The Mist Village's Welcome / Checking into the Guesthouse

However, he did not immediately go forward to reminisce. Like Uchiha Shisui, the two of them tacitly took a keen interest in the flowers and plants around them.

"Gentlemen, the person behind me is an envoy from Leaf Village, on his way to visit Lord Mizukage. Please make way," said the leader of the Hidden Mist Village ANBU.

His words were polite enough, but the actions of the ANBU were not as harmonious as he described; they were clearly on guard.

From the crowd, a man of about forty years old stepped out. His gaze passed over the ANBU and landed on Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui behind them.

The ANBU couldn't glean anything from his eyes.

The only thing we can tell is that this old man probably didn't wash his face this morning.

"Welcoming guests is a small matter for us old folks; you all have important tasks to attend to, don't you?" the man said. "It's best not to be distracted."

Upon hearing this, all the ANBU cursed inwardly.

Wasn't this all your doing?

Assassinating the Mizukage? Zabuza Momochi?

In the Ninja World, Kirigakure Zabuza Momochi issued a warrant for Zabuza Momochi's arrest for attempted assassination of the Mizukage; he is currently at large.

That statement is not entirely accurate.

Of those who attempted to assassinate the Mizukage that night, only Zabuza Momochi managed to escape.

The others all died at the scene; they were all suicide bombers.

Those whose identities could be verified were all commoner ninjas who once shared a common belief—to end the Bloody Mist Village and bring the village back to normalcy.

Although the Mizukage faction had committed murder, they harbored no ill will towards these individuals. While they had to stop them, they also felt a sense of respect for them.

But they deeply resent the masterminds behind these people.

Assassinating the Mizukage and making the conflict public is a terrible idea; it will only give outsiders an opportunity to exploit the situation.

The most suspicious of them all is the Hozuki Clan!

The ninja clans also rebelled against the Bloody Mist Village, but for completely different reasons.

The Mizukage has begun to incite civilian ninjas to oppose ninja clans; if this continues, civil war is the only outcome.

The Yuki Clan has become a scapegoat. Because someone used Ice Release that night, the Mizukage led the ANBU to storm the Yuki Clan's territory and killed all the clan's ninjas. The remaining non-ninjas were also expelled from Hidden Mist Village.

"This is not good, Elder Guiyue." The leader of the ANBU suppressed his anger. "The Kirigakure has its own rules, and you have overstepped your bounds!"

"The village's laws were established by us," the man said calmly. "You young people should avoid being the type to forget to fetch water after drinking it."

The atmosphere at the scene became tense; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was on the verge of conflict.

Time seems to drag on endlessly; that's the true feeling of the ANBU right now.

The other side wasn't testing us; they were really there to intercept us.

"Huh? Isn't that the Jonin uncle from the Hozuki Clan?"

Suddenly, Uchiha Shingen's voice rang out.

He stepped out from behind the ANBU, as if he had just noticed them, and even had a look of surprise on his face.

"Long time no see!"

Uchiha Shisui away; he was finding it hard to hold back.

He swore that Uchiha Shingen absolutely did not recognize the person opposite him.

Because he was involved in most of the missions that Uchiha Shingen carried out, he knew all the survivors.

He didn't know that they were definitely not alive.

"Yes, it's been a long time." The elder of the Hozuki Clan smiled. "Shingen is still as witty as ever."

Uchiha Shingen smiled and nodded at the other person, then patted the shoulder of the ANBU leader next to him.

"Thank you for your hard work, brother. I'll catch up with an old friend and then go pay my respects to Lord Mizukage later."

"I see, it was my oversight." The leader of the ANBU changed his attitude drastically, his voice becoming eager. "Then I'll go report to Lord Mizukage first. Farewell."

After saying that, he waved his hand and hurriedly left with his group of ANBU.

Chapter 51 The Gift of the Hidden Mist Village

The hasty departure of the Hidden Mist Village ANBU greatly eased the tense atmosphere on the Hidden Mist Village side.

It only alleviated the symptoms, not eliminated them.

Because the two young Konoha Ninja standing before them had killed a large number of Mist Ninja during the war between Hidden Mist Village and Leaf Village.

To put it bluntly, most people in Kirigakure these days have a grudge against these two.

The White Ghost of Leaf Village not only killed the most people, but was also the nightmare of the ninja clans.

It's only because the Bloody Mist Village has exhausted the current Mist Ninja; otherwise, they would likely have been attacked as soon as they entered the Land of Water.

The Mist Ninja are really capable of doing something like this.

A characteristic of Mist Ninja is that her mind is easily swayed by emotions; once she gets carried away, nothing can stop her.

Unless it's the Bull Demon King who's pulling them along.

The Hidden Mist Village Clan, on the other hand, has a particular strong belief in family revenge.

Let alone the village, even the clan might not be able to control these people.

The Yuki Clan was killed because of the misdeeds of a few young members of the clan.

Hozuki Guiyue wasn't a good person, but he asked himself if he had ever encouraged any of the Yuki Clan's young members to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.

That would leave too many marks. He was able to become an elder of the Hozuki Clan in his forties; he wouldn't be that stupid.

The loss of control over Zabuza Momochi anticipated.

The loss of control over this piece has brought the conflict between the ninja clan and the Mizukage Building to the forefront, leaving both sides with no way out.

Hozuki Guiyue looked Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui up and down, finally fixing his gaze on Uchiha Shingen.

The main reason was that Uchiha Shisui was too arrogant, which made him have little desire to communicate with him.

He bowed slightly and greeted the two of them.

