Chapter 202: The Hokage Pacifies the Waters, Sovereignty and Legal Legitimacy Fall Into Hand
Gengetsu Hozuki descended into absolute, unadulterated fury.
He had contemplated the probability that Kitori would execute some bizarre operational missteps upon returning to the village.
For instance, failing to organize a coherent reserve brigade, running logistics into the ground, or triggering localized factional friction.
In Gengetsu's assessment, Kitori was an absolute amateur when it came to command logistics, but as an executive bearing the title of "Kage," there were baseline administrative duties one was obligated to uphold.
Even if the execution was sloppy, the mandate still demanded effort.
"Hey! Tobirama Senju, do you read me?!"
"Testing, testing!"
Gengetsu channeled his chakra, slamming his palm repeatedly against the White Zetsu communications module grafted to his torso:
"It is I, the Second Mizukage! I demand authorization to execute the Third Mizukage on the spot!"
"I yield! Kirigakure and I concede the loss! Can we not negotiate an indemnities package to compensate Konoha instead?!"
Regarding Madara Uchiha's operational directive to apply tactical pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi...
Gengetsu now viewed the entire premise as a monumental, cosmic joke.
Apply pressure?
To whom? To Kirigakure, or to Hiruzen Sarutobi?
When the Third Mizukage fled back to the archipelago, he discovered that aside from a handful of die-hard loyalists, the overwhelming majority of the Mist shinobi were simmering with unprecedented, mutinous rage.
The entire village was a high-pressure boiler on the verge of catastrophic structural failure.
The Mizukage's entire ideological credit rating had defaulted.
The only reason the rank-and-file had tolerated the brutality of the Blood Mist Protocol was the underlying assumption that this cannibalistic crucible was refining them into the most lethal combat unit on the continent.
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had completely shattered that delusion in a matter of minutes.
From the Third Mizukage's distorted perspective, even Kimimaro—the asset he had trusted most—had stepped forward to raise an explicit operational query:
Did you not assure us that the Blood Mist Protocol would elevate Kirigakure's market position?
It was a calm, measured inquiry, yet it left the Third Mizukage utterly cornered, stripped of all rhetorical defense.
Under the suffocating weight of universal condemnation, his moral framework and executive resolve suffered a total, irreversible collapse.
In a fit of psychotic rage, the Third Mizukage ransacked the village archives, looting the majority of Kirigakure's secret scrolls and forbidden jutsu, before unleashing high-yield Water Release techniques to physically demolish his own hidden village!
Those treasonous ingrates simply failed to appreciate his executive sacrifices!
Even if the Blood Mist had failed its performance milestones, had his foundational intent not been the prosperity of the village?
Why could they not extend him basic institutional empathy?!
Drowning in extreme emotional volatility, the Third Mizukage discarded the final shreds of his dignity as a Kage, fabricating a self-serving narrative that because he was betrayed, his descent into villainy was entirely justified. Taking Elder Genji, Fuguki Suikazan, and a small detachment of loyalists, he began raiding across the Land of Water, devolving into an armed bandit cartel.
Had the Daimyo's capital not maintained an elite garrison of guardian shinobi—raising the risk that an extended siege would pin him down until Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived—the Third Mizukage would have slaughtered the feudal lord without hesitation.
His objective had been to plunge the entire nation into total structural anarchy, manufacturing a physical quarantine zone of chaos.
Yet even without liquidating the Daimyo, the collapse of civil order was already absolute following the destruction of the hidden village.
The accumulated trauma of the populace detonated. Stripped of centralized governance, the village splintered into competing factions that pillaged the countryside. One of the Five Great Hidden Villages had disintegrated into scattered syndicates of rogue mercenaries.
"Hello..."
"Lord Gengetsu, this is A-Huo..."
"Lord Tobirama is currently preoccupied with high-priority business. He will return your call at a later time. Please proceed according to the original roadmap..."
After Gengetsu spent hours hailing the network, A-Huo finally picked up the frequency, delivering an unhurried, automated brush-off.
In truth, Madara was currently replaying tactical footage of Hiruzen Sarutobi tearing across the battlefield in his youthful war armor, basking in nostalgic memories of his youth, and had zero bandwidth to entertain Gengetsu Hozuki.
"Execute what according to the original roadmap?! Ambush Hiruzen Sarutobi?!"
Gengetsu nearly suffered a cognitive rupture:
"Aren't you his lineage mentor?! Brother Tobirama, I am begging you on my knees, cease this psychological torment of Kirigakure! The war was entirely Kitori's fault; I will go terminate his contract right now!"
"Now, now, you are always so obsessed with liquidation..."
A-Huo deflected smoothly:
"Lord Tobirama has competing project deliverables. If you currently lack operational assignments, simply execute a standard stand-down and await further notification..."
