Hidden Mist Coup

Konoha Year 48. In late autumn, the Hidden Mist Village was shrouded in thick fog year-round, but now, the mist seemed laced with a stench of blood that would not disperse. The "Bloody Mist policy" the Third Mizukage had pushed for nearly ten years was like a noose tightening by the day, choking a ninja village that had once been full of life.

At the heart of the policy was "absolute selection." The Ninja Academy's graduation exam had been changed into a life-or-death battle between graduates, and only those who killed their comrades with their own hands could receive a forehead protector and become genin. This did not only target students from civilian backgrounds; even the children of the major ninja clans were not spared. Beyond that, squads with high mission failure rates were brutally purged, while ninja who objected to high-level policies mysteriously disappeared. The entire village was cloaked in an atmosphere of suspicion, fear, and mutual betrayal.

Although the Third Mizukage at this time was not being controlled, and his policies were not yet as extreme and twisted as they would be in the future under Yagura Karatachi, controlled by Obito, the prototype of high-pressure rule had already taken shape. Its cruelty was enough to make anyone harboring resentment keep silent out of fear.

However, under high pressure, there would inevitably be backlash. Years of pressure, especially the war against the Land of Fire in the past year, became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The result of the war was disastrous: more than a thousand Hidden Mist ninja had died on the battlefield. For the Hidden Mist, whose population was already inferior to Konoha's, it was a crippling blow. What made the various forces within the village even more unable to accept it was that the ace force symbolizing the Hidden Mist's military might—the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen"—had encountered Konoha genin Might Duy's desperate counterattack during a surprise raid on Konoha. He used the forbidden technique, the "Eight Gates Formation," causing four deaths and leaving three heavily wounded: Biwa Juzo, Suikazan Fuguki, and Black Hoe Lightning Fang. More than half of the seven legendary ninja blades were lost for a time, dealing a devastating blow to the Hidden Mist's morale and its deterrence against outside forces.

Failure, casualties, and the Third Mizukage's actions after the war—not only failing to reflect, but instead intending to further strengthen internal control and pursue "responsibility for the defeat"—finally pushed the long-accumulated dissatisfaction to its critical point. A suppressed volcano was about to erupt.

Undercurrents of discontent surged through every corner of the village, ultimately converging around two central figures: Genji and Yagura Karatachi.

Genji was a senior elder of the Hidden Mist Village. Though he did not bear the title of Mizukage, he was highly respected and held great authority over the village's administration and finances, representing the village's steady elder faction. He had witnessed the Hidden Mist's rise and decline, and had long been worried about the Third Mizukage's radical policies, which drained the village's vitality. The crushing defeat in the war made him realize that if the Third Mizukage was not stopped, the Hidden Mist would face the danger of annihilation from within.

Yagura Karatachi was the young jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. He was powerful, and though he looked like a boy, his temperament was calm and decisive. He did not come from a great clan, but rose to prominence through outstanding talent and masterful control of Water Release. Among the younger generation of ninja, he possessed extremely high prestige and was the representative figure of the young and middle-aged faction. He had personally experienced the cruelty of war and witnessed the meaningless deaths of his comrades. He loathed the root cause of it all—the Third Mizukage's policies. More importantly, as a jinchuriki, he desired more than anyone a peaceful environment that could accept him and allow him to control the tailed beast with peace of mind, not a Village of the Bloody Mist filled with suspicion and slaughter.

Late one night, thick fog spread everywhere. Deep within Genji's secluded residence, in a secret chamber cut off from all forms of detection, the two met in secret.

"Yagura, the situation cannot get any worse." Genji's voice was aged and heavy. The tea before him had long since gone cold. "The list of the dead grows longer by the day. The major clans are full of resentment. The young ninja see no future. If this continues, the Hidden Mist... will collapse from within."

Yagura Karatachi sat opposite him, his childish face carrying a gravity that did not match his age. "Lord Genji, I understand. Our comrades on the front lines are not fighting for the village's future. They are being sent to die in meaningless sacrifices. What the Bloody Mist policy cultivates is not loyal ninja, but machines that know only killing and avengers filled with hatred. This... is not the Hidden Mist we want."

