The Mizukage's council chamber was sealed.
Mist pressed against the walls, thick enough to blur the lantern light. The First Mizukage sat at the head of the table, hands resting calmly before him. Around him stood senior advisers and military officials, faces grim.
"The two swordsmen are confirmed dead," an intelligence officer reported. "Their chakra signatures vanished inside Uzushiogakure. No survivors. No bodies returned."
Silence followed.
An elder broke it first. "Uzushio will claim self-defence."
"They always do, but," the Mizukage replied.
He stood.
"Now is the golden opportunity to wipe those fcking red heads," he continued. "We accuse them of murdering our people when they were just there for sight seeing."
Several heads turned.
"Our statement will be simple," the Mizukage said. "Two Kirigakure shinobi were lost during a reconnaissance near disputed waters. Uzushio murdered them without second thought."
He turned toward the far wall, where a map of the seas lay carved into stone.
"We will then send envoys," he said.
The elder nodded. "Our demands?"
The Mizukage did not hesitate.
"First," he said, "the individual responsible for the killings is to be handed over to Kirigakure for judgment."
A pause.
"Second," he continued, "Uzushio will pay one hundred million ryō as compensation for the loss of our men."
Murmurs spread through the chamber.
"They will never agree," someone said quietly.
"That is the point, that is what we want," the Mizukage replied.
He turned back to them, eyes cold.
"And if they appeal to Konoha?" an adviser asked.
The Mizukage's gaze hardened.
"Hashirama is dead," he said. "Tobirama can't provide much support because of the tension rising there between other villagers. By the time he decides, blood will already be spilled."
The room went quiet.
"Prepare the envoy," the Mizukage ordered. "And ready the fleets."
He sat back down.
In his mind, Mizukage had already witnessed the destruction of Uzushio
Outside the chamber, the mist thickened.
The path to war had been chosen.....
After a few days, they got the answer they wanted.
The envoy returned from Uzushio.
And they got what they wanted.
The envoy relayed that, "Uzumaki had refused to give compensation, and they said that they don't fear the war."
Gengetsu Hōzuki, the Second Mizukage who had been appointed by Byakuren, the First Mizukage, years ago, lit up with a wide grin. "Relay this to all the shinobi of the Mist," he declared. "We are going to war!!
In uzushiogakure
The council chamber of Uzushiogakure
The Mist envoy had already left.
Their declaration remained.
Kirigakure had declared war on Uzushiogakure .
The Uzumaki clan head sat at the head of the table, expression calm but firm. Around him were elders, jonin commanders, and sealing masters. Malenia tall figure stood slightly behind him, arms at her sides, posture straight and unmoving.
"They demanded the executioner be handed over," an elder said flatly."And one hundred million ryō."
No one was surprised.
"They just wanted a war," another elder said. "This was never negotiation."
The clan head nodded. "If the mist asks for war, then we give them a war."
He turned slightly.
"Malenia."
She met his gaze.
"You encountered the infiltrators?"
"Yes," she answered simply. "I killed them."
clan head nodded and said, "It wasn't your fault."
"Then we stand by it," he said. "Uzushio does not surrender its people."
He turned back to the table.
"Strategy," he said.
A jonin commander stepped forward. "Mist will move by sea first. Naval pressure. Probe our outer rings. They won't rush the island, and they dare not use tail beast against us."
"They fear our seals," an elder added.
The clan head tapped the table lightly.
"Activate layered containment along the coast," he ordered. "Let them land where we choose and be on guard, in desperation; they might even use tail beast."
"Sealing traps?" a commander asked.
"Not traps," the clan head corrected. "space distortion."
He looked around the chamber.
"We do not chase them into the water. We let them come. We break their formations. We isolate their elites."
His gaze shifted briefly to Malenia.
"Close combat units will operate in pairs," he continued. "You will take them to fight mist shinobi. No lone engagements unless authorised."
Malenia did not react.
An elder frowned slightly. "And Konoha?"
The room stilled.
"We inform them," the clan head said. "They send reinforcements or not, it doesn't matter ."
A pause.
"Tobirama Senju will decide how far he is willing to go," he added. "We prepare as if he does nothing."
No one objected.
Uzushio had survived by relying on itself.
The clan head straightened.
"This war will not be quick," he said. "Mist believes our strength lies solely in seals."
"Then", Malenia's ice-cold voice whispered, "They will learn otherwise."
The council rose as one.
Outside, the sea quietly churned against the island's stone walls.
...........
5 comments on this for extra Bonus chapter