The Third Mizukage had never imagined things would develop to this point.
"Sunagakure..."
A fierce, venomous hatred rose in his eyes.
Kirigakure was clearly the stronger side. From beginning to end, it had held the advantage.
At first, he had not even pressed too hard. He had taken the initiative to propose ceasefire terms.
As long as Sunagakure paid a certain amount of resources and handed over Pakura—the executioner who had slaughtered countless Kirigakure shinobi—Kirigakure would withdraw from the Land of Wind.
Faced with such sincere terms, Sunagakure had actually dared to refuse.
Only then had he truly resolved to crush Sunagakure.
But in order to reduce losses to the village and limit shinobi casualties, he had asked Konoha to move together with Kirigakure.
Konoha, however, had been too greedy.
They wanted all the gains without paying any price.
Then, right at that moment, the Uchiha Clan rebellion broke out.
The Third Mizukage had thought that was Konoha's retribution.
Since Konoha could not be relied on, then Kirigakure would rely on itself.
He had believed that with Kirigakure's power alone, he could still destroy Sunagakure.
But then came one setback after another—Fuguki Suikazan's betrayal, and Rasa suddenly revealing that hidden giant summoning beast.
That had allowed Sunagakure to cling to life a little longer.
Only then had the Third Mizukage truly become enraged.
He had resolved to crush Sunagakure no matter the cost.
And yet, just when he made that decision, another upheaval erupted.
The Kaguya Clan had suddenly rebelled.
That so-called "Kaguya Mirror" claimed he was exposing the Kaguya Clan, but in truth, he had been the most ruthless rebel of them all.
He had come wrapped in explosive tags from head to toe.
Using all kinds of methods, he had steadily lowered the Third Mizukage's guard.
Had the Third Mizukage not mastered half of the Hydrification Technique, he would have been gravely wounded by Kaguya Mirror's self-detonation.
"That Kaguya Clan is utterly brainless!"
"What benefit did rebellion bring them at a time like this?"
"When did the village ever mistreat them?"
The Third Mizukage could not understand it at all.
"Madmen. They're all madmen!"
"That Sunagakure... that Rasa... it's as if heaven itself favors him."
"Again and again, luck keeps landing on his side."
The Third Mizukage found it unbearably unfair.
Kirigakure was stronger.
His own strategy had not been wrong.
And yet every single time, Sunagakure managed to escape disaster.
Lying on his sickbed, the Third Mizukage thought for a long time.
At last, he received a piece of news unfavorable to Sunagakure.
The Akayama Clan had rebelled.
Just like the Kaguya Clan.
The moment he heard it, the Third Mizukage was delighted.
But the more he listened, the uglier his expression became.
The Kaguya Clan's rebellion had not only left him heavily injured, it had also killed many of Kirigakure's elites. And the majority of the Kaguya Clan's shinobi had successfully fled the village.
But what about the Akayama Clan?
An entire clan. Hundreds of shinobi.
And they still had not been able to take down Rasa alone.
Not only had they failed to kill him—they had been annihilated by him.
"Utter trash!"
The Third Mizukage had originally thought the Akayama Clan's rebellion would also deal a severe blow to Sunagakure.
Instead, it had become Rasa's night of fame.
In a single night, he had exterminated an entire clan.
From this day forward, everyone in the shinobi world would have to reevaluate Rasa's strength.
And more importantly, the Kaguya Clan rebellion and the Akayama Clan rebellion had erupted at nearly the same time.
By the time the news reached the shinobi world, the two events had basically spread together.
That meant the people of the world would inevitably compare them.
The Third Mizukage could already imagine what they would say.
"The Third Mizukage is far weaker than Rasa."
"One wiped out a whole clan with his own hands."
"The other was heavily injured and still let the Kaguya Clan escape."
"If nothing unexpected happens, then the weakest Kage must be the Third Mizukage."
"What a disgrace among the Kage."
He would become the stepping stone for Rasa's fame.
The merits he had accumulated through decades of painstaking rule over Kirigakure would be severely diminished.
"Damn it!"
"My efforts over several decades... and I lost to luck?"
He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The shinobi below him panicked.
"Mizukage-sama, are you alright?"
…
Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage looked at the report in his hand, his gaze flickering.
"So the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, actually possesses considerable strength."
"No matter how weak the Akayama Clan was, if Rasa had been mediocre, he could never have accomplished something like this. His strength is likely already above that of the Third Kazekage."
"That one technique that manifested hundreds of sand soldiers... and that giant summoning beast as well."
The Fourth Raikage turned to look out the window.
"I wonder when I'll finally surpass Father."
Only after a long while did he withdraw his gaze.
"I don't know whether my decision to sign the ceasefire agreement was correct."
"War is both risk... and opportunity."
"I need to think more carefully."
"This time, Kirigakure has probably suffered a genuine heavy blow."
"The Kaguya Clan has defected, the Third Mizukage is gravely wounded... and now Rasa has risen so powerfully. Sunagakure will definitely pursue Kirigakure relentlessly. If there is a chance to carve off a share from Kirigakure, we absolutely cannot miss it."
"And besides... both the Uchiha Clan and the Kaguya Clan have defected from their villages. Is there any possibility that Kumogakure could recruit and subdue them?"
If it were only a few people, or a dozen at most, the Fourth Raikage would not hesitate.
But both the Uchiha and the Kaguya had preserved a respectable amount of strength.
Rebels of that scale—bringing them in might strengthen the village.
Or it might mean inviting wolves into the house.
…
Iwagakure.
Onoki lifted a brow slightly.
"I didn't expect that brat Rasa to grow to this extent. I underestimated him back then. The Third Kazekage really did leave behind a good successor."
"As for Iwagakure... for now, it still has to rely on me."
At present, Iwagakure was extremely powerful.
Otherwise, it would never have first attacked Sunagakure, then Konoha, and still be suppressing Konoha on the main battlefield—especially after the Uchiha Clan rebellion had erupted.
But among Iwagakure's younger generation, there truly was no one especially outstanding.
"The Third Mizukage is still the same as before. He's practically on the verge of squandering away all the foundation Gengetsu Hozuki left behind."
"If Teacher could see this scene, he'd definitely be pleased."
Onoki had two teachers—Ishikawa and Mu, both counted as his mentors.
The one he referred to now, however, was Mu.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Mu had perished together with Kirigakure's Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki.
…
Konoha.
Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the intelligence on his desk and could not help but reveal a smile.
The successive rebellions of the Kaguya Clan and the Akayama Clan had eased quite a bit of the public pressure facing both Konoha and Hiruzen himself.
After all, more than one shinobi clan had rebelled now.
And more than one shinobi village had suffered rebellion.
"The Kaguya Clan and the Akayama Clan... well done."
But suddenly—
A discussion involving a certain Kirigakure shinobi caused Hiruzen's face to darken once more.
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