The Perceptive Third Mizukage

Nothing happened along the way. It was remarkably peaceful.

Since they were traveling downstream on the return journey, Qing Si and his group made it back to Hidden Mist Village in two-thirds of the time it had taken them to get there.

After entering the village, Qing Si and the others quickly returned to ANBU Headquarters to report in. Once they had handed over the mission, Qing Si ordered everyone else to disperse and return to their respective posts. He then followed Jian alone to the Mizukage Building.

Inside the Mizukage's office, a middle-aged man with long black hair, an ornament atop his head, and a ceremonial Mizukage robe sat at his desk, rapidly working through stacks of official documents. He was Bing, the Third Mizukage.

But upon closer inspection, one would be surprised to find that Bing was working with his eyes closed. The faint chakra fluctuations filling the office and the pile of completed documents beside him showed that he was not unable to see, but was instead using some kind of sensory ability.

There were rumors that Bing, the Third Mizukage, had once been defeated and humiliated by an Uchiha visual genjutsu during the Warring States Era. From then on, he had kept his eyes closed, relying solely on his senses in place of sight.

There were also rumors that Bing, the Third Mizukage, was cultivating an immensely powerful forbidden technique, and that only when he opened his eyes would his full strength erupt.

"Mizukage-sama!" Jian walked to the entrance of the Mizukage's office, straightened his clothes, and respectfully knocked on the door.

"Come in!" The Third Mizukage's voice came from within. Though he was already over fifty, his voice was not old at all, but full of steadfast resolve.

"Mizukage-sama!" Qing Si followed Jian into the office and likewise respectfully bowed to the Third Mizukage behind the desk.

"Hehe, little Qing Si. It seems the mission went smoothly!" Though Qing Si wore a mask, the Third Mizukage still recognized him.

The Third Mizukage wore a kindly smile. Although his political views differed somewhat from those of Qing Si's grandfather, Yuan Shi, he paid special attention to outstanding young talents within the village. Otherwise, he would not have entrusted Qing Si with this secret mission that concerned the village's future direction.

"Yes! ...The battle between Hanzō of the Salamander and the Third Hokage was extremely fierce... The Hokage used a combined ninjutsu of all five chakra natures... In the end, Hanzō defeated the Third Hokage by half a move and departed calmly. The Third Hokage called Hanzō a demigod." Qing Si calmly recounted everything he had seen to the Third Mizukage. However, he did not unnecessarily add his own opinion of the battle. He trusted that the Third Mizukage, with his vast experience and his past through the Warring States Era, would have his own judgment.

"A demigod? Hehe!" Bing, the Third Mizukage, gave a derisive laugh.

"It seems Hanzō was injured as well, and not lightly. Otherwise, given his nature, he would not have easily let go of the chance to kill the heavily wounded Hiruzen Sarutobi." As expected of a figure who had fought his way through war, Bing's assessment struck directly at the truth.

"It seems the next Shinobi World War is not far off! Hiruzen Sarutobi made a terrible move. Elevating Hanzō to such a height will only make him more inflated. Eager to lead Rain Village and the Land of Rain to prosperity, he will inevitably launch a war abroad. Both the Kazekage and the Hokage have fallen to his hands, so his first targets will surely be Hidden Sand in the Land of Wind or Konoha Village in the Land of Fire. If Hanzō becomes even more arrogant, he might even declare war on both at once." Bing sighed before beginning his analysis.

From the Mizukage's position, free from being caught up in the situation, and with Hanzō's personality taken into account, the shrewd and experienced Bing could easily guess Hanzō's next move.

Bing's judgment was extremely accurate. Before long, a new Shinobi World War indeed erupted when Hanzō was the first to launch surprise attacks against the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.

"Mizukage-sama, the letter was successfully delivered to Blue B of Hidden Cloud. He was the one leading their delegation to observe the battle, and he promised to bring the letter back to his village and deliver it to the Third Raikage." Qing Si continued reporting on the mission.

"So it was him. Then there is no problem. We can begin preparing now." Bing nodded in understanding, then looked toward Jian beside him.

"Jian, ANBU must move first. Send several more teams to the Land of Whirlpools to gather intelligence. We must prepare for war to break out at any moment. Hidden Mist cannot remain untouched by a war that sweeps across the Shinobi World, and for the village's future development, we cannot afford to be absent either!" Bing instructed Jian.

"Little Qing Si, you should go as well. Give Elder Yuan Shi my regards!" Bing then said to Qing Si.

"Yes, Mizukage-sama!" Qing Si and Jian accepted the orders, then turned and left the Mizukage's office together.

After leaving the Mizukage Building, the two exchanged brief farewells and parted ways. Jian needed to hurry back to ANBU Headquarters to mobilize personnel, arrange for the teams to head out and gather intelligence, and carry out the Third Mizukage's orders. Qing Si, meanwhile, returned home. He wanted to discuss some of his thoughts on the Land of Whirlpools with his grandfather, Yuan Shi.

At the Underground Bounty Station outpost in the capital of the Land of Fire, the person in charge of intelligence around the Land of Fire was giving instructions.

"We have recently received orders from the higher-ups. They require us to focus all our efforts on gathering intelligence concerning the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Rain! Same rules as always: the higher-ups will personally judge the value of the intelligence everyone provides and reward you according to its worth. That is all! Dismissed!"

In the Land of Frost, at Madara Uchiha's underground base within the Mountain Graveyard.

"Lord Madara!" A lively voice rang out. It was the spiral-faced White Zetsu named Tobi. "Eh? No response. Lord Madara isn't dead, is he?"

"Hehe! Let me take a look!" Tobi cautiously approached the sleeping Madara Uchiha.

Before his words had even faded, the spiral-faced White Zetsu, Tobi, was blasted away by a sudden eruption of chakra. Madara Uchiha awoke from his slumber.

"Speak!" A deep, aged voice echoed throughout the underground base.

"Lord Madara, Hanzō of the Salamander, leader of Rain Village, clashed with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha's Third Hokage, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain. The battle ended in a draw, and afterward Hanzō of the Salamander received the title of demigod." The main body of White Zetsu appeared and recounted the battle between Hanzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi to Madara.

"A demigod? Is he worthy of a god's title? Heh, Hashirama, your successor is truly pathetic." Madara Uchiha commented disdainfully.

As Madara Uchiha, the Shinobi World's Asura who stood alongside Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, and who had not yet been brutally beaten by Night Guy, Naruto, and Sasuke in the Fourth Shinobi World War, he saw everyone other than Hashirama Senju as trash.

He would not acknowledge any shinobi besides Hashirama, not even Hanzō, who merely called himself a demigod.

"As Hokage, he could not even defeat someone from a small shinobi village, yet in the end he even praised his opponent! What a disgrace to the Hokage title!" Madara Uchiha was extremely displeased. Known as the Shinobi World's Asura, he had fought countless battles, and from White Zetsu's description alone, he instantly saw through the truth: Hiruzen Sarutobi had been at a disadvantage, not evenly matched.

The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, had been his close friend and lifelong rival. Though the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had killed Madara's younger brother Izuna Uchiha, even Madara had to admit Tobirama's exceptional talent.

And then there was this Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose supposedly fierce performance looked utterly absurd in Madara Uchiha's eyes—absurd beyond all reason.