"I knew something was wrong back then!"
"Everything was clearly going smoothly, yet my plans failed again and again."
"There had to be a traitor."
"But those useless fools in the village, that muddleheaded and incompetent Third Mizukage, actually suspected me."
"They thought I, Fuguki Suikazan, had betrayed the village!"
"Am I that kind of person?"
Fuguki Suikazan spoke furiously.
"So everything was Yagura Karatachi's scheme!"
"Very good."
"For the sake of the Mizukage position, he actually did something that outrageous!"
"Not only did he ruin the village, he also ruined me."
"All because I blocked his path!"
Fuguki Suikazan's eyes were bloodshot. His fury could barely be contained.
Opposite him, Jinin Akebino was just as angry.
"I never expected that my name was added by that dog Yagura Karatachi."
"Before this, I thought Sunagakure hated me to the bone and wanted me dead."
"Now it seems the one who wanted me dead was Yagura Karatachi."
"Was he worried I would threaten his Mizukage position?"
"Or was he afraid I would eventually discover those secrets and learn about all the filthy things he did?"
Jinin Akebino looked at Fuguki Suikazan.
"Fuguki, we absolutely cannot let this matter go. We must settle accounts with him!"
Fuguki Suikazan nodded heavily.
"That's right. We must settle accounts with that bastard!"
Fuguki Suikazan hated him too much.
His future had been destroyed. He had been reduced to a missing-nin. At one point, everyone in the entire Land of Water had shouted for his death.
Countless people spat curses at him.
More importantly, there was his wife.
Suikazan Butterfly had remained forever on that road of pursuit.
The Kirigakure ninja who had killed Suikazan Butterfly was already dead.
But the true culprit who caused Suikazan Butterfly's death was still alive and well.
"But how do we do it?"
Jinin Akebino looked at Fuguki Suikazan.
"Fuguki, our Samehada Sailing Crew and Blast Sword Sailing Crew have recruited many crew members. We have more than a hundred people, and several dozen of them are ninja. But compared to Kirigakure, we are still far behind."
"That fellow Yagura will definitely hide inside Kirigakure."
Fuguki Suikazan said, "Aside from us, the Kaguya clan must also be dissatisfied with Yagura."
"We can contact the Kaguya clan."
"In addition, after these matters are exposed, there will definitely be many people inside Kirigakure who are dissatisfied with Yagura and sympathize with us. The two of us are the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"If they don't choose Yagura, they will inevitably choose us."
"We can attract even more people to join our sailing crews."
Jinin Akebino nodded.
"The Kaguya clan is worth contacting, but they are also ambitious people. Their eyes will only be fixed on the Mizukage position. Cooperating with them is no different from seeking skin from a tiger. We must be careful, then even more careful."
"As for inside Kirigakure, there must be plenty of people loyal to the glory of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"But ninja do not live on ideals alone. They also have lives to maintain."
"We do not have enough resources to give them."
That struck the key point, and Fuguki Suikazan fell silent as well.
Just then, a figure hurried in.
"Fuguki-sama, Jinin-sama, someone outside requests an audience. He claims to be an official from the Land of Water."
"A Land of Water official?"
Fuguki Suikazan and Jinin Akebino exchanged a look.
"Bring him in."
"Yes."
Soon, a plump official walked in.
The moment he entered, the official squeezed out a smile. His posture was very low, and he showed great respect toward Fuguki Suikazan and Jinin Akebino.
"Good news. Excellent news."
"Captain Fuguki, Captain Jinin, the daimyo asked me to send his greetings to you…"
Fuguki Suikazan waved a hand and interrupted the official.
"If you have something to say, say it directly."
The official's expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered.
"Captain Fuguki truly speaks quickly and frankly. Very well, then I will state my purpose directly."
"The Great Sailing Era has already arrived."
"The daimyo said he is not some stubborn remnant of the old era. He is very willing to accept new things. The Land of Water is not without a place for sailing crews."
"However, the daimyo hopes that in the waters near the Land of Water, sailing crews can follow certain rules. That way, they will not have too severe an impact on the coastal civilians."
"As for these rules, the daimyo hopes to decide them together with Captain Fuguki and Captain Jinin."
"To create a set of rules beneficial to the Land of Water and to the sailing crews under both captains."
"In exchange, the daimyo will grant both captains' sailing crews official sailing crew status."
"He will hand the management of other sailing crews to both captains."
"He will provide both captains with resources and establish long-term commission cooperation."
"And he will stop Kirigakure from taking action against your sailing crews."
Fuguki Suikazan understood.
The daimyo of the Land of Water had seen that the appearance of sailing crews could no longer be stopped, so he wanted to bring them under his control and turn sailing crews into another kind of ninja village.
The Land of Water above.
The ninja village below.
But that was not difficult to accept.
Given the current situation of the Samehada Sailing Crew and Blast Sword Sailing Crew, trying to stand above the Land of Water was impossible for now.
Below was below.
As long as they obtained resources, they could develop.
The sea was too vast.
The sea was infinite.
Who could say what the future would become?
For now, they had to solve the problem in front of them.
The Samehada Sailing Crew and Blast Sword Sailing Crew happened to lack money. Now the Land of Water daimyo's people had taken the initiative to deliver resources to their door. How could they refuse?
"My Samehada Sailing Crew…"
"My Blast Sword Sailing Crew…"
"Is willing to cooperate."
The Land of Water official smiled.
In truth, the official had said different things to both sides, but that was not important. As long as cooperation could be reached, it was beneficial to the current Land of Water.
If it benefited the Land of Water, then it was his merit.
The Land of Water official had only just left when Fuguki Suikazan and Jinin Akebino had already sent people out.
They headed toward Kirigakure to draw in, persuade, and promise benefits to those ninja.
One ANBU ninja after another walked in, handing Yagura the discussions they had gathered from inside the village regarding this rumor.
"Mizukage-sama, not everyone believes the contents of the rumor. Most of us do not believe it. Everything you have done for the village, Mizukage-sama, we have all seen it."
"Without you, Mizukage-sama, the village would have lost even faster."
Yagura's expression eased slightly.
But after reading those discussions, the veins on Yagura's forehead still could not help bulging again.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are Kirigakure's true orthodoxy!"
"The one who should have become Mizukage was Fuguki Suikazan!"
"If only the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were still here, our village's situation would be far better than it is now."
…
Such remarks actually occupied half of the village.
Only half the people supported him.
"How disappointing!"