The Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
This place was enveloped in dense mist all year round. Even during the day, the sky remained gloomy.
Correspondingly, the atmosphere of the entire village was equally depressing. Barely any villagers walked the streets. Except for essential activities, the vast majority of people chose to stay indoors.
Even if they had no choice but to cross paths on the road, they would maintain a certain level of wariness toward each other.
This was the Hidden Mist Village, known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist."
Under the iron-fisted rule of the Fourth Mizukage, all Hidden Mist shinobi had transformed into heartless executioners. For the sake of missions and survival, they could abandon all emotions and discard any comrade!
At this moment, two Hidden Mist Anbu appeared in the center of the Hidden Mist Village, inside the office of the building adorned with the character for "Water."
Sitting right in the center of the office was a boy who looked quite young.
"Greetings, Lord Mizukage."
The moment the two Anbu shinobi appeared in the office, they knelt deferentially on one knee, not even daring to raise their heads to look at this Lord Mizukage.
Indeed, this man who possessed a child-like appearance was precisely the one who had personally forged the bloody Hidden Mist, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, Yagura Karatachi.
"What is the matter?"
Yagura slowly opened his eyes, his youthful voice filled with a majesty and coldness that did not match his appearance.
Hearing this icy tone, the expressions of the two Anbu became even more respectful.
"Lord Mizukage, a secret report has arrived from the Anbu. The Kaguya clan is gathering their forces and is suspected of preparing to rebel!"
"Rebel?"
Yagura's gaze suddenly darkened, and the killing intent radiating from his body made those present feel as if they were sitting on needles.
After a few seconds, he let out a soft chuckle: "I understand. Since they chose to rebel, there is no need to keep the Kaguya clan around anymore."
The hearts of the two Anbu shinobi sank.
Although they had anticipated this outcome, hearing it with their own eyes was still somewhat shocking.
After all, the Kaguya clan was one of the critical fighting forces of the Land of Water. Their powerful Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku, had once achieved great exploits for the Hidden Mist Village. To think they would end up like this now...
Yagura did not concern himself with the thoughts of his two subordinates, merely saying calmly: "Have Fuguki Suikazan and Ameyuri Ringo handle this matter. If they let a single member of the Kaguya clan escape, they don't need to come back either."
Hearing these words, the two Anbu shinobi hastily bowed their heads: "Yes!"
After these two Anbu left the office, a red light flashed through Yagura's eyes.
Subsequently, a vortex abruptly emerged in the space at the corner of the office, and Obito, wearing his swirl mask, quietly arrived.
Following closely behind him were Black and White Zetsu. They remained shrouded inside a green pitcher plant as they slowly emerged from the wall.
"To think that the Kaguya clan would actually rebel, how terrifying."
White Zetsu said with a grin. While his mouth claimed it was terrifying, his expression was entirely mocking.
Although the Kaguya clan possessed the powerful Shikotsumyaku and were known as weapons of war, the lifespan of the Kaguya clan members was generally short, and they were naturally bellicose. Consequently, their numbers were extremely limited, making it completely impossible for them to be a match for the Hidden Mist.
Conversely, Black Zetsu frowned, offering a reminder: "Obito, are you being a bit too excessive? Extremes turn into their opposites. If you keep oppressing them like this, I'm afraid it will provoke a rebellion from those shinobi."
Regarding Black Zetsu's reminder, Obito paid it no mind, speaking with absolute confidence: "The entire Hidden Mist Village is under my control. Rest assured."
Black Zetsu looked at Obito's back, his mind harboring unknown thoughts, before he could ultimately only say: "It is fine as long as you have confidence."
Soon, he thought of something else and shifted the topic to another matter.
"How do you plan to handle Simu Kamizuki?"
This time, Simu's mission was to capture the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails located within the territory of the Hidden Mist Village.
Setting the Six-Tails aside for a moment, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails was Yagura Karatachi, who held the position of Mizukage.
Furthermore, this Mizukage was the most important tool Obito utilized to control the Hidden Mist Village. If Simu truly reclaimed him, it would be a significant loss for Obito.
Not to mention, Obito had always maintained a certain degree of wariness toward Simu.
The opponent's bottomless strength and endless array of methods made Obito exceptionally cautious.
Thinking up to this point, Obito finally voiced his thoughts.
"I will use the name of Madara Uchiha to win him over to our faction. If he does not agree, then the Hidden Mist Village will be his burial ground."