"Wait a minute..."
"I am an Edo Tensei chassis integrated with puppet hardware!"
Gengetsu cursed at the top of his lungs: "What operational need do I have to rest?!"
The communications link severed with a dull click, leaving him shouting into dead air.
"What in the world is Tobirama Senju calculating?"
Gengetsu clutched his temples, turning toward Mu:
"I cannot decompile the strategy. Kirigakure is already a bankrupt ruin; why doesn't Konoha simply deploy an occupation force and execute a hostile administrative takeover? What possible ROI is there in me ambushing Hiruzen Sarutobi right now?"
Mu remained locked in deep contemplation, his eyes narrowing behind his linen wrappings.
He seemed to have caught the faint scent of the grand design, though he hesitated to confirm it.
"When confronted with a complex audit, you fall silent as well, don't you?"
Gengetsu harbored an overwhelming urge to march directly to Hiruzen's command post and lay all his cards on the table.
Yet his physical hardware was tethered to Madara's overarching control; while he enjoyed tactical autonomy within the bounds of his mission parameters, attempting a direct breach of Madara's underlying intent would lock his joints in complete motor paralysis.
"Your previous analysis regarding his moral degradation was entirely accurate."
"Kitori has devolved into an irredeemable piece of toxic waste..."
Gengetsu seized Mu's shoulder with enough kinetic force to threaten the structural stitching of the Tsuchikage's bandages:
"Say something! You pride yourself on high-level statecraft, don't you? Pitch an operational solution!"
Mu stared at him with total deadpan exhaustion.
Have you forgotten that we are mortal enemies who mutually liquidated each other?
Why would I, a Tsuchikage, draft an administrative recovery plan for Kirigakure?
"Wait! You wretched mummy, you were the one who baited me into letting Kitori escape earlier! If you hadn't deployed that Great Moving Earth Core barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have terminated him on the coastline!"
Gengetsu glared at Mu, shouting: "I should liquidate you right here!"
"Must I audit the transcript of your own statements back to you?"
Mu rolled his eyes behind his wrappings: "We are reanimated chassis. If you calculate you possess the kinetic capacity to terminate me, by all means, initiate the attack."
Gengetsu inhaled sharply, his internal pressure threatening to detonate like his Steaming Danger Tyranny.
Mu's smug, unmovable disposition was an exact carbon copy of Tobirama Senju; it was infuriating beyond measure.
"Just you wait!"
"Do you calculate Tobirama Senju will grant Iwagakure clemency? If you refuse to support me, the moment he deploys me against your village, I will ensure your homeland experiences maximum kinetic misery!" Gengetsu hissed, grinding his teeth.
"You wouldn't dare."
"What wouldn't I dare? Take up your grievances with Tobirama Senju!"
The two ancient Kage stood forehead to forehead, trading furious, muffled shouts, before finally snorting in unison and breaking apart.
"Kitori's strategic objective is to reduce Kirigakure and the Land of Water into an unmanageable, asymmetric quagmire worse than the Warring States era, burning the territory to ensure it holds zero strategic value."
"Konoha is currently managing a multi-front theater war. Under extreme logistical tension, Hiruzen Sarutobi must inevitably prioritize domestic defense over foreign occupation..."
"Under those conditions, Kitori secures his own survival. Given his mastery over Water Release, if he chooses to submerge himself in the deep ocean, tracking him down without a massive, dedicated sensory fleet is virtually impossible. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi cannot execute that search alone..."
Backed into a corner by Gengetsu's threats, Mu methodically laid out the geopolitical analysis.
He knew Gengetsu was insane enough to carry out his word; back in their living days, the man had willingly triggered a suicide mutual-kill over a tactical dispute.
If Tobirama Senju eventually directed their unit toward Iwagakure, Gengetsu would undoubtedly volunteer for the vanguard, dropping Steaming Danger Tyranny directly into the Stone's formations without a second thought.
The man had a verified historical precedent for it.
Yet Mu also knew that Gengetsu was an executive who adhered strictly to his personal word.
Providing him with strategic analysis today bought an insurance policy to ensure that if they were deployed against Iwagakure tomorrow, Gengetsu would pull his punches.
"Therefore, executing Kitori right now yields zero strategic return. The Hokage will not accept an asset that functions as a bottomless fiscal sinkhole; the administrative overhead required to pacify this ruin is astronomical."
"Just as you and I historically prioritized raiding liquid assets rather than occupying territory, there exists a massive chasm between winning a kinetic engagement and executing an administrative annexation. The human capital expenditure is suffocating."
Mu's voice remained calm and detached:
"Kitori may be unhinged, but his operational cruelty is undeniably effective. He didn't merely displace the civilian populace; he executed local administrators and feudal nobility across his path, creating systemic administrative paralysis across every sector..."
