Chapter 284: The Fifth Mizukage's Decree
Inside the newly-established temporary command center—Uchiha Akira's simple Wood Release office—in the Land of Wind.
Kurenai Yūhi slowly opened her eyes. The fatigue from her recent exertions was gone, replaced by a surge of overwhelming vitality. A hint of profound novelty still lingered within her crimson eyes.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke rose at her feet.
As the smoke dissipated, a tiny, Q-version mini Three-Tails appeared on the floor. It was no larger than a house cat.
It shook its small, turtle-like head, its three enormous, spiked tails seeming out of place on its small body, curiously surveying its new surroundings.
In this adorable form, it hardly resembled a ferocious, world-destroying Tailed Beast. It looked more like a harmless pet turtle or a strange, spiky puppy.
Kurenai Yūhi looked at the mini Three-Tails at her feet and couldn't help but smile, a genuine, soft curve of her lips. She bent down and gently picked it up into her arms.
"It's quite cute," she murmured, stroking its tiny, spiked head.
Uchiha Akira watched this scene with a slight, satisfied smile.
[The transfer was a complete success. The power is integrated, and the control is absolute.]
With this unprecedented power now fully secured, Kurenai Yūhi's personal safety was further guaranteed, and a formidable Kage-level asset was added to Konoha's strategic core.
Afterward, Uchiha Akira's gaze fell upon Yagura's corpse, which lay cold on the floor.
A Jinchūriki stripped of his Tailed Beast had only one immediate outcome: death.
Yagura, the tragic Mizukage who had been brutally controlled by Obito's Genjutsu his entire life, finally met his end.
Uchiha Akira sealed Yagura's corpse into a storage scroll. [Proof of death. Necessary for the public announcement.]
"Yūhi, you go back first. You need to get fully accustomed to the power flowing within you and the unique control methods I taught you."
"Yes, Akira." Kurenai Yūhi, holding the mini Three-Tails securely in her arms, nodded and quickly left the office.
Uchiha Akira then activated Amenominaka (天之御中).
Returning instantly to the chaotic Kirigakure in the Land of Water...
Kirigakure (霧隠れの里, Village Hidden by Mist).
The pervasive smell of fresh blood mixed with the damp, sea-salt mist, creating a heavy, nauseating odor over the main plaza.
The coup was over.
The hardliners loyal to the deceased Yagura had been almost completely purged by Mei Terumī's rebel forces. The remaining loyalist resistance was all suppressed by the shock of the Tailed Beast's brief appearance and subsequent disappearance.
Ninja, weary and grim-faced, dragged their aching bodies, silently cleaning up the messy, blood-soaked battlefield and washing away the worst of the gore on the stone streets.
The Mizukage was dead. The Sanbi was gone.
The only question remained: Where did the future of Kirigakure lie?
Just then.
Buzz—!
Space suddenly twisted violently, forming a rippling vortex of distortion.
A figure slowly, instantly emerged from it.
It was Uchiha Akira, returned from the Land of Wind.
"Hokage-sama!"
Mei Terumī and Elder Gensui, who had been tensely waiting near the ruins of the Mizukage building, felt their hearts leap and quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully.
Uchiha Akira was expressionless. He casually tossed something onto the rubble.
Thump.
A cold, limp corpse was thrown at Mei Terumī's feet like so much trash. It was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
"Yagura..."
Mei Terumī looked at the corpse at her feet, her expression complex.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was once a hero of Hidden Mist, but he had tragically dragged the Village into the hellish "Bloody Mist" era through Obito's control.
Death, perhaps, was his best and only destination.
Uchiha Akira's gaze fell directly on Mei Terumī.
"Are you ready?"
Mei Terumī's heart tightened. She recognized the finality in his tone. She dared not show any slack, immediately replying respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"The battle is over. All opposing forces have been neutralized and purged."
"I will now summon all high-ranking officials of the Village to formally announce my inauguration as the Fifth Mizukage."
She paused, then her voice dropped, becoming firm.
"And then, I will formally propose... the merger into the Leaf Village's new unified order."
Uchiha Akira nodded, acknowledging her efficiency and her complete understanding of the terms.
"Very good. I'll give you one hour to formalize the ascension."
Elder Gensui walked to Yagura's corpse, squatted down, and reached out to check him one last time.
"A Jinchūriki whose Tailed Beast has been extracted... is doomed to die. It is the end of his suffering."
Gensui sighed deeply and slowly stood up.
"Mei. Go do what you need to do."
"The future of Hidden Mist—its survival—rests solely on your shoulders now."
Mei Terumī nodded heavily. The look in her eyes was cold, proud, and utterly resolute.
One hour later.
Mizukage Building, the highest-level conference room—miraculously, one of the few areas not destroyed by the Tailed Beast.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
All the current high-ranking officials of Kirigakure, including the clan heads of various powerful families, naval commanders, and representatives of the Elite Jōnin, were gathered here.
Mei Terumī, wearing a brand new Fifth Mizukage's ceremonial robe, sat at the head of the table.
Beside her, Elder Gensui sat, looking solemn, lending his vast political weight to the proceedings.
Just moments ago, with Gensui's unwavering support and the public display of Yagura's death, Mei Terumī had formally announced her ascension as the Fifth Mizukage. The process went smoothly, with almost no obstacles; overthrowing the Bloody Mist tyranny was what the people truly desired.
Mei Terumī surveyed everyone present, taking in their expressions of relief, grief, and apprehension.
She took a deep breath and slowly spoke, her voice clear, firm, and carrying the weight of her new position.
"Everyone."
"The Bloody Mist era is over. Yagura is gone."
"However, the crisis facing the Village has not been resolved. It has merely changed form."
She launched into a calculated strategic assessment. "Years of internal strife have severely weakened Kirigakure, causing our military strength to fall to the very bottom of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Externally, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are eyeing us covetously."
"More importantly, we have just experienced a brutal civil war and a Tailed Beast attack. Our internal morale is unstable, our resources are depleted, and everything needs to be rebuilt."
Mei Terumī's grim words made everyone present's hearts sink. They knew she spoke the truth.
"Therefore," Mei Terumī declared, her voice pausing, commanding attention.
"I have decided."
"For the survival of the Village. For the lives of every person here. For our future descendants to know peace—"
Mei Terumī's voice was resolute, echoing the very words Akira had used just hours earlier.
"I, in the name of the Fifth Mizukage, declare—!"
"Kirigakure will formally and officially merge into Konohagakure! We will become the 'Kirigakure Division' of the Leaf Village's new unified military order!"
BOOM—!
Mei Terumī's words instantly ignited the emotions of the many high-ranking officials in the conference room! The room exploded into chaotic noise!
They had just ended the tyranny of the Fourth Generation! They had fought for their freedom!
But the Fifth Mizukage's very first order was to merge the Hidden Mist into Konoha—their hated enemy, the main power of the Land of Fire! No one could accept such a betrayal of their history and sovereignty.
"What?!"
"MERGE into Konoha?! Are you mad, Lady Mizukage?!"
"Mizukage-sama! What treasonous nonsense are you talking about?!"
"This is absolutely impossible! We will never bow to the Land of Fire!"
The entire conference room instantly erupted into furious, chaotic argument!
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