Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

The rain kept falling, the wind kept howling...

The bleak dusk slowly settled in.

Though the major clash at the village gate had already concluded, scattered battles within the village still raged on.

A great number of ninjas who had long suffered under the Mist Village's tyrannical rule began swiftly purging the remaining loyalists of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, acting on orders from Genji, Suikazan, and other high-ranking figures.

There was no doubt about it—

the entire Hidden Mist Village was about to undergo a massive reshuffling.

As for how many ninja would ultimately survive and how much fresh blood could be preserved for the Hidden Mist, that was simply none of Shimoku's concern anymore.

After all, he had already made guaranteed gains.

"Riyō, Gin..."

"At your service!"

Riyō, Gin, and several others quickly jumped over.

"Go count the number of Mist Anbu ninjas I knocked out and assess their strength. Not a single one should be missed—those are all cold hard cash!"

Shimoku quickly instructed.

People might die, anything could go wrong—but when it came to money, there wasn't even a sliver of room for mistakes.

"Understood!"

They immediately set off upon receiving orders.

Then, Shimoku waved toward Zabuza in the distance.

Looking at the devastated battlefield that resembled a hurricane's aftermath,

Zabuza himself was still somewhat dazed.

He never expected—

that this young Uchiha boy had actually succeeded!

That with his own power alone, he had taken down more than half of the Hidden Mist and defeated Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage himself!

How insane was that!

He even remembered how he once thought about just chopping the kid's head clean off.

Thinking back now...

It was lucky enough that the kid hadn't crushed him flat with a single strike.

But what did he want from him now?

Could it be... things were about to turn ugly?

With unease bubbling inside, Zabuza signaled Haku behind him to step aside first,

then approached Shimoku alone.

"S-Shimoku!"

Zabuza stammered slightly as he spoke.

Someone who'd spent years on the run clearly hadn't gotten the hang of formal talk yet.

Too bad—for the sake of the village—he had to soften his stance just a bit.

"Don't be so stiff. After all, we're strictly employer-client collaborators here."

"Now come on, let's go see your Mizukage for his final moments."

Shimoku chuckled cheerfully

and started walking with Zabuza toward the distant figure.

Soon enough, they arrived before Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage.

At this moment, Yagura's body was drenched in blood, his left arm severed, barely breathing...

Truly only a breath away from death.

However, the tremendous backlash caused by separating the tailed beast had finally shattered the control of the genjutsu,

granting him brief lucidity, like a dying flame flaring up once more.

You could see it just by looking into his eyes—they weren't hollow anymore. There was clarity in them now, if only for a moment.

"...Za...Zabuza?"

Yagura cracked open his eyes slightly, recognizing the visitor.

"Fourth Mizukage… Yagura, I… I…"

Seeing Yagura returned to his senses, tears instantly welled up in Zabuza's eyes, causing this hardened warrior to weep openly.

The sight stirred a flood of memories, pulling Zabuza back to the past.

Years ago, it was Master Yagura who, under the shadow of the Third Great War, bravely stepped forward and volunteered to seal the Tailed Beast, becoming its Jinchuriki. He first ascended to the position of Mizukage and led the Hidden Mist Village toward recovery and prosperity.

At that time, Yagura was the very hope of the entire village—the object of admiration and idolization for every student at the ninja academy.

Zabuza, Mei, Kisame, and other rising talents all longed to follow in the footsteps of the Fourth Mizukage and help revive the Hidden Mist Village.

Unfortunately...

Everything changed after that one fateful day.

The once-diligent and vibrant Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, suddenly underwent a complete personality transformation overnight. He reinstated the "[Blood Mist Village] policy" previously enforced by the Third Mizukage,

once again plunging the entire village into an atmosphere of bloodshed and terror.

That's when Zabuza chose betrayal—he was forced to kill all his classmates before launching a coup.

After his rebellion failed, he ran away from the village and wandered ever since.

Now, today, he returns with allies, striking back into the village to overthrow the cruel rule of the Fourth.

What a tragic twist of fate!

Yet, no matter what happened afterward,

the respect and reverence Zabuza held in his heart for the former Fourth Mizukage, Master Yagura, never faded.

...

"I'm... I'm sorry!"

"It's because I was controlled... that I ruined... ruined the entire village."

"Zabuza... you did... very well..."

Yagura rasped weakly through broken breaths.

Regret, guilt, pain, resentment, relief—so many complex emotions swirled across his face.

Who knows how Shimoku could perceive so many conflicting feelings.

