I called this old man from his house in the middle of the night.
This must obviously be an emergency involving the highest affairs of the ninja village. However, even so, Genji's expression remained as calm as ever. Over the years, Genji has seen all kinds of storms. As long as there is no real danger that could bring down the ninja village, Genji's heart will not be greatly disturbed.
"Yes, it concerns Qingyi Xing, Genji. Please take a look at this letter first. It came from Konoha, in the name of the Third Hokage!"
Yagura didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, handing the special letter in his hand to the Genji opposite him as he spoke.
Genji leaned forward slightly, took the package, opened it, and glanced at it. A faint, cold expression slowly appeared on his aged face.
However, it only lasted for a short while. As he closed the letter, Genji's expression returned to its previous calm.
"What is the Mizukage's opinion on this matter?"
The Genji leaned back slightly, choosing a more comfortable position, then looked calmly at Yagura and asked softly.
"I want to confirm the true situation of Qing and his group before making any specific decisions. Now is not the best time, and Konoha may not be our best target. Of course, if time is of the essence, then we will have no choice but to go all in!"
After taking a deep breath, Yagura showed no mercy and stared directly at the Genji opposite him, saying in a slightly low voice, "It is precisely because of this decision that I desperately need the Genji's strong support!"
Whether it's dealing with external or internal factors.
The prestige of the Genji is indispensable.
"Yes, that's for sure. Lord Mizukage's decision is correct. Please rest assured, Lord Mizukage, as long as the village needs me, this old man will do his utmost to assist Mizukage. Everything is for the sake of the village."
Genji could naturally understand the underlying meaning in Yagura's words, and without hesitation, he nodded in response.
Yagura also showed a satisfied expression after hearing the Genji's statement.
"Then I'm relieved. I'll leave the rest to Genji!"
"Um!"
As long as Genji stands firmly on his side, no one in the village can question or oppose him. Even if the three great ninja clans join forces, they cannot shake his position. Of course, Yagura Karatachi doesn't really want to do anything to the three great ninja clans. As the Mizukage, he just wants to have all the power in the village in his own hands.
The three powerhouses need to be disciplined, suppressed, and slightly weakened.
This is the main reason why Yagura has recently adopted some special policies and arrangements. Genji also saw through this, which is why he didn't do much.
Even if the methods were a bit extreme, it was entirely in line with the consistent style of Kirigakure. Even the Third Mizukage, Aoki, who had the most peaceful personality, was incredibly ruthless when he got serious!
Yagura's actions were entirely within Genji's expectations, and far from warranting Genji's opposition to Yagura.
As long as everything conforms to the norms of Kirigakure, Genji will fully cooperate. What does it matter if it's a little bloody and cruel?
This is the Mizukage's right, and it's the style of Kirigakure.
With the two powerful figures of Kirigakure having reached an agreement, Yagura's orders could be carried out without any scruples, and could be easily kept secret from everyone else in the village, including the leaders of the three major ninja clans. Even if they were to obtain some information about the personnel changes in the village, it would be difficult to detect.
However, without other crucial and accurate information to corroborate their claims, they were naturally still completely baffled. In recent months, Yagura had been making various new arrangements and strategies, some of which were aimed at the three major ninja clans and their bloodline families. Naturally, the three major clans didn't pay much attention to them at first!
However, this cannot be kept secret forever. Once enough time has passed, the people of Qing and his group will definitely find out about the attack. Yagura did not think that it could be kept secret forever. What the Mizukage needed was just this time difference, enough for him to easily make some necessary arrangements!
After making a series of arrangements, Yagura also took the initiative to strengthen communication with Konohagakure, wanting to find out more from Konoha in order to set a tone for the upcoming negotiations or war.
In Konohagakure, when Hiruzen Sarutobi received the message from Yagura Karatachi, his anxious heart relaxed slightly. In negotiations, what's often more frightening than the other side making exorbitant demands is remaining silent or even refusing to negotiate altogether!
The former means there is room for negotiation; the difference lies only in the final terms. But the latter means a complete breakdown in negotiations—or, to be more precise, that negotiations never even began!
Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't afraid of Yagura setting conditions; he's afraid of Yagura declaring war directly!
Once you start talking, there's a possibility that the conversation can continue!
Therefore, the Third Hokage took the initiative to strengthen contact and even released a batch of conditions in advance, being very generous in terms of mission share and material compensation.
It was under these circumstances that Ao, who had escaped just as successfully as Kei, also sent back relevant information in the following time. Without knowing the safety of the other members, Ao could only report the events of the ambush to his Mizukage. After seeing the information Ao sent back, as well as the letter sent by the Third Hokage, Yagura had a preliminary understanding of the situation!
However, we'll have to see how to proceed. Although it might be a bit unfair to the other Mist Ninja, the most important safety concerns for Ao and his group are actually Kei and Shingetsu. Let's not even mention the latter; he's the current young master of the Hozuki Clan!
Although Kei's identity may seem quite ordinary, once the full story of his talent, especially his performance in the Chunin Ninja Exams, is relayed back to the village, the Yuki Clan will definitely pay more attention to him!
Of course, these are all secondary reasons.
Most importantly, Yagura did not want the three great ninja clans to force him to declare war on a major ninja village at a time that was not of his choosing!
Therefore, the safety of Qi and Shingetsu becomes especially crucial.
It's not that they themselves are so important, but rather that their surnames— Hozuki Clan and Minazuki Clan— are too conspicuous in Kirigakure!
Therefore, while Yagura was engaging in deeper negotiations with Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was also sending more personnel to the border area and even into the Land of Fire to meet up with Kei, Shingetsu, and the others who had scattered and escaped!