When she arrived at the president's office, Mei Terumi froze briefly at the sight of the black-haired figure sitting beside Yuzuru.
That distinctive fan-shaped clan crest reminded Mei Terumi of some unpleasant things.
Still, she maintained her composure in front of Yuzuru.
"You're here. Have a seat."
Yuzuru also paused at the sight of Mei Terumi's outfit.
Only after Mei Terumi sat down did Yuzuru speak. "This is Uchiha Hikari, a close friend of mine. She's the one who used her Sharingan to control the daimyo and nobles in the Land of Water's capital."
"I see."
Hearing this, Mei Terumi finally understood why the daimyo had been supporting Yuzuru so wholeheartedly all this time.
"During the last Shinobi World War, Kirigakure fought the Uchiha Clan. I saw how formidable they were myself. They certainly deserve their reputation as the Shinobi World's foremost clan."
Mei Terumi spoke with a smile.
"Although she's an Uchiha, she doesn't have much connection to the present-day Uchiha Clan."
"Strictly speaking, even Madara Uchiha, who lived in the First Hokage's era, is her junior."
Yuzuru said this to Mei Terumi with a smile.
At those words, the smile on Mei Terumi's face immediately stiffened.
"She was already around when the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan considered each other mortal enemies. Hikari is the greatest genius in Uchiha history. She possesses the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and commands extremely terrifying Dōjutsu. Because of that, the Uchiha regarded her as their ultimate weapon and enhanced her twice, copying many powerful Mangekyō Sharingan abilities into her."
"You could put it this way: Hikari has every Dōjutsu the Uchiha Clan has, and she also has Dōjutsu they don't."
Yuzuru spoke casually, but his words made Mei Terumi's heart tremble.
"The reason you can see Hikari here today is that, after an Uchiha defeat, the Senju Clan discovered her before she had fully grown into her strength. But they couldn't kill her, so they could only seal her away. She remained sealed until I found her a few years ago. I have my teacher Tsunade to thank for that. After all, without her, I wouldn't have been able to read the history recorded by the Senju Clan."
"Your teacher is Princess Tsunade? The princess of the Land of Fire?"
This news shocked Mei Terumi no less than Hikari's origins had.
"That was all in the past. You must have noticed that my Ice Release differs from that of Kirigakure's current Yuki Clan. Part of it was developed using Wood Release as a reference."
"I see."
Understanding dawned on Mei Terumi.
"Back to business. I had you two meet because there are two things I need you to do."
"Please, go ahead."
Mei Terumi looked at Yuzuru with great respect.
"First, take some people along with Hikari and eliminate the Land of Water's capital. Remember, this time, erase it. Leave no one."
Hearing this, Mei Terumi still couldn't help feeling it was madness, but she had grown accustomed to it by now. She trusted every decision Yuzuru made.
"Eliminate all the nobles and the daimyo. Bring out the innocent children and slaves. Let those with homes return to them. For those without, establish an orphanage and assign people to raise them. After that, destroy the Land of Water's capital. From now on, the Land of Water will have only one center of power: Sea Capital. I will be the Land of Water's sole president."
"Yes!"
Mei Terumi nodded without hesitation, and Uchiha Hikari had no objections whatsoever.
"Second, once this is done, all the Land of Water's internal problems will be resolved. Then the two of you will go to Sunagakure. Don't forget their surprise attack during the last war. This time, you're going to demand an explanation."
"Are these postwar negotiations?"
Mei Terumi looked at Yuzuru in surprise.
"More or less. But this time, there's only one objective: make the Sand Ninja abandon Pakura."
"Pakura? The Scorch Release user?"
Mei Terumi had a deep impression of Pakura. After all, she was another powerful woman with a kekkei genkai, and she was even stronger than Mei Terumi.
"With the Third Kazekage dead, the Sand Ninja will have to choose a Fourth Kazekage. Right now, they have two suitable candidates. One is Rasa, who possesses the same Magnet Release as the previous Kazekage. The other is Pakura, who has distinguished herself in battle and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Sand Ninja."
"Having Rasa become Kazekage benefits us because he's stupid enough. But having Pakura become Kazekage wouldn't be so good, because she's a capable woman, just like you."