"With Konoha waging a four-front war, and with the relationship between shinobi and nobility historically operating under delicate boundaries, Hiruzen cannot spare the administrative bandwidth to rebuild a shattered Land of Water from scratch..."
Gengetsu's chest ached with profound, bitter grief.
"In other words... Kirigakure... no, the entire Land of Water is destined to regress into the barbaric chaos of the Warring States? While that rat Kitori hides in the sewers, completely immune to justice?"
"That is the most probable trajectory," Mu nodded solemnly.
Despite his historical rivalry with the Mist, witnessing the total collapse of civil order stirred an uncomfortable empathy within him.
Partly out of baseline humanitarian dignity, and partly because Iwagakure was inevitably flagged on Tobirama's hit-list.
The sheer, chilling cruelty of the operational design left Mu deeply shaken.
With a flick of his wrist, Tobirama had reduced Kirigakure into an ungovernable wasteland worse than the pre-village era, while preserving Konoha's pristine public relations profile. To external auditors, it appeared entirely as if the Third Mizukage had simply detonated his own village in a fit of madness.
What a terrifying deployment of the First Darkness of the Shinobi.
Gengetsu lowered his head, his gaze turning hollow:
"I must find a way to contribute what little leverage I possess to safeguard the people of this land..."
"Conserve your energy. If your cover is blown, do you genuinely believe Tobirama Senju will stay his hand? Do not operate under the delusion that we have hit the floor; he commands infinite reserves of malice..."
Mu let out a weary sigh.
Gengetsu's shoulders slumped, his eyes dimming: "Kirigakure... how did our enterprise collapse into such absolute ruin?!"
Yet two weeks later.
Gengetsu Hozuki and Mu, still conducting covert reconnaissance across the archipelago, were paralyzed by an intelligence anomaly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not executed a strategic withdrawal.
On the contrary, he had mobilized an immense deployment of civilian bureaucrats, structural engineers, and humanitarian relief convoys directly into the Land of Water.
Upon encountering civilian refugees displaced by Kitori's rampage, Hiruzen had recognized an unprecedented historical inflection point: the incumbent executive had voluntarily forfeited sovereign legitimacy.
Power does not tolerate a vacuum; it merely seeks replacement.
This represented the supreme window for an administrative takeover.
While pacifying a semi-scorched Land of Water carried heavy governance overhead, in the context of the shinobi world's construction kinetics, physical infrastructure was a minor bottleneck.
With ninjutsu-assisted engineering, restoring basic civil order and agricultural supply chains could be executed with astonishing velocity.
Furthermore, the Land of Water possessed a unique macroeconomic vulnerability: decades of absolute isolation had starved its domestic markets. The moment international trade corridors were forced open, establishing commercial circulation would elevate the civilian baseline standard of living with minimal initial capital.
Konoha didn't need to inject endless foreign aid; they merely needed to provide short-term liquidity to clear the initial humanitarian crisis. Down the line, the Land of Water would return massive dividends, supplying rare marine commodities and mineral reserves that the Land of Fire chronically lacked.
The investment was profoundly sound.
A major coastal municipality in the Land of Water.
An Angkor Thom airborne fortress descended slowly from the clouds, anchoring itself above the bay.
Over the past two weeks, this aerial logistics platform had completed continuous transport loops between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
Powered by the Zero-Tails energy core, Konoha's transport squadrons consumed virtually zero biological chakra, burning through the industrial reserves extracted from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Disembarking from the lower ramps was a detachment of administrative bureaucrats from the Land of Fire.
The vast majority were secondary sons and cadet-branch aristocrats from prominent noble houses.
Under the governance model co-engineered by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Fire Daimyo, aristocratic civil service promotions were strictly pegged to their performance metrics regarding the distribution of Sovereign Sage Pills, access to Konoha's premium medical infrastructure, and allocations of high-tier bio-cosmetics.
Tethered directly to massive profit margins and longevity, the noble class had transformed into a ruthlessly competitive corporate workforce, terrified of having their procurement allocations slashed.
Consequently, while the direct heirs monopolized domestic portfolios, high-performing secondary sons and ambitious young nobles were actively seeking new horizons to build their personal equity.
When Hiruzen approached the Fire Daimyo, his sworn brother Moto Kyujo had mobilized his administration with zero friction.
The Daimyo had spent half an hour generating poetic, high-yield praise regarding the Hokage's kinetic dominance.
Moto Kyujo's enthusiasm was entirely organic.
Having partnered with Hiruzen across multiple fiscal cycles, the Daimyo recognized instantly that his brother was executing a macro-annexation of the Land of Water.
This was a structural campaign to permanently integrate the island nation into the Land of Fire's sovereign sphere.
