Mizukage's Pokémon Ninja Scroll

Chapter 55 Handling the Situation (First Update! Please Subscribe!)

He faced the scrutinizing gaze of the Third Mizukage.

Both Yagura and Yukikaze were at a loss for words, each keeping their heads down and remaining silent.

The Third Mizukage shook his head slightly, looked away from the information on the table, and spoke.

"Jonin Karatachi, the person you assigned, why don't you speak to him first?"

Yagura quickly looked up, considered his words carefully, and replied.

"Lord Mizukage, according to my investigation, the Yuki clan is secretly smuggling weapons with the Craftsmen's Village and abducting civilians from the Land of Water, while secretly building up their power. I believe this is harming the interests of the village and seriously damaging the relationship between the village and the daimyo."

As he spoke, Yagura could already feel a cold sweat trickling down his back.

Only then did he begin to regret that this private investigation had been too hasty.

Upon receiving the letter from the Blue Squad and combining it with his subordinates' recent investigation, Yagura immediately identified the Snow Clan, intending to keep this information for future use.

Unexpectedly, before Team Ao even returned to Kirigakure, the Third Mizukage had already summoned him and Yukikaze together.

It should be noted that the Third Mizukage had explicitly told him that with the war approaching and manpower shortages, the investigation should be temporarily abandoned.

"Oh, so the village should thank Jonin Karatachi for his diligent investigation of this matter?"

The Third Mizukage looked at Yagura Karatachi with a half-smile.

"I dare not. I disobeyed the Mizukage's orders and investigated my colleague without authorization. I am willing to accept punishment."

Now that things had come to this, Yagura Karatachi stopped thinking about how his secret investigation had been exposed and simply waited patiently for the Third Mizukage's judgment.

However, the Third Mizukage ignored Yagura Karatachi and turned to look at Yukikaze, who had remained silent.

"Clan Chief Yukikaze, is what Yagura said true?"

As a senior Jonin and the head of a clan, Yukikaze clearly has a deeper understanding of the current situation of the Third Mizukage and Kirigakure.

Smuggling ninja tools and kidnapping civilians both harm the interests of the Land of Water. The interests of the Mizukage and the Daimyo are not entirely aligned. If they don't go too far, or if they happen to be exposed just before the start of the war, the Third Mizukage won't make things too difficult for himself.

However, training assassins was a matter that could be considered a big or small matter, and he was unsure of the Third Mizukage's thoughts at this point.

"Lord Mizukage, I had already inquired within the clan before coming here, and it is indeed true. This was the work of the clan's Jonin, Yuki-san, who has now been apprehended by the clan and can be handed over to the village for disposal at any time."

Seeing that the Third Mizukage remained calm and showed no intention of speaking, Yukikaze continued to add.

"In addition, the ninjas trained by Xue Shan, along with the funds she obtained through smuggling, will also be handed over to the village for disposal."

The Third Mizukage waved his hand in response.

"What does the village need them for? Let them all go to the front lines with the next batch of troops. Hmm, the Snow Clan will still be in charge of leading them."

Upon hearing the Third Mizukage's words, Yukikaze breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the Third Mizukage didn't mention the funding, the family wouldn't mind spending more money if the matter could be resolved through these efforts.

However, what the Third Mizukage said next made Yukikaze's hair stand on end.

"I heard that this fish unit has 83 ninjas, that's quite a lot, isn't it? Remember not to forget the number when you send them to the front lines."

A chill ran through Yukikaze's heart, not just because the Third Mizukage had revealed the number and name of the suicide squad, but because the squad did indeed have 83 members, though that was the number from two days ago.

However, Xuefeng dared not say anything more at this moment.

Looking at the dignified old man in front of him who had ruled Kirigakure for decades, he silently accepted the number.

"Yes, Lord Mizukage! I will go back and handle this matter immediately."

Yukikaze forced a reply, suppressing his heartache, and left the Mizukage's office without looking back.

The Third Mizukage didn't mind his rudeness and turned back to look at Yagura Karatachi.

"Yagura, you should go ahead and get busy too. Are you waiting for me to reward you?"

Yagura stared blankly at the Third Mizukage for two seconds before respectfully turning and leaving.

This old man, who led Kirigakure from a period of decline to its current strength, seems to have never truly understood his own thoughts.

After Yagura left, the Third Mizukage looked at Elder Yuanshi, who was still smiling to the side, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"These young people, their intentions are still too obvious."

In fact, the Third Mizukage never cared about factional struggles.

He could cruelly force commoner ninjas to kill each other, breeding them like poison to select the strongest, and then let these selected strongmen climb to high positions. He also didn't mind clan ninjas engaging in underhanded tactics to expand their power, as long as they were willing to serve the village.

All he cared about was whether Kirigakure could achieve victory.

Elder Yuan Shi remained smiling and did not respond. Instead, he brought up another matter.

"The kids in the Blue Squad are pretty good too. They seem to have brought back some useful information this time, as well as some of the legacy of Takumi Ninja Village."

The Third Mizukage paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

"That's good. Reward those three brats with some ninjutsu. As for Ao, the position of vice-leader of the sensory class is still vacant, so he's a barely suitable candidate."

On the other side, Yukikaze, who had returned to the Snow Clan's territory, walked into the study with a gloomy expression and spoke to a clansman who was guarding him.

"Go! Bring Xue Shan here!"

"Clan Chief." Xue Shan, who had rushed over, knelt on one knee, awaiting her clan chief's instructions.

How many people are there on Fish's side right now?

"57 people," Xue Shan answered cautiously.

"Hmm? Where are the others? Didn't I only tell you to take a few Chunin to test Ao?"

Xuefeng's voice suddenly rose, his hand slamming firmly on the table as he glared at Xueshan.

Startled by the sudden tone, Xue Shan hurriedly replied.

"Yes, clan leader. The first time I went to intercept Ao, I only took four Chunin. Later, I realized that even if I used my Kekkei Genkai, I wouldn't be able to kill him, so I withdrew."

"first?!"

Upon hearing this, Xuefeng pressed his hands down on the table with even greater force.

Seeing the clan leader's demeanor, Xue Shan dared not hide anything and gritted her teeth to continue speaking.

"After the first assassination attempt failed, the elder said that since you would eventually hand these assassins over to the Mizukage anyway, you might as well send them to assassinate the Ao Squad. Even if you can only kill one of their genin in the end, it will still save face for the clan."

"Click—"

Xuefeng, filled with rage, slammed his palm down and shattered the table in front of him.

"These old bastards! Face? Face! Now the Mizukage has ordered our Snow Clan to send 83 more people to the battlefield! The Fish Squad is wiped out, are their grandsons going to fill in? Or are they going to the front lines themselves?!"

"Clan leader, this..." Xue Shan looked at her clan leader, somewhat at a loss.

Xuefeng slumped back into his chair, feeling rather dejected. He had no desire to explain anything to Xueshan anymore, and simply waved his hand weakly, signaling her to leave.

However, before Xue Shan could leave the study, Xue Feng spoke again.

"By the way, the third generation specifically requested that you lead the team of these additional personnel. Let the elders decide on the specific candidates themselves."

Xue Shan, who had already reached the door, paused briefly before stepping out of the study again.

A sound came only as the door slowly closed.

"Yes, Chieftain."

I'm writing this at dawn today, and I'm asking for subscriptions to my new book.

(End of this chapter)