This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 226 The Bamboo Cutter Incident (Two chapters combined, please subscribe)

After several days of travel, the isolated island nation, shrouded in a hazy mist, came into view.

—The Land of Water!

In the later Boruto series, the Land of Water, taking advantage of its coastal location, developed into a powerful hidden village comparable to a modern metropolis.

But now, all that can be seen near the sea are small fishing villages, with only some dilapidated houses and boats bearing the marks of the carnage, exuding a suffocating atmosphere.

No one in the entire Land of Water noticed Ryuji and his group's arrival.

"Let's go find Kimimaro first!"

Long Er crossed one arm over his chest and rested his chin on the other in deep thought.

What Kimimaro considers most important about the Land of Water is the Kaguya clan, the same clan that Kimimaro belongs to.

This race is related to the Sage of Six Paths, and the stronger they are, the more severe their bloodline disease becomes... This race can be considered the strongest fighting race.

This was in Konoha year 48.

Kimimaro was only three years old, but he had already shown his extraordinary abilities, possessing a much stronger bloodline limit than others.

He was then imprisoned by his family and only released during battles to be used as a fighting machine, or as high-level cannon fodder.

This race has always had such an unreasonable way of thinking.

Any other family, upon encountering such a perfectly talented descendant, would have devoted all their efforts to nurturing him as a pillar of the family.

Of course, this is also due to their bloodline disease. The stronger they are, the more severe their condition becomes, and their way of thinking becomes more and more distorted, until they go mad.

Ryuji and his group had already arrived at the Bamboo Clan's encampment, but they did not intend to go forward to recruit them.

It's late at night, but no one has chosen to rest.

The Taketori clan,

Almost everyone would gather together, light a bonfire, and loudly plot their fame.

As the saying goes, timing is everything; the warlike atmosphere among the bamboo-harvesting clan had reached a fever pitch.

At this time, they were preparing to seize power while Kirigakure was weak and Yagura Karatachi had just taken office.

Due to the heavy losses suffered by Kirigakure in the battle in the Land of Whirlpools, five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were killed, along with two Jinchuriki and the Third Mizukage.

Currently, only Yagura Karatachi is in charge of the overall situation. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki have defected, leaving only Kisame, who inherited Samehada, and Mangetsu, who inherited Hiramekarei, as the remaining high-end combat forces.

Even Mei Terumi, due to her age, is only at the level of an ordinary Jonin.

As for the likes of Ringo Yuuri, they haven't even been born yet.

This miserable situation further spurred the Kaguya clan, who saw it as the perfect opportunity to rebel.

The time of their demise in the original storyline has been moved forward.

This race is inherently a very warlike race, acting almost irrationally, driven solely by fighting and bloodlust. In the original story, they attacked Kirigakure in an attempt to seize the position of Mizukage, but were ultimately annihilated.

History may now be repeating itself.

"These people are really crazy. Even though Kirigakure is already severely weakened, it's not something that a mere clan can stand up to."

Even from a distance, you could hear Wanlizang and Xuanqilong strategizing loudly when they were together.

This can be called a sneak attack?

If even a few members of the secret service were watching nearby, their plan would be exposed instantly.

However, the time of their defeat has been pushed back a bit, because the people monitoring them have already been taken care of by Red.

It wasn't for the sake of the bamboo tug clan; it was purely to influence their actions.

"We don't need to rush. With their belligerent attitude, forcibly recruiting them would only be a waste of effort. Let them fight with Kirigakure first. Once they are both exhausted, it will be our turn to step in. We can also weaken Kirigakure's strength in the process."

Ryuji wasn't in a hurry. He did value the Corpse Bone Pulse Bloodline Limit, but he wanted a group of obedient people rather than a bunch of restless individuals whose minds were filled with nothing but crazy fighting.

The bonfire where the bamboo keeper clan gathers.

The head of the Bamboo Clan was excitedly and frantically recounting his upcoming plans.

"In a moment, we'll storm in through the main gate, kill Yagura and the others, and from then on, we'll be the rulers of Kirigakure!"

The other clansmen standing nearby cheered.

His face was contorted in a hideous grimace.

Under the cover of night, the flames of the bonfire made their expressions appear like those of vengeful ghosts.

These people's plan can't even be called a plan; it's simply a brutal and violent armed seizure of power.

That does fit the personality of these people who only know how to fight.

"And while you're at it, release that brat who's been locked up. This time, let the entire Hidden Mist Village witness the terror of our Kaguya clan!"

"Yo-ho!"

A group of enthusiastic tribesmen cheered and applauded.

