The assassination operation, which was both thrilling and chaotic, somehow ended in success.
Yeming, the once-renowned hero of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village), met his end in a similarly chaotic and inexplicable manner.
He became the shortest-serving Mizukage in the history of Kirigakure, so short that he didn't even complete the normal procedures for taking office before "passing away."
Moreover, due to his traitorous identity, the ninjas of Kirigakure generally refrained from addressing Yeming as Mizukage. Instead, he was mockingly referred to as the "Three-and-a-Halfth Mizukage."
Although Yeming's death was shrouded in mystery, Yagura Karatachi and his allies had no time to dwell on the matter. When Yeming's loyalists realized he had been gone for too long and noticed the commotion at the Genji Mansion, it was clear to everyone that something major had occurred. A massive storm of rebellion was imminent.
Without even tending to the wounded or the corpse, Yagura Karatachi immediately led Jūzō Biwa, Raiga Kurosuki, and their allies Sakumo Hatake and Fugaku Uchiha to the Mizukage Building to gather their forces and seize the initiative, aiming to crush the rebellion before it could take root.
The Genji Mansion fell into eerie silence. If not for the collapsed buildings and the courtyard littered with bodies, who could have guessed that a fierce battle had just taken place here?
"Shh! Huff!"
After a long while, Maki, who had sustained relatively minor injuries, was the first to wake up. He had only been knocked out temporarily when he hit his head on the ground after being swept by the shockwave of Yeming's Tailed Beast Bomb. Other than that, he was largely unharmed.
Holding his still-dizzy head, he shook it vigorously. As his blurred vision gradually cleared, he took in the sight of the people lying scattered across the ground. His thoughts began to sharpen.
"Not good! Hidan!"
Remembering that he had brought along a subordinate, Maki quickly got up and anxiously began searching.
Before long, he found Hidan lying in an open area amidst the collapsed meeting hall of the mansion. The scene before him was... surprising.
At that moment, Hidan was lying quietly on the ground, a pitch-black spear piercing his chest. His body was surrounded by strange symbols, and he remained motionless, like a corpse.
"What's this?"
Maki, full of confusion, stepped forward to check the situation.
"Don't move! I'm fine!"
Hidan snorted these words through his nose.
"Hmm?"
You're fine? This... Maki pondered.
After a while, Hidan raised his left hand and glanced at his watch.
"Hmm, the timing should be about right."
"Squish!"
With that, Hidan pulled out the spear from his chest, flipped upright with a sharp movement, and forcefully flicked the blood off the spear. He then drew his Triple-Bladed Scythe from his back and carefully scraped away the symbols on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Maki asked with concern.
"I'm fine!"
Without even turning his head, Hidan continued diligently scraping.
Maki pointed toward the courtyard and asked, "Just now, that was you...?"
"Shh!"
Hidan raised his head and made a silencing gesture toward Maki.
"Sensei instructed me: the village's secret weapon must not be revealed to outsiders. You're an old ANBU operative; don't you understand this rule?"
Hidan replied with a serious expression.
"Oh-ho! Now you're lecturing me? I don't need you to tell me; I can figure out most of it myself."
"Guessing is your business. Speaking it aloud is leaking secrets. This technique is very strict—if its foundation is revealed to outsiders, its power will greatly diminish."
Maki nodded in agreement. "I understand that principle, of course. What I mean is, if I can figure it out, wouldn't veterans like Sakumo Hatake and Yagura Karatachi, who specialize in intelligence, also figure it out?"
"That's why you should stop standing around and help me clean up the traces. The fewer leaks, the better the secrecy of this technique."
"Hmm, makes sense. Later, I'll have to come up with a story for you. Otherwise, Konoha and Kirigakure will keep pestering us about this."
With that, Maki drew his ninja blade and joined Hidan in the "clean-up crew."
Meanwhile, Yagura Karatachi and his group rushed to the Mizukage Building, quickly gathered their troops, and immediately announced the news of Yeming's execution.
Almost simultaneously, Yeming's other major supporter—Grand Protector Caozang—quickly realized something was wrong. He rallied the core members of the militant faction along with a large number of confused Chūnin and Genin, preparing to storm the Mizukage Building and seize control of Kirigakure.
As the situation reached a stalemate, the Third Mizukage and the long-ailing Genji appeared in public, shocking the militant faction. The Third Mizukage openly declared that Yeming was a complete opportunist and that his attempt to seize power was a blatant act of rebellion.
Now that Yeming had been executed, those who had been misled by him for years would not be held accountable, provided they ceased their reckless actions. However, if they continued their defiance, they would be severely punished according to the law, with Yeming's fate serving as the ultimate warning.
With both leaders of Kirigakure standing together, their influence was immense. Many lower-level ninjas and even numerous militant faction members scattered in panic, leaving only about two hundred core members of the militant faction, each visibly shaken.
Grand Protector Caozang, unwilling to accept defeat, brandished his war blade and rallied his remaining forces for a near-suicidal attack on the Mizukage and Genji. Yagura Karatachi showed no mercy, wielding his Iron Flower Staff to command his troops in a fierce effort to suppress the rebellion. Another intense battle ensued.
The outcome of such a fight was inevitable.
In this battle, all two hundred rebel ninjas were annihilated. Grand Protector Caozang was struck squarely in the face by Yagura Karatachi's staff, his skull shattered as he died on the spot. The remaining leaders of the militant faction were also executed one by one. With this, the militant faction of Kirigakure was completely wiped out from history.
Shortly afterward, the Third Mizukage publicly announced that he could no longer fulfill the responsibilities of Mizukage due to health reasons. Effective immediately, he would step down from his position, passing the title to Yagura Karatachi.
Genji also expressed his support for the Third Mizukage's decision.
Thus, Yagura Karatachi officially became the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure. The village's decade-long armed conflict temporarily came to an end, marked by an imperfect comma.
At the same time, in a corner of the rooftop terrace of the Mizukage Building, a figure cloaked entirely in black watched the crowd cheering for Yagura Karatachi. He sighed helplessly. If Jinghang were present, he would surely exclaim, "Isn't this my Black Brother?"
"Sigh, who would have thought Yeming to be such a useless man? He had come this far, yet he let it all slip away. Arrogance and stupidity, to the extreme!"
He angrily slapped the railing.
"Konoha! Sunagakure! Hmph! Truly impressive. Sending just four people to completely overturn the plan I had been setting up for over a year. The Uchiha brat, the scythe-wielding brat—heh, no matter. I'll make sure to repay you both, twice over!"
He then turned his gaze toward Yagura Karatachi, who was waving to the crowd.
"And you, enjoy your glory for a few years. We'll have plenty of time ahead!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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