Naruto: From Capturing the Main Clan to Becoming the Mastermind

Chapter 65 Yuan Shi and the Three Generations

Yagura's strength was unmatched in his generation, making him a candidate for the next Mizukage, but this did not mean that Yagura had the support of most of the Kirigakure ninja.

Some members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist also received considerable support.

If Yagura hadn't been well-prepared, he might not have been able to subdue the pro-war faction led by the Third Mizukage.

"Mei Terumi originally agreed, but she was captured by Konoha. Many of you ninjas of this generation also support me."

Yagura replied, "On the ninja clan side, the head of the Yuki clan has agreed to a ceasefire."

Although Kisame and Mei Terumi are next-generation elite ninjas, they may not hold high positions, but they represent the future of the village and their voices cannot be ignored.

The Yuki clan, who use Ice Release, are an important part of Kirigakure.

But that's not enough, is it?

With the Third Mizukage in enemy hands, this amount of support was insufficient for Yagura to take over command of Kirigakure and negotiate peace with Konoha.

When Yagura stopped talking about the Yuki clan, Kisame's expression darkened after waiting for a long time without hearing anything further.

"What about Kaguya and Hozuki?"

Yagura paused for a moment, then explained, "Kaguya is a bunch of battle maniacs; she has no intention of stopping the war. As for the Hozuki clan, after the third generation took over, they became much more low-key and unwilling to take the lead."

The Second Mizukage essentially seized the position through sheer strength, and the Third Mizukage's defeat due to a lack of power is undeniable. However, after the Second Mizukage's death, the Hozuki clan, feeling they had lost their pillar of support, became more restrained.

This made the Third Mizukage's rule much easier, but it also brought them trouble.

Kisame frowned and said, "Is this all you've prepared?"

He felt like he'd been tricked.

"I can't lead all the ninjas here on my own; I don't have enough prestige."

Yagura shook his head, his voice still calm, "However, there is one person in Kirigakure who possesses prestige on par with the Mizukage."

Upon hearing this, Kisame immediately realized, "You mean Master Yuan? You invited him here?"

Yuan Shi, an elder of Kirigakure, is a contemporary of the First Hokage. Now in his seventies, he has witnessed the changes in Kirigakure over the decades and his prestige in Kirigakure is no different from that of the Mizukage.

However, that person was not power-hungry, and during the second and third generations of the ruling family, he rarely interfered in government affairs.

How did Yagura manage to get the other party to come out?

Facing Kisame's questioning gaze, Yagura kept his eyes straight ahead and sped off.

The Third Hokage led a team to attack the command center, and he was worried that the ninjas there wouldn't be able to stop them.

Seeing his anxiety, Kisame recalled what Yagura had said when he supported the Third Hokage and their recent conversation, and his expression changed drastically.

"You brought the commander to the command post?"

"Hmm." Yagura nodded and sighed. "Don't we have a support force of 2000 men? The Genji came with them, and they should have arrived at headquarters this morning."

"...You're really efficient. I thought you had just made contact with Master Yuan." Kisame said through gritted teeth, and sped up.

If the Grand Master dies as a result, no one will be able to stop this war.

Two thousand ninjas—even the Third Hokage might not be able to stop them, let alone the fact that many of them had already accepted missions and been sent to other places.

We must get back as soon as possible; now is not the time to worry about the Third Mizukage.

……

"Elder Master Yuan..."

At the Hidden Mist Camp, Hiruzen Sarutobi swept away the surrounding Mist Ninja with his staff. Looking at the old man protected by a group of ninjas, and recalling the information about him, he stepped forward.

The ninjas protecting the master watched him approach in fear, their eyes catching glimpses of the densely packed corpses around them, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

The Hidden Mist Fortress is not without powerful ninja guards. The heads of the Hozuki and Yuki clans are here, and they are ninjas who can rival the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

However, he was defeated by Hiruzen Sarutobi after only a few dozen rounds of fighting.

