation as it was, Fuguki began to ponder how to seize the astonishing wealth of those nobles.
A cold sneer played on his lips. "Those nobles should have died long ago."
Raiga frowned slightly. "But wouldn't directly attacking the Daimyo trigger a civil war?"
A hint of killing intent flashed in Jūzō's eyes. "Civil war? No, this will be a purge."
The midnight bell had just chimed when a thick fog enveloped the entire Daimyo's mansion.
This was not ordinary mist, but Hiding in Mist Technique mixed with Chakra, which could interfere with the detection of sensory ninja.
"First squad, deal with the perimeter guards."
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain stood on the highest eaves of the Daimyo's mansion, his voice, reaching the ears of every Kirigakure Anbu.
The assassination squad led by Jūzō infiltrated like ghosts.
A guard had just noticed something amiss when his head was cut off by Kubikiribōchō's blade. Blood splattered on the wall, but was strangely absorbed by the mist.
Fuguki directly broke through the wall, Samehada trembling with excitement.
A noble guard rushed forward with a sword, but upon contact with Samehada, his Chakra was sucked dry, and he collapsed as a mummified corpse.
Fuguki spat. "Too weak. This little Chakra isn't even enough to satisfy Samehada."
Fighting and screams echoed continuously.
When Yagura slowly walked into the banquet hall, the battle had already ended.
Inside the banquet hall, the music abruptly stopped.
The few surviving nobles huddled in a corner, Tomo kneeling on the ground, trembling.
The Daimyo's wine glass shattered on the floor with a "smash."
He cried out in terror, "Guards... guards... quickly, come protect me."
Seeing that no one responded for a long time, he forced himself to appear calm.
But his trembling voice exposed him. "Yagura, you... do you not know... This is treason!"
Yagura did not answer. He walked to the dining table, picked up an exquisite wine glass, and toyed with it.
"We risk our lives for the Land of Water, yet you drink the most expensive wine and then plot how to eliminate us?"
Minister Tomo shrieked, "Th-that was Shun who contacted us first. He said he could..."
Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!
A 3-meter water sphere instantly enveloped Tomo's body, his explanations turned into blurry bubbles in the water.
Yagura walked in front of the Daimyo, activating the Water Mirror Technique again.
The images in the mirror constantly changed, showing the Daimyo and the nobles discussing how to eliminate them.
The Daimyo's face instantly turned pale. "No, this is impossible. How can there be such a Ninjutsu?"
Yagura's eyes were cold. "Truly a bunch of foolish guys. Did you think you could do it without anyone knowing?"
Crack!
The Daimyo's neck was brutally twisted, and his corpse was thrown to the ground like a rag.
At the same time, screams echoed from the various noble residences throughout the Land of Water.
Yagura slowly turned around, casting his gaze upon the remaining nobles. These people were already scared to the point of their soul flying away, they looked at Yagura as if he were a demon from hell.
Yagura said in a cold and ruthless voice, "From today onwards, the Land of Water will be ruled by Kirigakure."
...
When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the thick, blood-scented fog, this bloody purge finally came to an end.
The Kirigakure Anbu Captain emotionlessly tallied the casualties, "The Daimyo and his confidants totaled 731 people, 12 noble families involved in the conspiracy, a total of 4214 people eliminated..."
Yagura looked towards the western horizon, interrupting, "Enough. Issue orders: all ports are to be sealed immediately, and border patrols strengthened. Also, prepare to welcome our special guest."
Fuguki wiped the bloodstains from Samehada. "Are you referring to Shun?"
A cold glint flashed in Yagura's eyes. "This matter will definitely not be that simple. Order all Kirigakure ninjas to enter a state of readiness."
...
Soon, Kirigakure sealed all ports in the Land of Water.
But the news of the coup in the Land of Water still spread throughout the Ninja World.
"Fourth Mizukage Yagura has staged another coup. Kirigakure has seized control of the Land of Water."
"The Daimyo of the Land of Water and a large number of nobles were purged and their families annihilated by Kirigakure ninjas."
Overnight, the noble class of the entire Ninja World was plunged into unprecedented panic.