Itachi found the right opportunity and raised his kunai, about to deliver the final blow against Kisame, who was trapped in genjutsu.
However, at the instant the kunai was about to fall, the space behind Itachi suddenly rippled soundlessly.
A hand holding a kunai reached out from the void and stabbed toward Itachi.
Itachi reacted quickly, immediately giving up his attack on Kisame and dodging.
When Obito's strike missed, his right hand immediately grabbed Kisame's shoulder.
Seeing this, Itachi threw the kunai in his hand at Obito again.
Abruptly, then, space rippled again.
The kunai struck empty air.
Kisame's figure, together with Obito, was sucked into the twisted vortex and vanished from the spot.
Before leaving, Obito roared at Gento.
"Gento Uchiha, you have ruined my plans again and again!"
"Just wait to face my revenge!"
After saying that, his figure disappeared completely.
Clearly, seeing that the situation had turned bad, Obito had simply left.
On the other side, the battle with the Three-Tails was also nearing its end.
Under Gento's continuous spiritual invasion, Yagura's consciousness finally began to awaken.
The emptiness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by pain and confusion.
"I… what am I doing…"
The Three-Tails' enormous body began to tremble, and the tailed beast chakra slowly dispersed from within it.
Its body was shrinking, turning back into human form.
Yagura collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath in great mouthfuls.
The people of the Hidden Mist revolutionary army surrounded him hurriedly.
Yagura raised his head with difficulty and looked at Mei standing before him.
His voice was weak.
"I… what have I done… the Bloody Mist Village…"
"Those Kekkei Genkai clans… the Hozuki, the Kaguya, the Yuki… and those innocent villagers…"
Tears slid down his cheeks.
"I was controlled for so many years… and with my own hands, I pushed the village into the abyss!"
Mei immediately comforted him.
"This was not your fault, Mizukage."
"That masked man controlled you. Now, everything is over."
Yagura shook his head, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Over… for me, it is indeed over."
He could feel that his body was at the end of its strength.
The toll from being controlled for so many years, the backlash from the tailed beast, and the injuries from the battle just now.
His life had reached its end.
So he raised his hand with difficulty, took off the bamboo hat from his head, and removed the Mizukage's white robe from his shoulders.
"Mei, you are stronger than me, clearer-headed than me, and more suited than I am to lead the Hidden Mist."
He handed the white robe and bamboo hat to Mei.
"In my capacity as the Fourth Mizukage, I pass the position of Mizukage to you."
"From today onward, you are the Fifth Mizukage!"
Mei accepted the white robe and bamboo hat with both hands.
"I, Mei, will not fail this heavy trust!"
Seeing this, Yagura nodded, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His hand finally fell weakly, and he closed his eyes.
The crowd remained silent for a long time.
Finally, someone spoke.
"It's finally over…"
A young Hidden Mist ninja let out a long breath, his voice filled with relief.
"Let's support the Fifth Mizukage now and go back to take control of the village."
"Right! Lady Mei is the Fifth Mizukage!"
"Fifth Mizukage! Fifth Mizukage!"
Several young ninjas raised the kunai in their hands and began shouting.
"Wait!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"When did Mei become the Fifth Mizukage?"
The air froze abruptly.
Mei's hands, holding the white robe and bamboo hat, paused. She raised her head and looked at the person who had spoken.
He was a survivor of the Yuki clan.
Beside him stood several clansmen dressed in the same Yuki attire.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Before the Fourth Mizukage died, he said he was passing the position to Lady Mei!"
Ao's voice turned cold.
That Yuki clansman stepped forward.
"He did say the words pass the position, but he did not pass it to Mei!"
"We Kekkei Genkai clans have paid such a heavy price for the Hidden Mist."
"The Yuki clan suffered the heaviest losses of all. We are the ones most qualified to inherit the position of Mizukage!"
Immediately, some Kekkei Genkai clans nearby began speaking in agreement.
"That's right! The Mizukage should be chosen again from among us Kekkei Genkai clans! It cannot be decided by her alone!"
"Enough!"
Ao's voice rang out among the crowd.
"The Mizukage's body is not yet cold, and you are already fighting for power here? Has the Bloody Mist Village not suffered enough?"
...
Gento stood not far away with his arms crossed, watching this scene as a helpless smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He now understood why the Hidden Mist in the original work was so withered.
First, Obito's Bloody Mist Village had wreaked havoc for nearly ten years, leaving the Kekkei Genkai clans almost entirely dead or wounded and badly damaging the village's vitality.
Then Mei led the revolution and was betrayed by Kisame, which would inevitably result in heavy losses.
