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Chapter 118n
🕑 Added 2025-08-03 15:56:52 +0000 UTCChapter 118n
2-in-1-chapter
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“That’s enough, Bi. These are just your speculations. You have no evidence to prove your claims.” Yagura Karatachi cut him off firmly. His sharp gaze swept over the radicals with Zabuza at their head. “I dislike speaking words that dampen our own morale while boosting the enemy’s, but the reality is that we are not Konoha’s match. Regardless of the truth of my manipulation, you must understand—we lack both the strength and the confidence to oppose Konoha. Uchiha Rēn alone can annihilate us all.”
“Bi, did you hear me clearly?”
At last, Yagura Karatachi’s eyes fixed coldly on Bi, the man in the gray shinobi hood—one of the trusted subordinates of the “Master.”
“Is Uchiha Rēn truly that strong? Even the Third Raikage, as mighty as he was, was ultimately worn down and killed by Iwagakure’s human‑wave tactics.”
Bi answered with another question.
“Still unwilling to give up? Then… let me tell you one more thing.” Yagura Karatachi closed his eyes and said, “I have already lost control of the Three‑Tails within me. If my guess is correct, Uchiha Rēn can seize control of the Three‑Tails for battle at any time.”
The words struck like a thunderclap.
For the Mizukage, a jinchūriki of the Three‑Tails, to admit he had lost control—who then was it truly sitting here before them, speaking to them now? Was it the Mizukage, or Uchiha Rēn? The question rose unbidden in the minds of the jōnin present.
“I am no one’s puppet now!”
Yagura Karatachi was unsurprised at their reactions. This was why he had not intended to reveal this earlier. But Bi’s aggressive attitude and his own greatly diminished authority forced his hand—he had to do this to regain control of the situation. “This is not only my own feeling. More than ten sensory‑type shinobi have confirmed it at close range.”
“I can testify to that.”
After a long silence, Terumi Mei spoke. Unexpectedly, she did not join Bi in casting doubt on Yagura Karatachi, but instead supported him. “Lord Mizukage lowered all his defenses and allowed the sensory shinobi to examine his mental state. They confirmed the long‑term traces of manipulation, but also that he is currently under no genjutsu.”
Yagura Karatachi gave Terumi Mei a deep look.
She was truly a promising one—able to see the larger picture, knowing what mattered most. Far smarter than that fool Bi. To think Bi had long followed the Master, yet remained a blockheaded dullard. No wonder he had never been trusted to stand on his own like Ao.
Even now, finally leaving the village, he was still only serving as Terumi Mei’s assistant.
“Lord Mizukage, please continue. How should we handle our relations with Konoha from here?” Terumi Mei asked.
The other Mist shinobi exchanged glances, their unsettled hearts gradually calming again.
If this war had damaged the authority of Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, then Terumi Mei’s outstanding conduct had won her recognition from many of the Mist shinobi, putting her far ahead of rivals like Hōzuki Mangetsu and Momochi Zabuza.
Bi looked at Terumi Mei’s profile. That beautiful face held only steel‑like resolve. He recalled the Master’s instructions before leaving the village: follow Terumi Mei’s lead in all things. In Bi’s heart, the Master was supreme; even the Mizukage came second.
So, once Terumi Mei had shown her stance, Bi chose silence, abandoning his own theories. Obedience was perhaps his only strength. Lowering his head, he thought that within the village he only needed to follow the Master’s orders, and outside, he had Terumi Mei to lead them. It had been a very long time since he had acted according to his own will.
“How we handle relations between our village and Konoha is now the most critical matter. But difficult as it may seem, it is not truly so. All we need to do is follow the agreement.” Yagura Karatachi continued where he had left off.
“Agreement?”
Terumi Mei’s brows knitted slightly.
“That’s right, the agreement. A pact I made with Konoha when I was their prisoner.” Yagura Karatachi sighed again. As the Mizukage, he would likely be nailed to the pillar of shame in the eyes of future generations.
With that, the discussion and course of action were made.
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The “Kage” was the supreme leader of a shinobi village.
