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Three days later.
Hidden Mist.
Even in broad daylight, the center of the Village, still shrouded in a hazy mist, was filled with a massive, dark crowd of people, holding high various placards, shouting the same slogans in unison, and marching along the newly built concrete road within the Hidden Mist Village.
Noisy and chaotic sounds filled the entire street.
"We want jobs!"
"Drive out Konoha's malicious high-paying enterprises!"
"Let automated machines return the assembly lines to the workers!"
"Local assets are everything to Hidden Mist!"
"Oppose the Fourth Mizukage's introduction of foreign assets!"
A mighty stream of people gathered there, shouting all kinds of slogans non-stop, even the surrounding shops that were still open stopped doing business, peeking out from both sides of the street to look at these tall, strong young people, their gazes either admiring or disgusted.
Most, however, were just watching the show.
As for the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, the protagonist of this public opinion, he stood on the top floor of the newly built Mizukage Building, calmly looking down at the dense crowd gathered on the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Have you found out who organized these people?"
"Fourth Mizukage, it was funded by several large merchant guilds, led by the Gato Group from the Land of Water, five hundred Ryo per person. Originally, many more civilians in the lower district also participated, but they were driven away by several gangs from the lower district. This time, the orders from those Gato guys were all taken by them."
"Sigh."
Yagura Karatachi looked at the tall, strong young people on the street, many of whom bore scars, and inexplicably let out a long sigh.
Standing beside him, Biwa Jūzō, who had Samehada on his back, looked at the weary man with a look of great pity.
Seven years had passed, and Yagura Karatachi had transformed from the somewhat childish boy he once was into a child with a more mature demeanor.
Although he still appeared very young, Biwa Jūzō had grown accustomed to this childlike leader after seeing him for so long.
Since 'That Person' took office as Mizukage seven years ago and began the economic and military reforms of Hidden Mist, actively introducing external capital and guiding the Hidden Mist internal market towards active competition, the various enterprises in Hidden Mist Village have indeed undergone significant changes under the pressure of foreign capital.
The greatest pressure, naturally, came from the various unicorn companies from Konoha.
During this process of change, many Ninja of Hidden Mist also saw the gradual changes occurring in the Village through the economic reforms of the Fourth Mizukage, thereby gradually forming the 'Hidden Mist Reformist Faction' led by the Fourth Mizukage.
Biwa Jūzō was one of the leaders of the 'Reformist Faction'.
As for their adversaries, it goes without saying that they were the old conservative Bloodline Faction of Hidden Mist Ninja clans—the same people who controlled Hidden Mist's major bulk products.
Compared to the conflict between the Third Mizukage and the Ninja clans back then, the current Fourth Mizukage's conflict with these Ninja clans was no longer a matter of personal grudges, but a life-and-death crisis for the survival of their families.
In just seven short years, Biwa Jūzō had witnessed no less than twenty assassination attempts on the Mizukage, and the actual number was certainly only higher.
At the same time, the Mizukage also had to endure much misunderstanding due to the growing pains caused by the Village's economic reforms.
Whether it was 'Konoha's spy', 'Sawara's lackey', 'Hidden Mist's greatest traitor', 'Hidden Mist's genius executioner'... all the ill repute was heaped upon this man who dedicated everything to Hidden Mist.
—These were clearly fake, just by listening!
As a member of the Hidden Mist Reformist Faction, Biwa Jūzō knew better than anyone what kind of person the Mizukage was!
Moreover, Yagura is now the true Fourth Mizukage.
Could Konoha possibly have a way to bribe the head of an entire country?
Nonsense.
However, from this public opinion, one could see just how formidable the opponent the 'Reformist Faction' was facing.
So much so that the acts of defiance appearing below the Mizukage Building were merely minor incidents in Biwa Jūzō's eyes.
The only thing they needed to be wary of was the Kaguya Clan, the power behind the Gato Group.