Moto Kyujo had never dreamed that simply aligning with Hiruzen Sarutobi would allow him to secure historical immortality as an empire-building sovereign who expanded the realm.
Hiruzen observed the young aristocratic officials disembarking from the fortress.
These young men possessed boundless ambition and corporate vitality, eager to stake their claims across a newly opened market vertical.
Forming tidy ranks under the direction of a senior noble coordinator, they exhibited military-grade discipline, snapping into formation with remarkable precision.
The lead official marched forward, executing a crisp, formal bow:
"Reporting to the Supreme Commander! The Land of Fire Administrative Reconstruction Task Force is fully assembled! We await your direct executive deployment!"
Within the Land of Fire, the nobility had adopted the title of "Supreme Commander" rather than "Hokage" when addressing Hiruzen, viewing it as a title carrying significantly higher domestic authority.
"Outstanding."
Hiruzen nodded, projecting calm, executive gravitas: "The granular operational mandates will be distributed to your terminals shortly..."
"I emphasize only two baseline directives: rapidly organize the local civilian labor pool to restore essential municipal services, and maintain absolute, benevolent professionalism when interfacing with cooperative civilians."
"Young men, I perceive the ambition burning in your eyes, and I validate your drive."
"The Land of Water represents an entirely unmapped market platform. Your administrative talents will find unrestricted runway here. I will personally review your performance metrics as high-priority state achievements."
The young officials felt the blood rushing to their cheeks, their posture straightening with pride.
This was precisely the mandate they had starved for.
Back home, their developmental runway had been capped by the primary lineage heirs.
At that moment, Tenzo Hyuga approached alongside a delegation of foreign dignitaries.
They were the executive ministers of the Water Daimyo's court.
Over the past few weeks, Tenzo and Hizashi had audited the domestic political landscape, initiating discrete backchannel communications with the Water Daimyo. Granular intelligence verified that during the Blood Mist era, the civilian government had lived in absolute terror of the Third Mizukage.
The fear that shinobi violence would decouple from civil regulation was the fundamental nightmare of the feudal aristocracy.
When the Third Mizukage devolved into a roving bandit, that nightmare had materialized.
The Water Daimyo had initially locked himself in his estate, preparing for execution the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi made landfall.
Though Konoha enjoyed a vastly superior public profile compared to the other cartels, Kitori had initiated an unprovoked war. If Hiruzen chose to pillage the archipelago in retaliation, international law offered zero recourse.
Yet to the Daimyo's profound shock, Tenzo had delivered an offer of a joint venture.
Brandishing Hiruzen's noble credentials as the Supreme Commander of National Defense, Tenzo had escorted the Water Daimyo on a covert, high-speed tour of the Land of Fire's capital, culminating in a bilateral summit with Moto Kyujo.
The Water Daimyo had achieved total corporate enlightenment.
Entering the capital, the Daimyo had felt like an uncultured provincial bumpkin, utterly awestruck by the sheer economic prosperity and architectural splendor of the city.
The deep, fraternal trust linking Tenzo and the senior ministers of the Fire court left the Water Daimyo breathless.
It bore zero resemblance to the paranoid, hostile standoff that defined his relations with the Mist.
The conclusion was undeniable.
The fall of the Third Mizukage was the greatest developmental miracle his nation had ever experienced.
Had the Blood Mist Protocol persisted, the Land of Water would have drifted into an inescapable abyss. It was better to execute an aggressive restructuring and wipe the slate clean.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was unlike any shinobi the Daimyo had ever documented, including the legendary Hashirama Senju.
He was not merely an apex combatant; he was a load-bearing pillar of continental civilization.
"Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage!"
The Water Daimyo jogged across the tarmac, falling directly toward his knees to execute a full dogeza before the assembled Fire nobility.
Hiruzen moved smoothly, catching the Daimyo by the elbows, lifting him upright with measured warmth, indicating that formal groveling was unnecessary.
"The Land of Water harbored zero desire to initiate kinetic operations against your sovereign territory! The war was launched entirely by that madman, Kitori! Our nations established a bilateral non-aggression pact, yet Kitori pursued unilateral extremism, executing atrocities that have offended heaven itself!"
Tears streamed down the Water Daimyo's face:
"He threatened my administration at blade-point, extorting tax revenues, agricultural stockpiles, and mineral yields, reducing our national infrastructure to absolute ruin! Anyone who issued a dissenting memorandum was summarily executed!"
"I petitioned the international community for mediation, yet he leveraged our maritime isolation to enforce the Blood Mist Protocol, severing all outgoing communications!"
"Your arrival is a divine blessing from the heavens!"
The Daimyo's relief was absolute and raw.
Traversing the occupied territories, he had witnessed several municipal centers that Hiruzen had already brought under administrative control.
