Several years ago, when the Six-Tails and the Three-Tails went berserk at the same time, the Third Mizukage exhausted all his strength to reseal the Six-Tails. However, he no longer had the energy to deal with the Three-Tails. As a result, not only was there no Three-Tails jinchūriki at present, Kirigakure couldn't even manage to seal it into a special containment vessel.
After gaining its so-called "freedom," the Three-Tails went into hiding, lurking within a deep lake somewhere in the Land of Water.
As for Kirigakure, they took no further action against this escaped "weapon of war." They merely kept it under surveillance.
It wasn't that they didn't want to act—they simply couldn't. The risk involved in reclaiming the Three-Tails was far too great. If things went wrong and they lost another Mizukage, what then? The Land of Water didn't have a surplus of elite shinobi to replace one so easily.
The Fourth Mizukage was still young and in a period of rapid growth. This was not the right time to provoke the Three-Tails. Waiting until the Mizukage's strength had fully matured before attempting recovery was clearly the wiser choice.
However, there would always be uninvited guests coveting tailed beasts.
Even if that guest happened to be traveling with two children, the danger did not decrease in the slightest.
On the way to "observing" the Three-Tails, Mirai suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"There's another… special chakra," she said.
As she spoke, she pointed in a certain direction.
With a rough assessment, Hagoromo immediately realized that she was pointing toward Kirigakure.
"Uh… Mirai," Hagoromo coughed lightly. "That one over there—how should I put it… she's not suitable."
What he wanted to find for Mirai was an older-sister type who could be taught and guided—not a fully grown woman whose mindset had already solidified. Someone who couldn't be molded was useless no matter how strong they were.
Besides, when forming a team, strength wasn't the only factor. Age compatibility mattered as well. He wasn't going to just abduct anyone with a kekkei genkai or special talent.
So no, Hagoromo had no intention of dragging Mei Terumī over to act as Mirai's nanny.
As for the Fourth Mizukage… that was an easy pass.
A Mizukage's Kage-level chakra reserves and dual kekkei genkai would appear in Mirai's perception like Akiyama Mio standing out among five hundred flowers—blindingly obvious. Naturally, Hagoromo assumed that was the target she was sensing.
And he wasn't wrong.
"Why?" Mirai asked, confused.
She had assumed she was sensing someone like Haku—a potential companion.
No matter how powerful her sensory abilities were, Mirai couldn't discern a target's gender, age, or measurements. That kind of detail was something only the Byakugan could manage.
"That direction should be Kirigakure," Hagoromo explained patiently.
"What you're sensing is probably their village head—also the nation's defense minister and primary military target. She won't come with us willingly… unless we break her legs."
That wasn't something you could just bring home on a whim. In terms of status alone, the Mizukage stood far above Hagoromo. Even the title itself overshadowed his.
Breaking her legs was far too brutal for Mirai to even imagine saying aloud, so she quietly accepted Hagoromo's explanation.
Following behind them, Haku felt his heart pounding. Even at seven years old, having lived and wandered through the Land of Water, he knew exactly what kind of existence the Mizukage was.
Breaking her legs… and taking her home?
Was that even remotely possible?
"Then what about this one?" Mirai asked.
Having given up on the onee-san, her finger shifted slightly, pointing in another direction.
"Near that really obvious chakra, there are some others that feel… special," she said hesitantly.
"But this one is also very clear. And the people around him…"
She struggled to find the right description.
They felt ordinary—but not entirely. Special—but not fully awakened.
Some kekkei genkai required awakening. Some clan members could use them from birth, while others never would, despite sharing the same bloodline.
What Mirai was sensing was something like a non-awakened state.
"What's over there?" Hagoromo asked, turning to Haku.
Haku shook his head decisively.
He didn't know either. Mirai's direction was still close to Kirigakure, and someone like Haku would rather run as far from that place as possible, not head toward it.
"Should we check it out?" Mirai asked.
Hagoromo hesitated.
What if it was another fully grown kekkei genkai holder? This group didn't accept anyone over ten—they only recruited highly malleable children.
Still, they had time. This was a temporary plan anyway. If the Land of Water didn't work out, they could always head to the Land of Wind.
As for Konoha?
Heh.
As if Konoha shinobi were going to be arranged by Shiraishi Hagoromo, even civilian ninja.
The place Mirai was pointing to turned out, unsurprisingly, to be the Kaguya Clan's settlement.
Although nominally under the Mizukage's authority, the clan had never lived within Kirigakure itself. They existed as a separate entity.
That was why history recorded events such as "The Kaguya Clan attacking Kirigakure."
Otherwise, it would have simply been called a rebellion.
The root cause lay in the Land of Water's deep-seated hostility toward kekkei genkai. The village provided the Kaguya Clan with no sense of security, so they chose isolation.
From the Mizukage's perspective, shinobi who couldn't integrate into the village were better off remaining separate.
"The war is already over. The new Mizukage has started implementing more positive policies. Are our old strategies really still necessary?"
"You're being naïve. That's just appeasement."
"The village's attitude toward kekkei genkai isn't something the Mizukage alone can decide. In the end, she'll be bound by it."
"But she really is trying to improve our situation."
"Futile. Completely meaningless."
"If forced to choose between Kirigakure and the Kaguya Clan, who do you think she'd help?"
"In the end, everyone—including the Mizukage—only looks down on us."
"But we don't have the strength to oppose the village. Our 'weapon' still needs time to grow."
The Kaguya Clan appeared to be holding yet another meeting.
Rebellion or submission—questions that decided a clan's survival caused opinions to sway endlessly. No matter how many times they discussed it, no one could truly convince the others.
The discussion was meaningless.
Yet it never stopped.
Did Kirigakure keep watch over the Kaguya Clan?
Of course it did.
Hagoromo withdrew his enhanced hearing and led Mirai forward. Haku was left outside—Mirai needed to guide the way.
Tonight, the Kaguya Clan would lose the "weapon" they relied upon.
The weapon they were waiting to grow.
In a sense, was this helping Kirigakure?
Without fangs, the Kaguya Clan would probably behave more obediently.
Treating "talent" as a weapon and imprisoning it was obviously wrong. Yet sometimes, power that appeared too early inspired fear—even among one's own kin.
If they didn't lock him away from childhood, how would they control him once he grew up?
When no one could defeat him.
The weak could only dominate the strong through control.
That child was Kaguya Kimimaro.
He was the same age as Haku, yet his abilities had already been fully revealed.
Using the famously combat-oriented Konoha shinobi Hatake Kakashi as a benchmark, Kimimaro at fifteen would reach approximately 0.8841 Kakashi-equivalent combat power.
Strong enough to cooperate with Orochimaru.
Strong enough to participate in the assassination of the Kazekage.
But in this story…
He probably wouldn't walk that path.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789