Now, looking at the surging crowd downstairs, Yagura Karatachi's brows furrowed tightly.
He was not troubled by the protests of the populace.
Rather, it was the attitude displayed by the Kaguya Clan's action.
Slander, public opinion, assassination, protest...
With these steps unfolding, how much time was left until a full-scale civil war in Hidden Mist Village?
The two remained silent for a while before Biwa Jūzō cautiously asked:
"Fourth Mizukage, should I send Hidden Mist Anbu to disperse them?"
"No, there's no need."
Yagura Karatachi slowly shook his head.
No matter what, he had to find a way to maintain the current situation.
Even if he was assassinated or slandered, at least he had to maintain a stalemate with the Ninja clans.
For now, he had not received the order to go to war.
Seeing the Fourth Mizukage's 'swallowing his anger' expression, Biwa Jūzō's lips, outlined by the crimson grid, twitched, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
The Fourth Mizukage had truly sacrificed too much for Hidden Mist.
Just as Yagura was about to say something more to ease the current conflict, a Hidden Mist Anbu, completely enveloped in a white robe, suddenly appeared from the other side, silently handing a letter towards Yagura.
Seeing the swift movement, Biwa Jūzō gave the Anbu an extra look.
'What a masterful silent step, even I didn't detect him in advance.'
'Is this the rumored special operations unit, comprised entirely of Jonin, that only takes orders from Yagura?'
Yagura Karatachi, still with a troubled expression, reached out and took the letter.
However, upon opening the envelope, his expression suddenly froze, and a bright, dazzling light seemed to flicker in his previously downcast eyes, as if his entire being had come alive from within.
"Jūzō!"
"At your service."
Biwa Jūzō immediately knelt on one knee.
Yagura Karatachi's voice suddenly rose by half a note, and he straightened his back: "Go find someone, and chop up Gato and those gangs involved in this matter, and their entire families, for me."
Biwa Jūzō was startled by the words and instinctively said:
"Not a single one left?"
"Yes, kill them all."
Yagura Karatachi, who always had a somber expression, suddenly showed a bloody smile on his slightly childish, innocent face, and gritted his teeth:
"Besides that, after you finish your work tonight, immediately return to the old place and gather all members of the Reformist Faction, and prepare your armaments… I have an operation to announce."
"..."
Biwa Jūzō's eyes widened this time.
However, after his brain processed the meaning of the words, he immediately agreed excitedly, shouting:
"Yes!"
However, his gaze was now fixed on the letter in the Fourth Mizukage's hand, incredibly curious about its contents.
What could it be that gave the Fourth Mizukage such confidence?
With this question in mind, suppressing the excitement in his heart, Biwa Jūzō strode out the door.
Damn it, they should have done this a long time ago!
A dark, misty night, perfect for murder and arson.
Hidden Mist Ninja work, nothing else, just efficiency!
Yagura Karatachi's order was issued this morning, and by five in the afternoon on the same day, before the people in the Mizukage Building had even left work, the heads of the Gato Group's merchant guild members and their entire families were neatly displayed in front of the protesting crowd.
Several of the more observant gang members with sharp eyes immediately spotted a few heads among them that looked strikingly similar to their bosses, even nine-tenths alike.
The smart ones immediately ran away, and those who weren't as quick-witted, seeing the crowd around them dwindling, also started to run.
The only ones left were a few of the dumber stooges, who were conveniently rounded up by the Hidden Mist Anbu who came to clean up, becoming the 'human witnesses' to prove that these heads were indeed guilty.
However.
At this moment, neither the Hidden Mist Reformist Faction nor the Bloodline Faction had any mind to pay attention to the lives of these minor figures.
The constantly aggressive Bloodline Faction was utterly confused, unable to understand why their previous series of actions had failed to provoke the usually mild-tempered Fourth Mizukage, yet a mere protest had drawn such thunderous wrath.
The Reformist Faction's actions were much more decisive.
