"Hokage!"
When Tsunade saw where Haru was sitting, she jogged all the way over to him and greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Tsunade, why are you here?"
Haru instinctively ruffled Tsunade's pale blond hair. Tsunade narrowed her eyes, clearly enjoying his touch.
"Grandma said the Hokage was treating the Uzumaki clan and booked the whole restaurant, so I came along."
Haru was about to say something when he instinctively sensed a burst of hostility. He looked up and saw Mito staring at him intensely.
Crap. The base got stolen!
Why are you so skilled at that, Haru?
You touch Tsunade's hair the moment you meet, and so naturally too. Such an intimate gesture. Haru, what exactly did you do with Tsunade behind my back?
"Tsunade, come here. Sit on this side."
Mito grabbed Tsunade's arm and shot Haru a fierce glare while she was at it. Then she sat beside Haru herself, while Tsunade sat on her other side.
Restrain yourself. Hold it in!
Mito really wanted to curse right now, but in this situation, she absolutely could not lose her temper. There were so many Uzumaki children watching. Even if she wanted to question Haru, she would have to do it privately when no one else was around.
When exactly did Tsunade get so close to Haru?
Was Haru aiming for Tsunade, or was he trying to use Tsunade to get closer to Hizuki?
Could it be both?
No, no. Haru should not be that much of a beast.
He probably had his eyes on Tsunade's identity. Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter, the next pillar of the Senju clan. If he only wanted to mend his relationship with the Senju clan, Mito was not exactly unwilling.
The matter was already settled. Haru had become Hokage, and he was an excellent Hokage at that. The Senju clan should learn to accept that an Uchiha had become Hokage.
In any case, the Senju clan had already produced two Hokage. It was no big deal for the Uchiha to produce one too. As the woman who had shared a pillow with the First Hokage, Mito understood Hashirama's thinking very clearly. Anyone could become Hokage, as long as that person could keep the Leaf prosperous.
The problem was whether Haru had ulterior motives.
Haru was a shameless man who liked women. She absolutely could not lower her guard.
Mito's mind spun rapidly as she tried to figure out Haru's purpose in privately approaching Tsunade, but there were too many possibilities. For the moment, she could not distinguish which one was true.
Haru ignored Mito. This old woman had always been neurotic. Back then, he had merely beaten her face into a pig's head. In a duel, fists and feet had no eyes. Getting injured was inevitable.
As for the other things he had done to offend Mito...
Well, there was also that time he made her lose several small fortunes.
Not important. Not important.
What a petty person. Was it really necessary to keep holding a grudge until now?
Land of Water, Mist Village.
"Where did these magazines and articles come from?"
"Find out!"
Mizuto roared in his office. Ever since returning from the Hot Water Village, he and the village's bloodline clans had basically broken ties. Their relationship had worsened by the day, and the rumors inside the village were spreading more and more.
The bloodline clans had pressured Mizuto into stopping the rumors against them, forcing him to end this ridiculous farce.
But some things were not something you could start whenever you wanted and end whenever you wanted.
Mizuto had still underestimated the power of rumors.
The war had only ended a year ago. The village was still licking its wounds. The Mist Village had gained no benefits and had lost so many people. The resentment that had built up always needed somewhere to go.
People were restless, rumors spread everywhere, and the situation became uncontrollable.
Mizuto had issued a series of orders and statements to clarify the rumors. He had done everything he could.
But it was useless!
Mizuto had even gone to the Land of Water's daimyo to ask for help clarifying the rumors.
"Mizukage, are you sure these rumors are all false? I heard that person was close to a bloodline clan, and while his whole family was traveling, they were all killed by rogue ninja."
"False. They are all false. Someone with ulterior motives is spreading them. What Your Highness mentioned was just a coincidence."
"A coincidence... A coincidence. All right. I will help you clarify it, but... next time I post a mission, make sure the ninja carrying it out are not bloodline ninja. Better safe than sorry."
"Your Highness, I already said this is just a rumor."
"I know, I know. But caution is never wrong."
Although the Land of Water's daimyo still helped Mizuto issue a clarification notice, his body was extremely honest and chose ordinary ninja to carry out missions instead.
He even notified a large group of relatives and brothers, telling them not to choose bloodline ninja for their missions either, in case they got dragged into it. It did not matter if those people died, but his own life could not be pointlessly implicated by them.
Marriage alliances between nobles were simply routine. Everyone valued their lives. None of them wanted to be dragged down by others.
Even the daimyo was avoiding this issue. Perhaps the rumors about the bloodline clans should be treated carefully. If they could avoid using bloodline ninja, they would.
