A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Back in Konoha, the addition of four more jōnin barely raised an eyebrow. The main reason was that only a limited number of people had access to jōnin records.

Additionally, it wasn't unheard of for ninjas returning from secret missions to quietly reintegrate.

This allowed the four resurrected Hokage to blend seamlessly into the village.

Aoba was busy. He had many projects on his plate. Aside from his covert research on Jashin, he also had the two Mangekyō Sharingan eyes of Uchiha Kagami.

According to his tests, these eyes had already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, Aoba wasn't confident about the fusion process. Based on what he understood of the storyline, the fusion of Mangekyō eyes required time.

And with the tense situation surrounding Konoha, he couldn't risk performing this surgery. If an enemy attacked while he was undergoing the procedure, it could lead to disastrous consequences.

Fortunately, even without this new pair of Kotoamatsukami-wielding eyes, he still had another pair as a trump card. In terms of combat strength, he wasn't worried.

In Kirigakure, Mei Terumi and Ao were secretly meeting with their allies.

"I've observed many times. There is indeed a faint trace of another chakra around the Mizukage's head, but it's extremely subtle. Even with the Byakugan, it requires repeated comparisons to notice."

"That's to be expected. A technique capable of controlling the Mizukage wouldn't be ordinary."

"But we can't locate the mastermind. They don't seem to be in Kirigakure. I've scanned the surrounding area countless times with the Byakugan and found no trace."

"According to Zabuza's intel, the mastermind might be injured and in hiding. But we don't know for sure, so if we've reached a consensus, we need to act quickly."

"Should we contact Zabuza? He and that Ice Release user, Haku, are important assets."

"No, we can't engage in open combat. If we storm the Mizukage's office to take control, it could trigger a full-scale battle across the village.

He's still the Mizukage, and he has supporters. We aim to save the village, not destroy it. If it comes to all-out war, even if we win, it will still be a loss.

So, during tomorrow's jōnin meeting, we need to expose this matter. Only by presenting evidence that the Mizukage is being controlled can we legitimize our actions and save the village."

Mei Terumi's plan might seem cautious, but her reasoning was sound. Overthrowing the Mizukage required either overwhelming force or strategic legitimacy.

Since her goal was to save the village, legitimacy was essential.

After they finalized their plans, Aoba, far away in Konoha, also received word. He reviewed Danzo's old Root operatives list and identified a deep-cover agent.

Say what you will about Danzo—he excelled at his primary job. Operatives planted across major villages provided an extensive intelligence network. After his death, this network had been absorbed by the Anbu.

With his position, Aoba could now mobilize these assets.

Mei Terumi and her allies ended their meeting and returned separately. They were still registered ninjas of Kirigakure and had a degree of freedom, but the Mizukage's faction was already watching them, requiring caution.

Later that night, Mei Terumi was startled awake by a noise.

Alert, she quickly got up and noticed a shadow outside her window.

Moments later, a kunai shattered her window and struck her body—only for her form to dissolve into water. Mei reappeared in another corner of the room.

Her heart raced. She had no idea what was happening but could hear the sounds of intense battle outside. This wasn't an isolated attack.

What's going on? Is it the Mizukage? Or another enemy?

Though uncertain about the enemy, Mei's strength remained unshaken. She swiftly eliminated the attacker.

Lifting the mask of her assailant, she discovered they were a member of the Kirigakure Anbu.

"It's the Mizukage..."

Mei was stunned. Their plan had been exposed. Had someone betrayed them?

Before she could think further, Ao arrived.

"Thank goodness you're safe. But we need to leave now. The Mizukage has mobilized the Anbu to hunt us down. We must escape immediately."

"Leave the village? But we—"

"There's no 'but.' For whatever reason, our plan has failed. The most important thing now is to survive so we have a chance to take back the village. Let's go. I've already gathered some of our people. We'll leave together."

"But... where can we go?"

.....

In Konoha, Aoba stood by the window, watching the first light of dawn break through the horizon.

At that moment, Tsunade approached him from behind.

"By now, it should be over," she said.

"Almost," Aoba replied. "Do you think they have any chance of succeeding?"

"None. Even if their plan had gone smoothly, it would've been a fifty-fifty gamble at best. But now that the Mizukage took the initiative, they have no hope at all. What I'm concerned about is how many of them will manage to escape."

"Why did you change the plan? Your original idea was to help them succeed, wasn't it?"

Aoba's original plan was indeed to assist Mei Terumi in launching a successful coup, thereby aligning Kirigakure with his side.

But at the last moment, he abandoned that plan. Instead, he tipped off the Mizukage, allowing him to seize the upper hand and push Mei Terumi's faction into a corner.

"Because I was oversimplifying things before. Consolidating the resources of the ninja world isn't that easy. Right now, that person in the shadows holds the initiative. On the surface, we're actually at a disadvantage.

Even if we manage to win over Kirigakure, can they really contribute any meaningful strength? Over the years, their internal policies have been brutal and chaotic. The entire village and even the country have fallen into a state of weakness.

If Mei Terumi's faction came to power, what do you think their first priority would be?"

"I understand your point," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "Any new leadership in Kirigakure would inevitably prioritize recovery and rebuilding. Their internal circumstances demand it. It wouldn't matter who's in charge, they'd have no choice but to focus on that."

"Exactly. Based on that reasoning, even if we supported Mei Terumi, she wouldn't be able to help us much. Worse, because of the sunk costs, we'd likely end up pouring even more resources into propping them up.

So, I decided to take a more straightforward approach. Let's focus on securing what we can use. As for what's unusable? Let's leave it aside for everyone's sake."

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Currently on Chapter 224 - The Raikage's Desperate Path