They were not yet prosperous, but basic civic order had been restored.
Civilians were receiving baseline humanitarian aid, and the smiles on their faces were vastly more radiant than during the dark days of the Blood Mist.
The Konoha shinobi were remarkably benevolent.
Provided the civilians performed basic reconstruction labor, rations and medical supplies were distributed promptly.
There were zero summary executions, zero ideological purges, and zero sadistic abuses of authority.
Their professional ethics were entirely decoupled from standard mercenary shinobi.
"My sworn brother informed me..."
Hiruzen offered a warm, reassuring smile: "Moto Kyujo noted that your lineage shares ancestral blood ties with his own clan. Through that lens, our households are bound as family."
The Water Daimyo's eyes flashed with immense gratitude: "Precisely! Your assessment is absolute truth; we are family!"
That single phrase signaled that the Hokage intended to govern through legal, structured negotiation.
Both executives were granting each other a diplomatic exit: lay the entire geopolitical liability onto the Third Mizukage, establish that the civilian government and Konoha shared mutual goodwill, and frame Kitori as the sole rogue variable that corrupted the timeline.
Securing the Water Daimyo was the critical linchpin of Hiruzen's macroscopic strategy.
Within the shinobi world's socio-political framework, while a hidden village held absolute kinetic dominance, sovereign legal legitimacy rested with the Daimyo, who commanded the loyalty of the civilian populace.
With Kirigakure's infrastructure shattered, the fastest vector to consolidate absolute sovereignty was leveraging Hiruzen's aristocratic standing as Supreme Commander to negotiate directly with the Water Daimyo.
Every subsequent administrative initiative would carry total constitutional legitimacy, eliminating systemic domestic resistance.
"I comprehend your institutional constraints..."
Hiruzen rested a heavy, steady hand on the Daimyo's shoulder, his expression hardening with diplomatic gravity:
"However, as the sovereign executive of your nation, your administration must shoulder historical accountability for the outbreak of this war, regardless of the Third Mizukage's treasonous manipulation..."
The Daimyo's mind locked onto the subtext instantly.
This was the optimal operational posture he could have hoped for.
Fixing ninety percent of the blame onto Kitori meant the primary liability was already settled.
Demanding state indemnities was standard, unavoidable procedure.
Had Hiruzen refused to demand reparations, the Daimyo would have been paralyzed with terror, desperately trying to force concessions onto the Leaf.
In statecraft, complimentary gifts were the most lethal, because the unseen price tag could easily include his own life.
"Your assessment is impeccably sound!"
The Water Daimyo nodded rapidly, his posture humble and receptive:
"The Land of Water will extend its absolute sincerity to secure your reconciliation, praying that the Will of Fire may descend upon this scarred territory to cleanse its darkness..."
Hiruzen nodded, signaling his staff to position a conference table and chairs.
Both executives took their seats.
Hiruzen slid a dense, leather-bound treaty across the mahogany surface—a master strategic blueprint tailored specifically for the long-term stabilization of the Land of Water and the reconstitution of Kirigakure.
The Daimyo prepared to sign the document blindly without auditing the text.
"Review the operational parameters first."
"Establishing an immutable legal framework that guarantees sustainable, multi-decade compliance is the only viable path to mutual prosperity. I hold no interest in predatory, coercive contracts."
Hiruzen stated with absolute calm.
The Daimyo straightened his spine, nodding with profound respect:
"Forgive my breach of compliance protocol, Supreme Commander!"
He perceived absolute, authentic statecraft radiating from the man before him.
Despite holding total kinetic dominance, Hiruzen maintained the discipline of bilateral negotiation, extending institutional respect to a defeated sovereign.
The treaty articles were structured as follows:
First: Konoha's military forces will assist in the systematic interdiction and liquidation of the designated domestic terrorist Kitori and his rogue remnants.
Second: Absolute immunity is granted to cooperative civilians, registered shinobi, and noble houses within the Land of Water. The sovereign legitimacy of the Water Daimyo is permanently guaranteed, backed by Konoha's supreme security detail.
Third: The Land of Fire will provide critical shipments of agricultural staples, industrial materials, and emergency trauma infrastructure to stabilize civil order, billed at transparent baseline production costs.
Fourth: State indemnities for the unprovoked declaration of war will be amortized across a ten-year repayment schedule.
Indemnities will be disbursed primarily in physical assets: sovereign maritime resources, prioritized deep-water maritime transit corridors, exclusive extraction rights for rare mineral deposits, and bulk seafood logistics.
Fifth: Military regulatory constraints are codified. Konoha retains the unilateral clearance to conduct an annual administrative audit of Kirigakure's restricted R&D archives to monitor forbidden jutsu development.
