Chapter 45: The Sharp-Witted Third Mizukage
The journey back was uneventful and very peaceful.
Because the return trip was downstream, Kiyoshi and his group took only two-thirds of the time it took to get there to successfully return to the Hidden Mist Village.
After entering the village, Kiyoshi and the others quickly returned to the Anbu Main Base to report. After handing over the mission, Kiyoshi immediately ordered the others to disband and return to their respective posts, while he followed Ken alone to the Mizukage Tower.
Inside the Mizukage's office, a middle-aged man with long black hair, wearing a decorative headpiece and the Mizukage's ceremonial robes, was sitting at his desk, quickly processing stacks of official documents. It was the Third Mizukage, Ice.
However, upon closer inspection, one would be surprised to find that the Third Mizukage Ice was working with his eyes closed. The faint Chakra fluctuations permeating the office and the neatly stacked, processed official documents on the side indicated that the Mizukage was not unable to see, but was using some kind of sensory ability.
There were rumors that the Third Mizukage Ice had been defeated and humiliated by the Uchiha's visual genjutsu during the Warring States Period, and had been keeping his eyes closed ever since, relying solely on his senses to replace his vision.
There were also rumors that the Third Mizukage Ice was practicing an extremely powerful forbidden jutsu, and that the moment he opened his eyes would be the full unleashing of his power.
"Mizukage-sama!" Ken walked to the door of the Mizukage's office, straightened his attire, and respectfully knocked on the door.
"Enter!" The Third Mizukage's voice came from inside the office. Although he was already in his fifties, the Third Mizukage's voice was not old, but rather filled with firmness.
"Mizukage-sama!" Kiyoshi followed behind Ken into the office, also respectfully bowing to the Third Mizukage behind the desk.
"Hehe, it's little Kiyoshi. It seems the mission went very smoothly!" Although Kiyoshi was wearing a mask, the Third Mizukage still recognized him.
The Third Mizukage showed a kind smile. Although his political views differed slightly from Kiyoshi's grandfather Elder Seiji, he paid close attention to the very talented younger generation within the village. Otherwise, he wouldn't have entrusted this secret mission concerning the future direction of the village to Kiyoshi.
"Yes! ... The battle between Salamander Hanzo and the Third Hokage was extremely fierce ... The Hokage used a combined ninjutsu of five elements ... Hanzo ultimately won against the Third Hokage by half a move and left calmly. The Third Hokage called Hanzo a demigod." Kiyoshi calmly recounted everything he had seen to the Third Mizukage. However, he didn't add his own opinions on the battle. He believed that the Third Mizukage, with his excellent experience of having lived through the Warring States Period, had his own judgment.
"Demigod? Hehe!" The Third Mizukage Ice let out a sneer.
"It seems Hanzo should also have been injured, and not lightly. Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn't have easily let go of the opportunity to severely injure Sarutobi Hiruzen." As expected of someone who had fought his way through the flames of war, the Third Mizukage Ice's opinion hit the nail on the head.
"It seems the outbreak of the next Great Ninja War is not far off! Sarutobi Hiruzen has made a terrible move. Raising Hanzo to such a high position will only make him more arrogant. Eager to lead the Rain Village and the Land of Rain to become stronger, he will inevitably launch wars against other countries. With the Kazekage and the Hokage defeated by him, the first targets will definitely be the Sand Village of the Land of Wind or the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire. If Hanzo becomes even more arrogant, he might even start wars with both of them at the same time," Ice sighed, then began his analysis.
Standing at the Mizukage's height, not being directly involved, and combined with Hanzo's personality, the shrewd and calculating Third Mizukage Ice could easily guess Hanzo's subsequent actions.
The Third Mizukage Ice's judgment was very accurate. Not long after, the new round of the Great Ninja War was indeed initiated by Hanzo's surprise attacks on the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
"Mizukage-sama, the letter has been successfully delivered to Fuyuki of the Cloud Village. He led the team that came to observe the battle. He promised to take the letter back to the village and give it to the Third Raikage," Kiyoshi continued to report on the mission's status.
"It was him? Then there's no problem. We can start making preparations now," Ice nodded in understanding, then looked at Ken beside him.
"Ken, the Anbu needs to move first. Send out more squads to the Land of Whirlpools to gather intelligence. We need to be prepared for war to break out at any time. The Hidden Mist cannot remain aloof from the war that will sweep the ninja world, and for the future development of the village, we cannot be absent!" Ice instructed Ken.
"Little Kiyoshi, you go too. Give my regards to Elder Seiji!" Ice then said to Kiyoshi.
"Yes! Mizukage-sama!" Kiyoshi and Ken replied, then turned around and left the Mizukage's office together.
The two of them left the Mizukage Tower, greeted each other, and then separated. Ken needed to quickly return to the Anbu Main Base to dispatch personnel and arrange for various squads to go out to gather intelligence and complete the mission issued by the Third Mizukage. Kiyoshi, on the other hand, returned home. He wanted to talk to his grandfather Elder Seiji about some of his views on the Land of Whirlpools.
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Land of Fire Capital, underground exchange post, the person in charge of intelligence around the Land of Fire was giving instructions.
"We recently received instructions from the Lord. The Lord requires us to put all our efforts into gathering information about the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Rain in the near future! Same old rules, the Lord will independently judge the value of the information everyone provides and give rewards based on the value of the information. That's all! Dismissed!"
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Land of Frost, Graveyard of Mountains, Madara Uchiha's underground base.
"Lord Madara!" A lively voice came, it was the spiral-faced White Zetsu named Tobi. "Huh? No movement. Lord Madara wouldn't have died, would he!"
"Hehe! Let me take a look!" Tobi cautiously approached the sleeping Madara Uchiha.
Before he could finish speaking, spiral-faced White Zetsu Tobi was blown away by a sudden burst of Chakra. Madara Uchiha had awakened from his slumber.
"Speak!" A low, old voice echoed throughout the underground base.
"Lord Madara, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, Salamander Hanzo, and the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen, fought at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, ultimately ending in a draw. After the battle, Salamander Hanzo received the title of Demigod," the main body of White Zetsu appeared and told Madara about the battle between Hanzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Demigod? He's worthy of the title of god? Heh, Hashirama, your descendants are truly pathetic," Madara Uchiha commented disdainfully.
As Madara Uchiha, the Ninja World's Demigod who was on par with the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, and who hadn't yet experienced Might Guy's Eight Gates: Evening Elephant and Night Guy, or Naruto and Sasuke's overpowered beatdown in the Fourth Great Ninja War, saw everyone as weaklings except for Senju Hashirama.
He wouldn't acknowledge any ninja other than Hashirama, not even if Hanzo was merely called a demigod.
"As the Hokage, he can't even defeat someone from a small ninja village, and in the end, he even praises the other party! He truly tarnishes the name of the Hokage!" Madara Uchiha was extremely dissatisfied with this. As the Ninja World's Demigod, he had experienced countless battles and instantly discerned the truth from White Zetsu's description: Sarutobi Hiruzen had been at a disadvantage, not a draw.
The First Hokage Senju Hashirama was his beloved rival, and although the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama killed his younger brother Uchiha Izuna, even Madara had to admit his outstanding talent.
Looking back at the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's fierce but ultimately ineffective actions, in Madara Uchiha's eyes, it was simply ridiculously absurd.
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