Perhaps having suddenly remembered something pleasant, the Sandaime Mizukage burst into an inexplicable fit of laughter.
"Let me tell you, that Gengetsu fellow, he was quite the character!"
"You could say he always performed the duties appropriate for whatever position he held!"
"Because Byakuren had already internally designated him as the Nidaime Mizukage, combined with his own considerable strength and the death of his father... he unsurprisingly became the new Clan Head."
During his time as Clan Head, he vigorously cultivated his family's influence—three years! In just three years!
Using his deep-sea summoning beast, he captured a large number of rare deep-sea fish and collected deep-sea medicinal ingredients.
Through a near-monopoly strategy, the Hōzuki Clan earned over a billion in three years! They also added more than a dozen new Jōnin to the family.
Within Kirigakure, he also successfully courted various minor clans. At the peak of his influence, two-thirds of the Kirigakure elders supported him.
It's safe to say that even without Byakuren's promise, the next Mizukage would certainly have been him!
Because at the time, everyone in the clans believed he could lead them to wealth and prosperity!
"Until he actually took the position of the Nidaime Mizukage..."
"He changed immediately! He wanted reform!"
"First, he emulated the Nidaime Hokage by vigorously constructing the Academy and cultivating civilian Shinobi to counterbalance the clan Shinobi."
"Next, he cracked down on several arrogant minor clans, confiscating all their assets and incorporating their Jutsu into the Academy."
"At that time, relying on the Hōzuki Clan behind him, the civilian Shinobi, and his own strength, Gengetsu Hōzuki successfully dealt with 90% of the Shinobi clans."
"Clans like the Momochi, Hoshigaki, and Biwa families, among others."
"Apart from being allowed to keep their names and retain copies of their Jutsu."
"Everything else was no different from a civilian. Even the Yuki and Kaguya clans were affected at the time."
"The Yuki Clan even had to spend a billion to escape Gengetsu Hōzuki's grasp."
"And the Kaguya Clan, known for their madness, was also brought completely into line. Their family compound was even relocated."
"After all, the Kaguya Clan was quite rebellious initially."
"Then they got hit by one Jōki Bōi."
"After that, they behaved themselves."
"It's fair to say that if Gengetsu Hōzuki hadn't died suddenly, the conflict between Shinobi clans and civilians might have already disappeared."
"We wouldn't have all these troubles now! Alas, being the Mizukage truly isn't easy!"
"Uh... Mizukage-sama! You still haven't explained how the Hōzuki Clan lost all its money."
Watching the Sandaime Mizukage drift into reminiscing, Yagura pointed out that the main point hadn't been addressed yet.
"Haha! What's the rush? Young people just have no patience."
"As I said before, Gengetsu Hōzuki was quite a character; he always performed the duties appropriate for whatever position he held!"
"After Gengetsu Hōzuki dealt with most of the Shinobi clans, Kirigakure was thriving, with everything flourishing!"
"Except for... the Hōzuki Clan!"
"Because the Hōzuki Clan was completely unaffected by the previous reforms, they were undoubtedly the largest clan in Kirigakure at the time!"
"Coupled with the fact that the Mizukage was also their current Clan Head, many members of the Hōzuki Clan started to lose their way."
"Ultimately... Gengetsu Hōzuki set his sights on them!"
"I remember when Gengetsu Hōzuki approached me to explain this matter, I was shocked. I asked him, 'That's your own clan, how can you bring yourself to do this?'"
"[He said: Of course! No one understands the danger of Shinobi clans better than I do! The Hōzuki Clan is also a Shinobi clan!]"
"I also asked him at the time, 'Isn't the Hōzuki Clan difficult to handle?'"
"[He said: Of course! But no one understands the Hōzuki Clan's weaknesses better than I do!]"
"And so."
"The reckoning against the Hōzuki Clan began."
"Since the Hōzuki Clan had been completely untouched during the previous purges, the other Shinobi clans had long resented them, resulting in not a single clan being willing to help them."
"Coupled with Gengetsu Hōzuki, the Mizukage, intentionally weakening them, this severely damaged the Hōzuki Clan's vitality."
"The Hōzuki Clan was fined three billion at the time."
"'Was the Hōzuki Clan just willing to accept this fine?'"
"'Of course not! The Hōzuki Clan was utterly enraged at the time! An internal conflict almost broke out.'"
"'And then what happened?'"
"'Then the Hōzuki Clan lost over thirty of its family Jōnin. The weakness of the Hōzuki Clan's Suiton: Suika no Jutsu was also exposed at that time.'"
"After this battle, the Hōzuki Clan never recovered, nearly falling from the largest Shinobi clan in Kirigakure to a mid-tier family."
