The news struck the already battered body of the Hidden Mist Village like a barbed whip.
The Third Mizukage's body had been found.
Not on a solemn battlefield, nor in some hidden chamber.
It was in a filthy, damp abandoned underground waterway that reeked of decay.
After examination, it was determined that he had been dead for more than a month.
"One month... an entire month!"
A Chunin whose face was still covered in dried blood slammed his fist into the broken wall, his eyes bloodshot.
"We've been running around like headless flies, listening to those elders' 'reassurances' and believing that the Mizukage was only temporarily missing... They lied to us! They all knew!"
Anger spread through the survivors like a plague.
The little hope and morale that Terumi had brought by turning the tide earlier that day was instantly swallowed by an even deeper sense of betrayal and fury.
"It was them! They must have killed the Mizukage!"
"For power, they'll do anything!"
"What the hell kind of elders are they?! They're nothing but parasites sucking the village dry!"
"..."
The crowd gathered outside the temporary command post grew larger and more agitated by the minute.
If not for the people Terumi had previously arranged to maintain order, the furious crowd would probably have already rushed toward the elders' residences.
Inside the command post, Terumi listened to the commotion outside and let out a quiet sigh.
This was the first time she had secretly manipulated public opinion.
She immediately remembered what Chiya had told her.
Public opinion was a double-edged sword that could cut one's enemies, but it could also turn around and bite its wielder.
And amid this boiling public sentiment, the members of the Elder Council "timely" returned.
Their clothes were relatively neat and their expressions solemn, as though they had merely been away on a secret mission, making them completely out of place among the ruined surroundings and enraged crowd.
Inside the hastily cleared meeting hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.
The highest-ranking elder, Genji, an elderly man with a kindly face, looked around before breaking the silence.
"The situation is critical, and there is no time to delay. Our top priority is to select a new Mizukage as soon as possible, stabilize the people's hearts, and rebuild the village. I believe Terumi has performed exceptionally during this disaster. She possesses the strength, courage, and support of the people, making her the most suitable candidate to succeed as the Fourth Mizukage."
Before he could finish, an ear-piercing cold laugh rang out.
It was Elder Aono, a staunch member of the conservative faction whose own clan had members coveting the position of Mizukage.
His sinister gaze swept over Terumi, filled with undisguised contempt.
"Genji, have you gone senile? You want some little girl to become Mizukage? What does she have? She merely got lucky and happened to stop a rampaging Tailed Beast! Governing the village requires seniority, political skill, and respect for tradition! It isn't about showing off with some dangerous Kekkei Genkai!"
The other elders wore various expressions.
The Hidden Mist Village had always revered strength, so when had it suddenly started talking about tradition?
This wasn't the Hidden Leaf.
"Exactly!"
A fat elder immediately joined in, spittle flying as he spoke.
"She is already a dual-Kekkei Genkai ninja. Who knows whether she secretly sympathizes with those rebellious bloodline clans? If she takes the position, our Hidden Mist Village will forever be plagued by suspicion!"
"I propose that the candidates must be selected from the highly respected elite Jonin of the major clans!"
"Terumi? She isn't qualified!"
"..."
Several elders from the opposition faction attacked her together, their words fierce and uncompromising.
The clan powers behind them were deeply entrenched, and they were watching the authority they had seized during the "Mizukage-less period" slip away.
How could they willingly allow an "outsider" whom they had once suppressed, and who possessed powerful Kekkei Genkai, to rise above them?
Genji's brows furrowed tightly as he tried to ease the tension.
"Everyone, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures..."
"What extraordinary measures?!"
Aono suddenly interrupted him, his finger almost jabbing into the table.
"Genji, don't let her deceive you! How did a woman like her quell the rebellion? How did she suppress the Tailed Beast? There may even be some shady deal behind it! If you let Terumi become Mizukage, I, Aono, will be the first to refuse!"
"If you let Terumi become Mizukage, I will be the first to object!"
