Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 230 The Final Righteousness of the Hidden Mist

The journey from Heiwa City to Yandu is 250 kilometers and takes a total of 4 hours.

The people of Kirigakure didn't feel the time was too long. Usually, when they carried out a mission, it would take several days, or even a month or two, to get there.

Compared to traveling, riding in a car is so much more comfortable.

They can even sleep in the car!

"We should buy a car when we have the chance!" Several adults had the same thought at the same time.

As the carriage drew closer to Yanjing, the number of vehicles on the road increased, including not only cars but also horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, and groups of pedestrians who appeared to have come from a great distance.

These people looked tired, but even more so, they looked expectant and happy.

"Why are there so many people here?" Mei Terumi asked.

"Because it's the founding ceremony!" the driver said. "They're all here to observe!"

"The founding ceremony?" Mei Terumi's eyes lit up. "When is it? Can we attend?"

"On January 8th, which is three days from now, if all goes well, you can also participate!" the driver said. "However, you will probably only be able to be spectators and will not be allowed to go up to the leader's platform."

"The leader's platform!?" Mei Terumi shook her head, not knowing what it was.

"Being a spectator is already great! I've never seen a founding ceremony in my life!"

The driver shrugged: "Who hasn't? I've never seen anything like it in my life!"

After queuing at the city gate and handing over their documents, the group walked along the road and eventually stopped in front of a luxurious building over 60 meters tall next to the main road.

"What a tall building!" Mei Terumi exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the building in front of her. You should know that there are no buildings in Kirigakure that are more than three stories high!

Suddenly seeing a building over sixty meters tall, nearly twenty stories high, was incredibly awe-inspiring.

More importantly, this building is not the only high-rise building in the entire city. While such high-rise buildings are not everywhere, we have seen many along the way!

Many more are still under construction.

"Didn't they say this place wouldn't become the capital?" Mei Terumi asked. "Why are the buildings here so luxurious?"

The others from the Hidden Mist Village listened from the side. They actually wanted to ask the same question, but they were afraid of being seen as country bumpkins, so they decided to let the child ask it.

"Even if it's not the capital, it's still a prefecture, and a very economically developed one at that!" Hinata Shin waved and said, "This is the International Hotel where you'll be staying. Have a good rest today, and I'll pick you up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning!"

"Is it the Immortal Lord who has come to pick us up?" the Third Mizukage asked nervously.

"I don't know about that!" Hinata waved his hand. "Well then, I'll take my leave."

As the group entered the hotel, they were once again amazed by the luxurious decorations and novel designs.

The process by which the Ning organization seized power was remarkably peaceful, with virtually no major battles fought, which allowed the wealth of the entire society to be well preserved.

The construction of these high-rise buildings did not exploit the common people at all; it merely used the millennia-old savings of those powerful figures and nobles, and those savings are far from exhausted.

Although I felt both nervous and excited, we were all ninjas after all, so I wasn't too sleepless that night.

After a night's rest, everyone put on their most formal clothes the next day, and even Mei Terumi changed into a blue dress.

We got back into the car, which headed towards the city center.

After passing a huge square, a monument, and dozens of tall buildings, it finally turned around next to a cluster of buildings.

"This is the daimyo's residence in the Land of Fire!" The Third Mizukage looked at the surrounding buildings with a touch of wistfulness, then asked curiously, "But why are there so many people over there?"

"Because Daimyo Prefecture has been turned into a tourist attraction, it's now open to the general public!" Hinata Shin said.

"Tsk." The Third Mizukage didn't know what to say. The Daimyo's residence was now open to the public!

Beyond Daming Prefecture, there is another straight road. On the left side of the road are tall buildings, and on the other side is a lake.

The buildings here are completely different from what I've seen before; they are noticeably more solemn and dignified, giving off a very upright feeling.

The Third Mizukage immediately realized that this was the location of the government offices of the Guining Immortal Dynasty.

A moment later, the car continued to turn and headed towards a silver-gray building. The Third Mizukage saw the sign hanging at the entrance of the building: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Guiyuan Immortal Dynasty.

