Hi, this is Emperor.
Here is the bonus chapter, as promised. For every 50 Power Stones, more bonus chapters will be released on both Webnovel and Patreon.
I will also release one extra chapter beyond what was promised on Patreon later on, but I need a bit more time to work on it properly. (https://www.patreon.com/c/ImmortalEmperor)
Thank you all for the support!
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Pakura stared at the faint smile on Chiba's face, her mind momentarily going blank, as if someone who had been drowning for far too long had finally been offered a hand above the surface. For a brief moment, an almost absurd thought crossed her mind,does this mean I might actually live? Yet the bitterness lodged deep in her heart refused to dissipate so easily. She had been utterly loyal to Sunagakure, burning her life and talent for the village without hesitation, only to be repaid with betrayal at the hands of the very people she had protected. If Sunagakure could abandon her so cleanly, then what guarantee did Kirigakure truly offer?
Chiba watched her in silence, her hesitation written plainly across her expression. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm, unhurried, and devoid of empty persuasion. "First," he said evenly, "Kirigakure and Sunagakure are not fundamentally different. Villages exist for the sake of their nations, and shinobi are often treated as tools." His eyes sharpened slightly. "But I am not the same as the Kazekage, Rasa."
He continued before Pakura could interrupt, each point laid out with deliberate clarity. "Second, you already know what happens to those I choose to recruit. Momochi Zabuza was once branded a traitor and hunted by Kirigakure itself, yet under my rule, he was reinstated and entrusted with real authority." His gaze remained steady. "And third, even setting ideals aside, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, I am in urgent need of powerful and capable shinobi. Someone like you is not expendable to me,you are valuable."
Pakura's heart shook violently. Momochi Zabuza,the Demon of the Mist, a man whose name alone inspired fear,had been given a second chance and genuine authority. That single example carried more weight than any promise or oath. Slowly, she lowered her head, her fingers curling tightly into her palms as she struggled to suppress the storm of emotions within her. "…If I follow you," she asked quietly, her voice strained but steady, "what exactly will I become?"
Chiba answered without hesitation, his voice firm yet controlled. "You will become Pakura of Kirigakure. Not a disposable sacrifice. Not a bargaining chip to be traded away when convenient. You will be a shinobi whose strength and existence are both recognized and respected."
Pakura closed her eyes. For the first time since stepping into the Land of Water, the dam inside her finally broke. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, carrying with them years of loyalty, resentment, and despair. After a long pause, she opened her eyes again, resolve replacing hesitation. "…Very well," she said softly. "From today onward, I entrust my life to you, Lord Mizukage."
Chiba smiled faintly. "Then welcome," he replied, "to Kirigakure."
…
"Yondaime…"
"…Do you really have any other choice?"
The words echoed in Pakura's mind. She froze, realizing that Chiba had seen through her completely from the very beginning. More importantly, she truly had no path left behind her,Sunagakure had already severed that road with its own hands. Slowly, she nodded in acceptance. At that moment, the pain she had been forcibly suppressing surged through her body, and her legs finally gave out as she dropped to her knees.
"Lord Mizukage…"
Chiba stepped forward and caught her before she collapsed completely. With practiced ease, he performed a hemostatic ninjutsu, sealing the bleeding wound on her back in a clean, efficient motion.
"Th-thank you, Lord Mizukage…" Pakura murmured, clearly unaccustomed to this treatment,especially from a Mizukage.
"That's enough," Chiba said calmly, patting her shoulder. "From the moment you chose Kirigakure, you became one of us." He turned slightly. "ANBU, escort her back and ensure she receives proper treatment and rest."
"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"
Under tight protection, Pakura was escorted toward Kirigakure to recover. Before leaving, she turned her head one last time and looked at Chiba, a faint but genuine smile finally forming on her lips. Chiba returned the gesture quietly.
...
With Pakura's successful recruitment, Kirigakure gained yet another powerful pillar. Unsurprisingly, the news reached Rasa with astonishing speed,and his reaction was nothing short of explosive. Killing Pakura would have been one matter, but having her recruited by another village was an entirely different humiliation. Chiba's actions struck directly at Rasa's authority and pride. Within Sunagakure, murmurs of doubt spread rapidly, shinobi openly questioning the Kazekage's judgment. Selling one of the village's heroes to an enemy village for a fragile, short-lived alliance had shattered morale.
