Kakashi's expression changed slightly, but he remained calm and made no move.
Naruto, however, could no longer hold back.
"Mizukage-sama! Ever since we arrived, you've done nothing but make sarcastic remarks. We're here to help the Hidden Mist Village. We want to fight alongside you against the Akatsuki, yet you keep treating us with hostility. What exactly do you want?"
"As the Mizukage, don't you care about the Hidden Mist Village at all?"
The Mizukage's office instantly fell silent.
Ao, Chojuro, and the Hidden Mist ANBU all looked shocked. Hinata and Suigetsu were equally stunned by Naruto's outburst.
Only Yagura Karatachi remained expressionless.
He stared at Naruto as if trying to see through him.
"Uzumaki Naruto... are you telling me how to do my job?"
Kakashi quickly intervened.
"Mizukage-sama, that's not what he meant—"
Yagura sneered.
"Then what did he mean?"
Hinata nervously tugged on Naruto's sleeve.
"Naruto-kun, please... don't..."
But Naruto stepped forward.
"That's exactly what I mean!"
"As Mizukage, you've allowed the village to fall into chaos!"
"As Mizukage, you don't seem to care about the lives of the Jinchūriki!"
"And instead of focusing on fighting the Akatsuki, you're picking a fight with the people who came here seeking cooperation!"
"I've never heard of a Mizukage like that!"
Kakashi sighed.
He understood Naruto's frustration.
Naruto dreamed of becoming a Kage one day. Seeing someone like Yagura among the Five Kage completely shattered his expectations.
The second issue was even more personal.
As a Jinchūriki himself, Naruto couldn't accept Yagura's apparent indifference toward other Jinchūriki.
Ao finally lost his patience.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Show some respect to Mizukage-sama!"
Yet Yagura merely smiled.
It was a cruel smile, one that looked even more terrifying on his youthful face.
"Excellent, Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Interesting. Very interesting."
Suddenly, a crimson glow appeared in his eyes like burning flames.
Hinata's heart trembled.
Instinctively, she activated her Byakugan and glanced at Yagura.
The moment she saw him, her entire body shuddered.
Her heart pounded wildly, but she forced herself to remain calm.
Yagura seemed to notice her gaze and briefly looked in her direction.
Then he snorted.
"Hmph. You may all leave. I will discuss the Akatsuki matter with the other Kage during the upcoming Kage Summit."
Kakashi nodded.
"Thank you, Mizukage-sama."
A complicated expression appeared on Ao's face.
"I'll escort you out."
He led Kakashi's group from the office.
As soon as they left, Yagura's appearance changed.
His pupils turned blood-red, and three tomoe began spinning rapidly within them.
It was a Sharingan.
The mastermind who had been controlling Yagura through genjutsu finally revealed himself.
"Kakashi Hatake..."
"Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Even that little Hyūga girl is no ordinary ninja."
"Interesting..."
"Very interesting."
"The game has only just begun, Kakashi."
Inside Yagura's mind appeared the image of a mysterious man dressed in black, wearing a hood and a spiral mask.
The man grinned mockingly.
This was "Uchiha Madara."
---
Ao escorted Kakashi's group to an inn where they could rest.
As they walked, he glanced at Hinata several times.
Hinata kept her head lowered.
The shocking discovery she had made moments earlier still filled her with fear.
"Kakashi-sensei, please remain here for now," Ao said.
"Mizukage-sama will convene a Kage Summit. Once a decision is reached, we'll ask you to relay the information to Hokage-sama."
"As for Suigetsu Hōzuki, come with me. I'll take you back to the Hōzuki Clan."
"Understood. Thank you for your help."
"It's nothing."
Suigetsu sighed helplessly and followed Ao.
Even after leaving, Ao couldn't help glancing back at Hinata.
Naturally, Kakashi noticed.
"Hinata, you discovered something, didn't you?"
Naruto immediately leaned forward.
"What is it, Hinata?"
Hinata trembled slightly.
"Kakashi-sensei... Naruto-kun... I sensed something strange earlier, so I secretly activated my Byakugan and examined Mizukage-sama."
"And what I found..."
She paused.
"He isn't acting of his own will."
"What?!"
"He's being controlled by genjutsu."
Kakashi and Naruto were stunned.
"What did you just say?"
Hinata took a deep breath and continued.
"I saw it clearly. His chakra network is extremely chaotic and damaged. The condition is so severe that he's likely been under genjutsu for a very long time."
"Even if the genjutsu were removed now, he probably wouldn't survive."
Kakashi's eyes widened.
If this was true, it was a revelation that could shake the entire ninja world.
"In that case," he said slowly, "the Bloody Mist era may have been the result of a much larger conspiracy."
"Ao's behavior suggests he's already suspected something."
"He possesses a Byakugan as well. It was only a matter of time before he discovered the truth."
Naruto suddenly stood up.
"So you're saying the real Mizukage isn't responsible for any of this?"
"Someone's been controlling him all along?"
Hinata nodded.
"Most likely."
"But who could do something like that?"
"I don't know."
"However, only a handful of people in the entire ninja world possess genjutsu powerful enough to maintain control over someone for years."
Kakashi agreed.
"Especially someone as powerful as the Mizukage."
A name appeared in his mind.
Uchiha Itachi.
But the timeline didn't fit.
Itachi had left Konoha only seven or eight years ago. It seemed unlikely that he had been manipulating Yagura for much longer than that.
Kakashi quickly organized his thoughts.
"Ao definitely knows something."
"If he were completely loyal to the current Mizukage, he would've exposed Hinata the moment he realized she'd discovered the truth."
"But he didn't."
"That means he has other intentions."
"The most likely explanation is that he has already begun investigating the mastermind and searching for a way to save the Mizukage."
Kakashi continued his analysis.
"Yagura isn't just the Mizukage. He's also the Three-Tails Jinchūriki."
"And the organization most interested in capturing Jinchūriki is the Akatsuki."
"Which means the person controlling him is very likely connected to Akatsuki."
"Their goal isn't just to destabilize the Hidden Mist Village."
"They also want access to the Three-Tails whenever they choose."
Naruto listened in admiration.
"As expected of Kakashi-sensei. You figured everything out so quickly."
Kakashi nodded.
"There's no time to waste."
"We need to find Ao."
"Right!"
Now that he understood the situation, Naruto felt much better.
The group immediately left the inn.
However, the Hidden Mist guards refused to reveal Ao's location.
Left with no alternative, Kakashi used Sharingan genjutsu to obtain the information he needed.
Soon, they arrived at Ao's residence.
Ao had just returned Suigetsu to the Hōzuki Clan.
Before either of them could settle in, Kakashi's group burst through the door.
Ao jumped in surprise.
"Kakashi Hatake?!"
"What do you want?"
Kakashi answered firmly.
"Cooperation."
"We want to fight the person controlling Mizukage-sama."
Ao's eyes widened.
"You... what did you just say?"
Before he could finish speaking, chaos erupted outside.
A terrifying killing intent spread through the streets.
The villagers reacted instantly, fleeing as though they were already accustomed to such situations.
Before anyone inside could respond, the front door was kicked open.
A squad of Hidden Mist ANBU stormed inside.
"By order of Mizukage-sama!"
"Ao, traitor of the Hidden Mist Village, you are under arrest!"
"Anyone who interferes will be executed without mercy!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)