"They still haven't fully recovered even now."
"Furthermore, you should know that the Seven Ninja Swords also belonged to the Hōzuki Clan back then; they were confiscated by Gengetsu Hōzuki and brought under the village's control."
"The Hōzuki Clan only retains the summoning scrolls for the swords now."
"But do you think they dare to summon the swords back?"
"'They certainly don't dare!'"
"'So, the Hōzuki Clan is essentially broke now!'"
"'The clan is currently being supported by some strong members of the older generation—people with enough experience and stability.'"
"'Haven't you noticed that Hōzuki Clan members in the village are very low-key? Some have even started intermarrying with civilians.'"
"'That's true!'" Yagura recalled carefully; indeed, there weren't many famous Hōzuki Clan members.
"'Mizukage-sama, could the Hōzuki Clan be so low-key because they haven't recovered yet?'"
"'That factor certainly exists, but the main reason is... those who were radical and unstable were all killed back then!'"
Yagura: "..."
So, they were all wiped out.
"'Haha! Do you think Gengetsu Hōzuki was ruthless, even devastating his own clan so badly?'"
"'Uh... a little bit, yes!'"
"'Haha! I thought so too at the time.'"
"'Until... I took this position, I gradually realized that this was actually a form of protection for the Hōzuki Clan!'"
"'Gengetsu Hōzuki was an excellent Mizukage! And an excellent Clan Head!'"
"'After Byakuren died, because Gengetsu Hōzuki—a clan Shinobi—took power in Kirigakure.'"
"'There were actually huge underlying conflicts within the village.'"
"'Between civilians and Shinobi clans, minor clans and major clans, and the alliance faction versus the peace negotiation faction.'"
"'Gengetsu Hōzuki saw this immediately after taking office.'"
"'First, he dealt with the most serious issues, using the acquired funds to establish the Academy and win over the civilian Shinobi.'"
"'Next, he abolished some small Shinobi clans. The benevolent ones simply had their clan lands and crests revoked.'"
"'The wicked ones were fined an additional sum.'"
"'These small clans were called Shinobi clans, but they only consisted of a dozen or so people, relying on one C-rank or B-rank Jutsu as their legacy.'"
"'Some Shinobi within those clans even lived worse than civilian Shinobi.'"
"'At least civilian Shinobi kept their mission income, while the income of clan Shinobi went to the clan.'"
"'The major Shinobi clans didn't even pay attention to them, so when the purge came down on these small clans, there was virtually no resistance.'"
"'And those Shinobi who no longer had to hand over their income to the clan, in turn, joined the civilian ranks, strengthening the power of the civilian Shinobi.'"
"'Next, once the reforms for all the small clans were complete, Gengetsu Hōzuki turned his attention to the Kaguya and Yuki clans, as well as some mid-sized families.'"
"'Initially, the Kaguya and Yuki clans didn't take him seriously, and the two families allied.'"
"'But they discovered that most of the Shinobi from the abolished clans had joined the civilian ranks.'"
"'Individually, those clans seemed very weak, but when gathered together, they were incredibly strong—actually comparable in strength to a major clan.'"
"'Combined with the already considerable strength of the civilian faction, Gengetsu Hōzuki's side possessed overwhelming power against the two clans.'"
"'In the end, the Yuki Clan chose to pay a settlement, and the Kaguya Clan relocated their compound.'"
"'But!'"
"'If things had ended there, the Hōzuki Clan would have been the ultimate winner, and relying on Gengetsu Hōzuki, the other clans would have been silently resentful.'"
"'If that were the case, think about it: which family would I be asking you to destroy today?'"
"'The Hōzuki Clan!'"
"'Exactly!'"
"'Gengetsu Hōzuki realized the Hōzuki Clan was too conspicuous, so he struck them down... striking harder and devastating them more than any other clan! This completely dissipated the anger the other families held toward the Hōzuki Clan!'"
"'That's why I say he was also a competent Clan Head!'"
"'Then wasn't he worried that the Hōzuki Clan, weakened as it was, might be...'"
"'No, no one in Kirigakure can truly deal with the Hōzuki Clan. Although the Suiton: Suika no Jutsu's weakness was exposed, which clan has that many Raiton Shinobi?'"
"'Moreover, they still possess the summoning scrolls for the Seven Ninja Swords. In a crisis, they can summon them back instantly, adding seven strong individuals with Elite Jōnin level strength.'"
"'They cannot be destroyed!'"
"'They can't be destroyed...'"
"'Nonsense! Who would bother attacking a bunch of paupers!'"
"'That's true...'"