I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 321 The Misty Concealment!

The Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village, the Water Shadow Building.

The Third Mizukage awoke from his daze, feeling as if he had been living a terrifying nightmare that lasted for decades.

Most of the scenes in this nightmare are no longer clear, as if they were a videotape of memories covered with a thick filter, making it difficult to have the feeling of experiencing it firsthand.

The only clear image, so clear that it was unforgettable and even etched into the heart for the Third Mizukage, was a pair of scarlet eyes.

Crimson pupils, jet-black tomoe, the infamous Sharingan...

The Third Mizukage felt his aged and stiff body, and with some difficulty, he twisted his neck to look out the window of the Mizukage's office.

A deep, thick white mist enveloped the entire Hidden Mist Village, and the simple gray buildings appeared and disappeared in the mist, as if they had always been so.

However, it is one of the five great villages of the ninja world.

Even in the daytime, the warm and bright sunlight could hardly penetrate this cold and silent village, let alone dispel the stagnant, pungent smell of blood that lingered in the air above Kirigakure.

Looking at the cold, desolate village, devoid of any sign of life, the Third Mizukage gritted his teeth and uttered the name.

"Uchiha Madara!"

Decades ago, the First Mizukage, Byakuren, traveled far and wide during the arduous Warring States period, building Kirigakure from scratch.

After succeeding to the position of the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki, he followed the example of Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of Konoha, by establishing the Hidden Mist Village's Ninja Academy and assassination squad, and also formulated the Hidden Mist Village's Secrecy Law.

During the Second Mizukage's tenure, Kirigakure's overall strength was greatly enhanced and developed.

Although the people of Kirigakure and the Land of Water are separated from each other due to the "Secrecy Law".

However, ninjas are creatures who live in the shadows, and "keeping secrets" is an instinct ingrained in the bones of every ninja.

Overall, the existence of the "Secrecy Law" did not affect the overall strength of Kirigakure; it still retained the strength and prestige of being one of the five great villages of the ninja world.

However, after the Second Mizukage was assassinated and the Third Mizukage succeeded him.

Kirigakure gradually acquired a very special name—

"The Village of Blood Mist!"

The Third Mizukage uttered the name with deep sorrow and indignation.

In the so-called Village of Blood Mist, it is commonplace for ninjas from the same village to kill each other.

Even one of the conditions for graduating from the Ninja Academy was to personally kill a classmate or close friend.

The Third Mizukage learned from his fragmented and chaotic memories that in the last two years, an "extraordinary" "genius" had appeared in the Hidden Mist Village's Ninja Academy.

During the graduation exams, this "genius" single-handedly killed all the other students from his village who were taking the exams. He earned the terrifying title of "Demon" right after graduation.

Any ninja with a sound mind knows the extent of the harm caused by Zabuza Momochi's actions:

An entire generation of ninja from Kirigakure died meaninglessly in a small graduation exam!

As the Third Mizukage, he naturally understood the extent of the harm caused by this incident.

Unfortunately, at the time, "he" did not realize the harm this incident would cause to Kirigakure.

Or perhaps...

At that time, the Third Mizukage didn't care about anyone else in Kirigakure.

The vast Hidden Mist Village, one of the five great ninja villages, was actually just a small tool in his hands...

Even the current Third Mizukage can't remember what exactly happened back then.

All he knew was that after the Second Mizukage, Lord Hozuki Gengetsu, was assassinated by the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, he succeeded him as the Third Mizukage, and then...

The Third Mizukage was controlled by Madara Uchiha using genjutsu...

How could a normal Mizukage possibly stand idly by and watch their own village become the so-called "Village of Blood Mist"?

Only outsiders would so disregard the lives of Kirigakure ninja.

The Third Mizukage harbored deep resentment towards Madara Uchiha.

However, he also knew that he had somehow broken free from Madara Uchiha's genjutsu control.

The most urgent task is not to condemn Madara Uchiha's actions.

Instead, it was to end that cold, cruel, and terrifying era of blood mist!

The first thing to do is to pull Kirigakure out of the quagmire of the Third Shinobi World War!

However, when he thought of the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Mizukage inevitably thought of the losses suffered by Kirigakure.

The Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Three-Tails, the head of the Anbu, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Seven Ninja Swords, the Hidden Mist Army...

"Cough—Pfft!"

The Third Mizukage coughed heavily, spitting out a mouthful of blood that left a glaring stain on the cold floor of his office.

This coughing up of blood was not only due to anger, but also because Madara Uchiha's Yin Release chakra had caused very serious and irreversible damage to the Third Mizukage's body due to being under the control of genjutsu for a long time!

Even without seeing a doctor, the Third Mizukage knew that his days were numbered.

But even now, the Third Mizukage has no intention of saving himself.

As the "culprit" that caused the Blood Mist Village.

If it weren't for the need to consider the overall situation.

The Third Mizukage now wants to end his own life and then go to the Pure Land to apologize to Lord Byakuren, Lord Hozuki Gengetsu, and all the other ninjas from the same village who died in the Blood Mist Era!

The Third Mizukage casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shouted towards the outside of his office.

"Someone come here!"

Almost the instant the words were spoken, a short ninja pushed open the door and entered from outside.

The Third Mizukage recognized the other party's identity.

Yagura, a type of citrus.

After the previous Anbu chief, Hozuki Zangetsu, "mysteriously disappeared" within the Land of Hot Water, the short-statured Yagura Karatachi took over Hozuki Zangetsu's position and became the next Anbu chief of Kirigakure.

in other words.

Yagura Karatachi is now the second most important person in Kirigakure!

"Sandaime-sama!"

The moment Yagura entered the Mizukage's office, he knelt on one knee and bowed to greet the Third Mizukage.

In that instant of looking down, Yagura Karatachi saw the glaring bloodstain on the floor, and his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

"The Third Hokage... coughed up blood?"

A thought flashed through Yagura's mind.

"Yagura, cough cough..."

The Third Mizukage's voice sounded extremely weak, but everyone could hear the firmness in his tone.

"Send a message to the troops stationed in the Land of Waves, ordering them to completely cease their offensive!"

"Send a messenger to Konoha to... sue for peace with the Third Hokage!"

"It's time for Kirigakure to withdraw from the war!"

The manga does not explicitly state the relationship between Madara Uchiha and the Third Mizukage.

However, Madara Uchiha explicitly stated that the series of actions taken by Kirigakure to send ANBU to seal the Three-Tails into Rin Nohara's body were all part of Madara Uchiha's plan.

If the Third Mizukage wasn't Madara Uchiha's "puppet," it's hard to explain why Kirigakure would obey Madara's orders so readily.

Regarding the point mentioned in this chapter that the Third Mizukage was controlled by Madara Uchiha using genjutsu, you can consider it a secondary interpretation.

Additionally, I wrote about the connections between Madara Uchiha, the Land of Whirlpools, and Kirigakure in the book club community. Interested readers can take a look.

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I'll just post one update today, then I'll go to bed early.

(End of this chapter)