When they arrived at the door, someone opened the car door for them, and someone else gestured for them to follow.

The Third Mizukage looked at Shin Hyuga: "Aren't you coming along?"

"That's all I can do for you!" Hinata Shin said with a smile. "Go inside with them!"

"Uh, okay!" Without any familiar faces around, the Third Mizukage inexplicably felt a little flustered.

He looked at the person who was leading the way. This person was wearing a black, fitted outfit and had a rope around his neck.

This kind of clothing, I think it's called, a formal tie?

"This person, uh, what should I call him?" The Third Mizukage realized he didn't even know how to address this person.

"My name is Hyuga Gui, and my position is Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can just call me Secretary Hyuga!" Hyuga Gui explained with a smile.

"Oh, Hyuga Secretary!" The Third Mizukage then realized that this was also a member of the Hyuga clan.

Is this nepotism?

He looked around and confirmed that it shouldn't be him; there were many office workers here, but Hinata was the only one.

Moreover, foreign affairs is by no means an important department.

Once Kirigakure returns to its homeland, there will be no more countries in the ninja world, so why would there be any need for foreign affairs?

but.

"Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the role of a secretary?" the Third Mizukage asked.

"A secretary is an assistant official to the department head, belonging to the clerical staff!" Hinata Gui explained. "In terms of function, they are somewhat similar to a shadow assistant!"

"Oh, oh!" The Third Mizukage understood; it meant handling affairs for the supervisor.

However, he would not underestimate this secretary, because when Ying was around, the assistant was just an assistant, but when Ying was not around, the assistant was Ying!

Even if a secretary is different from an assistant, at least they can relay messages to the supervisor's ears!

Some positions may seem difficult to attain, but they can easily lead to trouble.

Furthermore, the Third Mizukage discovered that although Hyuga Gui claimed to be a civil official, she possessed an enormous amount of chakra, suggesting that her strength was not weak.

Even if it's just a matter of ability, he should at least show some respect to this person.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and the group of people stepped out and entered a conference room.

"Please wait a moment!"

The Third Mizukage nodded, looking at the nameplate in front of him, the conference table, the bottled water on the table, and the huge floor-to-ceiling window behind him.

Everywhere you look, you get a sunny and cheerful feeling.

In such an environment, inexplicably, he calmed down.

Before long, there was a knock on the door, and then a group of seven people filed in.

A middle-aged man with nearly white hair was in the lead position, followed by middle-aged people, young people, and a boy who was probably around ten years old. The personnel configuration was exactly the same as theirs.

Hinata Kurenai, who had just led the way for them, was in sixth place, which corresponded exactly to Ao from Kirigakure.

"Third Mizukage, it's been a long time!" The old man extended his hand as soon as he entered.

"Who are you?" the Third Mizukage asked blankly. "Do we know each other?"

"Of course I know you! You've forgotten? We met 22 years ago, during the Chunin Exams!" the old man chuckled. "I'm Nara Shikamo!"

"22 years ago, Nara Shikamochi?" The Third Mizukage was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "The previous head of the Nara clan!"

22 years ago, the Second Hokage was still alive. At that time, he invited all the major hidden villages to Konoha to hold the Chunin Exams. The Third Mizukage went as the Second Mizukage's bodyguard, and Nara Shikamo, as a high-ranking official of Konoha, met with him.

"That was the generation before last!" Nara Shikamo laughed. "But now, the position of clan head isn't important anymore. Children and grandchildren each have their own blessings. It's a new era; everyone has their own ideas, and the clan head's word doesn't carry much weight anymore!"

"Is that so!" The Third Mizukage smiled ingratiatingly, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

Damn it, back then you were just a ninja clan leader, while I was a Mizukage bodyguard and a prospective Mizukage.

Now that I've become a dignified Mizukage, how dare I submit to you?

Where can I go to seek justice?

"Where are you now?" The Mizukage pointed to the nameplate in front of Nara Shikamo, which clearly read Shikamo Nara, which is why the Mizukage didn't recognize him at first.

