mesbooks Chapter 193 193
Chapter 193 193
Meanwhile, on the other side, in Kirigakure
"So, who exactly is going to become the Fifth Mizukage?" Mero clicked his tongue, his expression twisted with irritation.
"I already said it would be me." Hikari snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You?" Mero looked at him like he had just heard the stupidest thing in the world. "If you become Mizukage, Kirigakure really will be finished. I'd rather take the seat myself."
Hikari's brow twitched.
"And where did that confidence come from?" he said coldly. "Does your mother know your face has gotten that big?"
"I think I'm qualified too."
"Heh. If you become Mizukage, I'll defect the very next second. No—before I defect, I'll kill you first."
"Oh? You make it sound like you're someone important."
The atmosphere inside the conference hall grew intense by the second.
Killing intent filled the room.
No one was willing to take even half a step back.
Kirigakure had always been a harsh place. Even after the worst days of the Bloody Mist had passed, the habits left behind were not so easy to erase.
Infighting was common. Every clan, every faction, every veteran shinobi sitting in this hall had enemies. The only reason they had ever stood under the same banner was because the Mizukage's authority held them together.
But now, that seat was empty.
And once the Mizukage's seat became involved, all the suspicion and old hatred buried under the surface came crawling back out.
No one trusted anyone else.
No one wanted to see their rival clan take control of the village.
No one wanted to kneel their head to someone they had once crossed blades with.
Even those who truly cared about Kirigakure were no exception.
Because precisely because they cared, they could not allow the wrong person to sit in that chair.
The argument grew louder and uglier.
Only a small number of people remained silent. Some knew they had no chance of becoming Mizukage. Others simply had no interest in stepping into that storm.
But as the quarrel continued, the tempers of Kirigakure's shinobi began to flare.
Someone's hand moved first.
No one knew who it was.
A palm closed around the hilt of a blade.
Then another.
Then another.
In the next moment, steel whispered against scabbards all across the hall.
The air turned cold.
Murderous intent overflowed.
And then...
Tap.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of fingers knocking against the table cut through the room.
It was not loud but somehow, it reached everyone.
One by one, the shinobi turned their eyes toward the source.
The person who had interrupted them was an elderly council member, his face lined with deep wrinkles, his eyes half-lidded and calm as if the killing intent around him had nothing to do with him.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"I recommend Mei Terumī as the Fifth Mizukage."
The room froze for half a breath.
"Mei Terumī?"
"Her strength is still lacking, isn't it?"
"Can she really carry Kirigakure?"
"Heh. At the very least, she's stronger than you."
"What did you say?"
The hall did not become peaceful.
That would have been impossible.
But compared to before, the sharpness in the room clearly weakened.
Mero, Hikari, and the others exchanged glances.
None of them were willing to support each other.
None of them were willing to hand power to an enemy faction.
But Mei Terumī was different.
She was not weak.
She had ability, talent, and enough influence to stand in the center of the village without immediately tipping the balance toward one side.
More importantly, she was someone they could accept.
At the very least, no one believed she would use the Mizukage's seat to purge their clans or crush their subordinates the moment she took power.
Her sense of responsibility, her restraint, her gentleness, and her genuine love for Kirigakure—
Those things had been seen by everyone.
After a long silence, Mero finally clicked his tongue.
"…Fine."
Hikari closed his eyes for a moment, then gave a low snort.
"If it has to be someone, then let it be Mei Terumī."
One by one, the others stopped arguing.
No one looked happy.
But no one objected again.
And just like that, while Mei Terumī herself was nowhere to be seen, the decision concerning the Fifth Mizukage had quietly taken shape.
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
Mei Terumī was seating beside Shiki with Nohara Rin nearby.
Her eyes were slightly wide, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she looked at the scene in front of her.
"Is this what you meant by going somewhere?"
Shiki held a bottle of sake in one hand and took a slow drink, looking far too satisfied for someone who had just shaken an entire village.
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" he said casually. "I wanted a different experience. Since we're in the Land of Water, I figured I should at least try the local specialty."
Mei Terumī opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"…I thought you were going to do something suspicious."
Her expression said everything her words did not.
For a moment, she genuinely did not know whether to be relieved or more worried.
Beside them, Rin Nohara quietly took small bites of her food. After swallowing, she looked up and asked softly, "Shiki-sama, is our mission finished? If it is, then can we leave now?"
"Hm…" Shiki tilted the sake bottle slightly, as if considering it. "I suppose we should be heading back soon."
Rin blinked.
"But?"
Shiki did not answer her immediately.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward Mei.
"There are still some people here who want me to do something." His lips curved faintly. "Right, Mei?"
Mei's body stiffened.
For an instant, her palms grew damp.
She quickly forced herself to calm down, but the slight change in her expression did not escape Shiki's eyes.
After a moment, she let out a quiet breath.
"…Yes."
"We really do need to talk."
--
After leaving the hotel, Mei Terumī, Shiki, and Nohara Rin walked side by side through the streets of Kirigakure.
"Hmm."
Shiki stroked his chin, then glanced at Mei after a moment.