"...From the day I personally took over the position of Mizukage from the Third Mizukage, I have been trying to change this Village."
"In these seven years, we have opened markets, reformed real estate, supported industries, and built roads. This is not the achievement of me, the Fourth Mizukage, alone, but the crystallization of the efforts of everyone present, of all laborers."
"These seven years, I have walked on thin ice."
"But we can still see that the current state of Hidden Mist is still so unbearable."
"As the largest military force in Hidden Mist, the various Ninja Clans, relying on the patronage of their ancestors, monopolize knowledge, monopolize bloodlines, monopolize land, monopolize food, and monopolize everything in our lives, wrapping the entire Hidden Mist in their thick shackles."
At this point, Yagura Karatachi, standing at the head of the secret chamber, suddenly fell silent, leaving a suffocating void in the room.
All the Hidden Mist Reformist members below looked at him in silence.
Under the speech just now, their emotions had already been ignited, ignited by the unbearable realities they saw in their lives, spewed from the mouth of the Fourth Mizukage.
They originally joined the Hidden Mist Reformist because they wanted to change this.
However, now the highest official of Hidden Mist, the leader of the Reformist, personally admitted their powerlessness.
This did not make them think Yagura Karatachi was weak; in fact, quite the opposite.
Fire burned in their eyes.
So, Yagura Karatachi slammed the table and shouted loudly:
"Gentlemen! Hidden Mist should not be like this!"
"How can we manage Hidden Mist well with these insects?!"
"There is only one path now!"
Almost at the same instant Yagura Karatachi shouted this sentence.
The members of the Hidden Mist Reformist below could no longer hold back, and like a pack of wolves, with crimson eyes, they raised their right fists and roared loudly:
"Kill them all—!!"
So, Yagura Karatachi also raised his right fist and roared with everyone:
"Kill them all!"
In just three hours, Yagura Karatachi completed the most thorough mobilization and military preparations.
At 4:30 AM that day, three hundred and twenty Hidden Mist Reformist Ninja stormed into the Kaguya Clan compound in the center of Hidden Mist Village.
The Hidden Mist civil war had begun.
"Kill—!"
Crimson roars vibrated eardrums, and under the night, silver blades cut a cruel arc in mid-air, bringing up splashes of flying blood.
The Kaguya Clan, as one of the foremost great clans in the entire Hidden Mist Village, and also one of the leaders of the Hidden Mist Bloodline Faction, had a quite abundant number of clansmen, and their compound had long been built into a city within a city inside Hidden Mist Village.
However, under the assault of these more than three hundred people, hundreds, even thousands, of Kaguya Ninja failed to immediately form military formations and coordinate with each other.
The Kaguya Ninja, who rushed into the ranks with piecemeal tactics like gourds saving their grandfather, mostly ended up lying flat faster than they arrived, their ear-piercing battle cries shaking heaven and earth, but all were confined within the range of a gigantic barrier.
Outside, it was still a silent night.
Among these more than three hundred people, the most outstanding in terms of battle results were none other than the members of the 'Fourth Mizukage Special Action Squad,' who always stayed on the periphery, wearing white robes and masks, looking extremely iconic.
"Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
The flying finger bones cut delicate pure white traces across the dark night, moving as fast as real bullets.
However, the 'Special Action Squad' member in front merely shifted his body and easily avoided the ten finger bones that swept across in a net-like crisscross.
"What?!"
The Kaguya Jonin first froze, then his keen gaze noticed the three-tomoe crimson eyes embedded in the shadow of the mask, sheltered by the night, rapidly rotating.
His expression couldn't help but stiffen, and his brain suddenly recalled some extremely terrifying memories.
"You are—Konoha's Uchiha?!"
Before he could speak further, the 'Special Action Squad' member, whose identity was exposed, had already lunged forward, a Kunai held reversed in his hand, his body invading the Kaguya Jonin's close proximity at an incredibly fast speed, while his eyes widened.