"Oh, this is an order that's about to be issued from above. To facilitate household registration, the Celestial Dynasty requires everyone in the country to choose a surname, and they can't just choose randomly. They have to choose one from the 'Hundred Family Surnames' written by the Celestial Lord. Our Nara family looked in there, but there was neither the surname Nai nor the surname Liang. After discussion, Nara simply decided to take the surname Shika!"

"This order hasn't been made public yet, but we're already implementing it internally!"

"So that's how it is!" Mizukage nodded, but inwardly he was astonished.

The Ning organization's control over the country is no joke!

The Nara clan is an old family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, but under the order of the state, they changed their surname just like that?

"If we join the Guining Immortal Dynasty, will we also have to change our surnames?" Terumi Mei asked curiously.

"Who is this?" Shigeru Kaname turned his head and looked at Mei Terumi with curiosity.

"Oh, my name is Terumi Yu, and this is my daughter, Terumi Mei. I brought her here to broaden her horizons!" Terumi Yu quickly spoke up, then whispered, "Mei, what kind of occasion is this? Don't speak carelessly!"

"No problem, no problem!" Lu Nai Shigeru smiled and said, "I feel this meeting should be quite relaxed. After all, what will happen to the village after joining the Guining Immortal Dynasty is already clearly written in the book, isn't it!"

He smiled kindly, but Mizukage understood the unspoken meaning behind Kaname's words.

If you are willing to change according to the rules in the book, then everyone will be happy.

If they are unwilling to change the terms according to the book, then this negotiation may not be very pleasant.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Mizukage nodded repeatedly. "Actually, we don't have any special conditions, we just have some questions we'd like to ask."

"No problem, feel free to ask any questions. It's always better to be upfront beforehand than to have any unpleasantness later!" Shigeru Kaname said, then turned to Mei Terumi: "I can also answer your question. Your surnames will also need to be changed."

"No problem!" Terumi Mei nodded emphatically. She was still young and didn't have much of a sense of family honor. However, Terumi Yu Nao felt a tremor in her heart. My Terumi clan, which has been passed down for more than two hundred years, is it going to be wiped out in my hands?

"Um, do you have that 'Hundred Family Surnames' you mentioned?" Terumi asked.

"Yes!" A foreign ministry official handed a book to Terumi Yu.

Miyu didn't care about negotiations at all, and he didn't have any interests to fight for. His only request was to let his daughter meet the Immortal Lord, and it would be even better if she could be favored.

However, if you want your daughter to meet the Celestial Lord, it's best not to disobey his orders.

For example, first choose a surname from the "Hundred Family Surnames" that is suitable for the Zhaomei family.

You won't know until you look into it, and once you do, you'll find something incredible.

It turns out that the surname Zhao and Mei are both listed in the Hundred Family Surnames.

Unfortunately, there is no surname like Zhao Mei.

This is a bit embarrassing.

but..

Teruyu came up with another way to exploit a loophole.

If I say I'll change the surname to Zhao, but add the character Mei to all the children's given names, wouldn't that be the same as keeping the surname Zhao Mei unchanged?

Okay, let's do it this way!

On the other side, the Water Shadow also asked his question.

"I read in a book that the Guining Immortal Dynasty will retroactively investigate a person's past crimes for up to 20 years. What about crimes committed under certain special systems? Will those also be retroactively investigated?"

Shigeru Kaname thought for a moment and asked, "What you want to ask about is the Blood Mist Policy, right?"

The Blood Mist Policy of Kirigakure stipulates that each student must kill a classmate in order to graduate.

According to the regulations of the Guining Immortal Dynasty, these ninjas should all be executed.

But if we do that, Kirigakure will be completely wiped out.

But if we trace the policy-making process back to the policymakers instead of the murderers, then the Third Mizukage will be caught in the crossfire.

Shigeaki Kaname, being from the Nara clan, was incredibly intelligent and naturally saw through the Third Mizukage's demands at a glance.

He didn't want to be captured himself, nor did he want the ninjas of Kirigakure to be captured.

Fortunately, this problem is not troublesome.