With that, she left with her people.
As the elders who opposed Terumi's succession as Fourth Mizukage departed, the remaining elders turned their attention to Genji.
"Elder Genji, what should we do?"
One of the elders could not help asking Genji.
Genji glanced at him.
"That depends on how all of you want the Hidden Mist Village to move forward in the future..."
After saying that, Genji left with his people.
The elder who had asked the question remained where he was, lowering his head in thought.
The elders' meeting ultimately ended in discord.
That night, the moon was obscured by a heavy gloom.
Terumi was resting in her temporary residence.
Suddenly, she keenly sensed several hostile chakra signatures rapidly approaching.
"Bang!"
The door was roughly shoved open, and three ninjas swaggered inside.
The man at the front wore a sinister grin.
He was Elder Aono's trusted subordinate, a Special Jonin named Kuroguchi.
He brazenly looked Terumi up and down, his gaze lingering over her graceful figure with a disgusting leer.
"Terumi, the elders asked me to give you a message."
Kuroguchi's tone was frivolous and filled with provocation.
"The position of Mizukage isn't something you can covet. Be smart and withdraw on your own when the selection begins, and you can still preserve some dignity. Otherwise..."
He deliberately paused and took several steps closer, lowering his voice with thick mockery.
"Don't forget how you were treated back then, like a stray dog while everyone in the village pointed and laughed at you. With that shady Kekkei Genkai of yours, you think you're worthy of sitting in the Mizukage's seat? How about you kneel down and beg us? Maybe we'll give you a decent future..."
The two ninjas behind him also let out sinister cackles.
Terumi's body instantly tensed, and a cold killing intent surged from the depths of her heart, almost breaking through her restraint.
These people were simply too arrogant.
She almost could not resist the urge to strike and completely dissolve these pieces of trash before her!
Just as her chakra was about to run wild, a calm voice suddenly sounded as though it had directly emerged from the depths of everyone's minds.
"How noisy!"
The instant the voice sounded, the sinister grins on Kuroguchi and the other two froze, replaced by extreme fear and confusion.
Their eyes became empty, and their bodies stiffened in place as though frozen by invisible ice.
From the shadows, Uchiha Chiya slowly stepped forward.
His crimson Sharingan gaze fell directly upon Terumi's body, which was trembling slightly with anger.
"Anger won't solve the problem. But power can."
He raised his hand, and invisible threads seemed to tug at his fingertips.
Kuroguchi and the other two turned stiffly like puppets on strings, facing Terumi.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
The three dropped to their knees in unison and began mechanically kowtowing to Terumi, their foreheads striking the ground with dull thuds until blood quickly stained the floor.
Terumi stared at the strange and shocking scene before her, and the anger in her heart was gradually replaced by a far more complicated emotion.
She looked at Chiya.
The man simply stood there quietly, as though he had merely brushed away a few specks of dust.
"Clean them up."
Chiya's command was calm.
Terumi took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and her eyes became cold and resolute again.
She raised her hand, and Lava Style chakra surged forth.
A moment later, only three puddles of murky liquid remained on the floor, rapidly evaporating without leaving even a trace.
Chiya's gaze shifted toward the window, looking in the direction of the residences belonging to Elder Aono and several other conservative elders.
His crimson Sharingan glowed faintly in the darkness.
"Looks like they need to understand more deeply what 'irresistible' means."
For certain people in the Hidden Mist Village, this night was destined to be sleepless.
In his private chamber, Elder Aono was conspiring with two other opposing elders, discussing how to mobilize their clan forces to cause trouble at the official selection meeting and even use some "unconventional" methods to prevent Terumi from taking power.
"...As long as we can unite, along with those moderates who harbor doubts about Kekkei Genkai, we can definitely..."
Aono spoke excitedly, his eyes flashing with ambition and ruthlessness.
Suddenly, his voice stopped.