"Come to think of it, quite a bit of time has passed. Your Mizukage should have been chosen by now, shouldn't they?"
"Don't forget our agreement."
"Rest assured. I won't forget." Shiki answered calmly.
To him, that agreement was not some difficult burden.
It was something he could fulfill easily.
Hearing that, Mei finally let out a small breath in her heart.
At first, she had been worried that Shiki might change his mind or treat the promise as something meaningless once the immediate crisis was over. But luckily, he agreed without hesitation.
The request Mei had made to Shiki was simple.
When the Three-Tails and Six-Tails were reborn, Shiki would help Kirigakure capture them.
And if that masked man appeared again to sabotage the village, Shiki would personally take action.
That was the condition.
For Kirigakure, it was an incredibly important safeguard.
After all, capturing a tailed beast was never a simple matter. Every attempt came with heavy losses, and many shinobi would inevitably die in the process.
Mei did not want any more blood to be spilled in this village.
Kirigakure had already lost too much.
Even now, the village would need at least a decade to recover from the damage it had suffered. Compared to the other Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure was in the worst state by far.
That was why Mei wanted to return to the discussion about the new Mizukage as soon as possible.
She needed to speak with them.
She needed to make sure the next Mizukage was not some hot-headed, prideful fool who would reject Shiki's help just because of wounded pride.
If someone said, "Shiki killed our people, and now you want us to ask him for help capturing the tailed beasts?" then everything would become troublesome again.
So, the moment she returned from the hotel with Shiki, Mei immediately went to find Mero and the others, intending to ask about the candidate for the Fifth Mizukage.
However, what she learned was
"What did you say?"
Mei Terumī pointed at her own face, completely stunned.
"How did I become the Fifth Mizukage?"
For a moment, Mei genuinely could not react.
She had already prepared herself for the worst.
If Kirigakure chose to sacrifice someone and hand them over to Shiki, then she would be the one to bear that responsibility.
After all, she was the person who had dragged Shiki into Kirigakure's internal dispute.
And in terms of strength, she was still a step short.
Because of that, Mei had never seriously thought she could take the Mizukage's seat right now.
Of course, deep down, she had considered it.
She knew she was suitable.
She had the vision. She had the will. She loved Kirigakure more than anyone here.
But the title of Kage was not something carried by resolve alone.
The leaders of the Five Great Nations were all powerful shinobi who possessed overwhelming strength.
Precisely because they stood at the top as Kage, their level of strength had become the standard people called "Kage-level."
Mei Terumī was undoubtedly strong.
She was an elite among elite jōnin, and her talent was exceptional.
But an Elite Jōnin was still an Elite Jōnin.
The gap between that and true Kage-level was not something that could be crossed so easily.
Mei had the talent to reach that height, but age and experience were still factors. Without some unreasonable shortcut, breaking past that threshold would take time.
And if she had not even fully stepped into the level of a Quasi-Kage yet, how could she openly compete with others for the Mizukage's position?
"There's no other choice."
Mero spoke in a low voice.
"Among everyone here, you're the most suitable."
Mei looked at him in silence.
Mero continued, his tone unusually serious.
"None of us will submit to one another. If one of us takes the seat, the others won't accept it. The village will split before the new Mizukage even has time to sit down."
He paused, then looked directly at her.
"But you're different."
Hikari stood nearby with his arms crossed. His expression was still arrogant, but he did not deny Mero's words.
"You belong to the Mizukage's faction," Hikari said. "Your position is clean enough, and your reputation is good enough. More importantly, you haven't made enemies with every clan in the village."
Zabuza, who had somewhat recovered, gave a rough snort from the side.
"Tch. Annoying as it is to admit, they're right."
Mei turned toward him.
Zabuza's face was still pale, but his eyes were sharp.
"If someone like Mero or Hikari becomes Mizukage, half the room will draw their swords before the announcement is even finished."
Mero's eyebrow twitched.
"Hah? You want to say that again?"
"I said what I said."
The atmosphere sharpened for a second, but compared to before, it did not explode.
Hikari glanced away and clicked his tongue.
"We're not choosing you because we suddenly became kind people, Terumī Mei."
His voice carried his usual pride, but the edge in it had softened slightly.
"We're choosing you because the village needs someone who won't immediately turn the Mizukage's seat into a battlefield."
Mero nodded.
"And because recently, you showed something none of us could ignore."
Mei's expression changed slightly.
"The resolve to sacrifice yourself for the Land of Water," Mero said quietly.
At those words, the room became still for a moment.
Even the more arrogant shinobi present did not mock her.
They were all proud.
They were all stubborn.
And aside from themselves, they barely acknowledged anyone else.
But Mei Terumī's recent actions had forced even them to take a step back.
She had shown responsibility.
She had shown restraint.
She had shown that, even when Kirigakure was cornered, she would think first of the village rather than herself.
That was why they compromised.
For the sake of Kirigakure, they acknowledged her.
Mei Terumī stood there, silent for a long moment.
Then her eyes lowered slightly.
"…You people really know how to throw trouble onto someone else."
Mero snorted.