In some areas of Guining Immortal Dynasty, policies are rather rigid, such as imposing severe penalties on corruption, disregard for human life, and drug trafficking.

Although there are no drug dealers in the ninja world now, who knows what will happen in the future.

Some policies are also quite flexible.

For example, ninjas kill people. Killing is wrong, of course, but many ninjas kill because they are carrying out missions. They are just a knife for killing.

In such cases, it's important to differentiate between different situations to determine whether the person enjoys killing or is forced to kill.

The question that Shuiying has asked now, under Ning Yuan's instructions, also has room for maneuver.

Of course, the most important point is that the situation in Kirigakure is different from that in Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.

The Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Cloud Village surrendered after being completely defeated in battle; this is called surrendering.

Iwagakure surrendered halfway through the battle; this is called surrendering.

As for Kirigakure, they came to Guining before the fighting even started; this is called an uprising!

Different circumstances lead to different treatments; the Hidden Mist Village, which staged an uprising, was given some preferential treatment.

After thinking for a moment, Shigeru Kanai asked, "May I ask the Third Mizukage, who formulated this Blood Mist policy?"

"It was me who created this system to select the elite!" the Third Mizukage replied immediately.

Shigeru Kaname was speechless, then asked again, "Please think about it again. Are you sure you created this all by yourself?"

"Of course!" Before Shuiying could finish speaking, Yuanshi interrupted him, "We decided on this together!"

"What?" Shigeru Kanao and the Third Mizukage turned around at the same time.

"It was decided by Lord Mizukage, our elders, and the clan leaders after discussions!" Master Yuan replied decisively.

Shigeru Kaname nodded: "Understood!"

What he actually meant was that you could shift the blame to the Second Mizukage.

However, it seems that neither of them had considered this part.

"Since this policy was formulated by you and the elders, then you should all bear responsibility for the large number of deaths caused by the Blood Mist Policy!" Shigeru Rokuna said.

The Third Mizukage nodded: "I admit that!"

However, I wasn't as nervous anymore.

It's different for one person to bear the burden of a crime versus for a group of people to bear it.

If he were to bear this responsibility alone, he might have no choice but to atone with his death.

But if this is the result of everyone's discussion, then it can only mean that we are all inadequate.

There will definitely be punishment, but the crime does not warrant the death penalty.

"Good that you admit it!" Shigeru Kaname nodded. "I'm not responsible for the trial part. What kind of punishment you will receive depends on the court's judgment. I suggest you hire a lawyer to represent you after you leave, and try to get a shorter sentence!"

"Thank you for your guidance!" Mizukage nodded. He didn't actually know what a court was or what a lawyer was, but he could ask someone later.

"Any other questions?" Shigeru Kaname asked.

"That's all!" The Third Mizukage thought for a moment, then realized that this was indeed the only problem he was worried about.

The rest has been mostly covered in the book.

"Are you sure there isn't any?" Shigeru Kaname asked again.

"I'm sure, that's all!" The Third Mizukage thought for a moment. I don't think I've ever done anything bad in my life. After all, I was already quite old when I took office, and I've been focused on internal stability. Apart from the Blood Mist policy, I haven't done anything else. Huh?

The Third Mizukage suddenly raised his head: "The Land of Whirlpools!"

"You were involved in the destruction of the Whirlpool Country too?" Shigeru Kanai asked.

"This..." The Third Mizukage paused for a moment, then nodded heavily.

If it were still during the chaotic period of the Five Villages War, he would never admit it. At worst, he would just shift the blame, since no one could verify it with the Village Chief.

But now...

The Cloud Village has been captured, which means this matter is destined to be exposed.

"Tell me the details, what's going on?" Shigeru Kaname asked.

The Third Mizukage saw from the beginning that the meeting was being recorded, and that his words might later become evidence in his trial.

However, he was already quite old, so even if he was guilty, it was just a matter of dying a couple of years earlier or later.

Since death is inevitable sooner or later, it's better to take all the blame upon oneself and let Kirigakure join the Guining Immortal Dynasty cleanly, so as to avoid being discriminated against in the future.

