Sudden Change

"Yeah, it's hard to imagine that someone like him could do something so cruel and cold-blooded. That's why I said there was something wrong with the Fourth Mizukage," Hayato said, unable to make sense of it.

"Could something have happened? Or was the Fourth Mizukage's behavior before launching his reign of terror all an act, and this is his true face?" Miao asked doubtfully.

"No, I don't think so. If this were his true nature, there would have been no need for him to push those new policies after taking office. He could have simply followed the existing policies step by step. Given that he was able to suppress all opposition, he could have waited until his position was secure before launching his reign of terror. There was no need to go through the trouble of implementing new policies. That would only make him seem more erratic and suspicious. That's the strange part. It was as if he had suddenly become a different person, and there had been no reports of any major upheaval in Kirigakure during those two years," Hayato said slowly, narrowing his eyes.

"Suddenly became a different person?" Miao thought rapidly. Could the Fourth Mizukage have been controlled? Or was he merely a puppet, with someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes?! Miao blurted out.

Hearing Miao's words, Hayato slowly shook his head. "Not very likely. The Mizukage had numerous guards, along with the Anbu directly under his command. To control the Mizukage without anyone noticing, one would have to evade those elite Ninja flawlessly. Besides, anyone who could become Mizukage was an incredibly powerful Ninja. Who could possibly have the ability to control one?"

Miao narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly. "There are too many supposedly impossible things in this world. Once every other hypothetical possibility has been ruled out, then the one that remains, no matter how unbelievable it may seem, is The Truth."

"And Father, have you forgotten? You said the Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails. If even a powerful demon with nearly inexhaustible Chakra like the Nine-Tails could be controlled, let alone a person!"

Hayato's expression changed sharply at Miao's words. His unfocused pupils suddenly widened as he said in shock, "You mean someone from the Uchiha Clan used the Sharingan's Dojutsu Power to control the Fourth Mizukage?!"

Miao slowly shook his head. "How could I possibly know something like that? But based on the information Father provided, it's very likely that the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled. Other than that, I really can't think of any other possibility. As the leader of Kirigakure, no matter how ambitious he was, he couldn't possibly slaughter his village's Ninja on such a massive scale and Weakened his own forces. As a Kage, his authority had already reached its peak. What reason would he have to do that? The only possibility is that the Fourth Mizukage was no longer himself, or rather, he was no longer acting according to his own will! As for whether the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan controlled him, I can't judge that. There are countless strange Ninjutsu and Secret Techniques in this world, along with many secrets we don't know. It's also possible that some other Secret Techniques were used to control the Mizukage. In any case, there is definitely something wrong with this Mizukage."

After hearing Miao's analysis, Hayato looked at his son sitting beside him with gratification, secretly delighted. The child has Grown Up. He's not only calm and composed, but also quick-witted. He's already a Ninja who can stand on his own. Meiling, do you see that?

At that moment, Miao looked up and noticed that his father seemed lost in thought. "Father, what's wrong?" he asked. "Heh, it's nothing. I'm just happy that my son has Grown Up," Hayato said with a smile.

"Heh." Miao smiled at his father's words. But just then, a burst of commotion suddenly came from outside, along with the sound of people shouting curses.

Miao and Hayato's expressions changed at once. Miao suddenly had a bad feeling. "Miao!" Hayato called out to him.

"I know!" Miao's expression turned grave. The noise seemed to be coming from the house next door. Wasn't that Haku's house?

Miao rushed to the entryway, quickly put on his shoes, opened the door, and dashed outside. Hayato had already slowly risen to his feet. With a faint sigh, he said, "It seems our peaceful life is about to end." With that, Hayato slowly walked toward his room.

Miao rushed out of the house and saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance of a home not far from theirs. They were the Villagers of this village. Their faces were twisted with terrifying savagery as they cursed wildly, as though they had encountered some utterly loathsome and horrifying monster.

"Damn it!" Miao's pupils contracted. Inside Haku's house, a large group of Villagers stared fixedly at the two people before them: Haku and Haku's mother, Shunzi. The Villagers held all sorts of weapons—sickles, Tachi, even hoes. At the front of the crowd stood a weathered-looking Middle-aged Man with an honest appearance. He was Haku's father. The man who normally seemed so kind and simple was now glaring viciously at his wife, Shunzi, and the daughter she sheltered behind her—Haku.

"You bitch! After I treated you so well, you gave birth to a monster like this for me! No, you're a monster too! Only a monster could give birth to another monster! What sin did I commit?!" The Middle-aged Man's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was terrifying, like a savage beast that devoured people.

"Kill those two monsters!" The group of Villagers behind him wore vicious expressions, their eyes filled with killing intent and deep fear.

"Cousin, do it. They may be monsters, but they are still your wife and daughter. End them with your own hands and prove your loyalty to Lord Fourth Mizukage! After all, you are a citizen of Water Country," One Person said with a faint smile from not far beside the Middle-aged Man.

He wore Kirigakure's distinctive blue Ninja uniform and a Kirigakure forehead protector. He was clearly a Ninja from Kirigakure.

"I understand, Cousin. Even if you hadn't said so, I would kill these two monsters! I'm sure Lord Mizukage will believe me!" the Middle-aged Man said with a hint of panic on his face. A trace of struggle still lingered in his eyes. After all, they were his wife and daughter, and he could not have spent so many years with them without developing feelings. But that struggle was quickly swallowed by savage killing intent. These things were monsters. They would bring him misfortune. They had to die!