c165 — On the Improvement of Personal Quality by Being Black
Kirigakure Village, Mizukage Building, large council chamber.
The Fourth Mizukage Yagura, Master Yuan, and the remaining elders were gathered.
The elders were fiercely criticizing the disastrous results from the front lines. Their words were aimed at the Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Ghost on the surface, but in truth they all pointed toward Yagura himself.
None of them could understand why Yagura had issued such a specific kill-order targeting Uchiha Gen. Was there some hidden connection between the two? Without that order, the frontline command would not have devised such a risky plan, and without that plan, Konoha would not have found an opening to exploit. If things had proceeded normally, the conflict would have remained a manageable war of attrition one Kirigakure still had a reasonable chance of grinding through.
Thirteen jōnin had died at once, and counting those lost in previous encounters, nearly twenty elite jōnin were gone.
Kirigakure's entire jōnin population barely exceeded one hundred forty. Losing one-seventh of its core elite in a non-total war was a burden the elders simply could not tolerate.
Yagura's youthful face remained solemn, as though listening carefully to their harsh criticisms. In reality, Obito, controlling him, did not care at all.
He regretted only that he had not personally taken revenge on Uchiha Gen, but he was still in an excellent mood the damage inflicted on Kirigakure itself was revenge enough.
Kirigakure had lost so many of its pillars, and Obito found satisfaction watching these stubborn old men seethe in frustration.
His only regret was not seeing the Master's expression firsthand.
In Obito's eyes, the majority of the elders were worthless. Only Master Yuan (Genshi) possessed the authority and sharpness deserving caution—not only because his political power nearly matched that of the Mizukage, but because his character was uncompromising.
"Have you finished?"
"Then it's my turn to speak."
After tolerating the noise for long enough, Yagura—under Obito's control—finally spoke.
The elders dared not provoke Yagura's temper and immediately fell silent.
"The reason we targeted Uchiha Gen is simple. The enemy inflicted grievous losses on our front line."
"As Mizukage, I felt both sorrow and fury. Therefore, I ordered the counter-strike."
"I see no fault in this. What failed was the frontline's execution of the strategy."
"If they had succeeded and all the benefits were gained, would you still be circling around to criticize me?"
"This matter is settled. The damage is already done. Pursuing responsibility endlessly accomplishes nothing."
"What matters now is how we reverse the decline."
Obito's reasoning sounded impeccable even if it had been a purely emotional order, it would never be enough to depose a Mizukage. Yagura might have a childlike face, but he had ruled for several years. His authority in Kirigakure was enormous, second only to Master Yuan.
Obito's takeover had occurred recently; Yagura's loyalists had not yet abandoned him or shifted toward the elder faction.
"Mizukage-sama is correct. The priority is the frontline situation."
Master Yuan's calm voice cut sharply through the tension. Once he spoke, the two most powerful figures aligned, and the other elders naturally fell quiet.
Obito made Yagura nod toward Genshi with a faint smile, then spoke with practiced gravity.
Though Yagura's features looked deceptively youthful, years of leadership had given his expression undeniable weight.
"My proposal is to deploy a large reinforcement force to the front line, strike while Konoha is unprepared, and crush them in a single overwhelming blow."
"Blood debts must be repaid in blood."
The elders' expressions changed immediately including Master Yuan's. This was the rhythm of starting a full-scale war. Absolutely unacceptable.
Before the other elders could speak, Master Yuan opened his half-closed eyes and declared firmly:
"I oppose this."
"We defeated only a small Konoha detachment. Their border divisions remain intact. We do not have the strength to overwhelm Konoha's main force. If the conflict becomes deadlocked, Kirigakure will be dragged into disaster."
"Large-scale wars ignite easily, but are nearly impossible to extinguish. We would fall into the same abyss as the last great war."
"If other hidden villages mobilized in parallel, we might consider escalation. But the probability of that is far lower than the likelihood they will sit back and watch."
"Kirigakure does not have the wealth or resources to be the one to make the first reckless move, nor can we allow the other villages to profit at our expense."
The other elders nodded; this reasoning aligned perfectly with Kirigakure's historically fragile economy and strained manpower.
Yagura's smile turned thin. "So your plan is to let the blood of frontline shinobi be shed for nothing?"
The elders froze. Some truths could be acted upon but not spoken openly.
"The blood of our frontline comrades will not be in vain," Master Yuan replied. "We can seek repayment through other means."
"A large-scale war will only spill more blood like the last time."
"Mizukage-sama, do not insist on forcing your will."
For an instant, the gentle elder's eyes flashed with chilling sharpness.
Yagura's expression darkened. "Then let me hear Master Yuan's 'solution.'"
"I merely suggest," Master Yuan replied, "that it is time to stop the loss before it grows."
This bastard wants to withdraw troops, Obito realized.
Absolutely not.
With the frontline war in progress, Obito had countless opportunities to manipulate Kirigakure's future. To stop now would ruin everything.
"So this is how Master Yuan settles blood debts?" Yagura sneered. "Enlightening."
The elders held their breath. They would not dare interrupt a confrontation between their two highest authorities.
"Lord Mizukage," Yuan continued, "you are still young and too impatient."
"Why the rush to reclaim blood debt?"
"In the current situation, there is no opening. If we act rashly, we may only sink deeper."
"Wait for the correct moment. Then we may recover our losses.with profit."
Yagura let out a light laugh. "Yes, I am young. And because I am young, my blood has not yet cooled."
"I won't wait that long. Delay only means everyone forgets the debt, and then the blood of our shinobi truly will be wasted."
"So if there is a chance, we collect. If there is no chance, we create one!"
Such sharp, heated rhetoric was far beyond Obito's temperament before his "darkening."
Being blackened did not just strengthen his power it sharpened every aspect of him.
Seeing Yagura's stubbornness, Master Yuan's brows tightened. If this continued, it would escalate into something irreversible internal conflict that would tear Kirigakure apart.
He had to step back.
"A full-scale war is absolutely impossible. That is the bottom line."
"You may send modest reinforcements no more than nine additional jōnin."
"The rest, Mizukage-sama must choose with extreme care."
"The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Ghost's strategy is appropriate. Maintain this mode of engagement. It does not require more elite jōnin."
"This will be our last reinforcement."
"And regardless of outcome, if we cannot defeat Konoha within the year, the fighting ends. Kirigakure cannot continue to bleed."
"What say you, Mizukage-sama?"
Obito saw that Master Yuan had retreated just enough and that the other elders clearly supported him. It would be suspicious to push further. Yagura's personality could not change too abruptly; even under Obito's control, consistency needed to be maintained.
"I accept Master Yuan's conditions."
The elders collectively exhaled in relief. Their Mizukage still understood restraint.
Thus, after intense bargaining, Kirigakure dispatched seven more jōnin, along with several chūnin and genin to stabilize logistics and support the guerilla network.
(And… apologies I previously referred to Master Yuan as "Marshal.")
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