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

Chapter 322 The "Great Conspiracy" that Affects the Entire Ninja World!

Konoha, Hokage Building.

"Is Kirigakure going to surrender?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from the mountain of scrolls and documents, and looked at the Konoha ANBU member kneeling on one knee in front of him with some surprise.

The communication message sent from Kirigakure was certainly not a "surrender document," but rather a beautified version of the so-called "Kirigakure-Konoha Ceasefire Agreement."

Of course, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, this "ceasefire agreement" was not much different from surrendering and admitting defeat.

As the Third Shinobi World War has progressed to this point, every village has suffered varying degrees of damage. The major powers behind the five great ninja villages have also expended enormous strategic resources. Not to mention the strategic losses of smaller ninja villages and countries.

Even ninjas who are used to life and death would not want to see war break out endlessly.

The end of the Third Shinobi World War was only a matter of time.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't expect was that Kirigakure would be the first to surrender and admit defeat.

What is this?

Although the Hidden Mist Village joined the battle the latest, they were the first to leave.

So what if we lost a ninja squad, a top-tier ninja team, and a tailed beast...?

"Cough cough."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his goatee, coughed twice, and asked the ANBU ninja.

"Did Kirigakure send an envoy? Or did they simply send over some documents?"

"Reporting to the Hokage, the envoys dispatched by Kirigakure are waiting at the village entrance, a total of four people."

The ANBU ninja kept his head bowed and reported to his superior in a calm tone.

"Should we bring the four Hidden Mist ninja to the Hokage Building?"

"Bring them over."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment.

"Also, please have Elders Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu come to the Hokage's office together."

If Kirigakure's "surrender terms" are acceptable enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi also intends to sign a peace treaty with them.

It's true that the Konoha clan is powerful and wealthy, but the war has already lasted long enough.

Moreover, Konoha is capable of fighting on multiple fronts.

On the surface, the losses of the Land of Fire are not comparable to those of other countries (which is actually the case), but the strategic resources already consumed are also astronomical.

If he could, Hiruzen Sarutobi would love for the Third Shinobi World War to come to a complete end today!

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

The member bowed his head in response and vanished from the spot in an instant.

Before long, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu arrived together at the Hokage's office.

A short while later, the four Hidden Mist ninjas were also brought to the Hokage Building by the Anbu.

Due to its unique geographical location, Kirigakure has had relatively little contact with other countries and villages.

During the reign of the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, Kirigakure also adhered to a so-called "secrecy law" policy.

Since the implementation of the "Secrecy Law," Kirigakure has been practically "closed off from the world." Not only are the countries and ninja villages on the mainland unaware of Kirigakure's general movements, but even the people of the Land of Water are not very clear about Kirigakure's general activities.

For most people today, the only impression of Kirigakure is four words:

The land of blood mist.

As high-ranking members of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado certainly knew more about Kirigakure than most people in the ninja world.

However, upon seeing the four Hidden Mist ninjas enter the Hokage's office, a faint look of surprise flashed across the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two.

These four Hidden Mist ninjas look way too young! They're practically children...

Can they truly represent the Third Mizukage and the will of Kirigakure?

"The Messenger of the Mist."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept over the four Hidden Mist ninjas one by one, finally settling on the short ninja standing at the very front.

"I am Hiruzen Sarutobi. I've heard... you've brought news of peace?"

The short ninja being stared at by Hiruzen Sarutobi—Yagura Karatachi—stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and held up the prepared agreement scroll and the Third Mizukage's handwritten letter.

"Honorable Third Hokage."

Yagura Karatachi stood up, still holding the two scrolls in his hands, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"I am Yagura Karatachi, the head of the Kirigakure ANBU. These three are my subordinates: Hozuki Mangetsu, Momochi Zabuza, and Terumi Mei."

"This is the ceasefire agreement drafted by the Hidden Mist Village."

"In addition, this secret letter, personally written by the Third Mizukage, was entrusted to me by him to be delivered to you. According to the Third Mizukage's previous instructions, this secret letter involves a huge conspiracy concerning the entire ninja world."

The information revealed by Yagura Karatachi is more shocking than the last.

This short guy is actually the head of the Anbu in Kirigakure?

Is Kirigakure really planning to negotiate peace?

