The Great Hero Uchiha

Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish Demon immediately realized what was happening.

"The weapon you want is Samehada, and the pledge of loyalty is my head, right—"

Kisame nodded.

The reason he targeted his superior was not simply to steal Samehada, but because he discovered that Suigetsu Hozuki had used his position to sell the corpse of an Ice Release ninja to Iwagakure for personal gain. Now that he had decided to defect, he lacked a sufficiently compelling pledge of allegiance, and Suigetsu Hozuki clearly fit his criteria.

This is also an order from the next marshal.

Seeing this, Suigetsu Hobutsu immediately took off Samehada and slashed at Kisame first. However, Samehada suddenly went out of control and instead of attacking Kisame, it entangled itself.

Before he could break free, Kisame beheaded him with a single stroke.

Kisame had actually been secretly controlling Samehada for a long time, but he never had the intention of taking it over.

Holding Samehada and the head of Suigetsu Fuguki, Kisame secretly contacted the Akatsuki organization at the black market.

……

Uchiha Miyuki returned to Kirigakure under the identity of Hozuki Mizuki, which surprised everyone. However, they quickly breathed a sigh of relief, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally at ease. Ordinary people didn't care what the Mizukage had been doing during the month he disappeared, because his whereabouts must have been related to village secrets.

While the higher-ups breathed a sigh of relief, they also became tense.

Did Hozuki Mizuki complete her plan?

Succeeded?

Failed?

These things are impossible to determine in a short time, since the enemy can even modify memories, so naturally they can also read Hozuki Mizuki's memories.

Mei Terumi rushed over immediately, but while she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him, her feelings became complicated. She firmly believed that since the Fifth Mizukage possessed the ability to change the village, he could naturally thwart the enemy's conspiracy. However, reason told her that everyone makes mistakes, and as the acting Mizukage, she could not let her emotions sway her judgment.

"Lord Mizukage, you're back."

"Hmm, nothing went wrong in the village while I was away, right?"

"No."

"That's good."

After chatting for a few minutes, the two went to the Mizukage's office.

Uchiha Miyuki lay lazily on a recliner, basking in the sun without doing anything productive, as if nothing had happened before. He seemed unaware that the entire village was now suspicious of him, and he didn't bother to explain the situation to anyone. He just kept secretly glancing at Mei Terumi.

Mei Terumi felt the scrutinizing gaze, and her resolve strengthened.

Mizukage-sama!

I will not let you down.

Uchiha Miyuki silently commented in his heart.

Hmm, you've grown a bit since I last saw you a month ago.

Don't misunderstand.

He was referring to breast size, not ability.

Basking lazily in the sunlight, yawning, "The recliners made by this century-old shop in Konoha are so comfortable. Is this what they call craftsmanship?"

Mei Terumi was a little stunned. Konoha furniture really was that good?!

The recommendation from Mizukage-sama should be correct.

I'll buy some too.

Trade between Kirigakure and Konoha, whether imports or exports, has been almost entirely controlled by the Uchiha clan in secret. Of course, under Uchiha Miyuki's control, a large number of Konoha's high-ranking officials have also been won over, including members of the Senju clan. Uchiha Miyuki has never liked to monopolize things, nor does he want to engage in any isolationism, and he has no intention of letting the Uchiha clan replace the Senju clan to control the entire Konoha and establish any kind of dictatorship.

Although Uchiha Miyuki is no longer the Hokage, nor his assistant, but merely a high-ranking advisor, and is not even physically present in Konoha, his influence in Konoha has surpassed that of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

She didn't sideline Minato Namikaze; she willingly became his puppet.

This wasn't just because of the life-saving grace during the Nine-Tails' attack; the main reason was that Uchiha Miyuki's methods were indeed more effective. Unlike Danzo and other die-hard Senju lineage members, Namikaze Minato was the kind of person who would openly admit his shortcomings.

Just like when he could have become the Fourth Hokage immediately, he still acted according to his own words. Even when only Uchiha Miyuki in the entire village had not voted, he still did not say anything, did not urge him, and did not break his promise. He waited until Uchiha Miyuki finished voting before he officially became the Fourth Hokage!

P.S.: Chapter 4.

I'm not sleepy at all; I estimate I'll be writing at least six chapters tonight.

199. The reason why Mei Terumi became a secretary

Uchiha Miyuki could sense that his movements were being secretly monitored 24 hours a day, but he had no complaints about it. This was normal practice; it would be a problem if Kirigakure did nothing.

Konoha entered its 51st year in such a peaceful and uneventful manner.

Just when he thought this kind of life would continue for several more years, until he was sure that there would be no change in the situation in Kirigakure, and that he would leave Kirigakure after obtaining Kimimaro's cells.

But one thing disrupted his plans.

Unless something major happened in the ninja world, everyone was busy with construction under the leadership of both Kirigakure and Konoha, so there was no time for big events.

Even the Akatsuki organization remained relatively quiet throughout the year, continuing to search for members worldwide and earn enough money through companionship. However! Little did they know that when the Akatsuki organization entered its second phase, the entire ninja world's landscape had already completely changed, with trade replacing the original war system as the new economic system.

Perhaps the Akatsuki organization has already realized this and has modified its plans accordingly, but he is unaware of it.

After more than six months of observation, Uchiha Miyuki has basically cleared himself of suspicion.

