Nagato pondered slightly.
To be honest, gathering information on the Hidden Mist Village is the most difficult among the Five Great Nations.
Before the First Great Ninja War, the village leader, the Second Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu, emulated Konoha's various systems and policies, establishing the Ninja School and Anbu units, thereby strengthening the Hidden Mist Village's military power. Moreover, the Second Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu consistently advocated a policy of secrecy.
The so-called secrecy policy means implementing absolute secrecy regarding the personal life and Ninja Techniques of ninjas.
This secrecy wasn't just directed towards ninjas from other villages; it even extended to the ninjas within their own village, maintaining a doctrine of absolute secrecy supremacy.
The origins of secrecy began with the Second Mizukage Hozuki Gengetsu and reached its peak under his disciple, the Third Mizukage.
Even though in recent years, under the leadership of the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, this so-called secrecy policy has been somewhat discarded, considering the longstanding practices of the Hidden Mist Village, it's not something that can be undone overnight.
This has also dramatically increased the difficulty for the Akatsuki in obtaining information about the Hidden Mist Village.
Reflecting carefully, ever since the Hidden Mist Village participated in the First Great Ninja War, in the following Second Great Ninja War and Third Great Ninja War, they remained off the stage.
If not for the Fourth Mizukage staging a coup before assuming the role of Mizukage, the other nations would still be completely unaware of the dire situation internally within the Hidden Mist Village.
During the Third Great Ninja War, numerous ninjas were lost across the nations' ninja villages, including the Hidden Mist Village.
The difference is that the other nations' ninja villages suffered losses due to external wars, while the Hidden Mist Village's ninja casualties were purely because of internal conflict.
This is also why the Hidden Mist Village is secretly ridiculed now.
Despite the ridicule, no one dares to underestimate any of the major nation's ninja villages.
In recent years, the Hidden Mist Village has not disappointed, recovering and developing rapidly, with the graduation rate of Ninja School students increasing year by year.
Amidst this favorable situation, the mysterious death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water, alongside Hoshigaki Kisame's defection, becoming an S-Class Renegade Ninja, has brought the isolated Hidden Mist Village and the Land of Water back into the world's spotlight.
In light of this, with the intent of recruiting new members, Nagato had the notion of enlisting Hoshigaki Kisame.
For this, he instructed White Zetsu to gather intelligence on Hoshigaki Kisame, both before and after his defection, as it holds significant reference value.
Having become a Renegade Ninja for not long, he soon turned to work on the Underground Black Market, indicating his current life struggles and lack of financial resources to sustain himself. The Underground Black Market became his only means of livelihood.
But there are still issues.
Nagato frowned and asked, "What's the reason for Hoshigaki Kisame's defection? Have you found out?"
Indeed, the Hidden Mist Village never announced the specific reasons for Hoshigaki Kisame's defection.
Labeled as having an 'unknown' criminal motive, the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Mist Village designated him as an S-Class Renegade Ninja.
To Nagato, this seemed incredibly puzzling.
Surely, there are other secrets hidden in Hoshigaki Kisame's circumstances.
Coincidentally, alongside Hoshigaki Kisame's defection, there was also the mysterious death of the Daimyo of the Land of Water.
The connection between these two events easily leads one to imagine that there must be some inevitable causal relationship.
At least, that's what Nagato believes.
White Zetsu chuckled and said to Nagato, "According to the information I gathered, Hoshigaki Kisame attacked a large number of high-ranking officials of the Land of Water, including the Daimyo, during the time when the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura attended a meeting at the Daimyo's Mansion and was resting."
During the incident, the Daimyo of the Land of Water died on the spot, and several high-ranking officials were severely injured. Fortunately, the timely intervention of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura prevented a greater tragedy."
"And what was his reason for attacking the Daimyo of the Land of Water?"
Nagato asked.
Regarding the causal relationship between these events, anyone keenly observant could find something quite intriguing.
But more than that, Nagato was particularly concerned about why Hoshigaki Kisame attacked the Daimyo of the Land of Water and killed him.
For Nagato, this was extremely important.
White Zetsu pondered briefly and said, "Lord Nagato, you must have heard about the Blood Mist Faction."
The Blood Mist Faction was a factional organization that secretly held considerable power within the Hidden Mist Village before Karatachi Yagura's ascension as the Fourth Mizukage.
They adopted extremely radical strategies, reforming ninjas within the Hidden Mist Village and purging dissidents extensively, resulting in the village being perpetually shrouded in a bloody mist-like murderous aura, ominously summoning misfortune.
However, this faction was eradicated after the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura successfully staged a coup, and now the Blood Mist Faction has vanished without a trace within the Hidden Mist Village.
"Was Hoshigaki Kisame a ninja of the Blood Mist Faction?"
Nagato had heard about the Blood Mist Faction as well.
"Yes. He was originally one of the subordinates of Suikazan Fuguki, a former member of the Seven-swords Ninja. After Suikazan Fuguki's death, he was detained by Yagura. For some unknown reason, he was later released by Yagura and became one of the Seven-swords Ninja of the Hidden Mist Village, wielding the Great Sword Shark Skin. It is said that before his defection, he was one of the Jonin bodyguards around Yagura, enjoying Yagura's trust."
White Zetsu shared the information he had gleaned.
"The Blood Mist Faction, detainment, release, becoming one of the Seven-swords Ninja, trusted by the Mizukage... and then defecting... it's truly an incredibly complex ninja resume."