"Lord Mizukage no longer listens to any advice." Genji sighed. "He believes the defeat happened because the purges were not thorough enough, and that an even harsher iron fist is needed. His next step will very likely be to use the defeat as a pretext to move against several clans that have never been particularly obedient. He may even... reassess the stability of the jinchuriki." His words were meaningful as he looked at Yagura.

Yagura's pupils shrank slightly. This meant the Third Mizukage might move against him. "We must stop him."

"Yes. For the village's survival, we must make a choice." Genji's gaze sharpened. "We need a transformation. And you, Yagura, possess strength, prestige, and more importantly, you represent a new possibility. This old man and the elder faction will support you."

A silent alliance aimed at overthrowing the Third Mizukage was formally formed on this fog-drenched night. Genji was responsible for contacting dissatisfied civilian officials within the village, some ANBU, and securing the tacit approval or neutrality of the major clans; Yagura was responsible for contacting trusted young and middle-aged officers in the military and elite ninja, and preparing to become, at the critical moment, the final straw that broke the camel's back—or rather, the sharpest spear.

The Hidden Mist Village was not a monolith, and the attitudes of the major ninja clans were crucial. Envoys from Genji and Yagura quietly visited the clan heads of each major clan.

As a famous Water Release clan, and also the clan of Mangetsu Hozuki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Hozuki Clan had suffered no small losses in the war and had long been dissatisfied with the Third Mizukage's policies. After listening to the persuasion of Genji's representative, clan head Muyue Hozuki pondered for a long time. The Hozuki Clan had always had close ties, and Mangetsu's experience among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen left them deeply chilled. In the end, Muyue Hozuki stated, "The Hozuki Clan can remain silent. But if Lord Yagura can promise to end the Bloody Mist, the Hozuki Clan is willing to provide convenience when necessary." This was a cautious form of support, watching how things developed.

The Yuki Clan, also known as the Minazuki, possessed the Ice Release kekkei genkai, but under the Bloody Mist policy, they had been heavily suppressed and suspected of having "disloyal" tendencies. They held the deepest resentment toward the Third Mizukage. After receiving Yagura's private promise that he would reevaluate the status of kekkei genkai clans, the head of the Yuki Clan agreed almost without hesitation to remain neutral during the coup, and was even willing to provide some intelligence support.

The Kaguya Clan was a warlike taijutsu clan. Their thinking was relatively simple, and they were not sensitive to high-level politics, but they worshiped the strong. They felt ashamed of the defeat in the war and attributed part of the blame to improper command. As a top powerhouse of the younger generation, Yagura had earned the respect of some Kaguya clansmen. Under Genji's maneuvering, the Kaguya Clan's attitude was ambiguous, but at the very least, they promised not to actively intervene in any possible "internal conflict."

Most of the other medium and small clans, such as the Amado Clan, which excelled in genjutsu, and the Yoru Clan, which was proficient in summoning techniques, had lived in fear under the Bloody Mist policy. They were happy to see change and each expressed willingness to remain neutral.

Most importantly, the surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had only just recovered from severe injuries, had also developed intense hatred toward the Third Mizukage. Biwa Juzo and Suikazan Fuguki blamed the deaths of their comrades on the Mizukage's mistaken decisions, while Black Hoe Lightning Fang deeply detested the policy that treated ninja as consumables. Though they did not clearly declare support for the coup, their silence was itself a kind of tacit approval of Yagura.

By this point, an invisible net targeting the Third Mizukage had already been quietly woven. The village's administrative system, financial authority, most ninja clans, and even the new forces within the military had all turned toward or leaned toward the alliance between Genji and Yagura. What the Third Mizukage could rely on now was only his directly subordinate, most cold-blooded assassination force—the "Hunter-nin Unit," in other words the ANBU—and a small number of diehard loyalists.

The coup was set for three days later, at the "Mizukage Building annual debriefing meeting." At that time, the village's senior officials, the commanders of each unit, and the representatives of each clan would all gather at the Mizukage Building. This was the moment when the Third Mizukage's power was most concentrated, and also the moment when his defenses might be relatively "lax"—compared to his usual habit of living in seclusion. It was also the best opportunity to catch his forces in one net.