Genji: You've Really Made Things Difficult for Me

The Land of Water, the Kirigakure.

Like the Uzumaki Clan, the entire village of Hidden Mist Village is now shrouded in gloom.

Especially the advisors, elders, and other high-ranking members, their minds were buzzing and completely blank.

What do you mean by calling them the Mizukage of Hidden Mist Village, colluding with Hidden Cloud Village, leading a group of Anbu and their cronies, and launching a lightning-fast attack on Uzushiogakure without any High-Level Meeting?

Haha, this news is fake, right?

Such an important operation, even if their First Mizukage were alive, couldn't possibly bypass the High-Level Meeting and act unilaterally, right?

Where did the Third get the audacity to do something like this?

Putting aside the attack on the Uzumaki Clan and the dangerous reactions the Land of Night and Konoha might take afterward, the fact that they bypassed the High-Level Meeting and acted on their own was enough for them to remove the Uzumaki from their position as Mizukage.

This joke has gone way too far.

Unfortunately, this was not a joke, but something that really happened three days ago.

At the time, they were puzzled as to why the Third had suddenly fallen silent and stopped opposing the advisor Genji. This strange, silent behavior—could it be that he was about to pull off something big?

As it turned out, the whole thing really came out.

What truly Kirigakure was that, even though the attack had taken place, three days had passed; surely they should have returned to give an explanation by now?

But what about the people?

Why hasn't their Mizukage returned yet?

--Water Mizukage Building, conference room.

A group of elders, led by Genji, gathered together for a High-Level Meeting.

These High-Level Meeting have been held no fewer than ten times in just three days.

There are only two core issues.

First, now that things have happened and Hidden Mist Village has accepted it, they need to figure out how to deal with the reactions from the Land of Night and Konoha, and actively reorganize their combat forces to prepare for battle.

Second, try to contact the missing Third Mizukage to ascertain his whereabouts.

The first thing they did was to make the necessary preparations and send people to contact the Hidden Cloud Village to weather this storm together.

However, the second thing is the most troublesome issue for Kirigakure at the moment.

After the failed attack on Uzushiogakure, several members of the Hidden Mist Village Anbu and close associates of the Third Mizukage fled back in disarray.

However, due to their early evacuation, they were unaware of the subsequent developments. They only knew that the Third Mizukage was fighting against the head of the Special Assault Department of the Land of Night, and then the Third Raikage and the Second Shogun of the Land of Night also joined the battle.

After that, they didn't know anything more.

Because the Uzumaki Clan ninjas who had retreated launched a fierce counterattack, they were forced to withdraw from the battlefield, thus narrowly escaping with their lives.

This was also the intention of the Third Mizukage, since these people were of no use on the battlefield at that time and would only lose their lives for no reason.

Compared to those who were killed or captured, these few "deserters" were quite lucky.

"The hundred search teams that were dispatched recently reported back that they had not found any trace of the Mizukage near the Land of Whirlpool."

The Genji spoke first, stating the search results of the search team.

Upon hearing these words, the faces of the other senior staff members immediately darkened.

They all knew what such search results really meant.

This means that the Third Mizukage did not escape from Uzushiogakure at all, but was instead entangled by the people of the Land of Night.

"So, Lord Mizukage's current situation is that his fate is unknown?"

A high-ranking Jonin rubbed his throbbing temples, his head throbbing with pain.

"Don't say such unlucky things. The Mizukage's strength is obvious to all. Trying to escape would be extremely difficult..."

Before one executive could finish speaking, another executive sneered:

"According to the report from the Anbu who returned from the scene, that Land of Night's Assault Division not only demonstrated Susanoo, but also the Flying Thunder God of the late Second Hokage... Do you really think the Mizukage could have escaped under those circumstances?"

After this senior executive finished speaking, the others fell silent.

In fact, they were well aware that, judging from the situation at the time, it was almost impossible for the Third Mizukage to escape.

Otherwise, it would be impossible that more than three days have passed without any news coming back.

"Now, Lord Mizukage only has two possible outcomes: either he is captured, or..."

The higher-up who was speaking didn't continue, but everyone knew what the other outcome would be.

The former is fine; at worst, we can just ransom the person. But if it's the latter... then that's troublesome.

Although the Third Mizukage's prestige has plummeted recently, he is still the rightful leader of Hidden Mist Village.

If the Third Mizukage were killed, it would mean that there would be no room for reconciliation between them and the Land of Night.

Moreover, many people even believe that their Mizukage is very likely no longer alive.

Such a stubborn person, single-mindedly wanting to prove his abilities, would find it extremely difficult for his enemies to capture him alive.

"I believe we should take this opportunity to elect the Fourth Mizukage."

A senior executive made a startling remark, silencing the entire conference room.

Genji sat there expressionless, his face twitching slightly as if he were struggling to suppress something.

"But..."

"Leaving aside the fact that the Lord Third's fate is unknown, even if he were to return, he couldn't continue serving as Mizukage. Therefore, electing a new Mizukage is imperative. Deciding on the Fourth Mizukage now is also to stabilize the village's crisis situation."

The high-ranking officials who proposed electing a new Mizukage spoke again, their words carrying weight.

But everyone knows which faction he belongs to, and for whom he is speaking up and paving the way forward.

At this point, both the neutral faction and the Third Mizukage's faction fell silent.

Even if you wanted to refute it, you couldn't now.

"This is a critical moment. We urgently need a wise and powerful new Mizukage to lead our village to a better future. Therefore—"

The high-ranking official continued speaking, his voice brimming with power:

"I believe the position of Fourth Mizukage belongs to none other than the Advisor to Genji. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

After a moment of silence in the meeting room, voices of support could be heard:

"I agree. Everyone has witnessed the contributions that Advisor Genji has made to the village over the years."

"That's right, I also believe that the position of Fourth Mizukage must be filled by Genji. It was precisely because Genji was there in the past that we had the confidence to correct the Third Mizukage's unreasonable elitist policies and save the future of countless young people in the village."

"Genji is capable and has the strength to serve the First Lord. Who else in the Fourth Generation Lord is more qualified than him?"

... Hearing the waves of praise from these people, even the neutrals showed signs of interest.

Although Genji advocated preserving tradition and always opposed the radical Third Hokage, Hidden Mist Village now needed stability and could not afford another autocratic Mizukage who was obsessed with grand schemes.

Only the top leaders of the three-generation faction remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

But this silence itself is a form of acquiescence.

Indeed, in terms of strength, ability, and seniority, no one in Kirigakure is more qualified to serve as Mizukage than Genji.

"Advisor Genji, we now unanimously recommend you as the Fourth Mizukage. Please accept our recommendation."

The high-ranking official who first proposed the election took a deep breath, looked intently at the silent Genji, his eyes filled with unwavering loyalty.

"The Third's fate is still uncertain, and now you want me to be the Fourth Hokage... Besides, my personal abilities are limited. I can be an advisor to the Mizukage, but to become the Mizukage..."

Genji looked hesitant, as if he lacked confidence.

"Advisor Genji, please don't decline. You are the one everyone hopes to have!"

"Yes, Advisor Genji, everyone in the village is waiting for you to take charge!"

"The position of Fourth Mizukage —even if you don't want it, we'll force you into it!"

"A country cannot be without a leader for a day, and a village cannot be without a shadow for a day. Please ascend to the position of the Fourth Generation!"

Hearing these people's forceful and aggressive words, it was as if they would really force him into the position of the Fourth Mizukage if he didn't agree.

Genji's lips immediately turned bitter:

"Oh dear, you guys have really put me in a lot of trouble..."