Now, they had finally broken free of Obito's control, and the revolution had succeeded, yet here they were starting internal strife.
The Mizukage's body was not yet cold, and these people had begun fighting for power.
Although Mei ultimately succeeded in taking power in the original work, she would inevitably still have to carry out a bloody purge of the Hidden Mist.
With the village being tossed back and forth like this, how could the Hidden Mist possibly recover its strength?
Now that he had intervened, of course he would not allow this group of people to start a disturbance.
The system mission had stated that he could only receive the reward by supporting Mei in ascending to the position of Mizukage.
Mastery of Yang-Attribute Chakra Essence was something he was determined to obtain. Absolutely nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
So he walked forward directly.
"I, Gento Uchiha, support Mei in taking office as the Fifth Mizukage."
"Who approves, and who opposes?"
The crowd all fell silent.
Those who had still been stirring up trouble just now lowered their heads one after another, not daring to meet his eyes.
That young man from the Yuki clan gritted his teeth.
He took a deep breath and walked out from the crowd.
"I oppose!"
He pointed at Gento.
"What right do you Uchiha have to interfere in the internal affairs of our Hidden Mist?"
"This is the Land of Water, not your Hidden Gento Village!"
"The Hidden Mist does not welcome you. Go back to your Hidden Gento Village!"
Hearing this, Gento immediately gave a cold laugh.
There was no need for him to act. Itachi's voice came from the side.
"Amaterasu!"
A moment after, black flames suddenly ignited on that man's body.
"Ah!"
That man was burned by Amaterasu and immediately let out a shrill scream.
He frantically slapped at himself, rolled, and struggled, trying to put out Amaterasu.
Regardless, Amaterasu's flames only burned more and more fiercely.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
He released a ninjutsu, and a water dragon rushed out from his hands, pouring over his own body.
Even so, water could not extinguish Amaterasu's flames.
"Ice Release: Ice Prison!"
Still unwilling to give up, he used Ice Release ninjutsu again, trying to freeze himself inside ice and isolate the flames.
A thick layer of ice crystals condensed over the surface of his body, sealing his entire person inside a block of ice.
Despite that, Amaterasu's flames were still burning and soon burned through the ice layer.
"Ah!"
The screams grew weaker and weaker.
His body twisted, carbonized, and broke apart within the black flames.
Eventually, the screams stopped.
The black flames slowly went out, leaving only a mass of charred ash on the ground, scattered by the sea breeze.
The faces of the Hidden Mist ninjas present turned pale.
Gento's gaze swept across the whole scene once more, his voice still calm.
"All right. Does anyone else want to oppose?"
Those Kekkei Genkai clansmen who had still been stirring things up just now no longer dared to meet Gento's eyes.
Gento nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good."
He took a step back and gave the stage to Mei.
Mei held the white robe and bamboo hat.
The gaze she used to look at Gento contained gratitude, admiration, and a complicated emotion that was difficult to describe.
She took a deep breath, her voice dignified.
"Everyone, the Mizukage has only just passed away. If we engage in internal strife here, can we face him?"
"Can we face those compatriots who died in the Bloody Mist Village?"
"From today onward, I will lead the Hidden Mist out of the darkness and rebuild our home as the Fifth Mizukage."
"Please believe in me!"
The crowd was silent for a moment. Then someone shouted loudly.
"Lady Mei! We support you!"
"I support you too!"
"Lady Mei!"
The cheers grew more and more numerous.
Although the people from the Kekkei Genkai clans had gloomy expressions, no one dared to step forward and oppose her again.
Just then, the system's notification rang out in Gento's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission: Hidden Mist Revolution!]
[Issuing reward…]
[Reward: Mastery of Yang-Attribute Chakra Essence!]
Hearing this, Gento felt joy in his heart.
Immediately after, information about the essence of Yang-Attribute Chakra flooded into his mind.
It was different from the shallow mastery of Medical Ninjutsu he had obtained before.
What he grasped this time was the most essential principle of Yang-Attribute Chakra, the laws by which life energy flowed.
He could feel that the sense of imbalance in his body, which had always been suppressed by Yin-Attribute Chakra, was vanishing.
The two powers of yin and yang converged, fused, and balanced within his body, forming a perfect harmony.
This also meant that he could Dual Cultivate and have children with any woman, and obtain the system rewards from "Many Children, Many Blessings."
He had long been coveting the generous rewards from Many Children, Many Blessings.
Previously, because of his physical condition, he could only stare helplessly.
Now, he could finally act without restraint.
Kushina, Kurenai, Pakura, Anko, Konan, Yugito…
And this Fifth Mizukage before him, who was about to take office!
---
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