"You two are incredibly courageous, I admire you!"

Seeing his gesture, Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui returned his bow.

"I've long heard of the White Ghost of Leaf Village, and today I've finally met him in person." Hozuki Guiyue smiled slightly. "Shingen- kun, have you truly seen me before?"

"Uncle, why not just keep quiet about it?" Uchiha Shingen nodded. "I'm here to discuss business, not to stir up internal conflicts."

Among the Hidden Mist Village Clan, some young faces seemed eager to try their luck.

Uchiha Shingen noticed this and laughed, "Want revenge? Then let's do it the old way?"

"Shingen- kun, why provoke these young people?" Hozuki Guiyue said. "Young people always think that old people are old-fashioned and want to break everything. We should be more understanding of their inappropriate actions."

"Uncle, you're not even fifty yet, but you talk like an old man." Uchiha Shingen shook his head. "We're all from the ninja clan, fighting and killing is normal. I've always followed tradition."

"That's too forceful; that's not a cooperative attitude."

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Is that so hard to understand?" Uchiha Shingen's smile faded. "Uncle, I'm young too, and I'm easily provoked."

Hozuki Guiyue was silent for a moment, then turned around.

"Gentlemen, let me make this clear from the start: anyone who messes things up will be punished according to clan rules."

The restless activity in the crowd ceased.

Hozuki Guiyue was finally satisfied and turned around.

"Please, gentlemen."

At this sound, the ninja clans present quickly parted to both sides, their eyes fixed on Uchiha Shingen and Uchiha Shisui.

Hozuki Guiyue stood at the entrance to this "path," smiling.

"Since we're all friends, I won't stand on ceremony." Uchiha Shingen's expression remained unchanged as he walked over. Uchiha Shisui glanced at the group indifferently, shook his head, and followed.

Hozuki Guiyue's smile widened as he led the two into this renowned assassination holy land in the Ninja World.

The walls of Kirigakure are no shorter than those of Hidden Leaf Village; in fact, due to the terrain, their gates appear even more imposing.

It just had a slightly eerie feel to it.

It's not as bustling as Hidden Leaf Village. Hidden Leaf Village's gates are always open, and people come and go. Merchants of any rank in the Land of Fire all want to do business with Leaf Village, so it's always a constant flow of people and vehicles.

If you put on background music from a horror movie at the gate of Kirigakure, it's like a real-life horror movie set.

This place is actually full of Mist Ninja, but ordinary people can't see a single one with the naked eye.

Entering this city where fortifications were everywhere, Uchiha Shingen felt no sense of life.

"Kirigakure Ninja must be tough," he sighed.

Uchiha Shisui looked at his clansman and wanted to complain.

Finally, he managed to utter a sentence.

"Brother Shingen, drinking tea is the same when we go back."

"I feel like you're making a suggestive joke at my expense, but I have no proof." Uchiha Shingen looked at him irritably. "You're so young, how can your thinking be so unhealthy? You've gone astray."

That's because of you!

Uchiha Shisui felt wronged and kept a straight face without saying a word.

This is Kirigakure, and as an envoy of Leaf Village, he needs to maintain his image.

"Oh? Shingen- kun is also a tea ceremony enthusiast?" Hozuki Guiyue looked at Uchiha Shingen with surprise. "It's rare to see a young person who is knowledgeable about tea ceremony. Since we're like-minded, let's not be so formal and get closer."

"Uncle, you're too kind," Uchiha Shingen replied with a big smile.

Shisui is so mischievous; he made the atmosphere very awkward.

I'm really afraid he'll mess things up at the Mizukage Building.

The ninjas behind him gradually dispersed after entering the village.

However, before they left, each of them imprinted the images of the two Konoha Ninja deeply in their hearts.

In their view, Body Flicker Shisui was just as rumored: a cold and aloof person who rarely spoke.

But as for the White Ghost of Leaf Village, that's a whole different story.

They seem to get even more easily agitated than the Mist Ninja.

Hozuki Guiyue led the two around in circles, and along the way, they both saw the tall Mizukage Building.

It resembled a giant water bucket, far exceeding the size of any other building in Kirigakure. Its exterior design lacked any elements of daily life, making it a purely military fortress.

"We're here, this is it." After walking along the gravel road, Hozuki Guiyue stopped in front of a building.

This building has a relatively residential feel, and you can tell it's a civilian building.

"Gentlemen, this hotel is specially designed for VIP guests, and it has everything you could need." There was a hint of pride in Hozuki Guiyue's tone. "Please feel free to stay here. If you have any additional needs, there are dedicated staff here to assist you."

His tone suddenly became ambiguous.

"However, business is more important, so you two should take care of yourselves."

Uchiha Shisui: "???"

Why does that sound so familiar?

"You're too kind, uncle." Uchiha Shingen ignored the ambiguity in the other's tone. Sweet talk wouldn't work on him, and he wouldn't budge in negotiations because of it. Besides, he just wanted to rest properly. "But aren't we seeing the Mizukage today?"

"There's no rush," Hozuki Guiyue said with a smile. "That person also needs time to prepare, doesn't he? The information you gave Mangetsu is very important, but of course we haven't publicized it. Only a few people know about it."

"Reliable!" Uchiha Shingen gave a thumbs up. "Great, we're tired too, let's eat something good and get some sleep."

"Yes, you should get some rest." Hozuki Guiyue nodded, then said, "There's a gathering tonight, and we'd like to invite you two. Would you be willing to do us that?"

"Absolutely."

"Now I'm relieved. You two should rest."

Chapter Fifty-Two: Checking into the Guest House