"So you mean we should make sure an idiot leads the enemy?"
Mei Terumi immediately understood Yuzuru's meaning.
"Exactly. During the negotiations, you only need to tell Sunagakure's leadership how much the Mist Ninja hate Pakura. Leave the rest to them. After all, in their eyes, Pakura can't compare to Rasa anyway. To the Sand Ninja, Magnet Release isn't merely a symbol of the Kazekage. It's also a source of income."
"As for Pakura, the reason Hikari is going with you is to save her and bring her back. A Sand Ninja hero abandoned by her own people for their interests, only to be rescued by the enemy... I imagine what follows will be quite interesting."
Hearing this, Mei Terumi's lips also curved into a smile.
"How wicked, Mr. President. But I like it."
"All right, are your assignments clear? Go prepare. Rest for a day and leave the day after tomorrow. Put in some hard work this year, and things will be much easier afterward."
With that, Yuzuru was ready to send them away.
Seeing this, Mei Terumi felt a little regret. She glanced at Yuzuru before leaving with Uchiha Hikari.
Once they had left, Yuzuru sat alone in his office, propping his chin on his hands as he quietly considered what came next.
He had to admit that Kirigakure's system was rotten to the core. Even though Yuzuru had already dealt with the root cause, the Bloody Mist Village had left far too great an impact.
Infrastructure alone lagged far behind that of other countries. Once these two matters were settled, it would be time to develop it properly. However, there was another major problem: the climate here.
Yuzuru looked out the window. Between the night and the thick fog, visibility was appallingly low.
In this coastal area, there was simply no end to the fog blowing in from the sea.
With that thought, Yuzuru began writing again, laying out Sea Capital's future development and infrastructure renovations.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!"
Still writing, Yuzuru asked without looking up, "What is it?"
"Well, Kirigakure's medical care still has some major problems. We need to build a large hospital."
Hearing Rin's voice, Yuzuru set down his pen and looked up at her, his tone rather helpless.
"Rin, I told you, this place is called Sea Capital now."
"Sorry, I haven't gotten used to it yet."
Rin quickly lowered her head and apologized.
"But you're right. Medical facilities are important too."
Yuzuru took out Sea Capital's planning map and studied the land that had yet to be allocated. His gaze soon shifted to the Hozuki Clan's residential area. It was a very good location.
"The Hozuki Clan, huh?"
As Kirigakure's most flourishing kekkei genkai clan, they had produced a Mizukage, and their members had always held positions among the village's leadership. Although that was no longer the case, their pride as a kekkei genkai clan remained.
"Go get Kakashi."
Yuzuru seemed to speak to thin air.
"Rin, sit down for now."
"Okay."
After a short wait, Kakashi arrived at the office.
"Have you finished collecting the numbers and names of the kekkei genkai clan members?"
"Only the Chinoike Clan is left."
Kakashi took out a scroll and handed it to Yuzuru.
"The Chinoike Clan?"
Taking the scroll, Yuzuru opened it to look through it. Before long, his expression darkened.
"These are the kekkei genkai clans?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Under the policies of the previous Mizukage, all the kekkei genkai clans ended up like this, apart from the Hozuki Clan, who fared slightly better."
Kakashi sighed.
The Yuki Clan: only six remained.
The Kaguya Clan: only seven remained.
The Koshimizu Clan: only one remained.
The Steel Earth Clan: only three remained.
The Chinoike Clan...
The Hozuki Clan: twenty-one members.
The numbers gave Yuzuru a headache.
He really wanted to dig up those Mizukage's corpses and see whether their heads were full of shit.
Other villages wished they had more kekkei genkai clans, yet Kirigakure's brain-dead Mizukage had persecuted theirs in every way. These were only the ones that remained. Yuzuru could hardly imagine how flourishing Kirigakure's kekkei genkai clans must have been even earlier.
"Have all of them come here tomorrow. Make absolutely sure the Chinoike Clan is protected. Their powerful Dōjutsu is on par with an ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan. Rin, go with Kakashi tomorrow. Bring every member of the Chinoike Clan here unharmed, men and women, old and young."
"Yes!"
"As for the hospital's location, I already have an idea. Once they finish their meeting here tomorrow, I'll allocate the land to you."
"Understood."