Factional Strife (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

Although Kuryu had fully understood the original intention and painstaking effort behind the Third Mizukage's implementation of the [Bloody Mist Policy], there were countless people in the village dissatisfied with it.

Kuryu could fully imagine the uproar that would sweep through the village if what had happened today leaked out—and how much pressure that old man, who had devoted most of his life to Kirigakure, would have to bear.

But...

Kuryu covertly glanced at the other two examiners.

He could not conceal this matter by himself unless all four examiners got their stories straight and pinned it on spies from another country.

"Senior Kuryu, did something happen? Why is Senior Ueno so flustered?"

At that moment, another examiner who appeared somewhat younger spoke with a smile.

"Matsudaira."

Kuryu's heart sank. Matsudaira had graduated as a genin a few years ago and risen to chunin in a short time. He could be considered a minor prodigy.

More importantly, Matsudaira had accepted the Reformist Faction's recruitment and stood opposed to the Third Mizukage.

The Ninja Academy's graduation examination was originally the main means of supplying the village with fresh blood. It was customary for every faction to send people to observe, but at this moment, Kuryu suddenly found that rule utterly loathsome.

If Matsudaira weren't here, maybe I could have helped the Third Mizukage cover this up!

Kuryu thought bitterly.

But reality had no ifs. Under Matsudaira's repeated questioning, Ueno Seiseki revealed the truth to them as well.

"What? Something like that actually happened?!"

Matsudaira looked greatly shocked, but even Kuryu could not stand his exaggerated acting.

The corners of your mouth have been smiling the whole time, damn it! They never stopped!

"Group B was completely wiped out, while only two people remain in Group A. As for what exactly happened on the training ground, we'll have to ask them."

Matsudaira turned his gaze toward Zabuza and Araki.

After saying that, he walked over to Zabuza, crouched down, and asked:

"Student, do you know how the others in the training ground died?"

Kuryu was somewhat displeased to see Matsudaira approach one of the last surviving students without the permission of the chief examiner.

"Hey, Matsudaira, you—"

"I killed them!"

Zabuza's not particularly loud voice successfully stunned all four examiners, each of whom was at least a chunin.

"He... what did he say?"

Kuryu turned to Ueno in disbelief.

"He said he killed all of them."

Ueno repeated it dazedly, equally shocked.

Only Matsudaira remained unruffled. He even smiled and said, "Children mustn't lie, you know~"

Zabuza ignored him with a cold expression.

"Then can you tell me why you did it?"

Matsudaira continued asking.

"To test my capacity."

Zabuza's voice remained as cool as ever.

"Alright, the investigation is complete. Zabuza Momochi killed a total of one hundred and forty fellow students, everyone from his class except Araki, in order to test his capacity."

Matsudaira stood up, seemingly making a report to Kuryu.

"Hey, don't be so perfunctory! How can the investigation be considered complete based on just two sentences from a child? At the very least, we need to go in and find all those bodies!"

Kuryu interrupted Matsudaira's summary-like report, then said to Araki and Zabuza:

"You two stay here and wait. Don't run around until we return!"

Then he led the other three examiners into Training Ground No. 4.

After they left, Araki walked over to Zabuza and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, how did you come up with that just now?"

"With what?"

"With saying something like testing your capacity."

"Karatachi Yagura taught me."

"What?"

Araki was inexplicably shocked, nearly suspecting that Karatachi Yagura was a transmigrator too.

Probably not. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to trick me into taking that damned trap of a mission. Maybe this is just how people in the Naruto World normally think!

Araki shook his head and decided not to dwell on the matter.

"That Matsudaira is one of your people too, right? Looks like Karatachi Yagura's influence in the village isn't small!"

"I haven't met him, but he probably is."

Zabuza nodded.

After all, Matsudaira's acting was far too exaggerated. He had none of an actor's professional discipline.

While the two of them chatted casually, Kuryu and the others had already returned with dark expressions.

"How was it, Senior Kuryu? My investigation was right, wasn't it!"

Matsudaira was still relentlessly showing off behind him.

Kuryu could endure no longer. He abruptly stopped, turned around, and said, nearly nose-to-nose with Matsudaira:

"Matsudaira, you graduated from here three years ago too. Your juniors are all dead. Are you proud of that?"

Hearing Kuryu's accusation, Matsudaira put away his exaggerated expression and replied calmly:

"I am not proud because they died. I am proud because our dream is about to set sail!"

"Dream? Those impractical ideas of yours? You have no idea how much the Third Mizukage has sacrificed for this village!"

Kuryu's tone was extremely agitated.

"Heh, perhaps the Third Mizukage has indeed given a great deal, but outdated systems ought to be swept into the trash. That has nothing to do with whether he sacrificed anything, because this is [everyone's wish]!"

Matsudaira curled his lips disdainfully.

What he hated most was how the Reformist Faction's goal was clearly aimed only at a specific unreasonable system, yet the Opposition Faction always had to ramble on about how great the Third Mizukage was and how difficult things had been for him.

Was the Third Mizukage a god? Could his policies never be wrong?

Or was it that, because the Third Mizukage had contributed so much to the village, they were not allowed to raise objections even if the systems he established were unreasonable?

Matsudaira had always scoffed at such people. They could not discuss matters on their merits, acting like brainless fanatics who could not bear to hear a single bad word about the Third Mizukage.

Even Senju Hashirama, who had once been hailed as the God of Shinobi, probably wouldn't dare claim that everything he did was right, would he?

Matsudaira sighed inwardly and stepped around Kuryu.

"What happened today is far too serious. We still need to report it to the Mizukage!"

Upon hearing Matsudaira's words, Kuryu suddenly came to his senses as well.

That's right. Something this serious can't be hidden. I need to inform the Third Mizukage as soon as possible, so those Reformist Faction people don't gang up on him while he knows nothing about it.

Thus, unwilling to be outdone, he was just about to use the Body Flicker Technique to rush to the Mizukage Building when he suddenly stopped and looked at Araki and Zabuza.

"You two... forget it, this has nothing to do with you. Zabuza, come with me to the Mizukage Building!"