Yagura was forced out of his full Tailed Beast transformation after being pummeled by Tsunade and Kitazawa.
Though he hadn't lost consciousness, his strength was gone. The battle was over.
The moment the Three-Tails' chakra vanished, panic rippled through the Hidden Mist camp.
"Save the Mizukage!"
Ao's pupils shrank in shock as he barked the order.
The sight of Tsunade and Kitazawa standing unharmed at the center of the battlefield told him everything—Yagura had been defeated, and utterly so.
Even so, this wasn't the time for disbelief. Yagura had to be saved.
Unfortunately, Ao was still locked in combat with Hiashi. The two were evenly matched—or rather, Ao was slightly on the losing end.
Mei was the first to move. Despite fending off three opponents—Kabuto, Kurenai, and Izumi—none of them were pushing her seriously. The moment she heard Ao's voice, she broke away and rushed toward the fallen Mizukage, several Hidden Mist shinobi following in her wake.
Kitazawa glanced at Kurenai and the others. Once he confirmed they were unharmed, he let out a faint sigh of relief—then smiled slightly.
Zabuza tried to move to Yagura's side, but Itachi appeared before him in a blur, knocking him unconscious with a single strike.
"I discovered something," Kitazawa murmured quietly to Tsunade. "The Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by someone."
"What?"
Tsunade's face froze. For once, she was completely shaken.
A Kage—someone who stood at the very peak of the shinobi world—being controlled? It sounded absurd.
"You're not joking, are you?"
"As you know, I specialize in Genjutsu," Kitazawa said, keeping his tone steady. "I tried to place the Fourth Mizukage under Genjutsu earlier in the fight. It didn't work—not because his will was strong, but because his mind was already bound by someone else."
Tsunade frowned. "He's a perfect Jinchuriki. Genjutsu shouldn't affect him at all—you must have misjudged. The Tailed Beast inside dispels such illusions instantly."
Kitazawa paused, then countered softly, "What if the Genjutsu is powerful enough to control both the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast?"
"That's impossible," Tsunade said sharply, shaking her head. "No such Genjutsu exists."
"Actually…" Kitazawa hesitated for a moment before reminding her, "The Nine-Tails Rampage."
He couldn't mention the Mangekyo Sharingan outright—not without revealing too much—but that single reference was enough.
"The Nine-Tails Rampage…" Tsunade muttered, eyes narrowing. "You mean—the same mysterious enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails back then?"
"Possibly," Kitazawa said simply. "I'm only suggesting the possibility."
"If what you're saying is true," Tsunade murmured, her expression turning grim, "then the Fourth Mizukage's sudden declaration of war makes sense. This mysterious enemy's goal… must be to weaken Konoha."
Kitazawa blinked, caught off guard by how close she was to the truth. Though not entirely correct, it was accurate enough.
Controlling Yagura and unleashing the Nine-Tails—both were the work of Uchiha Obito.
"Mm," he said with a nod.
Informing Tsunade now wasn't a bad idea. When she became Hokage, Konoha could be better prepared.
Later, he could "discover" the Akatsuki's movements and leak the information to her under the guise of intelligence gathering. In war, information was everything—and with enough of it, even the Akatsuki weren't invincible.
The real challenge would be Nagato and his Rinnegan—a nightmare of stats and abilities combined. Still, Konoha had its own trump card: Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
But that was for the future.
"It's disgraceful," Tsunade finally said, her voice sharp with anger. "Konoha and the Hidden Mist were made to fight each other because of some unseen manipulator!"
She took a deep breath, then shouted, "Everyone, stop fighting!"
Kitazawa couldn't help a faint smile. As expected.
The moment Tsunade realized the war was being orchestrated, she ended it without hesitation. Continuing to fight would only serve the enemy's purpose.
Though Konoha held the upper hand, victory would still come with heavy casualties—ones they no longer needed to bear.
Hearing Tsunade's order, the Konoha shinobi immediately disengaged, retreating to form a defensive line.
The Mist forces, desperate to tend to their fallen Mizukage, made no move to continue the battle.
"Consider yourself lucky," Hiashi said coolly to Ao before walking toward Tsunade.
Within moments, both armies stood apart once again—glaring across the sea, tense but unmoving.
Only Kitazawa seemed calm amidst the confusion.
"Kitazawa," Tsunade said, her tone low but clear. "Explain it to them."