The Land of Water is obligated to coordinate with Konoha to prosecute all Class-A war criminals from this engagement without clemency.
Sixth: Permanent strategic integration.
The Land of Fire secures exclusive, prioritized docking and transit clearances across all deep-water ports within the Land of Water, with Fire merchant vessels enjoying reduced tariff protocols.
Marine resource extraction and metallurgy initiatives must prioritize joint ventures with Fire commercial cartels; exclusive bilateral agreements with rival superpowers are strictly barred. The monetary policy and minting standards of the Land of Water will be integrated under Konoha's regulatory oversight.
In all international diplomatic forums, including the Five Kage Summits, the Land of Water is contractually bound to maintain voting alignment with the Land of Fire, barred from entering hostile coalitions.
A permanent mutual defense pact is ratified: kinetic aggression against either party triggers unconditional military intervention from the other, supported by the construction of a permanent Flying Thunder God defense network across the archipelago.
Seventh: Institutional shinobi integration. A permanent personnel exchange protocol is established between Konoha and the reconstituted Kirigakure. The Mist may dispatch elite cohorts to Konoha for advanced curriculum training, while Konoha will deploy senior Jonin commanders to oversee field doctrine in the Mist.
Civic institutions will align with the Land of Fire's governance models. In exchange, Konoha will allocate an exclusive procurement quota of Sovereign Sage Pills to certified noble houses and cooperative officials.
Eighth: Policy continuity.
A dedicated corps of Fire administrative attachés and Konoha liaison officers, maintained at a regulated headcount, will be stationed within Kirigakure to ensure long-term treaty compliance.
"Phew..."
The Water Daimyo exhaled a long, shuddering breath, nodding with absolute resolve: "My deepest gratitude, Lord Hokage!"
"I have audited every single provision. Allow me to express my profound reverence for your boundless benevolence. May our sovereign nations remain bound in eternal fraternity, closer than brothers of blood!"
While the treaty enforced rigorous economic and military oversight, by the brutal standards of the shinobi market, the terms were exceptionally generous.
To a nation staring down the barrel of total societal collapse, abstract concepts like "monetary minting sovereignty" and "independent garrison rights" were completely meaningless. Hiruzen Sarutobi was stepping forward to arrest their slide into the Warring States, effectively executing the foundational work Byakuren had once performed.
Moreover, Hiruzen had pointedly declined to assume the mantle of Mizukage or Water Daimyo himself.
As Mu had analyzed: directly governing a foreign archipelago imposed staggering administrative overhead. Hiruzen had zero intention of squandering Konoha's precious human capital on low-tier municipal policing.
He merely needed to secure the primary strategic levers, ensuring the wealth and resources of the Land of Water flowed smoothly into Konoha's balance sheets.
Given the decades of isolation under the Blood Mist, executing this treaty would elevate the domestic standard of living far beyond anything the populace had historically experienced.
Hiruzen enjoyed his meat, but he always ensured his partners walked away with a bowl of rich broth.
In a bizarre twist of fate, Kitori's psychotic descent had inadvertently laid the immutable foundation for total bilateral integration between the two nations.
"Excellent. Let us finalize the signatures."
"Now, under Hizashi's protective escort, return to the capital and officially ratify the treaty before the assembly, ensuring all municipal administrators log the decree. Following that, you will temporarily relocate to the Fire capital for security purposes..."
"Once I have neutralized the remaining hostile variables across the provinces, you may return to resume civilian governance."
Hiruzen smiled warmly, his tone shifting into polite diplomatic protocol.
"Lord Hokage, if it does not offend your dignity, I petition that you address me as your younger brother as well!" the Water Daimyo seized the opening.
Hiruzen laughed boisterously: "A pleasure, my brother!"
Across the southern archipelago.
Operating as the supreme commander of the most powerful unified shinobi faction in the Land of Water, Kimimaro had maintained backchannel communications with Tenzo, downloading the complete operational blueprint of Konoha's deployment.
Under his command was an elite strike force: Kisame Hoshigaki, Yuki, Mei Terumi, Juzo Biwa, and Mangetsu Hozuki.
He had concentrated the surviving Kaguya and Yuki clansmen, the bloodline ninja he had shielded during the purges, and a vast cohort of rank-and-file Mist shinobi who revered his leadership.
His staging ground looked like a miniature, highly disciplined incarnation of the hidden village itself.
"Sigh..."
Having confirmed that the Water Daimyo had ratified the treaty with Hiruzen, Kimimaro felt a surge of triumph, yet maintained a facade of heavy, brooding anxiety as he convened his general assembly.
"Comrades, how should we navigate our immediate crisis?"
"Kitori has betrayed us all! I harbored reservations regarding his leadership, but I never calculated he would sink to such unhinged madness, liquidating the very village he swore to protect..."