Mizuto had done everything he could, but under those cover-up-like statements, the rumors only disappeared on the surface. Privately, they grew even stronger. More and more versions spread, some even exaggerating things to the point that anyone who hired a bloodline ninja would have their entire family suddenly die.
The range grew wider, and the impact grew greater.
Merchants and nobles cherished their lives. Although bloodline clan ninja were more likely to complete missions, if using them meant their entire family might be cursed, then they had to think carefully.
If they could avoid using bloodline ninja, they would.
If there was really no other way, then they would add several layers of intermediaries and pay someone else to issue a mission hiring bloodline ninja.
After Mizuto's series of actions, the living conditions of the bloodline clans in the Mist Village not only failed to improve, they became even worse. Even the bloodline ninja's income began to fall.
The bloodline clans thought Mizuto was scheming against them again in secret.
"It's over."
After only Mizuto was left in the office, he looked at the pile of essays on his desk with an ugly expression.
"Report on the Human Rights of the Mist Village's Bloodline Clans."
"Kill That Kaguya Clan Member."
"Twenty Years a Slave."
The rumors grew more intense, spreading endlessly. Those nobles and merchants were terrified, afraid of being implicated. They had begun consciously refusing to let bloodline ninja carry out missions.
That had touched the bloodline ninja's money bags.
This was already making Mizuto deeply uneasy. Ninja risked their lives to complete missions, and was it not all for money?
If they could not even earn money...
Everyone's lives were difficult now. What was there left to endure?
Mizuto felt that he might be ambushed by a bloodline ninja pushed to the edge even while walking down the street.
Should he place the entire village under martial law?
Mizuto was still hesitating. The situation was already tense enough. If he placed the village under martial law, it would only make the bloodline clans even crazier.
They might even join forces and launch a rebellion.
Of course, they already had that idea in the first place.
If he struck first...
Would that be better?
These bloodline clans would not let things go.
Damn it!
These traitorous bloodline clans!
Mizuto's face turned savage as he could not help recalling the past.
Back then, Lord Byakuren's choice for Second Mizukage had always been me. He not only took me to the Five Kage Summit, but even personally patted my shoulder.
"I am already old. You must strive hard."
It was only because Lord Byakuren died so suddenly that Gengetsu teamed up with two bloodline clans and stole the position of Second Mizukage that should have belonged to me!
But you never expected this, did you, Gengetsu?
In the end, the one who won was still me. You relied on the bloodline clans and took their elites with you. Particle Style, the jinchuriki, and the great clash between the Stone Village and the Mist Village had already exhausted most of the bloodline clans' power.
I was the one who kept sitting on the bench in the Mist Village, and I was the one who laughed last!
He absolutely could not let the bloodline clans seize his position as Third Mizukage again.
He really had to guard against them. A cornered dog would jump over the wall.
The Hozuki clan...
Originally, they were a secret arts clan. They excelled at Water Release, and the Hydrification Technique that could liquefy the ninja's body was a secret technique passed down through the Hozuki clan for generations.
In recent years, children born in the Hozuki clan had begun naturally possessing the traits of hydration, so they started declaring themselves a bloodline clan and got involved with the Kaguya clan and the Yuki clan.
The Hozuki clan's main fighting force had all died on the battlefield alongside that dead man Gengetsu. Now, the clan's remaining combat strength was only a handful of strays, not worth worrying about.
The Yuki clan, skilled in Ice Release, had also suffered heavy losses.
The Kaguya clan had also lost quite a bit, but that clan's combat strength could not be underestimated.
The three clans were badly weakened. They could not fight him.
He only needed to watch how things looked on the surface and slowly remove them. Otherwise, if the three clans joined forces to rebel, the Mist Village would be badly damaged too.
Mizuto sat in his chair and calmed down, thinking carefully. He felt that now truly was not the right time for internal strife. It would be better to prioritize appeasement first, let things calm down for three to five years, and then...
But if those traitors really intended to rebel, then they could not blame him.
Sometimes, cutting off a limb was the only way to survive.
Hozuki clan territory.
Inside a room, several senior members of the Hozuki clan, the Yuki clan, and the Kaguya clan met. Recently, life had truly been difficult for the bloodline clans in the Mist Village.
The rumors were spreading more fiercely. They had used every kind of clarification method, but as for the results...
Calling it adding fuel to the fire would not be an exaggeration.
The bloodline clans' mission quotas had clearly dropped. The income of their clansmen had decreased. They could lose anything, but not money!
