Naruto was on his way to the Mizukage Building.
Meanwhile, Yagura Karatachi and Genji had summoned Jūzō Biwa. They hoped to extract information from this former Kirigakure rebel about the mysterious masked man, so the village could prepare for the threat hanging over their heads.
However, after Jūzō explained everything he knew…
Yagura and Genji fell into silence.
Just one masked man had already pushed Kirigakure to the brink.
Yet behind that man stood an entire mercenary organization known as Akatsuki.
And every single member of that group was an S-rank missing-nin—monsters capable of destroying a country if they felt like it.
For a village already lacking top-tier combat power, this news felt like a knife hanging over their necks.
Yagura's first thought was to unite with the other four Great Ninja Villages and launch a joint operation to eliminate the Akatsuki.
But after thinking it through carefully…
He abandoned the idea.
The Five Great Ninja Villages were competitors first and allies second.
If Kirigakure showed weakness, the others might not help.
They might simply kick the Mist while it was already down.
Even if Kirigakure lost its position among the Five Great Nations, the Akatsuki would simply take its place in the ninja world's balance of power.
Unless they could prove that Akatsuki's target wasn't just Kirigakure—but all five villages.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door of the Mizukage's office.
Hōzuki Mangetsu walked in with Naruto behind him.
When Yagura saw Naruto, his tense expression relaxed slightly.
"Mr. Mianma, please sit."
"If you hadn't appeared today… both Kirigakure and I might have been in serious trouble."
Naruto didn't bother with excessive politeness.
He casually dropped onto the sofa in the office like he owned the place.
Then he glanced at Jūzō Biwa, who stood quietly nearby.
"So?"
"Did you squeeze anything useful out of him?"
"Did he at least tell you where the masked bastard's hideout is?"
Yagura shook his head and replied seriously.
"We didn't get much information about the masked man himself."
"But we learned about the organization he belongs to."
"A mercenary group called Akatsuki."
He briefly explained the structure of the organization.
The more he spoke, the more awkward his expression became.
"…This group will not be easy to deal with."
Naruto nodded calmly and crossed his legs.
"Sounds about right."
"The masked man is indeed a member of Akatsuki."
Then he smirked slightly.
"So what?"
"Doesn't Kirigakure plan to take revenge?"
Yagura and Genji exchanged glances.
Then Yagura laughed bitterly.
"Kirigakure currently lacks the strength to retaliate against the masked man."
"But if Mr. Mianma intends to attack the Akatsuki Organization…"
"Kirigakure will fully cooperate."
As he spoke, Yagura handed Naruto a prepared scroll.
Naruto opened it and skimmed through it.
The scroll listed several promises Kirigakure was willing to offer the future Uzumaki Country.
Personnel support.
Material supplies.
Sharing certain technologies.
And even a wartime alliance agreement.
Naruto rolled up the scroll and smiled.
"I'm quite satisfied with this agreement."
"But besides these conditions…"
"I have a small request."
Yagura immediately leaned forward.
"Please, go ahead."
Naruto spoke calmly.
"I want to meet Kirigakure's Six-Tails Jinchūriki."
The room suddenly went quiet.
Yagura looked embarrassed.
"To be honest, Mr. Mianma… I don't know where the Six-Tails Jinchūriki is."
"I've been controlled by the masked man for years."
"My control over the village has been… almost nonexistent."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
He was slightly surprised—but it was still within expectations.
After all, if the Six-Tails Jinchūriki had been in Kirigakure earlier…
They would've deployed him during the battle a few hours ago.
There would've been no need for Naruto to step in.
After a moment, Yagura asked carefully,
"May I ask why you're searching for the Six-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Naruto didn't bother hiding the truth.
"The ultimate goal of the masked man and the Akatsuki Organization is to collect all Nine Tailed Beasts."
"That should be common knowledge to Jūzō here."
All eyes turned toward Jūzō Biwa.
Jūzō nodded slowly.
"Akatsuki does intend to collect the tailed beasts."
"I don't know exactly what they plan to do with them."
"But one thing is certain…"
"Their ambition is huge."
Yagura frowned.
If the masked man's target was a tailed beast, controlling him made sense.
But if that was the case…
Why didn't the masked man simply extract the Three-Tails from him and create a new jinchūriki?
As if guessing Yagura's thoughts, Jūzō continued.
"Fourth Mizukage-sama…"
"Akatsuki isn't a unified organization."
"There are two major factions."
"The masked man's group…"
"And Pain's faction."
"This time, Itachi and I attacked Kirigakure by taking advantage of the conflict between those two factions."
This revelation surprised Yagura.
He hadn't expected the traitor who attacked the village to be revealing such crucial information.
Still…
One question lingered in his mind.
Why had Jūzō deliberately allowed Uchiha Itachi to escape?
Yagura pushed the thought aside for now.
Then a new idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Mianma."
"Since Akatsuki's goal is the tailed beasts…"
"Why don't we convene a Five Kage Summit and deal with them together?"
Naruto shrugged casually.
"If Mizukage wants to try that, I won't stop you."
"As long as the Uzumaki Country isn't dragged into the mess."
His indifferent tone made Yagura sigh.
He realized he had been thinking too naively.
As Mizukage, he could no longer afford such hopeful fantasies.
Kirigakure was already weak.
If it weren't for its poor natural resources, other nations might have targeted it long ago.
After hesitating for a while, Yagura finally made a decision.
He looked directly at Naruto.
"I plan to resign as Mizukage in three months."
"In your opinion, Mr. Mianma…"
"Who would be suitable to become the next Mizukage?"
Naruto blinked.
Even he was a little shocked by how low Yagura was willing to bend.
Then Naruto grinned mischievously.
"How about me?"
"I become Mizukage."
"It fits Kirigakure's philosophy—the strong rule."
"And it saves us from wasting time negotiating every little thing in the future."
Yagura nearly choked.
"…That…"
Naruto waved his hand casually.
"Relax. I'm joking."
"Who becomes Mizukage is your internal matter."
"I don't care."
"As long as the agreement is honored, I'm satisfied."
Then Naruto turned to Genji.
"Speaking of which…"
"I'd like to talk with Elder Genji about something."
"I still don't know many details about what happened to the Uzumaki Country back then."
"I'm hoping the elder can clear up some of those questions."
Genji sighed quietly.
So the moment has finally come…
Leaning on his cane, he walked toward the door and gestured politely.
"I did not personally participate in the war against the Land of Whirlpools."
"My knowledge is limited."
"But if it can help clear your doubts…"
"I will do my best."
He paused briefly before adding,
"After all…"
"Both the Uzumaki Clan and Kirigakure now share a common enemy."
Naruto didn't say anything.
He simply stood up and followed Genji into another room inside the Mizukage Building.
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