Kimimaro's face was grim.
The assembled ninja nodded in profound agreement.
External observers had viewed Kimimaro as the Mizukage's personal executioner, but the operatives under his command knew that his internal security units had consistently sabotaged the purge directives from the shadows.
Over the past few days, the routed survivors who had rallied to his banner had verified that truth, thoroughly awestruck by his moral resilience amidst the horrors of the Blood Mist.
"Now, the Third Hokage and our sovereign Daimyo have ratified a bilateral security treaty..."
"Review the terms yourselves."
Kimimaro exhaled, his expression radiating calculated hesitation.
He understood that Kirigakure and the Land of Fire had historically operated under deep-seated hostility. Forcing these Mist operatives to immediately swear allegiance to the Hokage would trigger psychological rejection.
To secure his long-term career trajectory, Kimimaro was staging a masterclass in psychological alignment.
"This..."
"The Hokage's terms are this benevolent? The entire document outlines cooperative development! I assumed Konoha intended to sink the islands into the sea!" a Mist Jonin muttered in awe.
"Precisely! Maritime corridors, reduced tariffs... we were operating under total national lockdown anyway; those policies held zero domestic utility! If the Hokage requires transit rights, he is welcome to them!"
A Kaguya clansman chimed in loudly: "If Fire merchant vessels can deliver grain and medicine that our families can purchase, that is a monumental blessing!"
Relief washed over the assembly.
Their greatest terror had been the prospect of Hiruzen Sarutobi deploying his god-tier combat force to execute an indiscriminate purge across the islands.
Surrender or die?
Now that an honorable, highly lucrative alternative was placed before them, their resistance evaporated.
"I remain skeptical."
"The treaty appears equitable, but does honor exist between shinobi cartels?" Kimimaro deliberately argued the counterpoint:
"Furthermore, Kirigakure was the aggressor that initiated kinetic operations. What if this treaty is an elaborate counter-intelligence trap?!"
Mei Terumi caught the subtle subtext immediately. Recognizing the play, she frowned and stepped forward:
"Kimimaro, you are allowing paranoia to cloud your strategic vision! Against any other Kage, your caution would be warranted, but this is the Third Hokage! Do you possess zero awareness of his public credit rating?!"
"Even when Kitori was condemned as an illegitimate usurper by the entire international community, the Hokage issued an official statement defending his standing purely to preserve regional peace!"
"You know intimately how he processed Kusagakure! He liquidated the corrupt leadership, extracted standard indemnities, assisted their moderate faction in rebuilding their civic infrastructure, and repatriated all foreign captives without demanding ransom..."
Kisame caught Kimimaro's eye, executing his scripted response:
"The Hokage never sought an unprovoked war with our village. Konoha's aerial cruiser divisions were deployed along the border in plain sight specifically to display their military metrics and deter aggression!"
"The blame rests entirely on Kitori and Genji, whose ideological obsession blinded them into shredding a sovereign treaty..."
Yuki cleared her throat, all four exchange alumni coordinating their messaging across the floor:
"Did you fail to audit the reality of Konoha during our exchange deployment? To be completely blunt, I see zero strategic reason why the Hokage would tarnish his legendary international prestige for the sake of a ruined archipelago."
Yuki detailed the municipal prosperity, comprehensive welfare, and administrative transparency of the Leaf, leaving the Mist operatives dumbfounded.
Longing flared in their eyes, matched by an intense fury toward their own leadership.
Those wretched fools Kitori and Genji had charged blindly into an apex predator whose capabilities were displayed in broad daylight! They deserved to burn!
"The Hokage's reputation is undeniably unique across the shinobi world..."
"Furthermore, Great-Uncle Tenzo—the patriarch of the Hyuga clan and an executive commissioner of the Konoha government—maintains close ties with my household..."
Kimimaro sighed heavily:
"Yet everyone understands that following Kitori's treachery, despite the Hokage's benevolent disposition, you witnessed the terrifying reality of his wrath on the battlefield..."
The Mist operatives shuddered collectively at the memory of that jet-black armor cleaving through their ranks.
"I harbor deep anxiety that remnants of the Blood Mist mindset persist among our ranks. If we answer the Daimyo's decree and integrate into the Hokage's reconstruction task force..."
"If a single operative breaches compliance protocol, the blowback will crush us all!"
Kimimaro shook his head:
"I refuse to raise a blade against my comrades. To avoid that contradiction, forgive me, but I am resigning my command. I shall retire to a remote province and live out my days in isolation."
"You may determine your own trajectories. I am stepping down."
The assembly descended into absolute panic.
What?!
Lord Kimimaro holds personal ties with a premier executive of the Konoha High Commission?!
With an internal sponsor, their operational survival was guaranteed!