"Don't act like you hate it."
Hikari looked away.
"If you're going to sit in that chair, then sit properly. If you fail, I'll be the first one to drag you down."
Zabuza bared his teeth in something close to a grin.
"And if anyone tries to stab you in the back, I'll cut them first. Not for you. I just hate cowards."
"But the Mizukage faction still needs a Kage," Mero said again, his voice low and heavy.
"You know this as well. Aside from us, almost no one takes this country seriously anymore."
"Even if it is only for the sake of the Land of Water, you must seize the position of Mizukage."
"Fortunately, with our support, as long as you display a little more strength, becoming Mizukage should not be too difficult."
Just as Konoha had its Hokage lineage, the Land of Water also had its own Mizukage lineage.
Konoha's Hokage lineage had held the title of Hokage all the way to the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, and it might even continue to hold that position in the future.
Perhaps that was because the Hokage lineage had produced a great number of talented shinobi, but its strength was undoubtedly an important reason as well.
Similarly, Kumogakure had the Yotsuki Clan.
They were even more exaggerated than the Hokage lineage.
At the very least, the Hokage lineage had failed once with Danzō. But the Yotsuki Clan still managed to hold onto the position of Raikage even after their clan head was killed by Shiki and their young heir was captured.
Compared to them, the Mizukage lineage of the Land of Water did not possess the same overwhelming strength as Konoha's Hokage faction.
However, because of the Land of Water's unique political structure—where powerful shinobi clans ruled over different regions—the entire Mizukage faction had ended up concentrated within Kirigakure itself.
Because of that, they actually held an overwhelming advantage when it came to selecting the next Mizukage.
Mero and the others could basically decide who would become the candidate.
The only problem was...
"But I'm not strong enough yet!" Mei Terumī blurted out.
If she already had the strength of a proper Kage, of course she would fight for the position.
But right now, she was not even at the level of a Quasi-Kage, let alone a true Kage.
How was she supposed to compete like this?
No matter how much influence the Mizukage faction held inside Kirigakure, the position of Kage still had an extremely high threshold for strength.
If she could not even reach that threshold, how was she supposed to stand at the top?
"That part will depend on your own efforts," Mero said with a faint sigh.
"You are already very close to Quasi-Kage level. If you train hard and surpass your limits, you should just barely be able to hold the position."
"We will help you as well. At the very least, your lack of strength should not be exposed in the short term."
As for whether Mei Terumī's true strength would be exposed later on...
They could only place their hopes on her talent.
If she could reach Kage level quickly enough, then there should not be any major problems.
Mei Terumī was completely stunned.
Train hard, become strong enough to sit in the Mizukage's seat, and somehow keep everyone from noticing before then?
They said it so calmly that, for a moment, she almost wondered if she was the strange one here.
'...You make it sound like I can just decide to become stronger tomorrow.'
Although Mei Terumī tried her best to hide the twitch in her expression, they still noticed.
"We have no choice," Hikari said with a helpless sigh.
"None of us are willing to bow our heads to the others. And as for outsiders? They are even worse."
"At least we understand what is at stake. But if we let one of them become Mizukage..."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Can you imagine what will happen to the Land of Water after that?"
"I would not even be surprised if the country fell back into the Warring States Period."
It was not that their standards were low enough to force Mei Terumī into pretending she was ready.
It was that the other choices were simply too unreliable.
Just look at the great clans and powerhouses of the Land of Water.
Suikazan Fuguki had spent years undermining the Land of Water from within, only to die in disgrace during the Third Shinobi World War.
The Yuki Clan had been wiped out long ago.
The Tōki Clan had only just betrayed the Mizukage faction.
And the Kurosuki Clan was already openly carving up territory and smuggling goods across the border.
Compared to people like that, Mero and the rest of these bloodstained old men could actually be considered among the Land of Water's most loyal subjects.
Mei Terumī opened her mouth.
She really wanted to argue back. To find some reason, any reason, to refuse.
But then another thought struck her.
If those people take power, will they still honor the contract with Shiki?
The moment that question crossed her mind, Mei's heart tightened.
No.
Absolutely not.
Those short-sighted people only cared about their own clans. They would never think about what breaking that agreement would mean for the Land of Water as a whole.
And if Shiki was no longer on their side...
Next time, the losses might be something Kirigakure could not afford.
Mei fell silent for a moment.
Then, finally, she let out a bitter smile.
"Fine. I'll do it."
The moment she said that, everyone present quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, they were helpless as well.
Forcing an Elite Jōnin to sit in the Mizukage's seat...
If that truth were exposed, it would deal a devastating blow to the Land of Water's reputation.
If even a mere Elite Jōnin could become Mizukage, then just how weak had the Land of Water become?
The other great nations would see them as nothing more than a piece of meat placed on the table.
But if they did nothing, the situation would become even worse.
For now, at least, there was still a way forward.
The gap between Quasi-Kage and true Kage was not impossible to cover, and Kirigakure still possessed several powerful secret techniques.
They could allow Mei Terumī to learn them openly.
As long as she grew fast enough...
They might still be able to make this work.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.