Chapter 94 - Situation in the Mist

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"These guys."

Mitsumi Inoue and Ken Ishida felt a sudden sense of unease as they stared at the hostile gazes of the Kirigakure ninjas before them.

Although Itachi had explained the attack on Kirigakure on the way, they naturally couldn't grasp the implications of the situation.

Several Kirigakure ninjas surrounded Itachi and his companions and led them into the village, acting as if they were under surveillance.

Of course, this treatment wasn't limited to Konohagakure's ninjas.

People from other villages were treated the same way.

While the leaders of the Five Great Ninja Nations believed that Konohagakure was the primary suspect in the Kirigakure attack and the leak of intelligence, no one dared to jump to conclusions without definitive evidence.

By the time the four returned to Kirigakure, it was already the day after the Kaguya clan's attack.

Therefore, when Itachi and his companions crossed the mountain road leading to Kirigakure and arrived at the village, the devastating scene before them cast a darker light on everyone's mood.

Especially as Konohagakure's ninjas, their village had also been attacked five years prior.

While the damage to Kirigakure was certainly not as severe as that suffered by the Wood Release incident, unlike Konohagakure, Kirigakure had no protection for civilians.

Even two days after the attack, many civilians had yet to be properly relocated.

Many villagers remained in front of their damaged or destroyed homes, mourning their lost loved ones with sorrowful expressions.

Kirigakure was now permeated with an atmosphere of grief, weighing heavily on the heart.

The expressions on Izumi, Mitsumi Inoue, and Ken Ishida's faces grew increasingly solemn.

Only Itachi, looking past the devastation, gazed towards the Mizukage Building, the tallest building in Kirigakure.

He knew the true culprit behind this catastrophe.

While he felt some sympathy for the plight of Kirigakure, his experience had hardened his mind more than most.

He had no reason to grieve for other villages or nations.

As Itachi gazed at the Mizukage Building, a flicker of sarcasm suddenly crossed his eyes.

Then, a flicker of compassion vanished in an instant.

Itachi knew that while Kirigakure had indeed paid a heavy price, it was like the light before dawn.

The Fourth Mizukage's years of bloody rule were drawing to a close.

Kirigakure was about to usher in a monumental reform unprecedented in its history.

This village, now seemingly desolate and sorrowful, would eventually see the light of day.

Just as Itachi gazed at the outline of the Mizukage Building through the mist, in the meeting room on the second floor...

"Uchiha Itachi is back," Zetsu said, emerging from the wall.

The masked man didn't respond, and Zetsu couldn't see his expression at that moment, but he knew the shifts in his expression beneath his mask must have been truly spectacular.

Having paid such a heavy price, yet failing to eliminate this ten-year-old boy operating right under their noses, was a profound shame for both the masked man and Akatsuki.

"What are you going to do next?"

Zetsu asked.

Shikaku, Dodai, Baki, and dozens of other ninjas from the four nations were still being held in Kirigakure.

However, even as the Fourth Mizukage, the masked man had no authority to judge them.

While he longed to directly target Konohagakure and undermine the Land of Fire's current position among the Five Great Ninja Nations, he lacked solid evidence and could not bring charges against such a powerful nation and village.

"There's no point in releasing those guys and keeping them here," the masked man said.

"While this plan didn't achieve its original goal and couldn't directly strike at the Land of Fire and Konohagakure, it certainly could create discord between the Five Great Ninja Nations."

"That way, we can quickly divert the attention of the great nations from us, allowing us to carry out our plan."

"We can only wait for another opportunity."

Although Kirigakure's leadership hadn't yet explicitly stated anything, the leaders of the Earth, Lightning, and Wind Nations had already placed their suspicions on Shikaku and his men from Konohagakure.

After all, this plan was devised by Shikaku.

If anyone was most likely to leak information during the joint Chūnin Exams, Konohagakure was undoubtedly far more likely than the other three nations.

"Before they leave Kirigakure, I'll give the Land of Fire and Konohagakure a final blast!"

The masked man said, his eyes cast down, a cold glint in his gaze.