Now, all kinds of essays had appeared inside the village. To be honest, they were happy inside. That bastard Mizuto was trying to kill the donkey after it finished grinding the mill. He spread rumors, cut the bloodline clans' funding, and squeezed them out step by step until he destroyed them all.
Now, at least someone was finally speaking fairly for them.
Their bloodline clans had rendered service to the Mist Village. Their blood had been shed for the Mist Village!
Most of their clan elites had died for the Mist Village. Now the village wanted to kill the donkey after it had finished grinding the mill?
There was no justice in that!
But the real impact caused by these essays...
That was not good.
Their clan strength had fallen sharply. Their funding had been reduced. Their income had dropped. This was exactly when they needed to recover, yet the remaining combat-capable ninja in the clans had been stirred up by those essays. They were shouting that they would fight Mizuto to the bitter end.
At this point, their bloodline clans had to unite and advance or retreat together.
"What do you think of these articles? Someone is deliberately spreading them. The people in our clans are getting restless."
Taigetsu Hozuki was deeply worried. This was not a good sign. Given the current difficult position of the bloodline clans, articles like these were simply lightning meeting dry tinder. They drew out all the anger in their clansmen.
"What is there to think? Is there anything wrong with what the articles say? It's time for us to take action!"
The Kaguya clan leader, Kotsuki Kaguya, spoke in a heavy tone. The Kaguya clan had always been rough-nerved and easily fired up.
"Mizuto has indeed gone too far. Our bloodline clans are the pillars of the Mist Village. What he is doing is clearly weakening the bloodline clans!"
The Yuki clan leader leaned toward Kotsuki's position. The clan had been having an extremely difficult time recently. Not only did they have to endure the villagers' cold looks, sometimes they could not even accept missions. If ninja could not accept missions, how were they supposed to feed their families?
They could not survive on the clan forever. The funding that should have been allocated to the Yuki clan had also been withheld.
"The situation is indeed terrible, but it has not reached the point of completely tearing faces apart. We need to negotiate with Mizuto. He must keep suppressing the rumors, increase our mission quotas, and hand over the funding that was originally supposed to be allocated to the bloodline clans!"
Taigetsu really did want to flip the table, but their strength did not allow it.
If they had possessed the ability to suppress Mizuto from the beginning, they would never have allowed Mizuto to sit in the Third Mizukage's seat.
The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu, came from their clan. As long as everything developed normally, Taigetsu felt that he could have become the Third Mizukage.
But the worse the situation became, the more necessary it was to remain calm.
"What if Mizuto refuses?"
"Back then, he promised us he would eliminate the rumors against our bloodline clans. But what was the result?"
"The rumors have only gotten worse! They are already affecting our bloodline ninja's ability to accept missions and feed their families!"
Kotsuki was full of indignation. At a time like this, the three bloodline clans should join forces and take down Mizuto together. If they launched a full-force surprise attack, as long as they killed Mizuto, every problem would be solved.
"Perhaps killing Mizuto is the best solution. Gather the elites of our three clans and launch a coup with everything we have!"
After Kotsuki finished speaking, he looked at the expressions of the other two. Clearly, Taigetsu and the Yuki clan leader were still hesitating.
"We should negotiate first. If we fail... then..."
The Yuki clan leader did not finish explaining the consequences, but the consequences were obvious. Failure would easily mean death and clan extermination.
"Yes, negotiate with Mizuto first!"
"We cannot just keep waiting to die. If the talks fail, we must do something!"
"How many people can your clans gather? The Kaguya clan can put together roughly more than three hundred useful fighters if we count jonin, chunin, and genin. We can send two hundred!"
"What about you?"
Was he trying to go all in?
Taigetsu and the Yuki clan leader's pupils shrank. They exchanged a glance, shocked by Kotsuki's resolve.
These battle maniacs really were fierce.
"The Yuki clan can put together more than two hundred useful fighters. We can send one hundred and fifty!"
"The Hozuki clan... can send two hundred and fifty!"
"Good! Six hundred, then six hundred!"
"Strike first and turn the Mist Village upside down!"
Taigetsu felt a headache coming on. Kotsuki was simply insane. Would so many people moving together not expose them?
And you, Yuki clan leader. Why did you follow Kotsuki's flow and report your clan's full strength? Once you said it, I could not refuse to say mine.
"We need a careful plan. Assassinating Mizuto requires elite jonin. As for the chunin and genin... forget it. This matter ends here for now. First, we negotiate with Mizuto."
A ninja clan going all in had to be cautious, then even more cautious. At the very least, they had to prepare a path of retreat first.
(End of Chapter)
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