What made matters worse was that the concession had achieved nothing. Pakura had not only survived, but had completely severed her loyalty to Sunagakure and pledged herself to Kirigakure's rising Mizukage. From that moment on, cracks began to form in Rasa's rule. Across the shinobi world, he became a living embarrassment. Yet despite his rage, Rasa could do nothing,Sunagakure was already locked in a brutal war with Iwagakure and lacked the strength to provoke another great nation. For a time, he was trapped between internal unrest and external pressure, powerless to respond.
The shinobi world itself was far from peaceful. Iwagakure and Sunagakure were locked in open conflict, while Konohagakure stood on the edge of one of its darkest nights,the impending Uchiha Clan massacre. An oppressive tension suffocated the village. At the top of Konoha's power structure, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane watched the Uchiha with open suspicion and hostility. Within the clan, Uchiha Fugaku still hesitated, but among the clan members, rebellion was already simmering uncontrollably. At the center stood Uchiha Itachi, walking a razor's edge as a double agent, torn between village and blood.
Only Kumogakure enjoyed relative stability. After the Sandaime Raikage's glorious death in battle, the Yondaime Raikage ascended to power, supported by his brother, the Hachibi Jinchūriki Killer B, as well as Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. With such overwhelming strength, Kumogakure stood as the most militarily dominant and politically stable village, observing the chaos of the shinobi world like a patient predator.
It was precisely because every great nation was drowning in its own crisis that Kirigakure, under Chiba's leadership, was granted the precious time needed to rise at a terrifying pace.
Of course, there was one exception.
...
Deep underground, within a hidden base completely severed from the outside world, a masked man moved forward through the darkness, his footsteps unhurried yet carrying an oppressive weight that seemed to press against the stone itself. The dim light barely touched his figure, but the aura he exuded was unmistakable,cold, restrained, and suffocating. Trailing closely behind him was a strange existence known as Zetsu, its presence oddly casual in contrast to the tension filling the space.
"So Kirigakure has a new Mizukage now," Zetsu remarked, its tone laced with amusement as a low chuckle echoed faintly through the cavern. "Looks like the Yagura you were controlling with genjutsu is finally dead."
The masked man did not slow his pace, nor did his posture change in the slightest. "Yagura Karatachi was nothing more than a disposable pawn," he replied flatly, his voice devoid of warmth. "The Bloody Mist, the chaos, the suffering,all of it served its purpose. That is all."
Zetsu tilted its head, its grin widening into something unsettling. "A pawn?" it echoed. "I thought it was revenge. After all, the woman you loved most died at the hands of Kirigakure's shinobi, didn't she?"
The masked man stopped.
The silence that followed was absolute, heavy enough to suffocate. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his head. From beneath the mask, a single eye emerged from the shadows, its gaze locking onto Zetsu with a killing intent so sharp it felt tangible, as if it could slice through flesh and bone alike. For a brief moment, the carefully restrained storm beneath his calm threatened to surface.
"Careful," he said quietly. His voice was low, controlled,but beneath that control lurked something twisted and dangerous. "You're crossing a line."
Zetsu laughed softly, utterly unfazed, as if it had expected no other reaction. "Alright, alright. I'll drop it." Its tone shifted, becoming almost conversational. "Still, this new Mizukage seems… troublesome. People say he's frighteningly capable. And Kirigakure now holds two bijū as well. You're not worried he might interfere with the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
For a moment, the masked man remained silent. Then, when he spoke again, his voice had lost even the faint trace of emotion it once carried, replaced by something colder,calculated, deliberate, and deeply unsettling. "Interfere?" he said slowly. "On the contrary. Such figures are often the most useful."
He resumed walking, his cloak brushing softly against the stone floor. "Power breeds ambition. Ambition breeds blind spots." His eye narrowed beneath the mask. "Chiba believes that sitting upon the Mizukage's throne makes him secure, that authority and strength grant him control over his fate."
A low chuckle escaped from beneath the mask, distorted and ominous, reverberating through the underground chamber.
"He'll learn soon enough," the masked man continued, his tone dripping with quiet certainty, "that every throne can be overturned."