"What Konohagakure is planning," Zetsu declared.

He still hadn't figured out the exact purpose of Kakashi, Shisui, and the others' visit to the Land of Water.

Ever since rescuing Orochimaru, his clone hadn't detected anything unusual within the Land of Water.

This suspicion weighed on the masked man's mind, yet he couldn't understand it.

Led by the Kirigakure ninjas, Itachi and the three members of Team Izumi were taken to the Konohagakure ninjas' custody.

The ninjas from Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure were now separated.

Upon seeing Itachi's safe return, his two teammates, Daisuke Kido and Shinichi Hattori, immediately rushed to him, questioning him with deep concern.

At this point, Shikaku and Inoichi approached.

"What happened that night?"

Shikaku asked Itachi after Daisuke Kido and Shinichi Hattori had parted ways with him.

Itachi's story, of course, was that he had a brief encounter with the Kaguya clan, then found an opportunity to leave the vicinity of Kirigakure.

Normally, this explanation would have worked, given that Kirigakure was under a massive invasion at the time, and returning immediately would have been extremely dangerous.

Izumi, Ken Ishida, and Mitsumi Inoue had also concealed their encounter with Orochimaru outside the Kaguya clan village from Shinku Yuhi due to a previous agreement.

The four simply claimed they met on their way back to Kirigakure.

"That's it," Itachi calmly delivered his prepared explanation.

But he immediately noticed a questioning look in Inoichi's eyes as he finished speaking.

However, Inoichi remained silent.

"As expected."

Itachi had expected such a reaction.

After all, he, Shisui, and Kakashi had used all their strength in the battle against Pain and the others.

At that time, Inoichi had sensed the unusual chakra fluctuations when he used Susanoo, which was normal.

But neither side explained it clearly.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're back safely."

Shikaku chuckled and patted Itachi's shoulders lightly.

Regardless, Itachi resolutely chose to protect his companions at the critical moment.

Even if he concealed some things, it didn't touch Shikaku's bottom line.

With Shikaku's wisdom and having spent so much time with Itachi, he had observed some of his behaviors that were completely inappropriate for someone his age.

He had never said it out loud because of Itachi's response to him when they first met.

And Itachi had always done the same.

He was Uchiha Itachi of Konohagakure.

...

After returning to Kirigakure, Ao suppressed two of his subordinates' plans to visit Iwagakure to confront Deidara's team, citing the pretext of avoiding conflict.

By this time, Shisui's eye technique had already fueled his suspicions about the Fourth Mizukage's true identity.

Shisui's subconscious had already planted the conclusion that the Fourth Mizukage was being manipulated.

However, Ao still needed to find the reasons to deduce this conclusion.

Upon returning to Kirigakure, Ao immediately began to investigate the Fourth Mizukage's reaction to the attack on Kirigakure by the Kaguya clan and members of the Akatsuki organization.

Yagura's unusual behavior only heightened Ao's suspicions.

He also learned that Mei Terumi had overstepped her bounds in the Mizukage Building that day.

Consequently, Ao began investigating Mei Terumi.

Ao soon realized that Mei Terumi's recent ideologies and actions had nearly crossed the Fourth Mizukage's boundaries.

This, however, was good news for him.

So, Ao began trying to contact Mei Terumi.

In Kirigakure, in a small hut on the Terumi clan's territory, on the fourth night after the village was attacked, Ao arranged to meet with Mei Terumi there for a conversation.

The Terumi clan was now a prominent clan within Kirigakure, and Mei Terumi was the only daughter of the clan leader, Ten Terumi.

When Ao entered the hut, Mei Terumi was already waiting.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

Although Mei Terumi held considerable status within Kirigakure, Ao was a Kirigakure senior, much older than her.

Despite being a Kirigakure ninja and the daughter of the Terumi clan leader, she spoke politely.

Ao, with his fiery temper, was straightforward.

He didn't mince words, saying, "I find the Fourth Mizukage's recent actions very strange."

Mei Terumi's expression changed slightly, and the look in her beautiful eyes grew serious.