If it weren't for the fact that both of them had ways to save their lives, and that a lot of reinforcements had arrived before they were all dispersed to carry out their missions, the two would have already died at the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even if he managed to survive, it would be impossible for him to continue fighting. Without a ninja of sufficient strength to fight him, the Third Hokage was unstoppable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi

With his cloudy eyes, Yuan Shi watched as the Third Hokage walked ten meters away from him, then waved his hand, signaling the ninjas protecting him to move aside.

No one here can stop the Third Hokage.

"Is this our first meeting? There are fewer and fewer people who have seen ninjas from that era."

"yes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked up to him, his eyes filled with a complex expression. "Are you here to correct some mistakes too?"

In his youth, he was a renowned powerhouse, but time waits for no man, and now Master Yuan is an old man who needs a cane to walk.

The other party will not appear here unless absolutely necessary.

"I suppose so." Master Yuan sighed, turning his gaze to the ninjas engaged in battle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi led a force of about three hundred men, but they were all elites, and he could see many of the unique ninjutsu of the Konoha ninja clans among them.

However, these people have another characteristic: they are all middle-aged ninjas, and there is not a single young person among them.

"You're quite thoughtful."

Based on his years of experience, Master Yuan saw through Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions and remarked, "After this war, the voices within Konoha will likely be much quieter."

Konoha has many powerful shinobi; even if these shinobi joined forces, Kirigakure would have a hard time dealing with them.

However, Konoha scattered these strong individuals, turning soldiers against soldiers and generals against generals, thus relinquishing a certain advantage.

He didn't understand at first, but now that he saw the composition of the attacking force, he understood.

Konoha's goal in this war is not just to win.

Kaguya's clan must have met their match as well... If Konoha wants to win against those warlike individuals, they will have to pay a price.

This was an open strategy. Even if the Konoha ninja knew Hiruzen Sarutobi's purpose, they couldn't really criticize him. Someone always had to carry out a dangerous mission.

Thinking of this, Master Yuan shook his head helplessly: "Unfortunately, the Third Hokage was too headstrong. No matter how you look at it, we are no match for Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi has weakened the middle ranks of the ninja clan through war.

If a reason can be found to eliminate the leader, and the Fourth Hokage supports weaker ninja clans, providing them with benefits, and instigating infighting among the lower and middle ranks of the ninja clans, the Konoha government can be transferred smoothly.

As a result, for a long time, the ninja clan was unable to cause any trouble for the Hokage.

That's quite a skillful technique...

Despite Master Mingyuan's demoralizing words, the surrounding Mist Ninja showed no anger, only resentment.

The current situation has laid bare the truth.

"Want to negotiate? That's the Shadow's job. We are not Shadows."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the ground tremble, looked up at the enormous creature rushing towards them in the distance, and a smile crept onto his lips. "The current Hokage of Konoha is Minato Namikaze!"

As Yuan Shi watched the Three-Tails, which should have belonged to their Hidden Mist Village, fire a Tailed Beast Ball at his comrades, he recalled the message Yagura had sent him the night before and closed his eyes.

Could the third generation really have been controlled by illusion magic?

The surrounding Mist Ninja, seeing the Tailed Beast Ball condensing in the Three-Tails' mouth, felt their minds go blank and frantically fled in all directions.

"The Three-Tails has been controlled by Konoha!"

"It's a Tailed Beast Ball, dodge it quickly!"

"Where are the other ninja units? Why haven't they returned to provide support yet?"

Compared to Kirigakure, the Konoha ninja noticed Minato Namikaze standing atop the Three-Tails, his cloak fluttering in the wind, and their morale soared.

"It's the Hokage!"

"He subdued the tailed beast of Kirigakure."

"We've got this in the bag."

Master Yuan opened his eyes and looked at this scene with a complicated expression.

Perhaps we should have advised the third generation to hand over the future to the next generation sooner.

"Yagura, I hope you won't let me down."

(End of this chapter)