Chapter 70: Hōzuki Gengetsu
Perhaps having suddenly remembered something pleasant, the Third 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 Lord Byakuren had already internally designated him as the Second 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 Lord 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 Second Mizukage..."
"He changed immediately! He wanted reform!"
"First, he emulated the Second Hokage by vigorously constructing ninja academies and cultivating civilian ninja to counterbalance the clan ninja."
"Next, he cracked down on several arrogant minor clans, confiscating all their assets and incorporating their jutsu into the ninja academy."
"At that time, relying on the Hōzuki clan behind him, the civilian ninja, and his own strength, Hōzuki Gengetsu successfully dealt with 90% of the ninja 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 Hōzuki Gengetsu'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 Vapour Release: Unrivaled Strength."
"After that, they behaved themselves."
"It's fair to say that if Hōzuki Gengetsu hadn't died suddenly, the conflict between ninja clans and civilians might have already disappeared."
"We wouldn't have all these troubles now! Alas, being the Mizukage truly isn't easy!"
"Uh... Lord Mizukage! You still haven't explained how the Hōzuki clan lost all its money."
Watching the Third Mizukage drift into reminiscing, Tachibana 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, Hōzuki Gengetsu was quite a character; he always performed the duties appropriate for whatever position he held!"
"After Hōzuki Gengetsu dealt with most of the ninja 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... Hōzuki Gengetsu set his sights on them!"
"I remember when Hōzuki Gengetsu 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 ninja clans better than I do! The Hōzuki clan is also a ninja 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 ninja clans had long resented them, resulting in not a single clan being willing to help them."
"Coupled with Hōzuki Gengetsu, 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 Water Release: Hydrification Technique was also exposed at that time.'"
"After this battle, the Hōzuki clan never recovered, nearly falling from the largest ninja 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 Hōzuki Gengetsu 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!' Tachibana Yagura recalled carefully; indeed, there weren't many famous Hōzuki clan members."
"'Lord Mizukage, 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!'"
Tachibana Yagura: '...'
So, they were all wiped out.
"'Haha! Do you think Hōzuki Gengetsu 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!'"
"'Hōzuki Gengetsu was an excellent Mizukage! And an excellent clan head!'"
"'After Lord Byakuren died, because Hōzuki Gengetsu—a clan ninja—took power in Kirigakure.'"
"'There were actually huge underlying conflicts within the village.'"
"'Between civilians and ninja clans, minor clans and major clans, and the alliance faction versus the peace negotiation faction.'"
"'Hōzuki Gengetsu saw this immediately after taking office.'"
"'First, he dealt with the most serious issues, using the acquired funds to establish the Ninja Academy and win over the civilian ninja.'"
"'Next, he abolished some small ninja 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 ninja clans, but they only consisted of a dozen or so people, relying on one C-rank or B-rank jutsu as their legacy.'"
"'Some ninja within those clans even lived worse than civilian ninja.'"
"'At least civilian ninja kept their mission income, while the income of clan ninja went to the clan.'"
"'The major ninja 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 ninja who no longer had to hand over their income to the clan, in turn, joined the civilian ranks, strengthening the power of the civilian ninja.'"
"'Next, once the reforms for all the small clans were complete, Hōzuki Gengetsu 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 ninja 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, Hōzuki Gengetsu'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 Hōzuki Gengetsu, 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!'"
"'Hōzuki Gengetsu 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 Hydrification Technique's weakness was exposed, which clan has that many Lightning Release ninja?'"
"'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...'"
Read New Book In Profil3
Loving Book So Far Check Out 40+ Chapters In Advanced At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FictionsTL