A fleet sailed across the azure sea.
Kaguya Shirou and Jinin Akebino, both wrapped head to toe in bandages, stood trembling before a man with delicate features, grayish hair adorned with ornaments, and closed eyes that made his age impossible to discern.
"So, you came crawling back in such a sorry state? You even let Hiramekarei fall into Konoha's hands?" The man seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also speaking to the two of them.
"Lord Mizukage, please give us another chance!" Jinin Akebino and Kaguya Shirou hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Heh, fine." The Third Mizukage opened his eyes and examined his fingers. "This time, we've trapped over a thousand Konoha men in the Land of Whirlpools. We need manpower. If you can bring Hiramekarei back, you'll have redeemed yourselves. Otherwise, the two of you can go... hmm... go assassinate the Third Hokage!"
Cold sweat streamed down their heads as the two said softly, "My lord, we will definitely recover Hiramekarei. Please rest assured!"
He waved them away. Only after watching them retreat did the Mizukage snort coldly. "Dogs that have had their courage shattered. If this weren't wartime... hmph!"
Just then, a strange sensation of being watched rose in the Third Mizukage's heart. Frowning, he casually condensed an ice mirror before him.
Through the refraction of the ice mirror and water vapor, the entire fleet was reflected within it. This was the Mizukage's specialty, the Mirror Observation Technique.
"Strange. What is watching me? Could it be some kind of ultra-long-range Observation Ninjutsu?" the Third Mizukage pondered inwardly.
"Hm?" Before long, the Third Mizukage noticed a disturbance aboard one of the ships. It seemed that some ninja had gone mad and attacked their comrades.
The turmoil quickly spread, plunging the entire ship into chaos. The ninja who had attacked