The Third Mizukage flipped the hourglass on his desk, continuing to review Yagura's file as he deliberated over this critical decision.
Age slows the mind, dulling efficiency.
To counter this, the Third Mizukage had developed a habit—keeping an hourglass on his desk.
Whenever he faced a difficult decision, he would flip it over, giving himself a set amount of time to think.
Elder Genshi remained seated, motionless and silent, as if he had dozed off.
Grain by grain, the sand trickled down, accumulating at the bottom.
Until the last grain fell.
The Third Mizukage set the file aside and rubbed the bridge of his nose, still undecided. "Elder, what's your opinion?"
"Ninja affairs are not for me to decide, Mizukage."
Elder Genshi spoke without hesitation, fully aware of the limits of his authority.
"However, if you ask for my perspective—if the Three-Tails finds a suitable jinchūriki, we can eliminate the cost of maintaining the Three-Tails Sealing Unit."
The Three-Tails was not freely swimming in the lakes of the Land of Water. No shinobi village would tolerate or allow a tailed beast or its jinchūriki to roam unrestrained.
Too much freedom invited disaster.
If a jinchūriki were to get reckless and end up captured—both them and the tailed beast—by another village, there would be no one to blame but themselves.
Thus, without a jinchūriki to contain it, the Three-Tails was under strict surveillance. Kirigakure couldn't afford to let it simply swim away into the ocean.
If they lost track of the Three-Tails and it drifted out to sea, who would they even complain to?
Currently, Kirigakure had stationed several hundred shinobi near the lake where the Three-Tails was confined, maintaining a vast sealing barrier around it.
Sealing tags weren't cheap.
And the tags required for containing the Three-Tails weren't measured in single sheets—they were used in bulk.
The costs were astronomical. Unsustainable.
And why did they have to buy them?
Because Kirigakure lacked strong sealing techniques. When it came to jinchūriki development, they were far behind the other four great villages.
Right now, Kirigakure and the Three-Tails were locked in an uneasy truce—so long as neither disturbed the other, no disasters would occur.
But still…
The hundreds of shinobi stationed at the lake—sealers and combat units alike—were consuming resources without contributing anything in return.
And it wasn't a small expense.
The same situation applied to the Six-Tails.
The Third Mizukage reopened the financial records, flipping to the page detailing the expenses of the Tailed Beast Sealing Units.
The staggering figures at the bottom of the page tipped the scales of his decision.
In another two years, that child, Utakata, would be ready—his body and chakra would have adapted enough to serve as the Six-Tails' jinchūriki. The financial drain would at least have an end in sight.
If the Karatachi clan's child proved capable, then the Three-Tails could be sealed immediately.
Freeing up manpower and resources, while gaining two controllable jinchūriki in preparation for the next Great Ninja War—this would be a significant advantage.
The Third Mizukage tapped his fingers against the desk.
Three figures suddenly appeared in the office.
Kirigakure's ANBU.
The masked shinobi knelt respectfully. "Mizukage-sama, your orders?"
"Go to the Karatachi residence. Bring Karatachi Yagura to me—I want to personally assess whether he is suited to become a jinchūriki."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
No hesitation. No doubt.
The ANBU under the Third Mizukage operated differently from those under Hoshigaki Fuguki. These shinobi answered only to the Mizukage, executing orders with absolute efficiency, disregarding their own lives if necessary.
In an instant, the three ANBU vanished.
It seemed the child had potential.
Elder Genshi chuckled. "Excellent, Mizukage. If the Three-Tails gets a proper jinchūriki, our financial burden will be significantly reduced, freeing up resources for more pressing matters."
The Third Mizukage gave a noncommittal grunt.
Genshi wasn't bothered by the lack of enthusiasm—his old comrade had always been this cold. Decades of working together had made their dynamic clear.
"Construction, agriculture... so many departments are coming to me for funding. But the treasury is what it is—I have nothing left to give them, so I simply avoid them."
"..."
The Third Mizukage remained silent for a while before finally speaking.
"Elder, I have other plans for that money."
Genshi's smile stiffened, his tone dropping. "I see... Very well."
He didn't ask where the funds were going.
As Kirigakure's financial overseer, he already knew.
The Third Mizukage was preparing for war.
Most of the money had already been funneled to procure weapons and supplies.
...
Yagura hadn't expected to meet the Mizukage so suddenly.
His grandfather, the Karatachi clan elder, instinctively positioned himself in front of Yagura, eyeing the three ANBU warily.
"Only Yagura?"
"Yes. These are the Mizukage's direct orders."
"We are merely following instructions, Elder Kokitsu. Please do not make this difficult for us."
Kokitsu's expression darkened. He turned to gauge Yagura's reaction—only to find the boy staring at the ANBU's masks with curiosity.
The elder's irritation flared. With a loud Bang, he smacked Yagura on the head.
"Show some seriousness, boy!"
"Ow, Grandpa!"
Yagura rubbed his head and ducked past his grandfather, stepping up to the ANBU.
"Relax, Grandpa. Our clan has no grudge against the Mizukage. It's just a meeting, not an execution."
Compared to clans like the Hōzuki or the Kaguya, the Karatachi clan had a relatively amicable relationship with the Third Mizukage.
Yagura highly doubted the Mizukage would lower himself to scheming against a mere child.
It wasn't like he had money to steal. Or a beauty to kidnap.
"Who knows? Maybe he'll take a liking to me, and I'll get to eat a Mizukage-tier meal."
The three ANBU: "..."
Their masks concealed their expressions, but they were undoubtedly speechless.
This kid really had guts. Even they had never had the privilege of dining at the Mizukage's table.
No wonder Kokitsu had seemed so exasperated when talking about his grandson earlier.
Problem child.
Kokitsu let out a sigh, too drained to be angry. "You little brat."
Yagura's words weren't entirely wrong. There was no real danger in visiting the Mizukage.
Resigned, he waved his hand.
Permission granted!
Yagura cheered and patted the ANBU with the cat mask. "Alright, alright, let's go!"
For the first time, the ANBU completely lost their composure beneath their masks.
Why did this kid seem so excited!?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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