Even if the village held powerful individuals who could rival a Kage in influence, once a Kage truly resolved to act, even the mighty had to bow their heads. The only way to oppose such authority was to overthrow the unwanted Kage and install a new one to lead the people.
The authority of the Fourth Mizukage had undeniably suffered a steep decline.
Yet, he remained the Mizukage.
Here and now, no one had the power or resolve to unseat him. Once he decided to establish friendly diplomatic relations with Konoha, whether they liked it or not, the shinobi of the Mist could only lower their heads in compliance and act accordingly.
Messengers hurried back and forth, recalling the Mist-nin from the other two bases.
Afterward, the Mist army and Konoha’s delegation remained on the unnamed island for five days before setting out for the Land of Water, where the Hidden Mist Village lay shrouded in impenetrable fog. The Mist army’s presence was easy to understand, but Konoha’s “delegation” was a more interesting matter.
Of the 127 members in Konoha’s delegation, apart from a few young infiltrators, every one of them was a ferocious elite. Over a hundred were Jōnin. Rēn had practically pulled away the very cream of Konoha’s military and the Eastern Border Defense Force for this mission.
After all, the Mist had already been crushed.
The Eastern Border Defense Force would not be facing any large-scale battles for the foreseeable future. Their duties would be limited to capturing the endless stream of spies and fighting the never-ending scourge of pirates. Leaving excess Jōnin stationed there would have been pure waste.
So Rēn unhesitatingly pushed these precious human resources into this freshly formed, still-scorching-hot delegation.
The Mist had lost.
But the true end was still some distance away. As the victors, they needed to claim the spoils and, in the process, flaunt Konoha’s military might, ensuring the cunning shinobi of the Mist understood the value of knowing their place.
Still, parading with such a massive force risked provoking the proud Mist-nin, who valued honor more than life, into taking unfriendly actions. That could escalate into an even greater war. Though Rēn was confident of eventual victory, a crippled Hidden Mist Village would hold far less value for him.
For this reason, Rēn cloaked his group in the guise of a “diplomatic delegation.”
He even brought along three children.
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At sea, ships flying the banners of the Hidden Mist and Konoha cut through the waves.
On the deck by the railing, a sickly blond-haired boy leaned weakly against it, watching the snow-white spray churned up by the ship’s passage. He seemed utterly entranced, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful whiteness, so much so that the girl who had already run two laps from bow to stern, playing happily, couldn’t help but grow concerned.
“Naruto, are you alright?”
Uchiha Fujika walked over and gave Naruto’s shoulder a firm pat. “You’ve been looking awfully out of sorts lately!”
“Fujika?”
Naruto blinked and snapped back to reality. “I’m fine, really. I was just spacing out… Oh, right, Fujika, do you know if Brother Rēn has time right now?” He hesitated, then mustered his courage to ask about Uchiha Rēn’s whereabouts.
“Brother?”
Fujika tilted her head, thinking. “I think he went to play shogi with the Mizukage. Why? Do you want to see him? I can take you.”
“Shogi? If I go now, won’t I be disturbing him?” Naruto asked softly.
“Not at all! Don’t worry, when Brother’s playing shogi, he’s just having fun!” With a cheerful wave, Fujika darted off like a little cannonball. Her voice carried back from afar: “Naruto, what are you standing there for? Hurry up!”
Scratching his head, Naruto broke into a jog to follow.
As soon as Naruto ran off, Kakashi appeared silently from the shadows, a phantom at his side. Ever watchful, he followed closely, guarding the child of his teacher. He had been firmly against bringing Naruto to the Land of Water, but in the face of Uchiha Rēn’s decision, his solitary opposition had no weight. Resigned, the only choice left was to join the delegation himself, personally ensuring Naruto’s safety.
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At that moment, Rēn was indeed playing shogi with Yagura Karatachi. Between moves, their conversation drifted from idle chatter to serious matters.
“I’ve already sent word to the Elder,” Yagura said. “By the time we reach shore, his reply should be waiting.”
