The Mizukage Assassinated War Erupts in Kirigakure
"It's bad, Elder Yuan!"
"The Fourth Mizukage has been attacked!"
The shout shattered the tense discussion inside the chamber.
Elder Yuan and Terumi Mei both turned sharply toward the door.
The air instantly tightened.
"Compose yourself," Yuan said calmly, though his eyes sharpened. "Let him enter and report properly."
Moments later, a young Mist shinobi rushed inside. He bowed hurriedly, then tried to compose himself but excitement still flickered across his face.
"Elder Yuan, we just received intel from our informants!"
"Someone attempted to assassinate the Mizukage!"
He paused dramatically.
"And it's someone we all know. Care to guess who?"
The room fell silent.
Then
Thud!
A fist slammed into his head.
Stars exploded in his vision.
"Oww! That hurts!" he wailed, clutching his skull. "Sister Mei, why are you so violent?!"
Mei lowered her fist slowly, her smile cold.
"Stop playing games and report."
"Or I'll help you forget everything permanently."
The young shinobi instantly straightened.
"Yes! Reporting properly!"
He swallowed.
"It was… Zabuza Momochi."
Shock rippled across the room.
Even the usually quiet Chōjūrō widened his eyes.
"Zabuza-senpai…?"
In his mind, the Mizukage was the ultimate authority of the village. The idea of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen attempting assassination shattered his worldview.
"…Zabuza," Yuan murmured softly.
A hint of regret surfaced in his aged eyes.
"He was once a promising child."
"But he walked too far down the wrong path."
Unlike the younger generation, Yuan immediately grasped the meaning behind the attempt.
It was not mere rebellion.
It was desperation.
A blade swung in defiance of tyranny.
In that sense
Even he could not completely condemn it.
Yet recognition did not mean approval.
Because the outcome was obvious.
The strength gap was insurmountable.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was no ordinary Kage.
He was a perfect Jinchūriki.
Against that level of power, assassination tactics meant little.
Even if everyone present attacked together, success would not be guaranteed let alone a lone swordsman.
But the real danger wasn't the failed assassination.
It was the timing.
Kirigakure was already a powder keg.
And Zabuza had just struck flint against steel.
Yuan stood slowly.
"…We're going."
"The real trouble begins now."
Everyone followed immediately.
But just before leaving, Yuan leaned toward Ao and whispered something into his ear.
Ao's expression changed subtly.
Then he slipped away silently vanishing into the mist on a separate mission.
News of the assassination spread like wildfire.
Within hours, the entire Hidden Mist Village was in uproar.
The rebel faction led by the Kaguya clan mobilized instantly, sensing opportunity. Hundreds surged toward the Mizukage Tower like a rising tide.
By the time Yuan's faction arrived
Three forces had already converged before the Mizukage's residence.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
One spark
And the village would burn.
Then
He appeared.
Yagura stepped forward calmly, his expression composed as ever.
If not for the lingering smell of blood in the air, one might believe nothing had happened.
"Why is everyone gathered here?" he asked lightly.
As though he were unaware.
As though he had not nearly died.
Yuan responded first, his tone neutral and flawless.
"We heard rumors of an attack on the Mizukage."
"We came to offer assistance."
Polite.
Diplomatic.
Impenetrable.
But the rebel faction had no such restraint.
A loud voice rang out from their ranks.
"Hah! Yagura, is your ANBU useless now?"
"How did an assassin get so close?"
"If you can't protect even yourself, step down!"
"Our clan leader is far more qualified to become Mizukage!"
The words detonated like a bomb.
Yuan's expression darkened.
Even the Kaguya leader froze in disbelief.
That line had never been part of the plan.
They were supposed to build pressure gradually.
Not declare rebellion outright.
This wasn't strategy.
This was madness.
Before the Kaguya leader could even locate the fool who spoke
Yagura chuckled.
Cold.
Sharp.
"So… you gathered here to replace me?"
His eyes swept across the crowd.
"Does that make all of you traitors?"
"And that assassin… was he sent by you?"
The temperature plummeted.
Then shadows began appearing behind him.
One after another.
ANBU.
Dozens.
Elite Mist operatives loyal only to the Mizukage.
Though fewer in number, their killing intent was suffocating.
With Yagura himself anchoring the formation, the balance of power tilted sharply.
Then
Yagura spoke again.
"In the name of the Mizukage…"
"I will suppress this rebellion."
His hand dropped.
That single gesture unleashed everything.
The ANBU surged forward like blades drawn from darkness.
The Kaguya faction was stunned.
They hadn't expected such immediate decisiveness.
No negotiations.
No warnings.
Just war.
Fury ignited.
The Kaguya leader roared, smashing a cup at his feet as a signal.
"Then let history be written today!"
"Kirigakure will be reborn in blood!"
Steel met steel.
Ninjutsu flared.
Bone spears erupted from flesh as Shikotsumyaku activated across the battlefield.
Water Release collided with killing intent.
In an instant
Civil war began.
Only Yuan's faction remained unmoving.
Caught in the center.
Awkward.
Dangerous.
Because neither side acknowledged them.
And neither side trusted them.
Help the Mizukage?
Or the rebels?
Either choice would reshape the future of Kirigakure.
For the first time in decades
The fate of the Hidden Mist hung by a thread.
Far away, Uchiha Yi watched everything unfold through his shadow clones.
The Mist had finally ignited.
Exactly as predicted.
Yi's Mangekyō spun slowly.
The Mist was drowning in blood.
And from that blood
A new era would rise.
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