Reminded by Mei Terumi, the Mist operatives remembered that Hiruzen Sarutobi was universally documented as a benevolent, honest statesman.
Even the late Third Mizukage had often grumbled:
Hiruzen Sarutobi is a good man, but a soft Hokage; he possesses too much integrity, and lacks the ruthlessness required of a warlord.
The endorsement was cross-verified by both ally and enemy alike.
"Lord Kimimaro, what absurd talk is this!"
"You cannot abandon us! We would never question your loyalty!"
"Do not leave us behind, we beg of you! Without your leadership, we have no anchor; you preserved our lives during the purge!"
"We swear absolute compliance with the Hokage's directives! If anyone breaches the protocol, I will execute them myself!"
"Agreed! Terminate anyone who disrupts our partnership with the Land of Fire!"
A chorus of desperate petitions roared through the facility, practically rattling the roof.
Kimimaro smiled inwardly.
This was the classical management tactic Great-Uncle Tenzo had taught him:
If you intend to install a window, first threaten to tear down the entire roof; the assembly will immediately scramble to accept the compromise.
"Sigh..."
"You comrades leave me no operational alternative!"
"Very well! Whether history judges me as a patriot or a traitor, let the future decide!" Kimimaro deployed the exact Hokage quote Tenzo had coached him to memorize, rising to his feet:
"Commit your oaths today to memory!"
"Move out! We march to link up with the Hokage!"
Consequently, while Hiruzen had redeployed half of Konoha's military assets from the maritime front to reinforce the other three theaters...
The sudden incorporation of Kimimaro's unified Mist youth corps actually resulted in a net increase in field personnel.
Backed by the sovereign legitimacy of the Water Daimyo and an administration anchored by native Mist operatives, the civilian populace and local nobility embraced the occupation with open arms.
It was the living embodiment of welcoming the righteous army with open gates.
Over the subsequent month, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, the combined forces advanced across the provinces to universal celebration, consolidating the scattered remnants of the Mist military and systematically hunting down the rogue bandits.
Observing the campaign from high altitude without further directives from Madara, Gengetsu Hozuki and Mu were rendered completely speechless.
What in the world was this operational development?
The Third Hokage was leading the unified youth corps of Kirigakure to systematically pacify the Land of Water?
Who was the actual Mizukage here—Kitori, or Hiruzen Sarutobi?!
"Hiruzen Sarutobi's governance is breathtaking..."
"This infrastructure vastly exceeds our pre-war baseline! The civilian populace is fully provisioned, and his 'labor-for-relief' public works initiatives have restored total employment..."
"What a tragedy... if only this man had been the Second Mizukage!"
Gengetsu sighed from the depths of his soul.
"Hey..."
"I finally decompile what Tobirama Senju requires of you," Mu murmured thoughtfully.
"Requires of me?" Gengetsu blinked.
"He requires you to first assassinate Kitori, and subsequently execute an ambush against Hiruzen Sarutobi. Do you grasp the subtext?"
Mu analyzed with cold precision.
"Why? Liquidating Kitori is an obvious public service, but why attack the Hokage?" Gengetsu's face fell:
"Setting aside whether I possess the kinetic metrics to defeat him, I hold zero desire to disrupt his pacification of the Land of Water! I am the Second Mizukage; my duty is the welfare of my people, unlike that scoundrel Kitori!"
Mu offered a chilling, calculated smirk:
"You absolute fool. It is about sovereign legitimacy!"
"If you, as the Second Mizukage, execute the Third Mizukage, you permanently nail him to the pillar of historical treason, totally invalidating his three decades of governance, eradicating the final lingering loyalty of the conservative Mist factions."
"And when you subsequently challenge Hiruzen Sarutobi..."
"Does Kirigakure's succession protocol not dictate that executive authority belongs to the strongest? At least on paper, that is your ancestral tradition."
"If you engage Hiruzen Sarutobi in honorable combat and are definitively defeated, you effectively transfer the sovereign mandate of 'Mizukage' directly from your own hands onto his shoulders!"
"That grants Hiruzen Sarutobi the total constitutional legitimacy to claim the title of Mizukage, provided you deliver the proper operational dialogue..."
"Such as: 'I entrust the future of Kirigakure and the Land of Water into your hands...'"
"The only variable is whether you possess the institutional courage to execute the play," Mu noted with profound, haunting resonance:
"Tobirama Senju commands the mechanical power to forcefully overwrite your motor functions and make you perform this script. Yet he has left you autonomous. This is a masterclass in psychological warfare—killing the enemy while conquering their very soul!"
Gengetsu Hozuki blinked hard, his eyes widening in staggering revelation.
Wait... is that truly the architectural design?!
It seemed... entirely viable.
In fact, it sounded magnificent.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you