At the heart of Kirigakure, within the Mizukage's Tower—
Inside the Mizukage's office, the two most powerful figures in the entire village were present: the Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi.
"Mizukage-sama, here is this quarter's financial report for Kirigakure."
Elder Genshi was in charge of the village's administration. Simply put, anything unrelated to direct military operations fell under his jurisdiction.
The Third Mizukage took the stack of reports handed to him and flipped through the pages.
"That was fast. You've worked hard, Elder."
Genshi gave a brief smile. "Heh, no trouble at all. It's my duty."
The Third Mizukage lowered his head, scanning the village's financial records for the quarter. The deeper he read, the more his already-wrinkled face grew solemn.
As he reviewed the figures, he questioned each issue one by one.
"Why is our revenue still so low? There's only a 4% increase from last quarter. I recall that, excluding border patrol and the ANBU, we have over ten thousand operational shinobi."
Elder Genshi responded, "Mizukage-sama, the number of available commissions in the Land of Water is limited. No matter how many shinobi we deploy, if there are no missions to take, it makes no difference."
Hearing this, the Third Mizukage felt a weight settle in his chest. Having lived in the Land of Water for decades, he knew full well how poor the nation was.
Unlike Konohagakure and other major shinobi villages on the continent, which could occasionally accept missions from neighboring countries, Kirigakure was separated from the mainland by a vast ocean. Distance alone made it difficult and inconvenient to secure outside commissions.
On top of that, Kirigakure had long maintained a strict isolationist policy. Nearly all mission commissions came from within the country itself.
Another problem was that the Land of Water's government did not permit Kirigakure to involve itself in domestic affairs. Yet, high-profile assassinations and political missions—tasks typically assigned S-rank and A-rank bounties—were precisely the most lucrative ones.
Now, the core issue was that Kirigakure's internal mission supply was running dry.
This revenue stream was one of the village's primary sources of income. As for the others…
The Third Mizukage flipped to the next few pages, scanning the detailed income reports.
Personal tax revenue was declining—he didn't even need to ask Elder Genshi why. He already knew the reason.
This income source had been shrinking for some time now. And the root cause? The Blood Mist.
Ever since the time of the First Mizukage, Kirigakure had enforced a strict authoritarian rule. But the Blood Mist era had taken this to an extreme.
Under such oppressive conditions, the people of Kirigakure had little desire to raise families. The mortality rate was high, and those who wished to leave—despite the village's isolationist policies and the risk of border patrols catching them—were willing to take the chance.
The original intent behind the Third Mizukage's Blood Mist policy was to cultivate an elite shinobi force and reduce financial strain. Any other benefits that came with it were merely secondary.
The fundamental reason? A lack of money.
Since implementing the Blood Mist policy, the number of active shinobi had indeed decreased, and individual combat ability had improved. But Kirigakure had only grown poorer.
With fewer people, not only did personal tax revenue drop, but agricultural and fishing taxes also declined. Commercial tax revenue? Even worse.
After reviewing income, he turned to expenditures.
On paper, Kirigakure's overall spending had been steadily decreasing. Naturally, as a shinobi village, the bulk of its expenses went toward paying its shinobi and maintaining their equipment.
Kirigakure's shinobi stipends were the second highest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, second only to Konoha. They were undeniably high.
After all, when you demand that your shinobi put their lives on the line, you can't expect them to do it for free.
The Third Mizukage still had his pride.
So, even though Kirigakure was as destitute as Sunagakure, not a single ryo had been cut from the shinobi stipends.
However, with the overall number of shinobi decreasing, this expense was naturally shrinking.
Yet, the secret expenditures—the ones the Third Mizukage knew all too well—had not diminished in the slightest. If anything, they had been increasing.
Meanwhile, hidden revenues were drying up.
"That bastard… Fuguki"
The Third Mizukage narrowed his eyes. "It's time to issue him a warning."
His greed had grown unchecked.
Fuguki referred to Fuguki Suikazan, the leader of Kirigakure's ANBU and a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Most of the village's covert, unspeakable dealings passed through his hands.
Setting aside the infuriating financial reports, the Third Mizukage let out a long, weary sigh.
The old saying was right—money troubles even the mightiest warrior.
Even he, a living relic from the Warring States era, the Mizukage who stood at the pinnacle of Kirigakure's hierarchy, could not conjure wealth from thin air.
Not every Kage was like the Fourth Kazekage.
...
Beneath the financial reports lay another document, one from the Shinobi Academy.
The Third Mizukage casually picked it up, glancing through this year's student evaluations.
The academy's principal was one of his own people and knew exactly what he prioritized. Thus, the most crucial information was placed at the very beginning.
The top students, ranked by both talent and ability:
Karatachi Yagura – Strength: Chūnin level, not yet Jōnin. Potential: ?
Hōzuki Mangetsu – Strength: Chūnin. Potential: Elite Jōnin.
...
The Third Mizukage barely skimmed the rest before flipping to the individual student records.
A seven-year-old on the verge of becoming a Jōnin. Another seven-year-old already at Chūnin level.
His thoughts drifted to the little girl from the Terumi clan, Mei, whom he had recently approved for early graduation.
The Third Mizukage wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or troubled.
On one hand, after decades, the Blood Mist policy was finally yielding results. Just from Yagura, Mangetsu, and Mei alone, the next generation of Kirigakure would undoubtedly be formidable.
But on the other hand, all three of them came from powerful bloodline clans.
And yet another Hōzuki.
...
Knock, knock.
The Third Mizukage's voice was steady. "Enter."
The door opened, and an elderly man stepped in. Seeing both the Mizukage and Elder Genshi, he greeted them respectfully. "Mizukage-sama. Elder Genshi."
The Third Mizukage glanced up, surprised at the visitor. "Karatachi? What brings you here today? Sit, have some tea."
Elder Genshi cast a curious look at the clan head.
Unlike the Hōzuki clan, the Karatachi clan did not have an openly antagonistic relationship with the Mizukage. Still, to avoid suspicion, the clan leader rarely visited the Mizukage's Tower outside of official matters.
After some idle conversation, Karatachi finally revealed his true purpose.
The Third Mizukage and Elder Genshi exchanged glances.
"You want to offer your grandson as the host for the Three-Tails?"
"Yes."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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