Kirigakure.
Genji walked into the Mizukage's Office.
Looking at the Third Mizukage, who radiated gloom, he sighed inwardly.
It seemed that battle had affected the Mizukage even more deeply than he had imagined...
Genji drew a deep breath and stood before the Third Mizukage.
He said, "Lord Mizukage, the Hozuki Clan... failed."
The Hozuki Clan, which had once produced the Second Mizukage, possessed a scroll capable of summoning the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
But it had many restrictions: only those proficient in using the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could summon them, and blades that already had owners could not be summoned.
The Third Mizukage raised his head. "Stop trying. Mito Uzumaki is there."
Genji fell silent.
He knew perfectly well that the so-called Ninja Blade Summoning Scroll was not nearly as miraculous as people imagined. With a sealing jutsu master like Mito Uzumaki there, it would have been stranger if they could summon the Seven Ninja Swordsmen back.
But without the Mizukage's approval, they had to keep trying.
To Kirigakure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were practically a spiritual symbol.
Many Kirigakure ninja dreamed of becoming the owner of one of those seven blades.
In other words, losing five of the seven blades... was far too heavy a responsibility to bear.
And the losses did not end there. All five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who had participated in the operation had died. The news had already caused an uproar in Kirigakure, one that could not be suppressed.
Moreover, with the thorn that was Uzushio Village still in their side, Kirigakure remained confined to its little island.
It seemed safe, with no need to worry about attacks from other hidden villages, but its resources were limited, and they could only suffer in silence.
More importantly, the Third Mizukage had