"That…"

But she didn't refute Ao.

After Mei Terumi began to harbor doubts about Yagura, how could she not investigate?

"From what I've heard, Mizukage-sama's current style and personality are completely different from his past," Ao said.

Yagura was about the same age as Mei Terumi.

While Yagura used to be cautious, his personality was definitely different.

"Although the current policies within Kirigakure are inherited from the previous Mizukage, the Fourth Mizukage's actions were even more ruthless and decisive than the Third. I believe you've already noticed this."

Seeing Mei Terumi's hesitation to respond, Ao was certain that Mei Terumi harbored similar thoughts.

"Yagura wasn't like that before," she nodded.

She had once worked alongside Yagura during Kirigakure's reign under the Third Mizukage.

Yagura was an exceptional ninja, but he was also known for his cheerful disposition.

Without this, how could he have successfully controlled the Three-Tails and become a perfect Jinchūriki?

This shift in personality was indeed puzzling.

Mei Terumi and Ao weren't the only ones who noticed this.

Zabuza Momochi, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure, had once attempted a coup to assassinate the Mizukage, but it ultimately failed.

Now, Ao and Mei Terumi saw it again, and perhaps Zabuza's coup was motivated by his own distaste for the Fourth Mizukage's bloody rule, or perhaps he had sensed something was amiss.

"So," Mei Terumi whispered, gazing at Ao.

Ao took a deep breath and replied, "I suspect the Fourth Mizukage is being manipulated!"

"That's impossible!"

Mei Terumi was shocked, but she didn't completely dismiss Ao's idea.

"If that's the case, then the person controlling the Mizukage could only be…"

Ao said.

"Akatsuki!"

Mei Terumi said, because the battle a few days ago had confirmed that within the mercenary organization known as Akatsuki, someone possessed the legendary eye technique, the Rinnegan.

This person could use the Rinnegan to remotely manipulate corpses and fight.

Mei Terumi had experienced the powerful chakra of Pain.

With such means, even the Fourth Mizukage being manipulated was not impossible.

"In that case," Mei Terumi pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized,

"Then this joint attack on the village by the Kaguya clan and the Akatsuki during the Chūnin Exams was also the work of Akatsuki!"

"It's very likely, because I heard that the guys who attacked Kirigakure were quite powerful."

"Since they had already accepted the commission, why would they retreat when Kirigakure was at a disadvantage?"

Ao explained that the masked man's attack on Kirigakure was intended to sow chaos, but it also left many suspicious points.

These doubts might normally go unnoticed, but Ao and Mei Terumi had already grasped the underlying nature of the matter.

Therefore, all their deductions fell into place.

Mei Terumi carefully recalled the details of that night.

Sasori alone was formidable, and the man who later appeared to aid Sasori was also incredibly powerful.

Then there was Pain, powerful enough to single-handedly defeat the others.

If these people truly desired to destroy Kirigakure, they might be able to do so.

"So, if this conclusion is true," Mei Terumi clenched her hands slowly, anger surging in her beautiful eyes.

If all this were true, then the ninjas of Kirigakure had been toyed with for years by someone, subjected to wanton abuse and trampling without even realizing it.

"Whether this is true or not requires our own personal verification. Regardless of whether it's true or not, this must be done," Ao declared firmly.

"Yes."

Mei Terumi nodded.

Looking at Ao in front of her, she suddenly understood why the latter had come to see her.

Ao said, "I think that if the Fourth Mizukage is being manipulated, then there must be a reason why he has rarely appeared in recent years."

"In any case, the tailed beasts are different from corpses. With the power of the Rinnegan, they may not be easily suppressed."

Mei Terumi agreed with his thoughts and said, "This means that perhaps the person manipulating the Fourth Mizukage has actually been staying nearby this entire time."

"Perhaps this is why he couldn't manipulate the Fourth Mizukage to appear in front of everyone even when Kirigakure was attacked!"

"So, the reason you came to see me today is…"

Ao smiled lightly and said, "If it is really as we deduced, with this right eye, you should be able to learn the truth."

....

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