The child they were referring to who was locked up was Kimimaro, one of the most skilled bloodline limits in combat.

A child who is only two or three years old, who in other ordinary families would not even be able to walk properly.

They have already acquired the strength to fight against Chunin.

"Let's charge in together and take down Yagura and Genji!"

The members of the Bamboo Clan, cheering wildly, rushed without any restraint towards the very center of Kirigakure Village, the residence of the Mizukage Building.

Even though Long Er was prepared for their madness, he was speechless.

"Let's wait and see. It doesn't matter if the entire Kaguya clan is wiped out, as long as that child named Kimimaro lives. We can take as many others as we can."

Ryuji Ayaki has lost interest in incorporating the entire Kaguya clan. This group is a ticking time bomb; they might suddenly decide to seize control of the castle while he's away.

Getting rid of them wouldn't take much effort, but why invite trouble upon ourselves?

In a secluded corner building in Kirigakure, young Ao covered his right eye with an eyepatch.

At this point, he had already obtained his most important strategic weapon for the future—a precious Byakugan—in a conflict with Konoha Village.

Beside him was Mei Terumi, who was only 13 years old at the time and would become the Fifth Mizukage.

What's that noise outside?

Terumi Mei asked.

Ao chuckled dismissively and said, "It's those lunatics from the Kaguya clan. Judging from their posture, they want to storm into the Mizukage Building and kill Yagura and the others."

Mei Terumi had some understanding of the madness of the Kaguya clan, and unlike Ao, she did not put on a disdainful look.

Instead, he frowned and said, "The village is becoming increasingly oppressive, and the major clans with bloodline limits are gradually dying out. If this continues, we may not be far from extinction."

Even if it doesn't eventually perish, it won't be qualified to be compared with the other four great ninja villages.

Hearing Mei Terumi's words, Ao comforted her, saying, "These are not things we should be thinking about right now. What you should be focusing on now is improving your strength. In the future, you also need to find ways to expand your influence. Only in this way can you win the Mizukage election in the future."

Ao had always placed high hopes on Mei. This girl possessed extremely high ninjutsu talent. At only 13 years old, she had already completed the transformation of three chakra natures, and her combat strength had reached the level of an elite Jonin. Her thinking was also much more meticulous than that of her peers.

He knew that with his current abilities, becoming an elite Jonin would be his ceiling, so he chose to invest in a rising star.

Terumi Mei's future is his future.

Mei Terumi nodded; she naturally understood all of this.

"Let's not take action this time. Neither side will stand with us. Whether it's Yagura Karatachi or the Taketori clan, they will only be stumbling blocks to the development of Kirigakure in the future."

At this time, Mei Terumi was just an ordinary Jonin in the village, not even a high-level manager, but she had already shown the ruthlessness and scheming that would later belong to the Fifth Mizukage.

After the death of the Third Mizukage, the overall situation in Kirigakure is temporarily under the control of Yagura Karatachi... However, Yagura Karatachi wants to change the policies of the Blood Mist Village, which affects the vested interests of the past.

If neither side were to back down, the current situation would inevitably have developed.

……

"Um?"

Kisame, who had been promoted to the new ninja swordsman and was in charge of many ANBU, heard the commotion and looked up sharply. In the darkness, he could vaguely see the outlines of a group of people rushing towards him.

Gradually, as we got closer, we could see their faces clearly.

The people rushing over were members of the Bamboo Cutter Clan, with two curls on their heads and a unique appearance.

"What are these lunatics trying to do? They suddenly barged in here!"

At this time, more and more people in Kirigakure noticed the unusual commotion, and members of the Anbu began to be mobilized.

This so-called attack plan can no longer be considered an attack at all.

Yagura, holding his signature hook-shaped weapon, also walked to the doorway and looked down at the commotion below.

"That's really crazy." Yagura Karatachi looked at the people rushing towards them from afar with a serious expression.

A three-tailed tail has grown from his back, and he has entered battle mode.

Since becoming the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, Yagura Karatachi has never seriously fought, which has led many people in the village to be unwilling to submit to his prestige.

Since the Kaguya clan has crossed him this time, he'll use them as a scapegoat to demonstrate the power of the Fourth Mizukage to the outside world.

Kisame said, "Lord Mizukage, this is the biggest test you have faced since taking office. Of course, as your most loyal ninja, I am duty-bound to help you."

His words were full of sarcasm and irony.

Kisame had no complaints about Yagura.

He simply knew that Yagura was in a very bad situation and wanted to give him a chance to show himself.

He was originally appointed as the Mizukage in an emergency due to the death of the Third Mizukage, and therefore lacked the prestige of his predecessors who were elected by the many people who took office as Mizukage.