"Demonic Illusion: Sharingan!"
With just a momentary gaze, the Kaguya Jonin immediately lost consciousness, even his charging steps faltered twice, and then a Kunai was immediately stabbed into his throat, severing his windpipe.
Before the opponent's body could fall, he had already rushed towards another person, his Sharingan wide.
"Puff, puff puff!"
Uchiha Fugaku expressionlessly dealt with opponents who should have died long ago, while his mind was thinking about other things.
It had been four full years since he was specially dispatched by Sawara to Hidden Mist Village to carry out this 'S-rank secret mission.' He had only been able to return to the Village a few times for sporadic rotations, and even then, it required high Concealment. He couldn't even go home for his son Itachi's third birthday this year. This job was truly very arduous.
But to be honest, when he learned that the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was a Konoha native, and that he was going to be a subordinate of this 'undercover agent,' he was truly startled.
Even now, he doesn't understand how Lord Sawara managed it.
Of course, those things are no longer important.
Now, his most important mission is to find that monster code-named 'Kimimaro' in the Kaguya Clan compound.
As long as he can dig out and kill that monster, his mission will be completed.
As for what Hidden Mist will become afterward?
That's none of his business.
It's just, where exactly is that thing hidden?
"Watch out for the barrier—!"
Almost at the same instant the warning sounded.
"Boom!!"
A violent explosion suddenly pierced the eardrums of everyone present.
However, Uchiha Fugaku's expression suddenly stiffened. He turned his head to look in the direction where the barrier was discovered, and immediately changed direction.
A barrier means there are defenses, and there are only a few places within a great Ninja Clan that are worth guarding with a barrier!
Uchiha Fugaku was not the only one to realize this; Yagura Karatachi also reacted and loudly commanded: "Except for the Kaguya clan Head, those who surrender will not be killed!"
"The rest of you, follow me!"
As he spoke and commanded, several very brave Reformist members had already rushed into the burning architectural ruins without looking back.
However, before their figures could disappear into the deep shadows, sharp white bones, as if stretched several times longer in one breath, pierced through bodies like spears, leaving only a single shrill wail.
Yagura Karatachi looked up and saw the Kaguya Clan Head's face flash past a window in the building's corridor.
As the Clan Head of the Kaguya Clan, to come to such a building at such a critical moment, what this meant was already self-evident.
"Catch him!"
With this shout, more and more manpower rushed into the depths of the building, and the sound of footsteps and clashing metal became increasingly dense.
Uchiha Fugaku was among the first group, his crimson Sharingan completely ignoring other Kaguya clansmen, his full attention fixed on the Kaguya clan Head's back.
But gradually, he seemed to feel some invisible threat and slightly furrowed his brow.
"Underground! He went deeper underground!"
While loudly warning his 'Hidden Mist colleagues' beside him, he inadvertently feigned a look of exhaustion, blocking everyone in front of him.
After turning another flight of stairs, in the deepest, dark underground, only an open steel door remained.
For some reason, the moment he saw that empty door, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and he almost instinctively took half a step back.
"Thud."
The next moment, the Kaguya clan Head, who had just rushed headlong into the underground, was suddenly thrown out, crashing heavily against the opposite wall, splashing a large amount of crimson blood.
Uchiha Fugaku's gaze was delayed for a moment before he realized that what was thrown out was only the upper half of the Kaguya clan Head's body.
That ominous premonition grew stronger, and even the surrounding Mist Ninja seemed to sense something amiss.
"This, what exactly is this place…"
Only now did they remember to ask what this place was.
Suddenly.
"Boom!!"
Soaring high-temperature steam continuously diffused, and along with it, a tide of white bones, like a forest, surged out from inside the steel door.
In an instant, it engulfed the entire third basement level, and at the same time, it was rapidly surging up the stairs.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Fugaku suddenly cursed.
What the hell is this thing?!
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