The lights in the chamber flickered violently, as though an invisible cold wind had swept through.
The three elders simultaneously felt a bone-chilling will descend upon them like a massive mountain, causing their breathing to stop and their bodies to stiffen.
They looked up in terror, but saw nothing.
They could only feel a pair of eyes, seemingly belonging to the depths of hell itself, coldly watching them through endless space.
The next moment, an illusion engulfed their consciousness.
They saw their clans being uprooted and their bloodlines completely extinguished.
They saw themselves disgraced and tortured to death.
They saw Terumi standing like a goddess atop a mountain of corpses and seas of blood, while they were nothing more than lowly insects crawling beneath her feet...
Fear, despair, regret, and every other negative emotion were magnified infinitely, repeatedly crushing their minds.
In reality, they had only stood frozen for a few seconds.
But when that terrifying will finally receded like a tide, the three men were drenched in cold sweat as though they had just been dragged from water, their faces pale as paper and their pupils still filled with indelible fear.
They gasped heavily as they looked at one another, seeing the same terror reflected in each other's eyes.
What had that been?
A warning?
Or...
A Genjutsu capable of taking their lives at any moment?
All their ambitions and schemes seemed laughably fragile before absolute overwhelming power.
"I... I agree with Genji's proposal. I support Terumi becoming the Fourth Mizukage."
One elder spoke first, his voice trembling.
"Ter... Terumi really has... rendered outstanding service."
Another quickly echoed him.
Aono opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but he discovered that he could not summon even the slightest courage to object.
In the end, he could only nod dejectedly.
...
Terumi stood before the window, watching the pale light of dawn spread across the distant horizon.
She knew what Chiya had done, and she could imagine what kind of scene it must have been.
"How does it feel?"
Chiya's voice sounded behind her.
Terumi did not turn around.
After remaining silent for a moment, she slowly spoke, her voice carrying a trace of hoarseness.
"I may have been... too naive before. I always thought that as long as I proved myself, as long as I worked hard enough, I could earn recognition and change everything."
She turned around and looked at Chiya, the traces of confusion and hesitation that had once filled her emerald eyes already gone, replaced by a cold determination forged through hardship.
"But now I understand. For some people, for darkness that has taken root this deeply, reasoning is useless. Only absolute power, and the determination to wield that power, can clear away every obstacle."
She stared at Chiya, her emotions complicated.
"Thank you, Chiya. You didn't just help me. You also helped me see how I should walk this path."
Chiya looked at the young woman before him whose entire bearing had already undergone a transformation.
He smiled and nodded slightly.
"Remember this feeling. The road to becoming Mizukage leaves no room for mercy."
"Yes!"
...
The next morning, news quietly spread that several conservative elders had suddenly fallen ill and were unable to attend, while they had "unanimously supported" Terumi's succession as Mizukage.
Although Genji was suspicious, the outcome was already decided, and he was happy to see it happen.
Given the turmoil in the village and the people's desire for stability, the succession ceremony for the Fourth Mizukage was held that very morning after hurried but necessary preparations.
The ceremony took place in the plaza in front of the Mizukage Building, which had not yet been completely cleared.
The ruins and broken walls were still present, and the faint smell of smoke and blood lingered in the air, but the plaza was now swallowed by a sea of people.
The survivors, whether ninjas or civilians, had gathered here of their own accord, their faces carrying the exhaustion of surviving the disaster, but also hope for the future.
Their eyes eagerly focused on the temporary platform that had been erected.
With no obstacles remaining, the vote to select the Mizukage was concluded quickly.
When Terumi finally donned the white-and-blue Mizukage robe, placed the hat on her head, and slowly stepped onto the platform, a thunderous cheer erupted and soared into the heavens.
"Lady Terumi!"
"Fourth Mizukage-sama!"
"..."
The voices surged together like a tidal wave, washing away yesterday's pain and gloom.
She was the one who had brought light in their darkest hour.