Furthermore, his desire to change the village's long-standing Blood Mist policy immediately upon taking office has led to hostility from those who benefited from the Blood Mist policy and those with short-sighted views, who desperately want to remove him from his position as Mizukage.

If he cannot resolve the issue of the Taketori's rebellion with an iron fist, then there will likely be a continuous stream of rebellions afterward.

By then, his role as the water shadow will have come to an end.

"If you want to just stand by and watch, then don't say anything." Yagura Karatachi interrupted him abruptly, picked up his weapon, and jumped off the building.

He was well aware that his situation was dire, so he didn't waste any more time talking.

"After we deal with these people, the remaining stitches and scalpels should also find new owners."

At this moment, the members of the Dark Guard had already made their move and started fighting against the members of the Bamboo Clan.

The Kaguya clan truly lives up to its reputation as one of the strongest fighting clans; even among Chunin or Jonin, they can take on three opponents at the same level.

As the number of participants increased, screams, crashes, and the sounds of collapsing buildings mingled together, making the night incredibly noisy.

Yagura's tail was very conspicuous, and the chief of the Taketori clan noticed it immediately.

"Yagura Karatachi, let me see just how strong you are as the Fourth Mizukage!"

The chieftain of the Bamboo Clan let out a strange cry and charged towards Yagura.

Ryuji had already taken advantage of the chaos to arrive in Kirigakure. Now all the forces were tied up by the Taketori clan, and no one cared about him, an outsider.

"Has Yagura Karatachi become a Jinchūriki?"

Ryuji looked at Yagura's tail from behind, which meant that Yagura already possessed some of the ability to control the Tailed Beasts.

The head of the bamboo grove shouted, revealing several bones protruding from his body and forehead.

"Corpse Bone Pulse, Dance of the Tang Pine!"

His bones were growing thicker and thicker, forming a suit of armor. His left fist was covered with a thick periosteum, and he threw a punch at Yagura Karatachi.

Yagura showed no intention of backing down, and the shells belonging to the Three-Tails sprouted up one by one on his right arm.

The entire arm looked as if it had grown many corals, revealing a dark red color.

"Coral Palm!"

Yagura Kojiki punched the fist covered by the Corpse Bone Vein.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the fist encased in bone shattered, and the head of the Bamboo Clan staggered back several steps, leaving deep craters in the ground before regaining his footing.

"The power of a Tailed Beast is not something you, with your mere Shikotaku (Corpse Bone Pulse) technique, can contend with!"

Yagura looked at him coldly.

"As expected of the Fourth Mizukage!"

After the chieftain of the Bamboo Clan steadied himself, two long swords grew from his shoulders, elbows, and knees, and his face was filled with madness.

"The Dance of the Willow Tree and Corpse Veins!"

The chieftain of the Bamboo Clan has combat experience that is not much less than that of a Kage-level fighter.

Seeing that Tang Song's Dance of Offense and Defense was ineffective against Yagura, he simply gave up, using the bones covering his body for defense and focusing all his energy on offense.

Before this rebellion, everyone came prepared to die.

Yagura had no intention of using his own flesh to fight the bone swords on his body head-on.

He pulled out his signature hook weapon from behind him, leaped upwards, and then slammed the club down hard on the bamboo keeper.

The chieftain of the Bamboo Clan did not make any movement before launching a flanking attack.

Instead, he directly formed a cross with his bone sword in front of his chest, leaped upwards, and collided with Yagura.

The formidable wind pressure surged from where the two men clashed, shattering many of the windows on the Water Shadow Building.

Kisame looked down at the two fighting, estimating his chances of winning if he were to intervene.

In the end, he was dismayed to find that he might not be able to defeat them, and could only have confidence that he could remain invincible with the sharkskin in his hand.

"Master, should we make a move now?"

Hong asked from behind Long Er.

"It's not the right time yet; there are still many people who haven't stepped forward."

Currently, among the Hidden Mist Village's top fighters, only Yagura Karatachi has made a move; the others have chosen to sit back and watch the fight unfold for various reasons.

Otherwise, with the strength of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu and Yagura Karatachi, they could have easily wiped out the Taketori clan.

A persistent mist hangs over Kirigakure, now tinged a pale pink by the flowing blood.

The previous text only stated that Obito's Sharingan awakened with two tomoe, not that he only had two tomoe at the moment. He awakened the two tomoe upon witnessing the deaths of the elderly people he usually helped, and he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan again after witnessing the death of his grandmother. The original text has already made this very clear.

(End of this chapter)