"Third Mizukage?"
Yagura, who had been burning with anger but forced to swallow it down, froze for a moment.
Following Garp's gaze, he turned toward the unremarkable Mist shinobi standing off to the side.
Under Yagura's probing stare, the Mist shinobi didn't speak. His body suddenly erupted into a billowing surge of white mist.
A moment later, a tall figure with long hair, eyes closed, and the bearing of a noble heir from one of the great nations emerged before everyone.
"It really is the Third Mizukage!"
Yagura stared hard at the Third Mizukage. Whatever he recalled made his youthful face turn dark, even murderous.
As a candidate for Mizukage, he naturally wasn't stupid.
The matter of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen…
Byakuren' second life…
With the Third Mizukage appearing in this manner, he couldn't help thinking in a very grim direction.
"Since I left the mountains, the voices I've heard most often are all about your generation's Five Kage.
The strongest Kazekage in Suna's history, the strongest Raikage in Kumo's history, the strongest Third Hokage from Konoha, Onoki of the Iwagakure… each title louder than the last.
Compared with the names of my era, yours rings far more brightly.
But you… compared to the other Kage of this era, all bearing the title of 'strongest,' you alone are described as… ordinary.
Many even say you're the one member of the Third-generation Five Kage included just to make up the numbers, the bottom of the roster."
Garp's gaze remained fixed on the Third Mizukage, who was cutting through the crowd step by step toward him.
"Just to make up the numbers?"
"The weakest of the Five?"
"Our Mizukage-sama is not so worthless…"
Whether it was Yagura, who had originally been displeased with the Third Mizukage, or the other Mist shinobi present, all of them looked furious after hearing Garp's words.
As shinobi of Kirigakure, none of them were willing to hear their Kage dismissed as insignificant.
"I wonder then… in your eyes, what kind of Kage am I?"
The Third Mizukage waved his hand, suppressing the voices of every Mist shinobi.
Even Yagura, who had grievances against him, fell silent.
At that moment, all the Mist shinobi, and even the Konoha shinobi who had chased after Garp, turned to him.
"You're the only real standout among the new generation Kage, the Mizukage second only to Byakuren in the entire history of Kirigakure."
Garp's casual words dropped into the crowd like torpedoes into a lake, sending waves surging among both Konoha and Mist shinobi.
"Our Third Mizukage… is that incredible?"
Led by Yagura, the Mist shinobi were all stunned.
Though none of them wanted the Third Mizukage to be considered mediocre, they had to admit that compared to the Third Hokage, Third Kazekage, Third Tsuchikage, and Third Raikage, their own Third Mizukage's fame and accomplishments were indeed a tier lower.
"What on earth did the Third Mizukage do?"
"To be evaluated even higher than Hiruzen?"
Tsunade and Orochimaru exchanged a glance and each saw astonishment reflected in the other's eyes.
After witnessing the might of the First-generation Five Kage, and Garp, whose power surpassed even that level, they both understood that the title "Strongest Hokage in history" carried by Hiruzen contained… a great deal of water.
They themselves had privately laughed about it more than once.
Still, in their eyes, Hiruzen's standing was impressive only in comparison to the other Kage of this generation and monsters like Garp, one of the Three Legends of the Warring States Era.
Aside from Tobirama, Hiruzen surpassed every other Second and Third Kage of the other villages, even the Third Raikage, who was faintly hailed as the strongest shinobi of the Hidden Village era.
"To think that someone like me, regarded by the world as merely filler among the third-generation, could receive such high praise from you…
I truly am overwhelmed."
At those words, the Third Mizukage abruptly opened his long-closed eyes.
He fixed a deep, intent gaze upon Garp, as if trying to carve the man's image into his memory, or perhaps to see through the man who had given the First Mizukage a second life… only for him to die once more, full of resentment, forever consigned to the Pure Land.
"So the Third Mizukage really did something unknown to the world…"
Even Fugaku, without knowing the details, found himself impressed. Just from the Mizukage's composure, he felt compelled to acknowledge him.
…
"Byakuren was able to live a second life not only because of his own talent, but because of your arrangements.
Without your silent, tireless support behind the scenes, he never would have had the chance to meet me again."
The moment Garp spoke, the Konoha shinobi were stunned, and the Mist shinobi were shaken with anger.
"So it truly could not be hidden from you..…
But… in the end, the First Mizukage still failed to shake you in the slightest.
Even with a second life… even with the combined strength of all Kirigakure, before your fists, the efforts of two generations of Mizukage, and all the sacrifices of the Mist, were nothing but futile."
The Third Mizukage sighed, seeming to finally accept that Byakuren had been sent back to the Pure Land. His eyes slowly closed once more.
"Kage of the First-generation, even if they are not like Hashirama, the other four are all extraordinarily powerful.
Just holding onto Byakuren' soul required an ocean of chakra, let alone reviving him completely.
Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of that era, though they could suppress the chakra released by the Eight Gates in their bodies, could only contribute a drop in the bucket.
Without decades of accumulated resources from an entire village, reviving Byakuren? Nothing but a fool's dream."
Garp's words peeled back the veil of mystery surrounding Byakuren' resurrection.
.........
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