From the end of the First Shinobi World War until now, the Third Mizukage has been in power for decades.
Just like how Onoki succeeded the Second Tsuchikage after his death and has remained in power for an exceptionally long time, the Third Mizukage is also among the longest-serving Kage in the ninja world.
But there is one key difference between him and Onoki—his age!
The Third Mizukage is an entire generation older than Onoki!
Karatachi Yagura recalled that during the Warring States Period, Onoki and the Second Tsuchikage were once intercepted by Uchiha Madara on their way to Konohagakure and were thoroughly humiliated.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Onoki was already in his seventies. Yet back then, he had been just a teenager.
Even Madara himself remarked, "Since when does an adult get angry at a child?"
But at that time, the Third Mizukage was already a grown man, seemingly around the same age as the Second Hokage and his entourage.
Doing some quick mental calculations, Karatachi Yagura estimated that even if the Third Mizukage was only ten years older than Onoki, that would still place him somewhere around seventy or eighty years old by now!
"Damn... Damn..."
Karatachi Yagura had seen the Third Mizukage before. Just from his appearance, it was clear he was no young man, but this was the first time he had seriously considered his age, and it left him somewhat stunned.
His eyes fell back to the first line of the book in front of him, where the words "Bloody Mist" were written prominently. He scowled in disdain.
"An old monster who has lived for so long and yet never did anything good. Just like those two advisors in Konoha and that damn 5.5th Hokage—exactly the same."
If only Hozuki Gengetsu hadn't been so reckless and had stayed in the village, he could have lived longer.
Though the policy of isolationism in Kirigakure started with him, it had both pros and cons. The greatest advantage was that it made it incredibly difficult for intelligence about Kirigakure's shinobi to leak outside.
Before massive-scale jutsu battles became the norm, intelligence was arguably the most crucial factor in ninja combat.
This was the very reason why every village had its own codebreaking unit—to safeguard their own intelligence while deciphering the enemy's.
How important is intelligence to a shinobi? Extremely.
In most battles, success hinges on catching the enemy off guard and using unknown techniques to deliver a decisive strike.
Consider a few notable battles from the original Naruto series:
When Deidara and Sasori attacked Sunagakure to capture Gaara, Kankuro pursued them and ended up facing Sasori. However, every puppet Kankuro used had been crafted by Sasori himself, and Sasori knew all their mechanisms inside out. The battle was over before it even began.
Kisame, the so-called "ultimate shinobi," was once tasked with eliminating teammates who might leak information. Before the Fourth Shinobi War, after being defeated by Might Guy, he chose to commit suicide rather than allow his memories to be extracted.
Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin, infiltrated Amegakure but was killed by Pain's Six Paths, an unfamiliar technique. Yet even as he died, he managed to send a coded message back. If he had known about Pain's six bodies and their abilities beforehand, he might not have won, but at the very least, he could have survived.
...
When an enemy knows all of a shinobi's abilities and has preemptively devised countermeasures, that shinobi is as good as dead—unless the power gap is insurmountable.
Ahem, getting sidetracked.
Back to the Third Mizukage and his Bloody Mist.
Though this was just a history book, it outlined the key policies of the Bloody Mist era.
At its core, the doctrine was simple: cultivate elite shinobi, eliminate the weak, and reduce overall ninja numbers to cut costs.
This principle shaped every Kirigakure shinobi from the moment they entered the academy.
Unlike Konoha's system, where students could slack off, skip class, and focus on book learning, Kirigakure's academy rigorously trained students in all aspects of being a ninja—hand seals, weapons, taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu...
After six years of study, graduation was earned not through exams but by killing two of one's own teammates.
Even before graduation, students were required to complete a certain number of missions annually, and their hands had to be stained with blood before they could take the final test.
Graduating from the academy was only the beginning.
Once officially recognized as a Kirigakure shinobi, strict quotas were imposed—genin, chunin, and jonin all had yearly mission requirements. Failing to meet them could result in punishment, demotion, or even execution.
As for promotions?
Kirigakure never participated in the joint Chunin and Jonin Exams with other villages, fearing intelligence leaks. That was the Second Mizukage's doing.
But under the Third Mizukage, Kirigakure's own Chunin and Jonin Exams became notorious for their death tolls.
Every Jonin in Kirigakure had inevitably shed the blood of their comrades to reach that rank.
"During the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzō of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure, launched an attack against Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure, citing unfair resource distribution and the need to balance the power of the great nations."
Karatachi Yagura clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"Damn, Amegakure really had the guts to challenge three of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."
More impressively, Hanzō didn't even lose!
"Against Konoha, Hanzō defeated their forces and granted the title of 'Legendary Sannin' to Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Imagine that—he beat them and still gave them a fancy title. What a flex."
"Meanwhile, Kirigakure, isolated on its island, remained untouched by the war. The Third Mizukage continued enforcing his Bloody Mist policies, producing a generation of fearsome shinobi. The new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist became infamous throughout the ninja world."
The new Seven Ninja Swordsmen?
Karatachi Yagura figured they had nothing to do with Zabuza.
Zabuza was Kakashi's age—probably around ten years old now, still a brat.
"Oh, right!"
A sudden realization struck him, and he clapped his hands. "Those guys! The ones who only had a few frames of screentime before Might Guy's dad opened the Eight Gates and obliterated them!"
He couldn't recall exactly how many had died, but he knew that a few were later resurrected by Kabuto's Edo Tensei during the Fourth Shinobi War.
After that, the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen never managed to gather all seven members again.
And from the end of the Second Shinobi World War to the present, Kirigakure's history was practically nonexistent—just a handful of passing mentions in the records.
It was as if the village had gone into a single-player mode, grinding in isolation.
Except it hadn't even leveled up properly!
The supposedly fearsome Seven Ninja Swordsmen? They got wiped out by Might Duy!
And looking at the aftermath...
Karatachi Yagura felt a surge of frustration and slammed the book shut with a loud snap.
Sure, the Bloody Mist produced powerful shinobi, but—
Kisame, the "tailless Tailed Beast"? Defected!
Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki? Defected!
Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist? Defected!
And himself, the Fourth Mizukage and Three-Tails Jinchuriki? Mind-controlled by Obito, who wreaked even more havoc on Kirigakure!
The Hozuki Clan, the Yuki Clan with Ice Release, the Kaguya Clan with Shikotsumyaku—all gone!
At least Mei Terumi survived! She had the strength and leadership to save Kirigakure.
But after Mei? The strongest person in the village was... Chojuro?!
What a joke!