"Then, you continue to serve as the frontline commander, and your position remains unchanged. The troops rest for three days, and after three days you lead the team back to the frontline. The war over Konoha is not over yet, and I need you to continue to suppress Mitokado Homura. Are there any questions?"
"No."
Yagura bowed his head and bowed, and exited the meeting hall.
Terumi Iroha watched him close the door and turned to look at Mizunotsuki Shigure.
"He agreed too quickly."
Suikazan Fuguki spoke at the end of the table.
"Yagura, just because he agreed quickly, doesn't mean he is convinced." Mizunotsuki Shigure picked up the pen again and continued to approve documents.
"I know. It's better if he refuses to accept it. Either way, he will die."
Yagura walked out of Mizukage Building, crossed the main street, and passed through the stone road lined with food stalls and fishing gear shops.
Several children ran past him, chasing a seabird whose wings were wetted by the fog, their laughter mingling with the sound of the waves.
He didn't look at the children.
The respectful expression on his face had been completely removed after walking out of Mizukage Building Sanjo Street, and was replaced by a calmness that was cold to the core.
Terumi Iroha, taciturn, but those eyes never left him from beginning to end.
Suikazan Fuguki is the most troublesome. The old fox from Anbu knows him too well. He owed Xiguashan a favor when we went on a mission together. Now this favor may become his weakness.
The four races are now monolithic, at least on the surface.
They had just killed his teacher and taken the seat of Mizukage. It was the most united time. At this time, turning against him would be courting death.
Yagura walked to the beach and stood on a rock.
The sea breeze blew in from the east, blowing the tips of his dark green hair to the corners of his eyes.
He looked at the gray-blue sea and went through his plans for the next few years word by word in his mind.
After fighting for so many years, the most important thing he lacks is patience.
Give up first, pretend to cooperate, and act as an obedient frontline commander in front of the four tribes.
After the war is over, the distribution of interests among the four tribes will not always be fair. Mizunotsuki Shigure There will always be people who are dissatisfied if that position is held for a long time. Then we will discuss the issue of loyalty.
Then find them one by one, kill them one by one, check off the list of traitors who seek power and usurp the throne, and regain this position.
Fog spread from the sea and enveloped his thin figure.
He turned around and walked back.
The puddles on the rocks were ruffled by the sea breeze, revealing a face as young as a boy and a pair of eyes that were too cold to look like a boy.
When Yagura returned to his temporary residence in Kirigakure, it was already dark.
His residence in the village is an old-fashioned two-story wooden building, which was previously arranged for him by Kutsuki Baidiao. The location is close to Mizukage Building, so that he can report on his work every time he comes back from the front line.
Now the owner of Mizukage Building has changed, but the ownership of this building has not changed.
Mizunotsuki Shigure did not take back the house. Even before he came back, it was cleaned, new bedding was put in, ingredients were prepared in the kitchen, and hot water in the bathroom was boiled.
Yagura took a long soak in the bathroom.
The hot water soaked the knife wound on the shoulder that had not completely healed. It hurt slightly, but it was very comfortable.
He leaned his head back against the edge of the barrel, closed his eyes, and replayed every sentence of the conversation at Mizukage Building during the day in his mind.
Mizunotsuki Shigure said that he could continue to be his frontline commander, his position would remain unchanged, and the troops would return to the frontline after three days of rest.
Terumi Iroha said nothing from the beginning to the end, but those eyes were always on him.
Suikazan Fuguki was sitting at the end of the table, with long orange hair hanging on both sides, and his expression could not be seen clearly.
Kaguya Momotaro was leaning against the window, looking like he was about to fall asleep, but Yagura noticed that his fingers were always resting on the window frame.
From that position, you can climb out of the window immediately, and you can also block other people's escape routes immediately.
There was a port schedule spread out in front of Hozuki Suichu, but when Yagura came in, he turned a page. What was written on the page before entering, Yagura didn't see.
None of these people were actually having a meeting. They were observing him.
Yagura stood up from the hot water, water splashed all over the floor.
He dried himself, put on a clean bathrobe, walked to the window and opened it.
The sea breeze came in, carrying a familiar fishy and salty smell. On the roof of Mizukage Building in the distance, five flags were flapping in the night wind.
A guard knocked on the door and came in, handing over an invitation.
The invitation was written by Mizunotsuki Shigure himself, with neat handwriting and polite wording.
Invite him to a dinner party at a villa on the east coast tonight, saying that we won't talk about official matters, just to catch up with him and wash away the dust.
Yagura looked over the invitation twice and sneered.
Catch the wind and wash away the dust?
He had been fighting on the front line for such a long time, and no one greeted him when he came back. After expressing his loyalty in the meeting hall today, he had wine in the evening.
This is not to take advantage of others, but to win over others.
Mizunotsuki Shigure wants to strike while the iron is hot and completely tie him onto the ship of the four tribes with a meal of wine.
But this also shows one thing - the four tribes need him.
At least for now, he needs to continue to lead the troops in the war and continue to suppress the Konoha front line.
As long as he is of use, his life is safe.
Yagura put down the invitation and asked his bodyguard to reply that he would arrive on time.
He selected more than twenty bodyguards, Jonin, to accompany him.
It's not that he is suspicious, but as a disciple of Mizukage who has just been deprived of power, bringing enough people to the banquet is a statement in itself.
He can cooperate, but he is not a pushover.
These personal guards have been with him for many years, the shortest is three or four years, the longest has been with him since Second Shinobi World War, and there is no problem with their loyalty.
At nightfall, Yagura went out with his bodyguard.
Kirigakure The night fog is still very thick, and the oil lamps on the street are blurred into balls of light in the fog.
They crossed the main street and crossed the rocky beach to connect the stone bridge to the east of the village. The sea breeze became stronger and stronger, bringing with it salty water vapor and the muffled sound of waves hitting the reef in the distance.
The courtyard is hidden under the cliff on the sea side, backed by a whole natural rock wall, facing the sea on the front, and there is only a narrow road to enter and exit.
The location is remote, but the scenery is great.
When Yagura arrived, the moonlight was leaking from the clouds and shining on the sea, making the waves sparkling.
"Nice place."
Yagura stood at the door and looked at this villa hidden under the cliff.
Mizunotsuki Shigure went to the door to greet him in person, wearing a navy blue yukata, with his white hair tied back casually, and a gentle smile.
"Yagura, here you go. Come in and sit down. Instead of talking about business tonight, we will just drink."
Yagura followed him into the yard.
Several stone lanterns were lit in the courtyard, the sand patterns of the dry landscape had been raked again, and a few black stones stood in the middle, casting long shadows in Kakko.
The sliding doors of the main room are all open, and the long table is already filled with dishes.
Grilled fish, sashimi, boiled food, pickles, and even a sashimi kept fresh with Ice Release, the ice crystals have not yet melted on the plate.