"You are the Acting Mizukage of Kirigakure."
Acting?
Mizukage?
Shigure froze for a moment. He had assumed the Elder intended to directly promote him to Mizukage. Acting Mizukage felt… less than satisfying.
Sensing his reaction, the Elder chuckled.
"Do not worry. If you perform your duties well, then even when Terumī Mei awakens… you will still be acknowledged as the Sixth Mizukage."
Was it a test?
Or simply to avoid backlash from the shinobi who would struggle to accept such a sudden change?
Either way, it was reasonable. Shigure nodded calmly.
"Go. Let this old man see what changes you will bring to Kirigakure," the Elder said, his expression stern but hopeful. "The future of this Village is entrusted to you."
Shigure stepped out of the Elder's room. Outside, Kuji—Unit 087—stared at him with blazing admiration.
He didn't know the details of the conversation, but he understood one thing:
The boy before him was now about to lead an entire Hidden Village of the Five Great Nations.
"How old even is Lord Shigure… to become someone countless shinobi will look up to?" Kuji wondered.
"Lord Shigure… you're the Mizukage now?"
Shigure shook his head lightly.
"Not entirely. I'm merely the Acting Mizukage."
"Acting…? Mizukage?" Kuji blinked. "That's… a thing?"
Shigure patted his shoulder.
"It doesn't matter. We'll start from Acting."
He faced forward and walked away, radiating authority. Kuji followed silently behind him.
The next morning—
Shigure changed into new attire. Even if he wasn't officially Mizukage yet… the Acting Mizukage couldn't dress like a normal shinobi.
He wore a new uniform, and his sleeve bore a blue armband—symbolizing the Mizukage's authority.
Sitting in the Mizukage's office, he stared at the Village through the thick mist.
The name Hidden Mist was fitting—but that ever-present fog hindered growth.
Great Sage, can we develop a ninjutsu to control the weather? he asked internally.
Great Sage:
"Of course. You currently have two options.
"One—A Water Release technique to manipulate weather directly, but dispersing heavy mist will be difficult and require constant chakra."
And the second?
"Use Cloud Release to guide air currents and influence weather patterns. It can maintain clear skies with only periodic chakra."
Clear skies would help Kirigakure prosper—but the mist also served as a natural defense.
Removing it outright would be reckless.
"It is also possible to combine it with Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique to maintain a fog barrier around the outer perimeter," Great Sage added.
Shigure smiled.
Perfect. Begin calculations.
Great Sage:
"Calculating…"
Meanwhile, throughout the Village, people whispered anxiously about the Mizukage's serious injuries. If their leader fell, the blow to the Village would be immense.
But soon a shocking announcement spread like wildfire—
The Elder had appointed Minazuki Shigure as Acting Mizukage.
The name "Minazuki Shigure" echoed everywhere.
The young shinobi brought back by the Mizukage had triggered major changes in mere days.
"He's fully capable of being Mizukage!"
"I saw him at the port yesterday—his power stirred the entire sea! That strength is beyond question!"
"But… isn't he too young?"
"I heard he's only twelve!"
"Twelve? No way! He looks at least fifteen!"
As villagers debated—
A ray of sunlight broke through the sky.
People lifted their heads.
Clear skies—over Kirigakure?
Impossible. Just moments ago, the mist was suffocatingly thick.
And yet now… sunlight shone upon the Village.
Only the sea-bound outskirts remained shrouded in mist—an unnatural yet intriguing change.
Inside the office, Shigure slowly opened his eyes.
"Good. The outer mist barrier now has detection functions. If anyone enters, I'll know immediately."
Just like Konoha's barrier corps…
This new technique—Water Release: Water Mist Barrier—sensed any life form within the mist and provided basic information about them.
A defensive system for the entire Village.
Shigure immediately formed a dedicated unit—
The Hidden Mist Barrier Squad.
With the first task complete, he moved on to paperwork.
Assisting him today was Ameyuri Ringo—not Ao.
Ao was still employed but re-assigned to document screening and first-stage processing to reduce Shigure's workload.
Ao's reassignment had been unexpected. While Shigure handled key decisions and major policies himself, Ao now processed minor village affairs and approved them independently. It eased the Acting Mizukage's workload considerably — otherwise Shigure might drown in paperwork on his very first day.
And surprisingly… Ao found that having even a portion of Mizukage authority felt rather nice.
He suddenly felt that Shigure becoming Mizukage wasn't bad at all.
Meanwhile, news of the sudden leadership shift was already spreading beyond Kirigakure. Intelligence operatives from each Hidden Village reported the development with utmost urgency.
Konohagakure — Hokage's Office
Tsunade stared at the report in disbelief.
"Acting Mizukage? Already?!"
She had only taken office recently… yet that kid had already become the leader of another Great Village?
Jiraiya walked in just as she spoke, reading her expression instantly.
"So you heard? Shigure has been named Acting Mizukage of Kirigakure."
"I just saw the intel." Tsunade exhaled slowly.
Jiraiya rubbed his chin, half-impressed and half-bewildered.
"I always believed he would reach that position someday… but I didn't expect someday to mean right now."
"He's not officially Mizukage," Tsunade corrected out of habit.
"He's just acting."
Jiraiya gave her a look.
Acting? That was just semantics. In reality… he was already leading the Village.
The two Sannin shared a glance — silent acknowledgment passing between them.
Twelve years old.
Already a Kage-level shinobi.
And his potential was still accelerating.
A chill ran down Tsunade's spine.
If this continued…
Perhaps the future of the shinobi world would no longer revolve around Konoha.
It might revolve around Shigure.
...
TN:
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