Chapter 250: The Shark-Faced Guy
After inquiring carefully, Masahiko showed an expression of "living long enough to see everything."
Because he rarely paid attention to the Hidden Mist Village's situation, Masahiko really didn't know that their past Mizukages were chosen entirely based on strength.
"So, the current tournament is to fight for the position of the Fourth Mizukage."
The young man opposite him curled his lips. "The few top ninja lords refuse to submit to each other, so they agreed to hold a tournament. The winner becomes the Fourth Mizukage."
Masahiko nodded. Watching the innkeeper serve a plate of sashimi, he directly placed the Fat Cat on the table, letting it eat as it pleased.
Masahiko was still more accustomed to eating meat. He had brought quite a bit in his scroll and would eat it later.
The young man opposite was unwilling, however. An average person wouldn't want to share a table with a fat cat. "Uncle, this cat of yours..."
"It's fine, it only eats fish. It won't steal your food."
Is that the point?! the young man shouted in his heart.
"You eat yours, it eats its own, there's no interference." Masahiko smiled warmly. "Tell me more about the Mizukage tournament. I'm quite interested. Who's participating?"
The young man's expression changed several times. An inexplicable sense of oppression appeared in his heart, and two drops of cold sweat slid down his forehead. He lowered his voice, "Uncle, you wouldn't happen to be a ninja from another village, would you?"
"I am," Masahiko admitted directly. "What, want to turn me in?"
The young man slumped down and smiled bitterly. "What's the use of turning you in? Just based on what I told you, it's enough for the ninja lords to arrest me."
After pondering for a moment, he shook his head in pain. "Uncle, do the ninjas from your village also bring cats when they go out on missions?"
"Only I bring one. Consider yourself unlucky."
The young man sighed. "The Mizukage contest..."
Having only said a few words, the young man suddenly shoved the table toward Masahiko, jumped up, and rushed out. "Help! There's an enemy spy here!"
After running two steps, he looked back. Masahiko was still sitting there, smiling warmly at him, the table completely unmoved.
In the next instant, he was sitting back across from Masahiko, hearing Masahiko warmly say, "Tell me more about the Mizukage tournament. I'm quite interested. Who's participating?"
The exact same scene, coupled with the completely normal behavior of the other customers in the inn, told him that struggling was useless.
The Fat Cat had already crossed the boundary and started ruining his food, but he was in no mood to care. He only felt that his luck was absolutely terrible.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly said, "I'm just a civilian. How could I know so much? I only know that several lords from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are participating, and the tournament is in three days."
Masahiko nodded. "What about the others? Kaguya? Minazuki?"
The other party looked surprised. "How could those damn Kekkei Genkai ninjas possibly join the fight for the Fourth Mizukage?"
"Damn Kekkei Genkai ninjas?" Masahiko frowned, suddenly remembering that the Hidden Mist's title of the "Blood Mist Village" seemed to stem from their cruel ninja graduation exams and the persecution of Kekkei Genkai ninjas.
"Yes, it's those damn Kekkei Genkai clans. Back then, they instigated the village to attack the Land of Whirlpools, resulting in heavy casualties. The hundred or so prisoners ransomed back from the Land of Whirlpools forced the Third Mizukage to initiate a brutal purge, causing the village's combat power to drop again and again."
Masahiko didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This actually involved the Land of Whirlpools. It seemed the prisoners he sold back back then had caused quite a bit of trouble for the Hidden Mist Village.
Chinese characters suddenly flashed before his eyes: "Witnessed and drastically changed the Naruto World side story: Village of the Blood Mist. Obtained 10 (8) Witness Points."
Masahiko was stunned, almost laughing out loud. This was truly an unexpected harvest.
"So, in the current Hidden Mist Village, the Kekkei Genkai clans are all being ostracized?"
The young man shook his head. "The lords of the Hozuki clan aren't like that. Back then, they strongly opposed going to war."
Masahiko recalled a bit. Indeed, there was no sign of the Hozuki clan among the Hidden Mist ninjas who came to attack the Land of Whirlpools back then.
Looking at the Fat Cat on the table, which had eaten and drank its fill, Masahiko scooped it up into his arms, turned, and stood up. "Boss, give me a room."
"Right away! Please head upstairs."
After Masahiko went upstairs, the young man spaced out for a moment. "Was there someone sitting across from me just now?"
Looking down, the food had been completely eaten. "Did I finish eating? But why am I not full?"
Masahiko entered the room led by the boss, smiling and shaking his head. "Fat Cat, your appetite has grown again."
"Meow~"
For the next three days, Masahiko wasn't in a hurry to act. Instead, he truly embodied a civilian coming to issue a mission, spending all his days lounging in the inn, chatting with the passing merchants and civilians.
The Witness Points he obtained earlier reminded him that the inauguration of the Fourth Mizukage would also bring him quite a few Witness Points.
"It probably won't be Yagura."
Masahiko remembered that in the original story, Yagura became the Three-Tails Jinchuriki after Rin's death, and subsequently became the Fourth Mizukage. The current Three-Tails was still "wild." Masahiko didn't think the currently young Yagura would have the strength to become the Fourth Mizukage.
"A complete change—shouldn't that give me at least eighty to a hundred Witness Points?" Masahiko muttered to himself.
"Uncle Ashura, are you really going to watch the ninja lords' tournament?"
The speaker was a boy, a kid Masahiko had just met over the past two days...
"That's right, I'm going to take a look," Masahiko said with a smile.
"I want to go too, but my father doesn't agree..."
Indeed, this tournament was completely public, but no one would protect the audience. This was the Hidden Mist Village's style of doing things.
Wanting to watch was fine, but if you didn't have a certain level of strength and ended up dead, you couldn't blame anyone else.
"You still have plenty of chances. When you grow up, you can go watch the fight for the Fifth Mizukage. If this uncle doesn't go this time, there might not be another chance."
"Mm!"
Masahiko didn't say anything like "I'll take you." He was keeping a low profile, both in conduct and in action.
The exterior of the tournament venue looked like a giant pot lid slammed onto the ground. Aside from a single entrance, it was completely sealed. Rumor had it that the Hidden Mist Village's ninja academy graduation exam was held here. The graduates of the same year would be locked inside for a day, and only the students with the highest number of kills could graduate.
Under the guard ninjas' gazes—as if looking at a dead man—Masahiko walked in hugging the Fat Cat. Although the tournament hadn't started yet, there were already quite a few ninjas inside. However, it wasn't noisy; they were all cold and ruthless ninjas.
After Masahiko entered, almost everyone's gaze focused on him... or rather, on the Fat Cat in his arms.
Gently patting to soothe the Fat Cat, Masahiko walked toward the spectator area.
"Huh? An acquaintance?" Masahiko was stunned, then smiled and walked to the side.
In front of the acquaintance was a rather familiar-looking fat guy. He was one of the remaining Ninja Sword... Trio, Fuguki Suikazan.
Shark-Faced Guy, it's been a long time. I've missed you to death! Masahiko muttered inwardly.
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