What other grand conspiracy is there?

Compared to the information revealed by Yagura Karatachi, the names and identities of his three subordinates seem insignificant.

A descendant of the Hozuki clan, a demon who shocked Kirigakure, and... an unknown little girl.

It seems my earlier guesses weren't entirely wrong; Kirigakure really did send a few children over...

These three, at least the first two, Hozuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza, are ninjas around the same age as Hatake Kakashi. Their ages are just too young...

Mitokado Yan and Utatane Koharu exchanged a silent glance.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a hand signal.

An ANBU ninja emerged from the shadows, took the two scrolls from Yagura Karatachi's hands, and handed them over directly to him without any inspection.

Hiruzen Sarutobi first opened the ceasefire agreement sent by Kirigakure.

"This is indeed just a standard ceasefire agreement."

Hiruzen Sarutobi read the scroll word by word, afraid of missing a single word.

"The Hidden Mist Village does indeed want a ceasefire, and doesn't intend to use it as a pretext to make exorbitant demands, but there will be no war reparations... Heh!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze narrowed slightly, focusing on a line of small print on the ceasefire agreement—

"The Hidden Mist Village hopes that the Hidden Leaf Village will return the Three-Tails Isobu to the Land of Water."

This was the only demand made by Kirigakure in this ceasefire agreement.

To be honest, it was no surprise to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Although he didn't intend to accept the request made by Kirigakure.

The Three-Tails has now been sealed inside Kakashi Hatake.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also heard that Kakashi Hatake had a fairly good relationship with the Three-Tails, and that he was quite adept at using the tailed beast's chakra, showing almost no signs of going berserk or losing control.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would only hand the Three-Tails back to Kirigakure if he had lost his mind!

Even if you offer money, it won't work!

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed the scroll of the ceasefire agreement he had finished reading and handed it to Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who were standing nearby.

He summoned these two elders not to have them act as "mascots."

Besides symbolically representing Konoha's democracy, it was also to allow these two elders to identify and address any shortcomings.

Although the peace agreement drafted by Kirigakure wasn't as harsh as one might have imagined...

While Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were reading the scroll of the truce agreement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly opened another "Secret Letter from the Water Shadow".

However, the opening content of this secret letter gave the Third Hokage a big "surprise"!

"A letter from the Third Hokage:"

"Madara Uchiha used genjutsu to control Kirigakure for many years—"

The first two lines of the Mizukage's secret letter instantly turned Hiruzen Sarutobi's previously relaxed mood into one of extreme heaviness.

The contents of this letter are strange...

Am I seeing things...?

Or is the peace agreement with Kirigakure just a dream of mine?

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly closed the scroll of secret letter in his hand and glanced at Yagura Karatachi, who had remained silent in front of him.

Seeing the Third Hokage cast his gaze, Yagura Karatachi forced a stiff smile onto his small face.

Yagura Karatachi was also aware of the contents of the secret letter written by the Third Mizukage.

But not through letters.

To be precise, the shocking revelation that "the Mizukage was controlled and manipulated by the Uchiha clan for more than ten years" was told to Yagura Karatachi by the Third Mizukage himself!

I don't know why.

Upon hearing the horrifying news that "the Mizukage was being manipulated by an illusionary world," Yagura Karatachi felt a strange sense of empathy, as if he had encountered the same thing somewhere before...

When Yagura first heard the news, he simply refused to believe it.

He preferred to believe that the Third Mizukage was a tyrant who caused cholera in Kirigakure.

They also refused to believe that the Third Mizukage was a useless piece of trash who was being played with!

The mighty Water Shadow was controlled by illusion magic for over a decade...

For ninjas from Kirigakure, this was nothing short of a devastating psychological blow.

Almost without exception, every ninja who becomes a "Kage" is the strongest ninja in their village at a certain point in time.

The Third Mizukage was able to take over the position of Mizukage after the Second Mizukage was assassinated.

This is not simply because he was a subordinate of the First Mizukage many years ago and accompanied him to the first Five Kage Summit, making him experienced and qualified enough.

Simply because the Third Mizukage was strong enough after Hozuki Gengetsu's death!

He was stronger than all the other Hidden Mist ninjas at that point in time!