However, he still did not take on political duties, and most of the work was still done by Mei Terumi, while he himself continued to slack off openly in the Mizukage's office.

As the sun sets, the day's work comes to an end.

"Lord Mizukage, please remember to attend the banquet tonight."

After hearing Mei Terumi's instructions, Miyuki Uchiha yawned, got up, and left the office, heading towards the clan's headquarters.

The so-called banquet was actually the marshal's seventy-sixth birthday celebration.

In the past, when the conditions weren't right, people wouldn't have done such things. However, in the last two years, Kirigakure has become wealthier, so people have started looking for places to spend their money and enjoy life a little.

After a little preparation, we arrived at the banquet.

Compared to last year's birthday banquet, there were slightly more people this year, and the majority of the extras were women, including female ninjas and ordinary women... This left Uchiha Miyuki somewhat bewildered. Why did the level of sophistication drop so much this year? Wasn't it only for high-ranking officials to attend?

never mind!

What does this have to do with me?

He'd just get a free meal and a quick appearance before finding a chance to leave.

Sitting alone on the sofa, the newly developed sofa is quite comfortable compared to modern sofas; it's still more comfortable than sitting on a hard bench.

As for the source of the goods, the entire life of Kirigakure—no! the entire Land of Water, from top to bottom, has been almost completely overrun by goods from the Land of Fire.

It's not that Uchiha Miyuki's advertising was good; in fact, he said it once and then forgot about it. The reason why this situation still exists is because Hozuki Mizuki, the Fifth Mizukage, is using it, and Terumi Mei, the designated next Mizukage, is also using it. Everyone's life has become more affluent, so they've followed the Mizukage's example and started to enjoy life. And that's the best form of advertising.

As the Mizukage, he sat alone on a sofa, and no one came over to talk to him, seemingly without any prestige.

The truth is that most people at the birthday banquet weren't qualified to sit there.

Not long after, Mei Terumi walked in, dressed in an evening gown. She had clearly dressed up carefully and looked more radiant than usual, attracting more attention from others.

His gaze swept around the room before finally settling on Uchiha Miyuki.

"Yes, she looks even prettier than usual, like a princess."

Mei Terumi smiled happily.

The two didn't exchange any words. After a while, the marshal also came over, and then... the atmosphere at the birthday banquet became strange.

“Mizuki, you’re not young anymore, it’s time to find a partner. Look, this is the younger sister of the current head of the Bamboo Clan, she’s already seventeen years old.”

Upon hearing these words, Uchiha Miyuki almost vomited up the pastries he had just eaten.

???

Holy crap—

With so many more women at my birthday banquet this year, are you all planning to set me up on a massive blind date?

No way?

Surely not?

After all, we are the Hidden Mist Village!

They're ninjas!

Before Uchiha Miyuki could react, Terumi Mei's gaze sharpened, and the girl from the Kaguya clan immediately became so intimidated by her stare that she didn't dare to breathe.

Because Mei Terumi was sitting next to Miyuki Uchiha, he didn't notice this. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. After all, he was using the identity of Mizuki Hozuki, and there was a ten-year age gap between them, so there was no way for love to develop. That's why he chose Mei Terumi as his secretary in the first place.

After all, his true form is Uchiha Miyuki, a ninja from Konoha in the Land of Fire, not the real Hozuki Mizuki from Kirigakure.

She certainly wouldn't live her whole life as Hozuki Mizuki, so she naturally had to avoid any extra emotional entanglements.

Uchiha Miyuki immediately shook his head and said.

"He's too young; there's a nine-year age gap between us."

Little did she know that these words would leave Terumi Mei stunned. A nine-year age gap was not acceptable, but Hozuki Mizuki was ten years younger than her. She had heard from others that men preferred women younger than themselves, so she thought she had a good chance of winning them over. However, she never expected that Hozuki Mizuki would not like women who were too much younger than herself!

The marshal glanced at Mei Terumi. How could he not see through Mei Terumi's thoughts after living for more than seventy years?

The reason this birthday banquet was made so chaotic was to provoke Mei Terumi, or perhaps to awaken Mizuki Hozuki.

But I never expected it to turn out like this.

"So what age do you like?"

"About the same age as me, one or two years older, one or two years younger."

There are some women in Shippuden who are still unmarried at this age, but in the present day, with the Third Shinobi World War just ended, very few people can live past the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, let alone women who are still unmarried at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five. After all, the average lifespan of a ninja is only in their twenties, and they have already lived most of their lives by their teens, so most of them are very precocious.

If it were an ordinary person, it would be easier to explain, but Hozuki Mizuki is the Fifth Mizukage. There are very few people who are worthy of this status, and after age screening, there is not a single one in the entire Land of Water.

The dinner, which had been rife with undercurrents, instantly plummeted to freezing point after those words were spoken.

The younger sister of the current head of the Kaguya clan is already among the older ones present. The oldest among them are only eighteen years old, which is still far from meeting Uchiha Miyuki's standard! What's most despairing is that as they age, Hozuki Mizuki's age will also increase. Unless Hozuki Mizuki dies, no one can reach the standard.

The marshal's brows furrowed as well.

"Can't you lower your standards a little? Sixteen or seventeen isn't that young anymore."

Uchiha Miyuki shook his head firmly.