That day.
Kei made a rare trip to the main gate to "welcome" his village's army home, purely out of curiosity. He wanted to see what the Mist Ninja's main elite force looked like. In truth, though, it meant little, because Kei had no right to judge anyone else yet. Perhaps in terms of raw individual power, having gained an initial grasp of some Ice Release abilities, he could surpass an ordinary Genin.
But if he really fought an experienced Genin...
Kei could be almost one hundred percent certain he would be at a disadvantage.
With neither experience nor technique, what right did he have to fight those battle-hardened veterans?!
With nothing but the Ice Release he had only just begun to learn?!
What a joke!
Even someone as powerful as Otsutsuki Kaguya had lost outright to the Naruto-Sasuke duo because her experience was so lacking and she had no combat skills whatsoever!
And Otsutsuki Kaguya had held an absolute advantage in terms of power!
Even Sakura Haruno and Kakashi had been able to join the fight. That alone showed just how inept that Rabbit Goddess had been in combat experience and technique!
Had it been Madara or Obito in Ten-Tails mode instead, leaving everything else aside, Sakura Haruno and Kakashi would have been utterly crushed and killed every single time they tried!
That was the difference experience and technique made.
So Kei had merely shown his face at the beginning before immediately leaving to carry on with his own training!
He knew very well what he needed to do at this stage!
Anything irrelevant...
Had to be forcibly set aside for now!
Five years!
Five years at most. He had to seize this crucial period of growth. Otherwise, leaving everything else aside, when the Shinobi World War came five years later, if he was not strong enough and was sent to the battlefield, his chances of dying in combat would soar. That was not the future Kei wanted to see.
His destiny had to remain in his own hands.
That was the sole ambition Kei held deep within his heart!
His preparations for training continued in an orderly fashion. As the entire Mist Ninja army returned from the front, the somewhat turbulent situation in Kirigakure finally settled down completely. Even the conflicts of interest among the higher-ups seemed to vanish overnight.
But they had not truly disappeared altogether.
It was merely because of Third Mizukage Aoki's considerable prestige, Genji's support, and, most importantly, the return of the Mist Ninja army loyal to Aoki!
As long as Aoki's strength and prestige were sufficient to keep certain schemers in the village in check, any unrest would be forcibly suppressed. In this respect, all the major ninja villages actually faced similar problems.
This was also one of the important reasons they had chosen to end the war at this point. Ever since the First Kage of each major ninja village had died for various reasons, none of those villages had anyone capable of fully commanding everyone anymore!
Conflicts arose over interests.
That was also the most natural development.
The only difference lay in their scale and severity.
As for who could overpower whom, that depended on their respective methods. And the risks involved in such internal strife were not much lower than those of any direct confrontation in the Shinobi World!
But regardless, the Second Shinobi World War had finally been declared over. With the main forces of the major ninja villages returning home, Year 37 of Konoha had finally turned its last page, and time officially advanced into Year 38 of Konoha!
One day in February, Kei received notice from the relevant official in his clan that it had been confirmed: he would enroll in the village's Ninja Academy that March!
The list was also formally submitted to the village the moment it was finalized.
And it was delivered directly into Third Mizukage Aoki's hands.
As the village's Kage, he certainly had to concern himself, at least nominally, with each year's incoming students. They were one of the firmest foundations of his rule.
Especially the enrollment lists involving the village's major ninja villages.
These were matters that Aoki, as Mizukage, had to pay particular attention to. That was true every year, and this year was naturally no exception.
The Jonin responsible for the Ninja Academy delivered the lists to the Mizukage's Office as soon as they had been collected from the various ninja clans.
"Lord Mizukage, this is this year's enrollment list!"
Inside the Mizukage's private office in the Kirigakure building.
Aoki sat in the seat of honor, dressed in the Mizukage's ceremonial robes, his long black hair falling to his shoulders. His eyes, which had remained slightly narrowed, slowly opened when he heard the voice of his direct subordinate.
"Mm."
After nodding lightly and waving for the Jonin to withdraw...
Aoki picked up the list on his desk. When he saw the numbers of students enrolling from the Kaguya, Minazuki, and Hozuki Clans...
The Third Mizukage's gaze tightened slightly.
"What a troublesome bunch..."
Aoki shook his head, the faces of the three great ninja clans' leaders flashing through his mind as he spoke with a hint of helplessness.
As the village's Kage, Aoki had far too many issues to consider. He lacked First Mizukage Byakuren's prestige, and his strength also fell a notch short of Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki's.
But in political wisdom and methods, he surpassed both his predecessors. In addition, he had once been a trusted aide of the First Mizukage. Thanks to these two factors, after Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki had recklessly fought Second Tsuchikage Mu to their mutual deaths, Aoki had still managed to stabilize the village, resist Kumogakure to the north, and invade Konoha to the east!
One could say that he had perfectly balanced the relationships within the village. But the sudden outbreak of the Second Shinobi World War had shaken all of Kirigakure, destabilizing its political situation. This was especially true of the Hozuki Clan, which had produced the Second Mizukage. Each side demanded different benefits, and the outcome of the war had failed to satisfy their desires.
A certain degree of unrest within the village had therefore been foreseeable.
And now, in Aoki's eyes, the enrollment lists for the next generation of the three great ninja clans, especially the Hozuki Clan, were a blatant attempt to test him.
Looking at the mere handful of names from the Hozuki Clan on the list, Aoki drew a deep breath, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.
He made his decision almost instantly.
"Hokuto!"
The name was called softly.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"
The next second.
A figure wearing the standard uniform of Kirigakure's Anbu appeared out of thin air and knelt on one knee before Aoki.
"Deliver this list and this scroll to Lord Genji. Remember, you must place them in Lord Genji's hands personally!"
Aoki took a scroll from his drawer and handed it, together with the enrollment list on his desk, to the Anbu before him, speaking in a solemn tone.
"Yes! Your orders will be obeyed!"
The Anbu sharply bowed in acknowledgment, then vanished in a flash.
Aoki stood and walked to the office's enormous floor-to-ceiling window. Gazing at the faint mist shrouding the sky over his ninja village, a faint gleam flickered deep in his eyes as he murmured, "Troubled times..."
And in that very instant.
The Third Mizukage's expression abruptly changed.
"Cough, cough!"
As the uncontrollable, violent coughing rang out...
He instinctively covered his mouth.
Then he slowly opened his right hand.
When he saw the startling smear of crimson on his palm...
Aoki's expression turned exceedingly grim. But a moment later, he drew a deep breath and steadied his breathing again, his expression becoming solemn and icy.
I hope you won't force my hand!!