Chapter 266: The Fifth Mizukage!
Back and forth it went, and the gap in numbers between the two sides began to widen. Even many shinobi who, after clarifying the situation, wanted to support Ao, could not help but stop in their tracks when they saw the familiar faces behind Kukurīn and the fact that his numbers were nearly double those of Ao's side.
"Stand on my side, Ao. Does the famous 'Byakugan Killer' truly wish to kneel and surrender to a Konoha shinobi?" Kukurīn cast a somewhat fervent glance at Ao's eyepatch; behind that patch lay the legendary Byakugan.
That was a trophy Ao had seized during the Third Shinobi World War through a chance encounter where he captured a member of the Hyūga clan's Main House. To achieve this, he had single-handedly crushed a mixed squad of Hyūga Chūnin and Jōnin, earning himself the nickname "Byakugan Killer."
The only pity was that the Byakugan of the Hyūga Branch House would be automatically sealed by the Caged Bird Curse Mark, and that Main House member had not forgotten to destroy his own eyes before dying; Ao had ultimately only managed to snatch one eye.
This Byakugan was quite famous even within the shinobi world, and Konoha had even placed a specific bounty on Ao because of it. The boost the Byakugan gave to Ao's strength was considerable; his ability to become a standout among elite Jōnin was inextricably linked to this eye.
It was only natural for Kukurīn to be interested in Ao's Byakugan. If a Taijutsu-type shinobi like him could obtain it, it would...if not exactly adding wings to a tiger...greatly enhance his combat power.
However, now was not the time to plot for the eye. Although the supporters behind Ao were not as numerous, there was another elite Jōnin besides Ao himself. Add to that the fact that the troublesome woman, Mei Terumī, could arrive at any moment, Kukurīn didn't have much confidence in steadily taking down these "weak" fellows in a real fight.
One could mock them for being weak verbally, but in a life-and-death struggle, no matter how weak the enemy, their blades would still be lethal!
"You simply don't understand what you're doing!" Ao could no longer tell if his clothes were soaked by rain or cold sweat. Had he known Kukurīn's group would be this stubborn...willing to drag all the Mist shinobi to their deaths...he would have struck first to take Kukurīn down, even at the risk of civil war. "That monster is simply not an opponent that human power can challenge. Continued resistance is nothing but dying for nothing!"
Both shocked and furious, Ao even went so far as to suggest a one-on-one "Blood Duel" with Kukurīn. This was a method of resolving conflicts that had been quite popular in the "Bloody Mist" past.
As long as both parties agreed, they could begin a one-on-one fight to the death; naturally, the dead would no longer argue with the living.
Unfortunately, Kukurīn was not about to take a risk when his side held the advantage. He was indeed a genuine Mist Jōnin, but compared to the "Byakugan Killer" Ao, he was still lacking quite a bit.
"So, you want the Mist shinobi to bow their heads and surrender to a Konoha shinobi?" Kukurīn dug his heels into the position of opposition between the Mist and Konoha. Even the majority of Mist shinobi who had chosen to remain neutral now looked at Ao with gazes tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Mist shinobi, renowned for their cold-bloodedness and cruelty, naturally looked down upon the "greenhouse flowers" of Konoha. Even though Uchiha Ikeizumi had already single-handedly trampled the dignity of the Hidden Mist Village under his feet, it was difficult to change the self-righteous mindset of the Mist shinobi in such a short time.
"You cowards! If you don't dare face the Konoha shinobi, then get lost! Don't get in our way of avenging the Mizukage-sama!"
"If you ask me, it's better to just kill them! If it weren't for these weaklings holding us back, how would a Konoha shinobi dare invade the Land of Water!"
"Move aside, Ao! Do you insist on being Konoha's lapdogs?!"
Without waiting for Kukurīn to continue his verbal assault, the conservative Mist shinobi could no longer restrain themselves and began shouting abuse. A few hot-tempered individuals had already drawn their blades, ready to act.
The Mist shinobi on Ao's side were not to be outdone and drew their weapons one after another. What had been a mere atmosphere of drawn swords and bent bows now crossed directly into the realm of clashing steel.
"Lava Style: Scorching Stream Prison!"
But just as the battle was about to break out, a large mass of highly corrosive acid fell from the sky, landing right between the two camps. Like a moat, it completely separated the two sides.
"Dammit!" Kukurīn couldn't help but curse inwardly. This signature Kekkei Genkai...Lava Style...meant the opponent's strong reinforcement had arrived. Even though Mei Terumī was only one person, she excelled at wide-range area attacks and could hold back several Jōnin squads at the very least.
With this, the balance of power that had finally been tipped was restored. Even if Kukurīn wanted to risk taking action, he had to consider whether Mei Terumī and Ao would target him first.
"What's the situation, Ao?" A drenched Mei Terumī landed beside Ao. With just a glance, she realized the situation was likely worse than she had imagined.
"It's like this..." Seeing Mei Terumī arrive, Ao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly recounted the disagreement between himself and Kukurīn. However, Ao had no intention of embellishing the story; there was no fundamental difference between his and Kukurīn's thinking.
The only difference was that Ao believed the Mist currently lacked the capability to oppose Uchiha Ikeizumi and needed to compromise first, waiting for an opportunity to launch a settlement later.
Kukurīn, on the other hand, felt that the Mist had the ability to drive away Uchiha Ikeizumi on its own and thus rejected the idea of "feigning compliance," wanting to lead the surviving Mist shinobi directly into a desperate struggle against Ikeizumi.
After hearing Ao's explanation, Mei Terumī felt a splitting headache. The classic conservative thought the radical was too conservative. That rhetoric she had casually fabricated was only meant to reduce the Mist shinobi's antagonistic feelings, but to her surprise, Ao had actually taken it for the truth.
Worse yet, even this "fake plan" was being rejected without hesitation by the conservatives led by Kukurīn. If they were to find out that she planned to be a "Mist Traitor"...handing over everyone who had committed unforgivable crimes to Uchiha Ikeizumi for judgment...even Genji's prestige likely wouldn't be enough to protect her.
"Hey! Gonbei, why aren't you guarding Elder Genji?" At this moment, in Kukurīn's camp, a Jōnin suddenly noticed that Mei Terumī had not come alone, and an ominous premonition instantly sprouted within him.
"Shall I announce it now, Lady Mei Terumī?" Gonbei ignored the Mist Jōnin and instead consulted Mei with great respect. Upon receiving her consent, he carefully took the string of prayer beads from his breast pocket. "In the name of Elder Genji, I support Lady Mei Terumī in becoming the Fifth Mizukage!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the noisy voices immediately vanished. Everyone present stared dumbfounded at the prayer beads in Gonbei's hand; no one had expected that the consistently aloof Genji would suddenly announce his support for Mei Terumī as the Mizukage!