Obito's eyes radiated a crimson gleam, to the point that the temperature of the entire office seemed to turn cold.
Black Zetsu nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
Evidently, he did not oppose Obito's plan.
After all, this fellow Simu represented a massive variable in his eyes. If he could not be brought into their ranks and properly restrained, it might interfere with his long-term plans.
As a schemer, he had to eliminate such hidden perils.
On the other side, those two Anbu had already delivered the Mizukage's command to Fuguki Suikazan and Ameyuri Ringo.
"What? Exterminate the Kaguya clan?"
Ameyuri Ringo instantly displayed an absurd expression, questioning in disbelief: "Before the matter has even been thoroughly investigated, Lord Mizukage wants to raise an army to wipe out the Kaguya clan?"
The majority of the shinobi present likewise revealed bewildered expressions, yet not a single one spoke up to raise a question like Ameyuri Ringo did.
It was not that they did not want to, but rather that they did not dare.
Sure enough, after Ameyuri Ringo finished speaking, Fuguki Suikazan's voice rang out at the appropriate time.
"Ringo, you had better watch your words. What you are questioning right now is Lord Mizukage's command!"
Fuguki Suikazan's height reached two and a half meters, making him look like a wall and giving off a heavy sense of oppression.
However, while others feared Fuguki Suikazan, Ameyuri Ringo, who was similarly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, did not fear him in the slightest.
"The Kaguya clan is a vital fighting force of the Hidden Mist and has achieved great exploits for the Hidden Mist Village. How can we slaughter them without distinguishing right from wrong?"
Fuguki Suikazan narrowed his eyes, staring at Ringo while radiating a faint killing intent, completely unconcerned as he said: "The people of that clan are all lunatics. Rebelling is perfectly normal for them."
"Is that how you view your own comrades?"
Ameyuri Ringo continued to trade barbs.
Fuguki Suikazan wanted to say more, but a voice brought an end to their argument.
"Are you questioning my decision, Ringo?"
Yagura's voice suddenly resounded as he slowly walked out from the darkness, carrying that hook that was taller than himself on his back.
The moment they saw Yagura, all the Anbu shinobi instantaneously fell silent, kneeling to the ground.
Even the burly Fuguki Suikazan knelt on one knee in a symbolic gesture.
"Lord Mizukage, I did not mean it that way. But isn't dealing a fatal blow to the Kaguya clan without a precise investigation a bit..."
Before Ameyuri Ringo could finish her sentence, she was crudely interrupted by Yagura.
"A bit what? Do you intend to wait until the Kaguya clan slaughters their way into the interior of the Hidden Mist Village before acting? How many villagers and how many comrades would lose their innocent lives by then?"
A powerful majesty emanated from Yagura's body as he spoke forcefully: "I am doing all of this to maintain the peace of the village, Ringo."
Under his suppression, Ameyuri Ringo ultimately backed down, saying in a deep voice: "I understand, Lord Mizukage."
Seeing the other party submit, Yagura then nodded slightly: "Go, bring back all the heads of the Kaguya clan for me."
"Yes."
Fuguki Suikazan licked his lips, appearing highly excited.
Before leaving, he glanced sideways at Ameyuri Ringo and said, "If you don't obediently listen to orders, you will die, you know."
Ameyuri Ringo frowned, saying nothing more.
Three days later, Zabuza arrived at a small village, accompanied by Simu and Hidan.
"What kind of place is this? It looks pretty fun."
Hidan sized up the large number of stark white bone spikes driven into the surrounding ground, asking with considerable interest.
"In a place like the Land of Water, it's rare to find such an interesting village."
Over the past few days, Hidan's mood had been thoroughly aggravated by the climate of the Land of Water. It was drizzling continuously all day, and there was nothing delicious to eat, which left him highly displeased.
Zabuza replied: "Lord Simu, this is the settlement of the Kaguya clan."
"The Kaguya clan? Interesting."
Simu pushed up his glasses.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had begun gathering history regarding this world.
And the two characters for "Kaguya" represented the beginning of the shinobi world.
According to legend, the Goddess of Rabbit who brought chakra to this world was named Kaguya.
Therefore, Simu was exceedingly interested in this clan that also bore the name "Kaguya."
"Is there any news from the Hidden Mist Village's end?"
Simu looked toward Zabuza.
As an elite of the Hidden Mist Anbu, Zabuza possessed a significant amount of intelligence concerning the Hidden Mist.
