Water Shadow's Plan (2)

Sitting at the head of the council chamber, the Fourth Mizukage swept his gaze over the elderly Genji and the spirited Terumi Mei, a flicker of gloom hidden deep within his eyes.

He had originally intended to summon only Genji to discuss future war operations, but he had not expected the old man to bring Terumi Mei along; the intention to groom her for leadership was now painfully obvious.

It seems my performance over the past year has aroused Genji's suspicions, which is why he is so desperate to push a woman like Terumi Mei into the upper echelons of Kirigakure, the Fourth Mizukage thought to himself.

Neither Genji nor Terumi Mei noticed the strange pattern hidden deep within the pupils of the Fourth Mizukage's eyes: a blood-red iris reflecting three black tomoe arranged in a triangle—the exact pattern of the Sharingan belonging to the Uchiha clan of Konoha.

At this moment, they could never have imagined that the leader of Kirigakure, one of the Five Kage standing at the very pinnacle of the shinobi world, had already been placed under a genjutsu by someone else!

The Fourth Mizukage shifted his gaze away from Terumi Mei and turned to Genji, speaking slowly, "Genji, a new round of war is inevitable. As the Fourth Mizukage, I have decided to lead the village in seizing this opportunity to dominate the shinobi world!"

Upon hearing the Fourth Mizukage's words, Genji and Terumi Mei exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock on the other's face.

However, neither of them was an ordinary individual; they quickly regained their composure, waiting for the Fourth Mizukage to explain his specific plans.

Seeing that the young Terumi Mei remained so calm, the Fourth Mizukage's estimation of her rose slightly, and he began to slowly outline his strategy.

"Regarding this plan, I have already reached a cooperation agreement with the Third Raikage."

The catalyst for this plan was the recent disappearance of the Third Kazekage and Sasori of the Red Sands, which had become the focus of the entire shinobi world. Because Sunagakure had been left leaderless for so long, the expansionist Kumogakure was preparing to launch a surprise attack, intending to wipe out Sunagakure in one stroke and subsequently occupy the entire Land of Wind.

However, it was foreseeable that Konoha, as an ally of Sunagakure, would certainly provide aid. In this scenario, Kumogakure required a powerful ally capable of holding Konoha back.

Kirigakure happened to be the perfect candidate to play that role, becoming the ideal partner for the Land of Lightning's invasion of the Land of Wind!

After the Fourth Mizukage finished speaking, both Genji and Terumi Mei fell into deep thought. In a shinobi world plagued by constant warfare, launching a conflict was not unthinkable; the real question was whether the potential benefits justified the cost.

After a moment of silence, Genji took the initiative to ask for Terumi Mei's opinion, seemingly wanting to test the young woman he favored.

Terumi Mei frowned and pondered for a few seconds before looking at the Fourth Mizukage and saying in a low voice, "Mizukage-sama, this subordinate needs to know your reasoning for coordinating with Kumogakure to launch this war, as well as the objectives you hope to achieve through it."

"Given our village's unique geographical position, if Kumogakure truly conquers Sunagakure, or even if the Land of Lightning successfully swallows the Land of Wind, we, isolated across the sea, would be unable to reap any of the spoils. Even if the Land of Lightning were willing to cede some of the Land of Wind's territory to us, we lack the capability to hold such lands from across the ocean."

The Land of Water was separated from other nations by a vast sea, a natural barrier. While this geography made the Land of Water easy to defend and hard to attack, it simultaneously made it difficult for them to expand outward or truly benefit from the spoils of war on the mainland.

The cunning Uchiha Madara had long since anticipated this question from Terumi Mei.

Although the Fourth Mizukage he controlled held immense power, there were still figures like Genji in the village whose prestige rivaled his own. If he could not provide a reason that convinced everyone, Genji could easily unite the other high-ranking officials of Kirigakure to veto his decision.

The Fourth Mizukage's lips curled slightly. Because of the hall's lighting, half of his youthful, doll-like face was cast in shadow, making him appear somewhat sinister.

"Our isolation across the sea is the village's greatest advantage; the wars on the mainland can hardly touch us. As long as we can stir up conflict in the shinobi world and muddy the waters, we can force other villages to exhaust themselves in mutual combat while we sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for the right moment to strike."

"If we do not cooperate with Kumogakure, they will abandon their attack on Sunagakure, and we will lose a golden opportunity for Kirigakure to rise!"

Hearing the Fourth Mizukage's explanation, Genji and Terumi Mei did not immediately respond, both falling silent again to contemplate the feasibility of the plan.

It had to be said that if the plan proposed by the Fourth Mizukage—or rather, Uchiha Madara—was executed well, it could indeed leverage Kirigakure's advantageous position to profit from the wars of other villages.

Unfortunately, Genji and Terumi Mei were unaware that Uchiha Madara was merely using this rhetoric to deceive the high-ranking officials of Kirigakure.

Once the war began, he had no intention of seeking any benefits for Kirigakure. Instead, he would use the authority of the Fourth Mizukage to drag the entire village and the Land of Water into the vortex of war, plunging the entire shinobi world into chaos to lay a solid foundation for his own future return to power!

As Uchiha Madara had expected, Genji and Terumi Mei did not oppose his proposal. They both agreed that the plan was highly viable, and the three of them spent a long time in the council chamber discussing the finer details.

That night, the Fourth Mizukage, Genji, Terumi Mei, and the core leadership of Kirigakure held a secret meeting, ultimately finalizing the plan to assist Kumogakure in their surprise attack on Sunagakure—a decision that directly led to the Third Shinobi World War shortly thereafter!