She was the one who had defended the village with her strength.
She was the one who had given them new hope.
Genji solemnly handed Terumi the scroll symbolizing the authority of the Mizukage.
Terumi turned around, her gaze beneath the hat sweeping across the countless excited, trusting, and hopeful faces below.
She took a deep breath, and her clear, powerful voice rang across the plaza.
"I, Terumi, hereby succeed as the Fourth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village!"
"I swear here and now that I will bring an end to the darkness and conflicts of the past and sweep away every rotten force that obstructs the village's development!"
"I will use my life and strength to protect every inch of the Hidden Mist Village and every one of its people!"
"A new era begins today!"
There were no flowery words, only firm promises and unquestionable determination.
The crowd erupted into even more enthusiastic cheers.
Hidden in the shadows at the edge of the plaza, Chiya quietly watched the radiant figure standing atop the platform.
Her straight posture, sharp gaze, and composed bearing already possessed the makings of a true Kage.
[System Message]
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission: Secretly help Terumi become Mizukage.]
[Mission Reward: Dust Release.]
Dust Release?
A Bloodline Elimination?
This reward was quite good!
After claiming the reward, Chiya glanced once more at Terumi, who was surrounded by the crowd and brimming with confidence.
His body slowly merged into the shadows without attracting anyone's attention.
After the ceremony, Terumi returned to the Mizukage's office, which had only just been tidied up.
Before she had even warmed the chair, an elder who had previously wavered in his attitude and belonged to a minor clan entered under the pretext of reporting on the allocation of supplies.
He first offered a series of compliments before suddenly changing the subject.
He began requesting larger allocations and a safer residence for his clan, his tone carrying a mixture of probing and entitlement, as though he wanted to see whether this young Mizukage would be easy to manipulate.
Terumi's expression remained calm from beginning to end.
She lightly tapped her fingers against the desk, producing a rhythmic sound.
Only after the elder finished speaking and looked at her expectantly did Terumi slowly raise her head.
"Elder."
Her voice was not loud.
"It seems you've misunderstood something."
"I'm not negotiating with you."
"I'm informing you that the supplies will be distributed according to the plan I have approved. No changes will be made."
"As for a secure residence?"
"Protecting the village is the responsibility of every ninja. If you want security, fine. Earn it with corresponding achievements and strength. Don't come here and haggle with me."
She stood up.
"Remember, this is the first time and the last time. My patience is limited, and I'm sure you've heard something about my methods as well. Don't try to challenge my authority again, or..."
She did not finish.
But the brief flash of killing intent in her emerald eyes was more threatening than any words could have been.
The elder's face instantly turned deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down his body.
He suddenly remembered the strange "illness" that had struck Aono and the others the previous night.
So that was...
As he imagined what might have happened, he no longer dared to take any chances and hurriedly bowed.
"Yes! Yes! Mizukage-sama! I understand! I'll take care of it immediately!"
He practically crawled out of the office.
Terumi watched his pathetic retreat without the slightest change in expression.
She walked to the window and looked down at the village, which had begun to bustle with activity.
Amid the ruins, new life was already beginning to emerge.
She gently stroked the patterns on the Mizukage robe she wore, feeling the weight of responsibility resting upon her.
"Chiya-sama?"
She called softly.
There was no response this time.
"Has he left?"
Her hand unconsciously brushed over her sleeve, where a faint trace of his presence seemed to linger.
The man's figure flashed through her mind, bringing with it a complicated feeling that she could not put into words.
There was dependence, gratitude, and perhaps even a trace of...
A sense of loss.
But she quickly forced all of it down.
The road had already been laid out.
She was no longer the girl who needed to hide beneath the wings of a powerful man.
She was the Fourth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village.
Terumi!
As for the various demons and monsters lurking within the village, she would personally clean them all out.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating her determined and beautiful profile, and also illuminating the challenging yet hopeful future of the Hidden Mist Village.
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