After he officially joined the Jashin Religion, this intelligence fell into Simu's hands.
Upon hearing this, Zabuza pulled a scroll from his pouch, handing it respectfully to Simu as he said: "Yagura Karatachi has already issued a command to me to assist Fuguki Suikazan and Ameyuri Ringo in completely eradicating the Kaguya clan, as well as..."
He suddenly raised his head, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.
"If Ameyuri Ringo displays any hesitation regarding the eradication of the Kaguya clan, I am to cooperate with Fuguki Suikazan to eliminate her."
Hearing this intelligence, Hidan instantly clicked his tongue in wonder.
"To think that your Lord Mizukage is actually so cruel and unscrupulous..."
Zabuza nodded, then cast a glance at Hidan.
He really wanted to say, aren't you about the same?
But recalling Hidan's bizarre immortality and curse abilities, Zabuza ultimately did not voice it.
"It is merely eliminating dissent. The individual hiding behind the scenes of the Hidden Mist only requires killing tools; he does not need them to possess too much independent thought."
Simu's incisive words touched Zabuza's heart once again, particularly the phrase "killing tools," which was practically the best summary of his shinobi career up until now.
He cautiously sized up Simu, then inquired: "The individual hiding behind the scenes of the Hidden Mist that Lord Simu spoke of refers to?"
Regarding this, Simu merely said casually: "Just a sewer rat that cannot face the light. Rest assured, when the time comes, I will let you bury him with your own hands."
Although Zabuza tried his best to maintain his composure upon hearing these words, his palm still clenched involuntarily.
He had wanted to break through this cage for far too long!
"Then why does that person behind the scenes want to make a move against the Kaguya clan?"
This was something Zabuza found completely incomprehensible.
As a powerful combat force of the Hidden Mist Village, why did they want to eradicate the Kaguya clan?
Simu shrugged: "Perhaps he wants to use the hands of the Kaguya clan to dispose of some people along the way, making his upcoming rule more convenient."
"However, this also signifies that the behind-the-scenes individual's rule over the Hidden Mist has likely reached a point of being severely strained. Only by weakening the Hidden Mist can he continue to maintain his control."
This explanation caused Zabuza to fall into deep thought once more.
Due to the implementation of the Blood Mist policy, quite a few shinobi had given birth to grievances over these years.
Although the vast majority still dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out, if things accumulated day after day like this, it would bound to completely explode sooner or later.
So, did that so-called behind-the-scenes individual utilize this kind of method to weaken the Hidden Mist's power to facilitate his control?
While they were conversing, a raven circling in the sky transmitted a message to Simu.
"The Hidden Mist forces have arrived."
Under the will of Yagura Karatachi, or rather Obito, Fuguki Suikazan and Ameyuri Ringo had already led several hundred Hidden Mist shinobi to the surroundings of the village.
Perhaps sensing danger, or perhaps having prepared in advance, the Kaguya clan members inside the village also reacted swiftly.
The attire of these clan members was highly uniform. They wore kimonos, their hair tied into two braids coiled at their temples. Within their deep eye sockets were pale purple eyes, and two red dots sat between their eyebrows, appearing exceptionally bizarre.
Upon detecting danger, not only did they feel no worry or fear, but a terrifying battle intent actually surged across every person's face.
This battle intent made their originally bizarre expressions even more indescribable...
"The people from the Hidden Mist Village have come, charge and kill with me!"
It was unknown who shouted first, but immediately after, the entire village erupted with terrifying battle cries.
The entire Kaguya clan, regardless of men, women, young, or old, rushed onto the battlefield together.
It was as if what flowed through their bodies was blood named combat. They were born for battle, absolute human weapons!
One bone spike after another surged and drilled out from beneath their skin, forming bone blades, resembling an army of the undead charging toward the woods where the Mist shinobi were hiding.
"To think we would be discovered so quickly?"
Fuguki Suikazan, acting as the commander, frowned, but his brow quickly smoothened out because he had already abandoned thinking.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Everyone, charge and kill along with me!"
Following his command, several hundred Mist shinobi swarmed out from the woods, releasing all kinds of ninjutsu to bombard the Kaguya clan.
Watching the two forces crashing violently together, Hidan could not help but extend his tongue to lick his lips.
"If this kind of sacrifice is offered to Lord Jashin, He will definitely be very happy."
Simu ignored Hidan, merely saying to Zabuza: "Go ahead, leave Ameyuri Ringo alive."