As soon as the thought arose, the water reflection became much more free and unrestrained.

"That was fourteen years ago. Back then, Hashirama Senju assigned the Tailed Beasts to us, but he didn't teach us how to seal them!" the Third Mizukage said. "Then the Second Shinobi World War began, and the Sky Village attacked Konoha. But that huge fortress of the Sky Village was destroyed by Mito Uzumaki with a single Tailed Beast Ball!"

Shigeru Kaname nodded: "And then?"

"Then, all the villages witnessed the power of the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki and naturally wanted to master such power, but we didn't have a way to seal the Tailed Beasts..."

Shigeru Kanai looked surprised. The Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, and the blame was placed on Hashirama and his wife?

Hashirama divided the Tailed Beasts, but did not provide a method to seal them.

Mito Uzumaki's defense of Konoha Village demonstrated the power of a Jinchūriki, attracting the attention of many other ninja villages.

That really is...

The Third Mizukage's words surprised all six people from the Immortal Dynasty. It really did put an end to a long-standing case!

Only the boy sitting at the very end remained calm, because he already knew about this; Hei Jue had already told him the whole story back then.

That's right, Ning Yuan also came to this meeting; he's the one sitting opposite Terumi Mei.

He set his sights on building a harem as soon as he transmigrated, because transmigrating without building a harem would be a waste of time.

At that time, he had even decided on his candidates. He had three targets: Kurenai Yuhi, Tsunade, and Mei Terumi.

Hinata, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno, and the like are not unattractive, and it's not that he doesn't like them, but they are all from the next generation, like his nephews and nieces. If he were to transmigrate into Naruto's generation, it wouldn't be impossible for him to consider them.

But didn't we arrive too many years too early?

Although his cultivation had greatly strengthened his mindset and willpower, this was, after all, his original intention when he transmigrated, so how could he easily change it?

So, when Ningyuan heard that Terumi Mei was also at this meeting, he sent a clone over to check it out.

As for the case of the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, Ning Yuan doesn't need to worry about it, because Minato Namikaze's wife is Kushina Uzumaki, and Yahiko's younger brother is Nagato Uzumaki.

One of these two is from the Military Star Committee, and the other is from the Political Star Committee. The courts, which are functional departments for adjudication, are under the jurisdiction of the Political Star Committee.

Even if Yahiko wasn't doing this to give Minato face, he still had to take this case seriously because of Nagato Uzumaki.

Ning Yuan was actually more curious about how the Third Mizukage would deal with the possibility of being tried or even sentenced to death.

"Back then, this war was a joint effort between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, while Sunagakure and Iwagakure provided a large amount of supplies!" the Third Mizukage said. "This may have violated the laws of the Celestial Empire, but I have no regrets. To strengthen Kirigakure, I had no other choice!"

"But your actions haven't strengthened Kirigakure!" Shigeru Shikana shook his head. "Everyone having a Jinchūriki is the same as nobody having one!"

Shuiying was taken aback. Was that really the case?

But upon closer examination, it makes a lot of sense. If everyone becomes stronger, doesn't that mean that no one has become stronger?

"I'm just a diplomat, and I have no comment on your actions. I can only tell you that this is a difficult matter; you will be tried, and may even face the death penalty!" Shigeru Kaname said. "Knowing all this, are you still willing to let Kirigakure return to peace?"

"I'm willing!" The Water Shadow nodded emphatically without even thinking.

Shigeru Kanai nodded, finally understanding the Mizukage's attitude.

Although he knew that this was because the Mizukage was old and only a few years away from death, it did not stop Shigeru Kanao from respecting the person in front of him.

After all, there are plenty of people who are old but afraid of dying, while those who are not afraid of dying are a minority.

With the most crucial issue resolved, the remaining problems became minor, and the atmosphere of the conversation began to lighten.

Meanwhile, Ning Yuan also began his serious business.

He quietly pushed a sheet of A4 paper from his desk in front of Terumi Mei, and a line of text appeared on it: "Hello, my name is Ning Yuan. May I ask your name, young lady?"

(End of this chapter)