A flicker passed through Chiba's eyes, and soon a faint smile curved his lips. The two crises facing Kirigakure were clear: the rebel forces led by Zabuza Momochi, and the disappearance of Utakata, the Rokubi Jinchūriki. Without question, these were the issues placing the greatest strain on the village. To use these crises as a trial for becoming Mizukage, Elder Genji had proven himself as calculating as ever. In plain terms, he was forcing every candidate who aspired to the Mizukage seat to resolve these disasters by any means necessary. It was an open challenge-but one impossible to refuse.
Genji's gaze swept across the hall. "Does anyone have a differing opinion?" The assembled elders shook their heads in silence. "Very well," he continued calmly. "Then it is decided. Not merely the Elder Council, no-the entire Hidden Mist Village, every civilian and every shinobi of the Land of Water, will bear witness. There is no method more fair, more just, or more transparent than this. Whether it is Mei Terumi, Clan Head Chiba, or any other who seeks to become the next Mizukage… go. Complete these two trials." His voice echoed through the chamber, heavy with finality.
And just like that, the future of Kirigakure, the fate of the Land of Water, and the coming storm surrounding the Mizukage seat were all decided in a single moment.
After leaving the Elder Council hall, mist drifted lazily through the stone corridors of Kirigakure. Chiba and Mei Terumi walked side by side in silence, the echoes of Genji's decision still lingering in the air. Mei was the first to break the quiet. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her tone deliberately casual.
"Chiba," she asked softly, "what are you planning to do?"
Chiba smiled, unhurried, as if the weight of becoming Mizukage had not just been placed upon him. "We're competitors now," he said lightly. "Asking that… are you trying to cheat?"
Mei laughed, a short, airy sound. "And if I say I am?" she replied, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Would you help me?"
Chiba felt his heartbeat stir. So she had learned how to act cute… but trying that on him? He almost laughed. She was still far from his level. He smiled calmly. "That depends."
Mei stopped walking, eyes widening. "Depends on what?" she pressed. "Don't tell me… you really would help me?"
Chiba leaned slightly closer, his tone unhurried, almost intimate. "Of course," he said. "If you and I were family… then there'd be no need to draw lines between us."
For a heartbeat, Mei froze. Then understanding dawned. Heat rushed to her face, crimson blooming across her cheeks and creeping down to her ears. She reacted instinctively, striking his arm lightly. "You're talking nonsense again!"
"I'm very sincere," Chiba replied, utterly unfazed. That calm confidence was unbearable.
Unable to endure his teasing any longer, Mei spun on her heel. "Enough! I'm not talking to you anymore! And don't think I'll go easy on you!" She stopped for half a breath, then declared, "The Mizukage's seat, I will take it!"
After delivering her declaration of war, her neck burning red, she fled down the corridor without looking back. Chiba watched her retreating figure disappear into the mist, a faint smile tugging at his lips. If you'd really said the word… I might have agreed. You become the Mizukage. I'll become the Mizukage's man.
He shook his head sharply, cutting off the stray thought. This was not the time. What mattered now were the two trials placed before him. He had spoken boldly in the council, openly declaring his ambition. Strength? He had more than enough. What he lacked was prestige.
Footsteps approached from behind. Mangetsu Hōzuki caught up to him, his expression serious. "Lord Chiba," he said, "how do you intend to proceed? Both the rebel army and the Rokubi Jinchūriki situation are extremely troublesome."
"One thing at a time," Chiba replied calmly, already shifting back into strategy. "I need all intelligence regarding the rebels. You should have it, right?"
Mangetsu nodded without hesitation. Once among Kirigakure's upper leadership, trusted by Elder Genji and the council alike, he was the greatest genius of the current Hōzuki Clan. The Hōzuki were the bloodline of the Second Mizukage, and Mangetsu's insight and skill were second to none.
Chiba's gaze swept ahead, already plotting. The first trial, the rebel forces, would be a test of strategy and resolve. The second, the missing Rokubi Jinchūriki, would demand foresight and power. These trials were no longer theoretical-they were the battlefield upon which the future Mizukage would be forged.
In Konoha terms, the Hōzuki Clan was equivalent to the Senju Clan, though even the Senju had ultimately been worn down by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Chiba's gaze swept over the maps and intelligence reports spread before him. "Good," he said calmly. "Bring me everything."
After a brief pause, as if the thought had just occurred to him, he added casually, "You have a younger brother, don't you?"
Mangetsu halted mid-step, confusion flickering across his face. "…Yes," he answered after a moment. "His name is Suigetsu."
Chiba's faint smile carried a weight beyond words. "Keep an eye on him," he said simply. "Don't let him run off."
Mangetsu frowned slightly, unable to grasp the full meaning behind the instruction, but he nodded.
Soon after, using the intelligence Mangetsu provided, Chiba gained a complete picture of the rebel forces. Zabuza Momochi currently stood as their leader, but the reality was far more complicated. During the long years of the Bloody Mist era, rebellions had sprung up endlessly, like weeds after rain. Zabuza's true achievement was not creating a force, but unifying it. To overthrow the Yondaime Mizukage, he had abandoned all restraint: assassinations, sabotage, and collaborations with external forces, including non-shinobi organizations like Gatō's criminal syndicate. Many of his followers were mere civilians, but armed, organized, and desperate, they still posed a serious threat.
In Chiba's eyes, however, they were nothing more than a rabble. The true challenge was not eliminating them-it was drawing every last one into the open and erasing them completely, once and for all.
Looking up from the intelligence scrolls, Chiba asked, "What about the others?"
Mangetsu understood immediately. "Mei Terumi is also preparing to eliminate Zabuza's rebel forces," he said. "She has strong backing from Ao, Bi, and others. Fuguki Suikazan is supported by Kisame Hoshigaki and his former subordinates, and he is targeting Zabuza as well. Elder Genji has dispatched Gonbei and Chūki, two veteran jōnin, to oversee the trial. They're waiting for the final outcome."
Chiba lifted his gaze and studied Mangetsu quietly for a moment. Then, a faint smile curved his lips. "Originally," he said softly, "you should have been qualified to compete for the Mizukage seat as well. After all, you're a descendant of the Hōzuki Clan… and a genius once hailed as a prodigy."
Mangetsu's expression changed instantly, a mixture of surprise, pride, and the shadow of old regrets passing across his features.