He stepped forward. "Didn't any of you notice something strange about your Mizukage?"
Ao's heart clenched. Of course they had noticed Yagura's erratic behavior. They just hadn't known why.
"The Fourth Mizukage was under Genjutsu," Kitazawa said bluntly. "Everything he's done wasn't his own will."
"Impossible!" Ao shouted reflexively.
Mei and the others looked equally stunned.
If what Kitazawa said was true, it meant they had been taking orders from an imposter this whole time—throwing away lives for a false cause. The thought made their stomachs twist.
"You have the Byakugan," Kitazawa said evenly. "See for yourself. Look at the chakra flow in his brain."
Genjutsu, after all, worked by manipulating the target's senses and chakra pathways—especially the neural ones.
If Yagura truly was under Genjutsu, there would be traces—foreign chakra clustered in his head.
Ao activated his Byakugan and focused on Yagura's chakra network.
A moment later, his expression froze. His body trembled slightly.
'It's true.'
He could see it—a distinct mass of foreign chakra embedded deep in the Mizukage's brain.
"W-What did you find?" Mei asked cautiously, her voice unsteady.
Ao's lips parted slowly. "It's… true."
Mei took an involuntary step back. Around her, the Mist shinobi began murmuring in disbelief.
Their loyalty, their sacrifices—their war—it had all been a lie.
Ao approached the fallen Yagura and swiftly formed hand seals, dispelling the Genjutsu.
The Mizukage didn't resist.
When the illusion broke, his body stilled—and memories came flooding back.
Every action, every order he'd given under control—every death it caused—played before his eyes.
His expression twisted.
He was the Mizukage. He was supposed to protect the Hidden Mist.
Instead, under someone's control, he had driven it into ruin—turning the "Village of the Bloody Mist" into something even worse.
Countless shinobi had perished. Especially those of Kekkei Genkai clans.
Because of him, the Hidden Mist had lost nearly a third of its strength.
"Mizukage-sama…" Ao let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm not fit to be Mizukage," Yagura said after a moment of silence. "Once this war is over, a new Mizukage should be chosen immediately."
Ao hesitated.
In truth, Yagura hadn't done anything wrong. His only crime was being too weak to resist the control of another. But who in the entire Hidden Mist could have done better? Even as the village's strongest shinobi, he had been turned into a puppet.
And yet, because of that control, the Mist had suffered devastating losses. Continuing to lead would indeed be inappropriate.
Drawing a steady breath, Yagura straightened his posture. He was still the Fourth Mizukage—for now—and it was his duty to clean up the wreckage left behind.
Especially this war. It had to end.
"Tsunade," Yagura said, lifting his gaze. "The Hidden Mist Village is willing to surrender."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In a short while, the Hidden Mist will send a delegation to Konoha to discuss peace terms," Yagura continued. "It's impossible to treat what happened as a mere misunderstanding. We'll accept responsibility—admit defeat, negotiate, and pay reparations if necessary."
It was the only path left.
If they dragged the war on any longer, Konoha would simply crush them until they begged for mercy.
Tsunade finally nodded. "Very well. Then this war ends here."
Her tone was calm, but there was a hint of satisfaction beneath it.
She respected Yagura's honesty, though sympathy had little place between enemy villages. Konoha had suffered heavy losses too, and those lives demanded recompense.
War consumed resources. It devoured money, time, and lives — and all of that had to be balanced in the peace talks to come.
Konoha had won. The victor always claimed the spoils.
"Please treat our captured shinobi well," Yagura said after a pause. "We'll arrange for their exchange soon."
"Of course," Tsunade replied with a nod.
Yagura gave a faint bow. "And… thank you, Tsunade, for realizing the truth in time."
Though Konoha had dealt them terrible losses, without Tsunade's intervention he would still be trapped under another's control—and far worse might have followed.
"This person who manipulated us both," Tsunade said, folding her arms, "is a common enemy to Konoha and the Hidden Mist alike."
Yagura nodded. "Then let's share information between our villages. We may uncover the truth faster that way."
"No objection," Tsunade agreed immediately. Two great villages working together would expose the enemy far sooner.
"Then we'll take our leave."
Yagura turned toward Ao and Mei Terumī. His voice softened. "I've caused you both enough trouble."
