The news Kisame brought back hit the Hidden Mist like a bomb.
"Jinpachi Munashi has defected!"
Every Mist shinobi who heard it went pale. Jinpachi was one of the people the Sand Village had specifically demanded. Without him, how the hell were they supposed to pay the reparations? Would the Sand use this as an excuse to attack again after already taking everything else?
"That ungrateful bastard!"
"After everything the village did for him!"
"Elder Genshi offered to die for the ceasefire the second he heard the terms. That's real loyalty. Jinpachi? He ran like a coward."
Meanwhile, miles outside the village, Jinpachi Munashi finally shook off his pursuers and let out a long breath.
"Yagura, you son of a bitch!"
"I bled for you when you were just a commander. This is how you repay me? Using me as a bargaining chip to the Sand Village?"
"Fuck your gratitude. Fuck your village. If the Mist is willing to sell me out, then I'm done being one of you. My life isn't free."
A figure stepped out on the other side of a small stream.
"Jinpachi. Long time no see."
Jinpachi looked up and grinned.
"Fuguki. Thanks for the help. I wouldn't have made it out without you."
"Don't mention it. We're both from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. We look out for each other."
Fuguki paused, then added,
"Besides… we share the same enemy now."
"Enemy?" Jinpachi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Sand or the Mist?"
"The Mist, obviously."
Fuguki's voice turned cold.
"We fought for this village and it betrayed us. The hidden village system is already dead. It's time to tear it down and build something new. The man I follow… he's going to change everything. The era of the Five Great Villages is over."
Jinpachi's curiosity spiked.
"Who is this guy you keep talking about?"
…
At the same time, Rasa—still inside Hoshigaki Goki's body—marched straight to the Mizukage Tower.
He stopped at the entrance and shouted upward.
"Mizukage! I, Hoshigaki Goki, have questions!"
"Why is the great Hidden Mist—one of the Five Great Villages—selling out its own innocent shinobi just to buy peace? What did my nephew Kisame ever do wrong? What did Elder Genshi do? What did Jinpachi do? Are we really this pathetic? If we're so scared of dying, why the hell did we start the war in the first place?"
"I'd rather die fighting the Sand than betray my own people. And what about Konoha? They stabbed us in the back and framed us! Are we just going to take it? What will the rest of the world think of us if we keep selling out our own and doing nothing about our enemies?"
More and more Mist ninja gathered. Many of them shared the exact same doubts.
Yagura stepped out onto the roof of the tower and looked down at the crowd. His eyes locked on "Goki."
"Hoshigaki Goki."
"Lord Mizukage."
Yagura was quiet for a moment.
"Your questions are fair. I've asked myself the same things a thousand times. Why did I agree to the Sand's terms? Why did I sell out our own people? Why did I throw away our pride?"
He took a deep breath.
"Because I want the Hidden Mist to survive—not just barely exist, but rise again. Fighting the Sand to the last man would feel good… but then what? I didn't do this for myself. I did it for the village. I'm willing to carry every curse, every insult. I'll take all the blame."
Yagura's voice rang out across the square.
"I swear on my life—I will make this village strong again. I will train our shinobi harder than ever. One day we will take back everything we lost and make the Sand Village pay tenfold. If I fail, may I die a miserable death!"
The crowd went silent.
Rasa (as Goki) pushed one last time.
"What about Konoha, Lord Mizukage? They betrayed us. Are we really going to do nothing? If we let this slide, every other village will think they can walk all over us."
Yagura's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I have my own plans for Konoha. Hoshigaki Goki, go home. And… tell your clan I'm sorry about Kisame."