Reactions Across the Ninja World
News of the Third Mizukage's demise spread rapidly to every corner of the Shinobi World.
Such explosive news could not be concealed. In order to stabilize the restless hearts of the people, Kirigakure hastily allowed Karatachi Shitsukura to inherit the position of the Fourth Mizukage. Now that the Fourth Mizukage had taken office, how could the news of the Third Hokage's death be hidden? It was impossible to hide it anymore, so the Mist Ninja simply launched a large-scale publicity campaign.
They brought up the Sand Sunagakure ninjas again, emphasizing how the Konoha Disaster destroyed half of the village and killed the Third Mizukage, racking their brains to keep the reputation of the Mist Ninja intact, while completely ignoring matters like revenge.
The Third Mizukage, along with the heads of various clans such as Hozuki, Koshimizu, and Terumi, as well as high-ranking members of the Anbu, were all wiped out by Katsuki. With so many high-ranking members missing, Shitsukura is already doing his utmost just to maintain control of the village; he has no strength left for revenge. Besides, with so many of the Third Mizukage's top fighters killed, what could he possibly use for revenge?
The Kirigakure was in a state of utter misery. Not only did they have to comfort the villagers and the families of the fallen, but they also had to deal with the questioning from the Water Daimyo. The Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Shitsukura, was probably the most miserable kage in the history of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
However, few people cared how difficult things were for Kirigakure. Kirigakure had always been isolated, and being located on the sea in a remote area, no one cared about their well-being. The Land of Earth Land of Wind had never cared about Mist Ninja, and Cloud Ninja Village had never had any conflict with Mist Ninja. What everyone was more concerned about was Konoha's natural disaster, Uzumaki Katsuki.
No matter how closed off the Mist Ninja Village was, the Third Mizukage, as a veteran top ninja in the Shinobi World, was undeniably powerful. Yet, he was defeated by the rising star, the Konoha Calamity, becoming a stepping stone for the younger generation. This inevitably made many elders sigh with regret, perhaps their era was truly coming to an end.
The Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
The Third Tsuchikage, known as the Two Scales, stared at the urgent secret report that had arrived. After a long while, he let out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the large recliner.
"It's truly unbelievable that it would end like this. The Third Mizukage..."
The short-statured Third Tsuchikage mocked the deceased Mizukage without any restraint.
Although Kirigakure and Iwagakure are thousands of miles apart, one in the south and the other in the north, the two villages were once locked in a fierce and irreconcilable feud when the Shinobi World was in chaos. The Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage spent their entire lives clashing with each other, eventually dying on the battlefield. The two villages thus formed an unbreakable bond of hatred.
"Konoha's calamity... a genius who rose to power by stepping on Sand Village and Mist Ninja... Konoha has really prospered these past two years!" His voice, filled with gritted teeth, was laced with deep hatred. He remembered very clearly that this Konoha calamity was that damned White Fang's disciple, the bastard who killed his eldest son.
"If Otto were still alive..."
The Third Tsuchikage looked somewhat tired. He was no longer young, and he knew very well that he was gradually declining from his peak. However, after searching the entire village, he could not find a successor who could satisfy him. Although his second son, Kitsuchi, had performed well in the past two years, he was still inferior to his deceased eldest son. Kouto was too honest and straightforward and could not do the work of a Kage.
There is no one to carry on the legacy.
This is the Third Tsuchikage's biggest worry right now. In this respect, he even envies the deceased Third Mizukage, the Fourth Mizukage named Shitsukura, whose series of countermeasures were quite good. This makes the Third Tsuchikage even more resentful. Why is it that they, the Stone Ninja, can't find a successor who is both intelligent and capable enough?
The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
"Kuroe, that brat from the Disaster Realm has really become something now, he actually took down that Third Mizukage guy..."
The Third Raikage's booming voice was so loud it hurt people's ears.
Kuroe habitually picked at his ear, remaining silent but pretending to listen.
"Five years ago at Mount Baiyue, that kid was incredibly troublesome, but to say he could take down the Third Mizukage... heh heh, he wasn't qualified. Only five years have passed, and he's already managed to take down that Third Mizukage. I'm starting to regret not gritting my teeth and killing that brat back then..."
"... I really want to know how that kid managed to take down the Third Mizukage. The information released by the Mist Ninja is just for the sake of saving face; they're practically exaggerating that brat's abilities to the heavens. Tsk tsk..."
The Third Raikage's emotions fluctuated wildly, shifting between excitement and regret.
"If I get the chance, I'll definitely have another fight with that kid..."
"Lord Raikage, you shouldn't say such things." Kuroe cut off Lord Raikage's delusions at the right time. Some things shouldn't be thought about too much, as it can easily become an obsession. Konoha is currently at its zenith and cannot be provoked. Moreover, even if they really wanted to cause trouble, they would have to get both allies involved first. They couldn't rashly step on someone else's landmine.
"Sigh! I know, it was just a casual remark!"
The Third Raikage sighed.
The Land of Fire, Konoha.
News of Katsuki's killing of the Third Mizukage had already spread far and wide, Konoha Disaster once again became a hot topic in the village. You could hear stories about how the disaster had happened in the streets and alleys. The younger generation of Katsuki almost idolized Mizuki, and their level of worship even surpassed that of the Third Hokage.
"This guy... he's really something else." The Third Hokage said, his voice slightly ethereal, a pipe dangling from his lips.
"The Third Mizukage is dead? This is... this is... this is shocking news." Mitokado Homura shook his head, unable to hide his surprise even though he had almost worn out the secret report.
They had anticipated that Katsuki would cause trouble, but they never expected that he would actually kill the Third Mizukage. This result was truly... unexpected, yet somewhat inevitable.
"What's the point of saying all this now? The Third Mizukage and most of the high-ranking members of Mist Ninja are dead, so there's no need to worry about Mist Ninja anymore. What's important now is Uzumaki Katsuki's report. The Uzumaki, Yuki, and Kaguya clans have already begun their migration. How are the village's preparations for accepting them going?" Utatane Koharu's last question was directed at Orochimaru.
"Everything has been arranged. A large enough area has been marked out in the north of the village. The Senju Clan is helping to build the houses. Although it's just a rough outline, it should be enough to accommodate everyone from the three clans. They'll have to work on anything else they need themselves; the village won't cover everything."
Orochimaru said softly.
"The Senju Clan helped build the house... That's incredibly kind of them! They were already surprising enough by being the first to jump out and support Uzumaki Katsuki..." Utatane Koharu frowned and looked at the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage smoked a cigarette, remaining silent.