Land of Water.
As the smallest, yet arguably largest, of the Five Great Nations.
It is extremely unique.
It is the smallest because its land area is the smallest, and it is also composed of countless islands, big and small.
It is the largest because it controls a vast sea area and possesses abundant marine resources.
And to be hailed as one of the Five Great Nations, it naturally also possesses one of its own Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Kirigakure.
Named so because the village is perennially shrouded in a dense fog.
At this moment, inside the Mizukage's office in Kirigakure.
A Ninja, carrying a staff larger than himself, was kneeling on one knee, reporting something to the person at the desk.
"Mizukage-sama, we have thoroughly investigated all members and assets of the Yuki Clan. We can act at any time! However…"
"However, what?"
"However, my subordinate heard that the Second Elder of the Yuki Clan left the Land of Water with his lineage over half a month ago. They say he went to the Land of Wind. Mizukage-sama, will this affect our plan?"
"They ran away? Quite clever! It doesn't matter! Our main goal is to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys!"
"Yagura! Do you think I am cruel? Or incompetent? Even though they are all Ninjas of the village, I intend to eliminate them."
"Mizukage-sama must have his reasons for doing so."
"Heh, your answer, as a subordinate, is acceptable! But if you want to become the next Mizukage, it is completely inadequate!"
"I…! Mizukage-sama!"
Hearing what the Third Mizukage said, Yagura's face was filled with shock, and he didn't know what to say.
"Are there any other candidates?"
"Under your governance, Kirigakure is developing rapidly, and it will surely…"
"I can't wait… at least I can't!"
"Do you know how Kirigakure was established?"
"Yes, it was founded by the First Mizukage, Byakuren-sama. He traveled far and wide, uniting various Shinobi clans, big and small, and then independently maneuvered among the other four nations, finally succeeding in making the Land of Water one of the Five Great Nations, and Kirigakure one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
"Hmm. Not bad. But do you know who ruled this area during the Warring States Period?"
"No."
"It was the Hōzuki and Yuki Clans! The Land of Water is far from the mainland, and no major Shinobi clan would come here, so it was divided by the two larger clans, the Hōzuki and Yuki. Because there were only these two stronger Shinobi clans in this place, and the area was large enough, these two clans did not have major conflicts.
Furthermore, no other Shinobi clan was willing to come to such a place, so these two clans became complacent and indulgent, losing their goals. They began to bully smaller Shinobi clans, and many small clans were even wiped out because of this, including Byakuren-sama's clan! And mine! Among these two clans, the Yuki Clan was the worst!"
"Back then, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, established Konohagakure, bringing peace to the Land of Fire. This was something Byakuren-sama had always hoped for. Later, I followed Byakuren-sama, traveling extensively, persuading various small Shinobi clans and wandering Ninjas. We also encountered the Kaguya Clan, who had fled and were recuperating on an island.
We brought them over. Although the Kaguya Clan was driven out of the Land of Fire by the Uchiha and Senju, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse.
Thus, under the leadership of Byakuren-sama, the Hōzuki and Yuki Clans finally compromised, giving up land and agreeing to join Kirigakure.
And this is the true history of Kirigakure's establishment!"
"Then, Mizukage-sama, if this is the true history, then the Second Mizukage…"
"Why was he from the Hōzuki Clan, right!"
"That's what I'm going to talk about next, and it's also what you'll have to face.
Although Byakuren-sama led us to establish Kirigakure and achieved ultimate victory, the victory was not complete. There were various negotiations and compromises in between.
Do you know, even though Byakuren-sama led us and held a certain advantage, he didn't believe it was possible to completely eliminate the two major clans.
In the end, the slightly weaker Hōzuki Clan couldn't hold on and initiated peace talks.
But peace talks were both a success and a failure!
Once the morale of the allied forces dissipated, it would be difficult to gather them again.
And the two great Ninja clans also realized this. During the peace talks, they repeatedly probed our side's bottom line, causing the agreement to tilt towards their favor again and again.
In the end, Byakuren-sama personally sought out the Hōzuki Clan, promising to take the then-leader of the Hōzuki Clan's son as his disciple and make him the Second Mizukage, only then was the peace talk successfully completed.
But the Ninja clans still retained most of their privileges, land, shops, industries, and wealth accumulated over a thousand years!"
"Now, after forty years of development, those large and small Ninja clans have had ample time to recuperate, and thus, ambition has begun to breed."
"Among them, the Yuki Clan is the most prominent!"
"Therefore! We can only kill a chicken to scare the monkeys!"
After listening to the Third Mizukage, Yagura took a long time to process the information.
Because this information was truly a secret among secrets; only the Third Mizukage, who had personally participated in the village's founding, could know such detailed information.
"Mizukage-sama, why not choose a gentler approach? Some members of the Yuki Clan are actually loyal to the Mizukage-sama."
"There's no time!"
"Yagura! You must not only look at Kirigakure! There are four others on par with it! And, war! It won't be long now!"
"What?!"
Hearing the Third Mizukage mention the impending war, Yagura was utterly stunned.
"Hmph!" Seeing Yagura's shocked face, the Third Mizukage let out a dissatisfied snort, then continued to speak.
"Are you surprised? Then let me ask you, how many years did the Second Great Ninja War last? Who was severely injured?"
"Uh…"
"Can't answer? I'll tell you, it only lasted a year and a half! Heh! A war of a year and a half, is that even a war? I doubt any of them even used their war reserves!
In the end, the four factions divided the Land of Rain, each profiting immensely!"
"So, that's why I say, war is not far off! Because the Second War ended too soon!
And I dare say, the next war will be exceptionally brutal! It might even change the current pattern of the Ninja World! And this, too, is Kirigakure's opportunity, a chance to completely infiltrate the mainland!
So, Yagura, do you understand why I'm in such a hurry now?!"
"I understand, Mizukage-sama!
Only by quickly eliminating the Yuki Clan and acquiring their millennium-old accumulated wealth can Kirigakure develop rapidly in the coming years and seize the opportunity to thoroughly penetrate the mainland in the next war."
"Very good! Then do you know what to do?"
"Yes, Mizukage-sama!"
"Good! Go, someone will assist you!"