This is similar to how, after the death of the First Mizukage Byakuren, Hozuki Gengetsu, with his powerful combat talent and strength, rose to the top of Kirigakure and became the Second Mizukage.

Hozuki Gengetsu was stronger than the Third Mizukage, so he was the Second Mizukage!

Otherwise.

The one who became the Second Mizukage back then should be the current Third Mizukage!

The initiator and host of the first Five Kage Summit was naturally Hashirama Senju of Konoha.

However, those who participated in the Five Kage Summit were almost all the "first Kage" of each major power, and their successors who had gained their recognition!

The only one who participated in the first Five Kage Summit but did not become the "Second Kage" was the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure...

Born in Kirigakure and possessing lofty ambitions, Yagura Karatachi was well aware that the Third Mizukage was not strong enough.

However, this "not strong" is placed at the "Shadow" level!

In other words.

The Third Mizukage failed to become the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure not because he was too weak, but because Hozuki Gengetsu was simply too strong at the time!

Even so, the Third Mizukage still managed to take over Kirigakure after Hozuki Gengetsu's death, becoming the Third Mizukage...

Yet this third generation leader was controlled by someone for more than a decade.

Yagura, the mango-scented tachibana, simply refused to believe it!

Not to mention, according to the Third Mizukage, he was controlled by Uchiha Madara, the legendary Uchiha Madara!

Although Yagura Karatachi doesn't appear to be very old, he was actually a ninja of the same era as Minato Namikaze. (Personal speculation)

Even though Kirigakure has been isolated from the world for a long time.

Yagura Karatachi had also heard about the First Hokage's deeds and knew that the First Hokage had killed a contemporary legend named Uchiha Madara in the battle at the Valley of the End.

Even in Kirigakure, Madara Uchiha was a "ghost of history".

Suddenly someone said that Madara Uchiha not only didn't die, but also used genjutsu to toy with Kirigakure for more than ten years.

Furthermore, Kirigakure was transformed from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages into the infamous Village of Blood Mist.

Yagura, I can't believe it!

However, the Third Mizukage presented evidence and facts, especially after he had Yagura Karatachi personally examine his physical condition.

Yagura was then forced to acknowledge a fact:

The Third Mizukage's body was indeed filled with traces of other people's chakra...

As the head of the Anbu (Anbu) of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village), Yagura Karatachi's first thought upon learning that his Mizukage had been secretly controlled for over a decade was to cover up the truth.

Family scandals should not be aired in public!

However, the Third Mizukage planned to tell this "family scandal" to the Third Hokage of Konoha!

When Yagura first learned about this, he was actually against it.

He is willing to go to Konoha as a representative to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Land of Fire.

But I really don't want to tell Konoha about my family's scandal!

That's so embarrassing...

However, the Third Mizukage eventually succeeded in persuading Yagura Karatachi.

From Yagura's perspective, the fact that his village's third Kage had been manipulated for over a decade made him feel "I'm sorry for being born a Kage."

But from the perspective of the Third Mizukage...

In the ninja world, was Kirigakure the only family among the Third Hokage who suffered?

What was the direct trigger for the Third Shinobi World War?

The Third Kazekage, hailed as the "strongest in history" by Sunagakure, has unexpectedly disappeared and his whereabouts are unknown!

And the war has dragged on until now.

The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure and the Third Raikage of Kumogakure both "disappeared unexpectedly and their whereabouts are unknown"!

The three generations of Shadows who "mysteriously disappeared" are not one, not two.

There are three!

The Third Mizukage has ample reason and sufficient evidence to believe this.

The next ninja village leader who might "disappear unexpectedly and go missing" is none other than the Third Hokage of Konoha—Hiruzen Sarutobi!

This was a major event that simultaneously affected the five great villages of the ninja world and involved the leaders of those five villages.

The "minor scandal" of Kirigakure seemed so insignificant.

The most urgent task is not to cover up the scandal, but to concentrate our efforts on dealing with Uchiha Madara, who is hiding in the shadows!

Yagura's age... is indeed unknown.

However, in Boruto, Yagura Karatachi has a grandson.

Furthermore, considering Yagura's status as the Fourth Mizukage.

If he were born in the same era as Master Men...

If we calculate it this way, having a grandson during the Boruto era seems to fit the timeline perfectly?

(End of this chapter)