Meanwhile, at the Mist Campsite.
A group of Jonin looked jubilant—almost ready to break out the gongs and drums.
"Haha! That bastard Raikage finally got what he deserved!"
"After scheming against us all this time, he's finally tasted his own medicine!"
"Iwagakure isn't innocent either—they were behind our previous Kage's death!"
Even Mizukage himself was in high spirits, barely managing to suppress his wildly upturned lips.
As everyone reveled in celebration, a Jonin suddenly asked, "Mizukage-sama, what do we do next? Should we team up with Iwagakure and strike back at Cloud Village?"
Mizukage opened his eyes just slightly, "What are your thoughts on that?"
At the mention of retaliation against Cloud Village, the group grew even more animated.
"Of course, we must fight back! Those sneaky bastards from Cloud Village have always annoyed me!"
"We suffered heavy losses in this war—we must seek compensation from Cloud Village!"
However, not every voice agreed.
"Cloud ninja are all madmen. Our retaliation will only provoke an even harsher response."
"There's nothing to gain. They'd even sacrifice their own Raikage for minor spoils—how could we possibly gain an advantage against such lunatics?"
Recognizing the sense in these words, Mizukage nodded inwardly.
Truthfully, he had no desire to continue entanglements with Cloud Village. Raiding them while they're vulnerable sounded good, but only if it was actually achievable.
After letting them argue for some time, Mizukage finally made a decision: "Enough. There's no need to provoke those mad dogs from Cloud Village."
Although many felt frustrated, nobody dared publicly oppose the Kage's orders in the Land of Blood Mist.
"Yes!"
Mizukage gave a slight nod and smoothly changed the subject, "The matter with Cloud Village is settled. Now let's discuss how to retrieve our Ninja Blades from Konoha."
This time, many remained silent. With Konoha's current strength, getting the blades back wouldn't be easy.
Just then, one particularly outspoken Jonin suggested, "Mizukage-sama, perhaps we can take a page from Iwagakure's book here."
Mizukage became slightly intrigued, "How so?"
The proposing Jonin licked his lips, "I've heard Iwagakure used an uncompromising, all-or-nothing stance to force peace talks with Konoha. We can adopt a similar approach—firmly declaring that unless Konoha returns our Ninja Blades, we're prepared to go all-out against them!"
The other Jonin reacted with visible shock.
"How can we possibly fight Konoha head-on in our current state?"
"Do you want us all wiped out?!"
"Oh, it's just pretend," the suggesting Jonin waved dismissively. "We just need Konoha to see our resolve."
Mizukage appeared somewhat persuaded, muttering, "Hmm..."
Taking advantage of the moment, the Jonin kept pushing, "It's just like why we don't want to confront Cloud Village—both sides are full of madmen. Sensible people instinctively avoid such madness. So this time, let's mimic them and act like madmen ourselves!"
"One round of madness, you say?" A glimmer of excitement crossed Mizukage's face. "Then tell me, exactly how do you plan to do it?"
"Take a Konoha ninja captive, implant the Three-Tails inside him, then erase that memory and send him back secretly. That way, we've placed a time bomb no one even knows exists within the Hidden Leaf."
A flicker of dark light passed through the speaking ninja's pupils. "Then we'll threaten the Leaf—if they refuse to return our ninja blades, we'll detonate this bomb right inside their village!"
The Mizukage still seemed hesitant. "You wouldn't actually set it off, would you?"
"How could we?" replied the Mist jonin now under Xiaobai's possession. "Once they agree to return the blades, all we have to do is send someone to extract the Three-Tails."
A nearby jonin hesitantly asked, "But extracting the Three-Tails would kill the Leaf ninja who became its jinchuriki, right?"
A Mist jonin under Black Zetsu's control replied, "As long as it's not some particularly important figure, what does it matter if he dies? Do you really think the Leaf would go to war with us over just one person?"
"That's true enough."
"Then it's settled," decided the Mizukage with a firm slap of his hand. "Akah, you'll be in charge of handling this mission personally."
"Understood!"
...
The next day.
The Mizukage looked quite surprised at Akah and the unconscious young girl beside him. "You've already selected a candidate so soon?"
Akah nodded. "With Konoha's attention focused on the war between Cloud and Stone, we must act quickly."
"Yes, that's wise." The Mizukage glanced sideways. "Was the container for sealing the Three-Tails brought here?"
A cautious jonin stepped forward holding a large jar. "Please be careful, Mizukage-sama!"
"Hmm. You may place it down."
The jonin carefully set the jar before the girl, then immediately backed off to a safe distance.
"It begins!" Taking a deep breath, the Mizukage lifted the lid from the jar.
"Waaagh!"
In the instant the Three-Tails awoke and thrashed violently, the Mizukage swiftly sealed it inside the girl.
Though the Three-Tails wasn't weak by any means, still groggy and confused from sleep, it was soon successfully bound within her body.
"Phew! That beast certainly didn't make things easy!" Even for him, sealing the Three-Tails had not been effortless. The Mizukage exhaled deeply.
Maybe it was the Three-Tails refusing to settle down. Whatever the cause, Rin furrowed her brow and slowly opened her eyes. "Where... am I? Where's Kakashi?"
"To you, this place might as well be hell!"
At Akah's threat, the surrounding jonins laughed.
"We are the Land of Blood Mist—our name alone makes men tremble!"
"What a lovely little lady—she must look absolutely adorable when she cries!"
Hearing these voices, fragments of memory came rushing back to Rin. "Right... I was captured by Mist ninja, but why...?"
Suddenly, a surge of powerful chakra erupted from within her.
"What is this?!"
The Mizukage quickly formed hand seals and slapped her. "That stubborn beast again!"
The violent energy within her began to subside, though Rin remained unaware. She suddenly looked up, eyes wide with shock. "Three-Tails?"
Smiling, the Mizukage answered, "Exactly. You're now the jinchuriki of the Three-Tails!"
"Why would you let me become..." Rin, who had mastered an A-ranked Jutsu like Mystical Palm Technique at the chunin level, was certainly no fool. She quickly deduced what was happening. "Do you plan to make the Bijuu inside me enter rage mode and harm people in the village?"
Although it was somewhat of a misunderstanding, the Mizukage didn't intend to explain further since this girl's memories would be Sealed anyway.
Akah spoke up from the side, "Mizukage-sama, why don't you go rest first? I can handle the task of Sealing her memories and the transportation afterward."
The Three-Tails' sealing had indeed left him quite exhausted, so the Mizukage accepted without refusal, "Then I'll leave it to you."
Rin turned pale, but behind her gentle gaze burned determination. While everyone focused on the Mizukage, she plunged her right hand—charged with Chakra Scalpel—toward her own chest.
However, the blade halted just two centimeters from her chest, unable to penetrate further. "How could..."
Akah chuckled, "Stop struggling. I've already marked you with a cursed seal that prevents self-harm!"
Biting down on her lip with her small teeth, Rin wondered—was even suicide beyond her reach?
"To prevent you from interfering with our plans, better forget these memories for now!"
Seeing him step toward her, Rin helplessly backed away.
"No, please stop!"
Unfortunately, her resistance proved futile in the end.
Soon enough, Rin fell unconscious, eyes vacant.
"This should be sufficient. Any strong emotion will easily break the seal!" Akah laughed sinisterly. "Next comes the moment you're most eager to see—the three-way reunion!"
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