“I hope your Elder can see the situation clearly. Otherwise, it won’t bode well for either side.”
Rēn held a black piece, unconcerned with order of play. He simply preferred the deep color.
“The Elder’s wisdom surpasses mine. He will choose what best serves the village. And years ago, he personally witnessed the First Hokage and your clan’s esteemed ancestor subdue the shinobi world. Clan Leader Uchiha, your worry is unnecessary.”
After careful calculation, Yagura placed his piece with great caution.
“An elder of such experience? I look forward to meeting him.” Rēn smiled, setting his own piece down.
At that moment, the sound of brisk footsteps echoed.
Even without seeing the newcomer, the familiar lively rhythm made their identity clear. Yakumo Kurama, who had been quietly observing the match, turned toward the sound. Yagura smiled as well. “Your younger sister is here again.”
“Fujika?”
Rēn glanced toward his sister as she came into view, puzzled. Fujika, so full of energy, was unlike Yakumo, who could patiently watch him play shogi. Normally, once she ran off, she wouldn’t return for at least two hours. Yet barely half an hour had passed.
Then another figure, a blond-haired boy, bounded into view, and realization dawned.
“Fujika, Naruto, come here.”
Rēn raised his hand and gestured for the two of them to approach.
When Fujika and Naruto came before him, Rēn finally spoke. “Did you two need something?” That was what he said, but his gaze unconsciously lingered on Naruto. Compared to Fujika, who was cheerful and carefree, Naruto looked tense and uneasy, clearly carrying something on his mind.
Sure enough,
Fujika quickly explained their reason for coming.
“Big Brother, Naruto said he had something to ask you, so I brought him here.”
“I see. Well then, Naruto, what is it you want?” Rēn held the Shogi piece in his hand without placing it down. Yagura Karatachi didn’t rush him either, curious to see what the Nine-Tail’s Jinchūriki intended. Unlike the usual Jinchūriki who had their tailed beast sealed in them from childhood, Yagura had judged himself not yet strong enough to shoulder the burden of the Fourth Mizukage’s position, and so he had voluntarily chosen to become the Three-Tails Jinchūriki in pursuit of greater power.
His experience was entirely different from that of most other Jinchūriki, so it was difficult for him to understand their thoughts and perspectives.
Feeling the eyes of several people in the small cabin, Naruto scratched his hair nervously. He hesitated for two seconds, then took two deep breaths, as if turning that breath into courage, and asked, “Um, Big Brother Rēn, may I become your disciple and learn ninjutsu under you?”
Become a disciple?
At the side, Yagura’s lips curved into a strange smile. The Nine-Tail’s Jinchūriki seeking apprenticeship from the Uchiha clan head? Wasn’t this like delivering the Nine-Tails right to their door?
Kurama Yakumo’s eyes went wide as she stared at Naruto as though he were some rare creature. It was one thing for them to play together normally, but to actually want to become disciples of the same master?
Even Fujika’s mouth opened in astonishment as she looked at Naruto in disbelief.
No one had expected such a thing.
“Become my disciple?”
Rēn blinked, showing no emotion as he asked, “Why do you want to study under me? Doesn’t the Ninja Academy already teach you training and discipline? Do you think the Academy is too ordinary, or do you have some other reason? Can you tell me the real reason you want me as your master?”
“Um…”
Naruto’s shifting gaze flicked toward Yagura and Yakumo, uncertain.
“If you have something to say, then say it.”
Even with Yagura present, this Mizukage already knew that Naruto was both the Nine-Tail’s Jinchūriki and the son of the Fourth Hokage. At this point, Naruto didn’t really have any secrets worth hiding.
“I want to become Hokage!”
Naruto took a breath and shouted it out loud.
“Is that the future you’ve decided on?” Rēn’s expression was as calm as a still pond. “To become Hokage?”
“That’s right. I want to become Hokage. I want to see with my own eyes…the scenery my father once saw.” Naruto’s voice grew softer at the end. Though his parentage had never been publicly announced, he already knew the truth about his mother and father.
