Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 379 Selecting the 5th Mizukage through Internal Strife

Their Land of Water, Kirigakure, is located at sea. In times of peace, it can be considered the safest of the five great nations, because no one from the other four nations would dare to travel such a long distance to attack it.

Therefore, the possibility of other ninja villages murdering the Mizukage is extremely low, but now, they are the ones who have encountered problems first.

So why does this happen? One possibility is internal conflict. This is the most obvious manifestation from the perspective of interests.

Of course, there are other possibilities, such as the emergence of another powerful figure in the ninja world who finds pleasure in hunting down the five great nation's Kage.

The Fourth Hokage has already passed away, and now it's their turn to become the Fourth Mizukage. The mere thought of this possibility has left many people in a bad mental state.

"Everyone, please quiet down!" Master Yuan stepped forward and stabilized the situation.

What to do? With the Fourth Mizukage gone, all the internal conflicts have been exposed. If they are not resolved quickly, Kirigakure will destroy itself.

The best way to divert attention is to start a war, but they no longer have the capacity to do so.

"No ninja village can be without a Kage. Just as a country cannot be without a Daimyo, I have an idea: let's select the Fifth Mizukage through an examination and then carry out a comprehensive reform and governance of Kirigakure."

"Just yesterday, after a fierce competition, we selected four skilled fighters. But to become a Shadow, it's not just about strength, but also about ability."

Therefore, I've decided to divide the Mizukage's power into four parts, with each person in charge of one. After three months, a comprehensive evaluation will be conducted, and whoever manages it best and receives the most support will become the Fifth Mizukage.

After he finished speaking, the four powerful warriors who had experienced dozens of battles were pushed to the front of the stage.

The first is Hozuki Mangetsu, a genius ninja of the Hozuki clan who is only nineteen years old. He is proficient in the secret techniques of the Hozuki clan and his strength is outstanding among his peers.

The second remaining member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Suigetsu Hozuki, wields the great sword Samehada and has extensive combat experience. Although his strength has declined significantly in recent years, his seniority is undeniable.

The third is He Erzan, an elite Jonin of the Anbu. He is in his forties, in his prime, with stable strength and rich experience.

The fourth, and only, female ninja is Mei Terumi. She is the youngest, only eighteen years old, but her strength should not be underestimated. Having mastered two bloodline limits, her combat power far surpasses that of Wozan.

However, being too young is also a problem, as it makes it difficult to gain the respect of the public.

This plan sparked much discussion among the ninjas below the stage, but no one dared to object, as they had no other good ideas.

Thus, this seemingly fair competition actually tested the strength and methods of each faction. Assassinations, sneak attacks, and all sorts of underhanded tactics were played out in Kirigakure every day.

The marshal looked worried, but there were some things he had to acquiesce to, because to control a village, not only were there overt methods, but also behind-the-scenes methods.

Thus began an open and divisive internal strife within Kirigakure.

Although Kirigakure has been closed off for years, and very few spies have been able to infiltrate it, there is a condition: in the past, Obito Uchiha was in charge and could eliminate those spies through hypnosis using his Sharingan.

Now he's let his guard down and relaxed his guard; spies have already infiltrated the area. Before long, news of the Fourth Mizukage's disappearance spread throughout the ninja world. Meanwhile, the other four great nations were also shocked by Kirigakure's outrageous actions.

Is this how the Fifth Mizukage was chosen?

Are you sure you don't want Kirigakure to split up?

Of course, some people think that this is the true spirit and wisdom of Master Yuan. As the saying goes, "No destruction, no construction."

Taking advantage of the fact that the conflict is still under control, we should quickly plan to resolve it. Isn't that a sign of wisdom?

After reading the newspaper, Naoto felt that the disappearance of the Mizukage was strange. In the ninja world, there were probably only a handful of people with such abilities.

Was it Obito Uchiha? Or Nagato Uzumaki from the Land of Water?

"No, this must be reported to the Lord. Those people have become restless again."

So he took the newspaper back to Takigakure and, after entering the underground palace, said, "Master, the Fourth Mizukage has disappeared. I suspect something is wrong..."

"I did it." Shisei Aburame admitted on the spot, making Naoto swallow the rest of his sentence.

Then, Yu Nu Zhicheng told him the whole story and what had happened.

"So that's how it is. They dared to steal our tailed beasts! That Mizukage truly deserves to die!"

Finally, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "My lord, let me deal with Konoha."

Currently, Ryuji Ida is in charge of dealing with the Land of Earth. With Hyuga Kagami on Turtle Island, it seems likely they will soon attack the Land of Lightning. Our lord has already killed the Fourth Mizukage, causing internal strife in Kirigakure. It's also rumored that a Loulan witch is stationed near Kazegakure…

It seems that the Lord is ready to conquer the ninja world.

Only Shisei Aburame was completely confused. "What, what about dealing with Konoha?"

-

The Land of Earth, Hidden Rock Village.

Onoki looked at the intelligence report in his hand, a look of disdain on his face. "The Land of Water is finished."

He tossed the intelligence aside, but soon he lost interest in mocking others.

Because he also had a lot of worries of his own. With the new daimyo opening ninja schools all over the country, all the children of school age were enrolled.

Even if only one in a thousand children can master ninjutsu, among millions of children of the appropriate age, at least eight or nine thousand talented children can be selected.

Even if these children have average talent, their ultimate achievement will only be that of a Chunin or Genin, but the number of them is simply too large.

Most importantly, Daimyo is incredibly wealthy.

He's willing to spend money to train those who have even a little talent. Shouldn't he give even more to those who are even more talented?

As a result, many residents of Iwagakure began to waver. Some even moved their entire families to the royal capital.

Now, their ninja academy is almost going out of business, and more than half of the students have run away.

Although they are all ordinary children with limited talent, they are the ones who guarantee the overall number of children.

And they couldn't possibly ambush and kill them on the way, could they?

Wouldn't that be pushing students away?

Thinking of the competition that had been publicly announced before, Onoki snorted coldly: "Hmph, I'd like to see what kind of talent you can cultivate in a few years."

He was certain in his heart that the Daimyo and his ilk could not train good ninjas, let alone produce champions.

That's right, because of the student enrollment issue, they had previously made a three-year agreement.

Three years later, both sides sent their graduated ninjas to battle. The winner would continue to run the academy, while the loser would lose the right to run the academy.

This matter has spread throughout the ninja world. If he doesn't dare to accept the challenge, what will become of his reputation?