Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 65: The Master Elder and the Third Mizukage

Yagura's strength was unmatched among his peers, making him a candidate for the next Mizukage. However, this didn't mean he had the full support of most of the Mist Shinobi.

Some members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist also had significant backing.

If Yagura wasn't adequately prepared, he might not be able to suppress the pro-war faction led by the Third Mizukage.

"Originally, Mei Terumi had agreed, but she was captured by Konoha. Among your generation of shinobi, many support me as well."

Yagura replied, "As for the clans, the leader of the Yuki Clan has agreed to a ceasefire."

Kisame and Mei Terumi, as elite shinobi of the next generation, may not hold high positions yet, but they represent the future of the village, so their voices cannot be ignored.

Moreover, the Yuki Clan, known for their Ice Release, is an important part of Kirigakure.

But this alone isn't enough, is it?

With the Third Mizukage in enemy hands, this level of support isn't enough for Yagura to take command of Kirigakure and negotiate peace with Konoha.

Seeing Yagura stop after mentioning the Yuki Clan, and waiting for a continuation that didn't come, Kisame frowned deeply.

"What about the Kaguya and Hozuki clans?"

After a moment of silence, Yagura explained, "The Kaguya are a group of battle-crazed individuals—they won't want a ceasefire. As for the Hozuki Clan, after the Third took over, they've kept a low profile and don't want to stand out."

The Second Mizukage had practically seized the position through strength, and the Third accepted his loss without complaint. But after the Second's death, the Hozuki Clan, feeling they had lost their backbone, restrained themselves.

This had made the Third Mizukage's rule easier, but it also created challenges.

Kisame frowned. "Is this all the preparation you have?"

He felt as if he'd boarded a sinking ship.

"I can't rely on myself alone to lead all the shinobi here. I don't have enough prestige."

Yagura shook his head, his voice still calm. "However, there is one person in Kirigakure who commands as much respect as the Mizukage."

At those words, Kisame immediately caught on. "You mean the Master Elder? You invited him?"

The Master Elder, a Kirigakure elder, was a figure from the same era as the First Mizukage. Now over seventy, he had witnessed Kirigakure's changes over decades and commanded respect equal to the Mizukage.

However, he had no interest in power. During the reigns of both the Second and Third Mizukage, he rarely interfered in governance.

How had Yagura managed to bring him out?

Facing Kisame's skeptical gaze, Yagura kept his eyes forward and sped ahead.

The Third Hokage had led an assault on the command post, and Yagura was worried the shinobi there wouldn't be able to hold him off.

Seeing Yagura's urgency, Kisame recalled Yagura's earlier words when discussing support for the Third and his recent comments. His expression changed drastically.

"You brought the Master Elder to the command post?"

"Mm." Yagura nodded and sighed. "Didn't we send a 2,000-strong support force? The Master Elder came with them and should have reached the command post this morning."

"…Your decisiveness is astonishing. I thought you'd just contacted the Master Elder." Kisame gritted his teeth and quickened his pace.

If the Master Elder were to die because of this, no one could stop this war.

Two thousand shinobi might not even be enough to stop the Third Hokage, especially with many already assigned to other missions.

They had to hurry back. Now was not the time to worry about the Third Mizukage.

…

"Master Elder…"

At the Kirigakure stronghold, Hiruzen Sarutobi swung his staff, scattering the surrounding Mist Shinobi, and stepped forward toward the elderly figure protected by a group of shinobi. Remembering the intelligence about him, he approached steadily.

The shinobi guarding the Master Elder watched him in terror. Their gazes flickered to the countless corpses surrounding them, and cold sweat poured down their faces.

Kirigakure's base was not without powerful defenders. The leaders of the Hozuki and Yuki clans were present, and they were shinobi on par with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

However, facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, they lasted only a few dozen exchanges before being defeated one after another.

If not for their life-saving techniques, the timely arrival of reinforcements, and the fact that not all the troops had been dispatched on missions, they would have already died at his hands.

Even so, both were gravely injured and unable to continue fighting. Without enough high-level shinobi to oppose him, no one could stop the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi."

The Master Elder's cloudy eyes looked at the Third Hokage as he stopped ten meters away. He raised his hand, signaling the shinobi protecting him to stand aside.

No one here could stop the Third Hokage.

"This is our first meeting, isn't it? There are fewer and fewer shinobi from that era."

"Yes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped in front of him, his gaze complex. "Are you here to correct some mistakes as well?"

In his youth, the Master Elder had been a renowned figure. But time was merciless, and now he was an old man who needed a cane to walk.

Unless necessary, he wouldn't have appeared here.

"You could say that." The Master Elder sighed and turned his gaze to the shinobi still fighting.

Hiruzen's force consisted of about three hundred shinobi, but all were elites. Among them, he recognized many of Konoha's clan-specific techniques.

Yet, they all had one thing in common: they were all middle-aged shinobi, with no younger ones in sight.

"You're quite deliberate."

With years of experience, the Master Elder understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's intent and sighed. "After this war, I imagine Konoha's internal conflicts will quiet down significantly."

Konoha had so many powerful shinobi that even Kirigakure struggled to contend with them.

However, Konoha had dispersed these shinobi—soldier against soldier, general against general—giving up some of their advantage.

At first, he didn't understand why. But now, seeing the composition of the assault force, he understood.

This war wasn't just about victory for Konoha.

The Kaguya Clan likely had encountered their own opponents… To defeat those battle-hungry individuals, Konoha would also have to pay a price.

This was an open strategy. Even knowing Hiruzen's intent, Konoha's clans had little room to object. Someone had to take on the dangerous tasks.

Thinking this, the Master Elder shook his head helplessly. "It's a pity that the Third is too stubborn. No matter how you look at it, we are no match for Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already weakened the middle layer of the ninja clans through war.

As long as he found an excuse to remove the clan leaders and supported the Fourth Hokage in elevating weaker clans by offering benefits, creating internal conflicts among the lower and middle layers, Konoha's political power could transition smoothly.

For a long time after, the clans wouldn't be able to trouble the Hokage's authority.

Such refined tactics…

Even though the Master Elder's words seemed discouraging, the surrounding Mist Shinobi didn't show any anger, only frustration.

The reality was laid bare before them.

"Do you want to negotiate peace? That's the duty of a Kage. Neither of us is the Kage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the ground tremble beneath him. Looking up at the enormous creature charging toward them, he smiled. "Konoha's Hokage is now Minato Namikaze!"

The Master Elder watched as the Three-Tails, which should have belonged to Kirigakure, fired a Tailed Beast Bomb toward its own allies. Yagura's message from last night surfaced in his mind, and he closed his eyes.

The Third… Could it be that he truly was under genjutsu control?

The surrounding Mist Shinobi, seeing the Three-Tails gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth, were struck dumb with terror and scattered like mad.

"The Three-Tails has been taken over by Konoha!"

"It's a Tailed Beast Bomb! Take cover!"

"Where are the other units? Why haven't they returned to help yet?"

In contrast, the Konoha shinobi noticed the figure standing atop the Three-Tails, his cloak billowing in the wind. Their morale soared.

"It's the Hokage!"

"He subdued Kirigakure's Tailed Beast!"

"We're guaranteed to win!"

The Master Elder opened his eyes and gazed at the scene, his expression complicated.

Perhaps they should have advised the Third to hand over the future to the next generation sooner.

'Yagura, I hope you won't disappoint me.'