Uchiha Patriarch !

"Your body... is it beyond saving?"

Genji hesitated for less than a second but still expressed his concerns. Though Yagura was no longer the Mizukage, as the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, he remained a valuable asset to Kirigakure.

"The medical ninja have done all they can. With the village's current medical technology, my condition can't be resolved," Yagura said as he took a sip of tea to soothe his throat.

"Genji, don't worry about me. Death doesn't scare me; in fact, it feels like a release. Instead of wasting time on meaningless efforts, it would be better to make full use of me in my final moments. It's time to seriously consider the candidate for the Fifth Mizukage."

Genji, with his face full of wrinkles, showed little emotion. He had seen enough death—he had already sent off three Mizukages, starting from the First, Byakuren. Losing another one, Yagura, was not much different, though it was a pity to lose the Fourth's power.

To be honest, without Yagura, Kirigakure was lacking a strong figure to earn the respect of most of its ninja.

Even though Genji was considering abolishing the old tradition that only the strongest could become Mizukage, ninja still respected power above all. Weakness had no place bearing the title of 'Kage,' and there were only a few viable candidates for the Fifth Mizukage.

The two candidates Genji favored most were Mei Terumi and Mangetsu Hozuki.

In Genji's eyes, these two were the best options among Kirigakure's thousands of ninja to inherit the position of Fifth Mizukage.

However, Mei Terumi was a woman, and no woman had ever been a 'Kage' in the Five Great Ninja Villages. Genji feared that pushing her into power would lead to unprecedented opposition, and Kirigakure, in its current state, couldn't afford more turmoil. 

As for Mangetsu Hozuki... That kid resembled the Second Mizukage too much!

The Second Mizukage had been a battle-crazed warrior who died alongside the Second Tsuchikage over spoils of war from Konoha. That incident nearly angered Genji to death, losing their Mizukage over mere spoils was a disastrous loss.

He feared Mangetsu would follow the same path.

"The Fifth Mizukage, huh?" Genji pondered for a moment, shaking his head lightly, unable to make a decision. He turned his gaze back to Yagura and asked, "Mizukage-sama, in your opinion, who is the most suitable successor?"

"Mei Terumi," Yagura replied without hesitation.

"What about that kid from the Hozuki clan?"

"Mangetsu?" Yagura shook his head. "That boy and I are not fit to be leaders. People like us are better suited for the front lines, not sitting in the Mizukage's chair. We'd only make things worse."

Genji nodded in agreement, as this was his concern as well.

"Compared to Mangetsu Hozuki, Kisame Hoshigaki, Ameyuri Ringo, and Zabuza Momochi, Mei Terumi has the best leadership skills," Yagura praised Mei without reservation.

"I will give the matter of the Fifth Mizukage careful thought. There's one more thing, Mizukage-sama. Before your return, the village successfully transitioned to a new Six-Tails jinchūriki. However, this new jinchūriki is unable to control the Six-Tails' power yet. If you have time, I hope you can take a look."

Hearing this, Yagura was momentarily taken aback. "Has Senior Jin died already?"

Before Genji could respond, Yagura continued, "I see. I'll take a look at this new jinchūriki when I have the time. Since we're talking about the tailed beasts, there's something about the Three-Tails I need to mention."

"I plan to release the Three-Tails into the wild when I near death."

Yagura's calm tone revealed a startling decision.

"Why?" Genji asked, sitting motionless like a rock.

Having lived so long, he had seen it all. Yagura's words didn't shake him; he was only curious about why Yagura would abandon such an important asset as the tailed beast.

"I've lost control of the Three-Tails," Yagura replied calmly. "Although the Three-Tails is still sealed within me, Uchiha Sōgen can forcibly control it whenever he wants. This control will likely last until his death."

Until then, there was no point in creating a new jinchūriki for the Three-Tails.

Genji understood this without it needing to be said.

As expected, Genji fell into a prolonged silence after hearing Yagura's words.

Even the Three-Tails had been taken. Was Uchiha Sōgen really going to become another Uchiha Madara? But now, was there anyone in the ninja world like Senju Hashirama? The answer was no. Genji knew what this meant—it meant that Konoha would likely rise again and reclaim its place at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

"I've noted everything you said, Mizukage-sama," Genji nodded with a sigh of helplessness. "Looks like it's time for Ao to take that Byakugan."

"Mizukage-sama, let's call it a day for now. I still have to deal with the Konoha ninja," Yagura said as he rose to leave, planning to meet the Konoha delegation himself despite having left Mei Terumi in charge of hosting them.

---

Kirigakure remained cold and indifferent despite the arrival of Konoha's ninja. To a village that once boasted a population of over 200,000, the arrival of just over a hundred Konoha ninja was like a drop of water in a pond, causing no noticeable ripples.

Under Kirigakure's oppressive regime, the villagers had learned how to survive: restrain your curiosity, don't speak out of turn, mind your own business, don't argue with ninja, avoid the Anbu at all costs. Even the arrival of Konoha ninja did not draw any attention.

In the northwest corner of Kirigakure, a cluster of buildings served as a temporary base for the Konoha ninja.

At the top floor of the tallest building, in a spacious meeting room, Uchiha Sōgen sat, listening to a report from his subordinate.

"The situation in Kirigakure is grim. It's only held together by sheer force. The village hasn't collapsed yet, but that's only because their military strength hasn't decayed entirely. Without that, they'd be swept into... uh, clan leader, what's that phrase again?"

Uchiha Sougen scratched his head, trying to recall the phrase.

"Into the dustbin of history?"

"Right! That's it! Into the dustbin of history," Sougen clapped excitedly. "You said it once, and I thought it was so cool. I finally got the chance to use it."

Did I really say that? Sōgen thought for a moment and realized he had indeed said it back when he was forming his faction within the clan. He had not only used force but also fed his followers all sorts of rhetoric to win them over.

"So Kirigakure is really not in a good state," Sōgen mused. Given this, the bleeding of Kirigakure could be slowed down. Squeezing the village dry would be foolish—there was no need to destroy Kirigakure completely.

---

(End of the chapter)