Just then,

Elder Genji, the attractive Mei, the calm Gonbee, and others approached from a distance.

As they witnessed the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, regaining his senses before his final moments,

everyone was overcome with sorrowful tears and heartfelt sighs.

"Yagura!"

Elder Genji gripped his cane tightly, letting out a sigh filled with grief.

After all, it was him who had personally elevated the young prodigy, Yagura—the person he valued most and believed had the greatest potential—to the position of the Fourth Mizukage.

"Master Genji... I'm sorry..."

"Zabuza... Mei... and Elder Genji... The future of... of our village is in your hands!"

"I'm truly... truly sorry..."

With those final words, Yagura exhaled his last breath.

A great leader who once held the title of Mizukage had now breathed his last.

...

The rain drizzled steadily.

The sky had nearly turned completely dark.

All around them lay an air of profound sorrow and mourning.

Shimoku had never liked commenting too much on the deceased.

People are complicated.

Life is complicated, and human hearts are even more unpredictable—enough to chill you to the bone.

To have reduced the Hidden Mist Village to its current state,

Yagura bore responsibility, Obito bore blame, perhaps even every single Kiri ninja carried some guilt...

At this point, trying to determine right from wrong had already lost any meaning.

Moreover, had the Hidden Mist not been weak and easy to target,

he probably wouldn't have chosen the Hidden Mist Village as his starting point.

But now—

since victory had already been achieved, why dwell on such troubling matters?

Get moving and start enjoying your victory! That's what really matters!

"You're the elder from Kirigakure, Genji?" Shimoku Uchiha glanced at the old man and asked.

"That would be me."

Genji nodded politely in response.

At the same time, Zabuza quickly moved closer and whispered a few explanations.

Genji's heart trembled with realization. He immediately suppressed his shock and respectfully said with flattery:

"Ah, so you are Lord Shimoku Uchiha from Homura Hidden Village!"

"We've long heard of your great reputation, though I never expected you to be so young!"

"On behalf of the entire Kirigakure, I sincerely thank Lord Shimoku Uchiha for your assistance!"

Shimoku waved his hand dismissively:

"Enough with the formalities."

Judging from your current situation, you must have been planning a coup for some time already. And now you've got plenty to deal with, right?

"Why don't we discuss important matters tomorrow after you've sorted things out and chosen someone to lead the village?"

Genji nodded, raising his estimation of this young man even higher.

"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Shimoku Uchiha."

"But then... now?"

Shimoku raised his eyebrow and directly replied:

"Now?"

"Right now, bring all your best services to the table!"

"The best hot springs; the best food; the best massages; the best service..."

"Not a single thing can be missing! Understand?"

In Shimoku's opinion,

After toppling one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, he deserved to savor the true taste of victory!

He wouldn't leave Kirigakure until he had thoroughly enjoyed every pleasure it could offer today!

"Understood! I'll arrange everything immediately."

"Lord Shimoku Uchiha, please come inside!"

Genji's eyes lit up as he happily invited them in.

He felt no fear about this young lord's luxurious demands. In fact, he secretly feared the opposite—that the boy wouldn't be greedy enough or overly fond of women and wealth!

After all, those who desire greatly will want even more—

To the point where even Kirigakure may not be enough for him!

Comparatively speaking, these worldly desires were actually the cheapest and easiest services the village could provide.

That's why, after hearing about Shimoku's earthly requests,

He relaxed somewhat and felt more at ease.

Otherwise, if conflicts really did arise,

Even all the remaining villagers combined probably couldn't defeat that Uchiha Shimoku!

As he watched Shimoku and his group enter the village,

Genji quickly assigned tasks to those nearby:

"Zabuza, Gonbee, you two come with me. We still have much to handle."

"Suikazan, you will assume temporary command of Anbu. Try to count the casualties first and stabilize the Anbu situation..."

"Hai!"

Zabuza and others accepted their orders without hesitation.

Then, Genji turned to Terumi Mei and earnestly instructed:

"Terumi Mei, set aside what you're doing for now. You'll be responsible for entertaining that young lord!"

"Eh? Me?"

"Whatever demands he makes, do your utmost to satisfy him!"

"With the village's current situation, under no circumstances should we provoke conflict with him."

"And besides, that young lord may be strong,"

"She looks like she's only around ten or so. Probably won't ask for anything too crazy."

"It's up to you—can you handle it?"

"I'll give it my all!"

Terumi Mei clenched her red lips before speaking firmly.

For the sake of the village, she *had* to pull this off!

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