"Mizukage-sama," Mei said, shaking her head, "we're all shinobi of the Hidden Mist. There's no need for apologies. What matters now is ending this war—and finding the one who controlled you."
"…Let's go home," Yagura said quietly, steeling himself.
They gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades and began the long march back to the Mist camp.
The captured shinobi, like Zabuza, would have to endure a while longer.
"Lady Tsunade."
Shizune hurried up to her. "How are you all holding up?"
"I feel better than ever," Tsunade replied with a faint, confident smile.
Shizune blinked in surprise. She could tell immediately—Tsunade's hemophobia was gone. Completely. Otherwise, she never could've fought Yagura so fiercely.
And with Kitazawa safe beside her, it felt like two miracles at once.
"Kitazawa!"
Kurenai rushed forward and grabbed his hand.
"I'm fine," he reassured her with a soft smile.
"This isn't the place to talk," Tsunade interjected. "Let's return to the main camp first."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Hiashi and Itachi replied together.
They set off.
Before they even reached the Konoha main camp, Shikaku and his team arrived to meet them.
"Shikaku," Tsunade ordered, "call all Jōnin to the main tent for a meeting—and cancel all active war missions."
Shikaku froze for a heartbeat, then a knowing grin crossed his face.
If missions were being called off, that could only mean one thing: the war was over.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," he said quickly, moving to relay her orders.
Tsunade pushed open the flap of the main tent. "We'll wait inside."
Within minutes, the tent was filled with Jōnin.
Tsunade stood before them, her expression steady. "I have an announcement. The Hidden Mist Village has voluntarily surrendered."
A ripple of confusion spread through the tent.
"Surrender? You mean… the war's over?"
"That suddenly?"
"So… we won?"
The reactions were mixed—shock, disbelief, then dawning relief.
"Shizune," Tsunade said, "fill everyone in."
Shizune stepped forward and explained everything—from Kitazawa's ambush to his battle with Yagura, to the revelation that the Mizukage had been under a Genjutsu's control.
By the time she finished, the room was silent.
It sounded like fiction—a story too wild to believe. But everyone there knew better than to doubt Tsunade.
"Everyone fought admirably," Tsunade said after a pause. "Once we return to the village, the Hokage will ensure that all deserving shinobi are rewarded accordingly."
Her gaze shifted toward Kitazawa. "Especially him. None of this would've ended so quickly without his actions."
Hiashi, Shikaku, and even Yashiro nodded in agreement.
Kitazawa's contributions were undeniable.
He had defeated powerful Mist shinobi like Ameyuri Ringo, Suikazan Fuguki, and Kisame Hoshigaki.
He had led his team through more high-risk missions than any other squad.
And tonight, he had stood against the Fourth Mizukage himself and uncovered the Genjutsu behind it all.
"Shikaku, spread the word," Tsunade said. "And have a message sent to the Hokage immediately."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
"Everyone, get some rest," she added with a faint smile. "You've earned it."
The meeting dispersed. Soon, only Kitazawa remained.
"Kitazawa," Tsunade said softly, studying him. "Thank you."
He blinked. "Why are you thanking me? If you hadn't arrived when you did, I'd have been fish food by now."
"I meant… for curing my hemophobia."
Her eyes wavered for a moment, and she looked away.
"That was mostly Yakumo's doing," Kitazawa said.
"I know whose doing it was..." Tsunade smirked faintly. "Now go get some rest."
"Mhm."
Kitazawa turned toward the exit.
"Kitazawa!"
Kurenai was waiting at the tent's entrance, along with Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi.
"It's over," he said with a smile. "Go get some proper sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
"Yes, sensei!" Kabuto and the others replied in unison. Relief washed over their faces.
"You scared me half to death tonight," Kurenai huffed, elbowing him lightly.
"Sorry," Kitazawa chuckled. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
Her cheeks flushed instantly. She understood what he meant—and glared to hide it. "Stop teasing and get some sleep!"
She turned away quickly, burrowing under her blanket.
That night, while the camp slowly quieted, many couldn't bring themselves to sleep.
After two and a half grueling months of war, they had finally won.
Excitement buzzed through every tent.
Soon, rewards would be handed out. Families reunited. Peace restored.
And as the Konoha camp exhaled in collective relief, a team of Anbu silently departed under the moonlight—heading back to the Hidden Leaf with news that would shake the entire shinobi world.
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