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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 331
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 07:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 331: The Ninja Who Wielded a Blade Against the Mizukage
In the ninja world, becoming the leader of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages is no easy task.
Selecting the right person to become one of the Five Kage is even harder.
First, the candidate must possess sufficient strength to intimidate the village's troublemakers. Second, they must gain the approval of the internal interest groups within the village to secure their position.
Finally, and most crucially, they need luck—something that might seem insignificant but is actually of great importance.
The newly appointed Fifth Kazekage, Sasori, is the perfect example. Sasori was able to kill the Third Kazekage and fight a tailed beast head-on, proving he had the strength to become Kazekage.
As elders of Sunagakure, Chiyo and Ebizō were his strongest supporters, helping him consolidate his position as Kazekage.
But without the command that allowed Sasori to take control of Sunagakure, he would still be a wandering rogue ninja.
Because of this, Byakuya believed that strength, background, and luck are the three essential elements to becoming a Kage. If any of these three elements are missing, the only way to become the leader of a shinobi village would be through a coup d’état.
However, throughout the entire ninja world, aside from the Akatsuki organization, there have been no successful cases of seizing power.
Whether it was the rebellion led by the Gold and Silver Brothers in Kumogakure decades ago or the recent Uchiha coup, they all ended in failure without exception.
The reason is simple: if they were truly in a winning position, they wouldn’t need to stage a coup.
Only when they are at a comprehensive disadvantage would they take desperate measures as a last resort.
However, Kirigakure is an exception. Unlike other villages that prioritize strength and background, Kirigakure fully implements the brutal law of the jungle. Not only do graduates have to kill their fellow comrades as part of their final exam, but even the selection of the Mizukage is devoid of any formal election process.
As long as one possesses the strongest strength in Kirigakure, they can become the new Mizukage. This method of selection has made the Mizukage the shortest-lived among the Five Kage and has indirectly caused Kirigakure to fall into severe internal strife.
Despite possessing strength comparable to Iwagakure and Kumogakure, Kirigakure has been unable to become the offshore balancer of the ninja world. Instead, in endless internal conflict, it has declined to the level of a second-rate shinobi village like Sunagakure.
After reflecting on Kirigakure’s past and present, Byakuya rested his chin on his hand, contemplating the suitable candidates for Mizukage.
After the turmoil caused by Madara Uchiha and Obito, there weren’t many ninjas left in Kirigakure who were capable of competing for the position of Mizukage.
With the support of Master Gengetsu and wielding two Kekkei Genkai, Mei Terumi was one candidate.
Another was Mangetsu Hōzuki, who hailed from the Hōzuki clan and wielded the dual swords Hiramekarei. Other ninjas either lacked the ability or qualifications to become Mizukage, or they had already become rogue ninjas.
This wasn’t due to a lack of talent in Kirigakure. Heck, on the contrary, the village had no shortage of ninja with Kage-level strength.
Prodigies like Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan and Kisame Hoshigaki from the Kirigakure Anbu would both achieve Kage-level strength in the future. However, for various reasons, these individuals left Kirigakure and served other factions.
For example, there happened to be a rogue ninja from Kirigakure currently residing in Amegakure.
This rogue ninja was none other than Jūzō Biwa, the original wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, who had fled Kirigakure out of dissatisfaction with the Fourth Mizukage’s tyranny.
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Thinking of Jūzō, Byakuya wasted no time and immediately left the Akatsuki base.
Jūzō was currently under Nagato's command, most likely stationed at some construction site in the Land of Rain, dedicating his youth and effort to the country’s development.
Speaking of how Nagato recruited Jūzō, Byakuya could only say that fate played a significant role in bringing them together.
During one of Nagato’s missions, he and Jūzō encountered a group of bandits simultaneously. After joining forces to take them down, Nagato extended an invitation to Jūzō.
At the time, Jūzō had no particular destination in mind, so he casually agreed to Nagato’s request. It wasn’t until he arrived at Amegakure that Jūzō realized something was off, but by then, he had unwittingly become a member of the Akatsuki.
Not long after, Byakuya arrived at a large hydraulic project site in Amegakure.
Nagato was using Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten’in to move bricks, while Jūzō was employing Water Release techniques to transfer accumulated water into nearby ditches. The two worked seamlessly together, as if they’d been partners for years.
After patiently waiting for Nagato and Jūzō to finish their work, Byakuya approached them with a smile and greeted them, “Nagato, long time no see. How have you been lately?”
Nagato nodded, then turned to face Byakuya with a frown. “I’m doing fine. But what are you doing here? You’ve always avoided construction sites.”
“Just came to check on you…” Byakuya rolled his eyes and whistled.
Nagato shot him a wary look, then sighed helplessly. “It’s usually Yahiko and I who come to you. There’s no way you’d actively seek us out. Spit it out—what’s the real reason you’re here?”
Realizing Nagato had seen through his facade, Byakuya dropped the act and pointed at Jūzō.
“Nagato, I need to make a trip to Kirigakure soon, but I’m short on a guide. I heard you have a subordinate from Kirigakure, so I came to borrow him.”
“Borrow him?”
Nagato’s expression shifted before he asked, “What are you planning to do in Kirigakure? You’re not thinking about making a move on the Mizukage, are you? Every time you visit another village, something bad happens…”
Byakuya was momentarily at a loss for words after hearing that.
It seemed Nagato wasn’t wrong. Trouble did seem to follow Byakuya wherever he went. When he visited Konoha, the Nine-Tails incident occurred. When he went to Sunagakure, the Kazekage ended up being replaced.
Seeing Byakuya fall silent, Nagato knew he’d hit the mark.
It was clear Byakuya had big plans for his trip to Kirigakure, likely targeting the village itself. But since Byakuya’s actions were always for the Akatsuki’s benefit, with the entire organization ultimately reaping the rewards, Nagato couldn’t exactly object.
After a light sigh, Nagato said, “Fine, Byakuya. I’ll leave Jūzō to you. He’s a good man, though not particularly strong. Just make sure your plans don’t get him caught up in unnecessary trouble.”
Jūzō—a “good man” who “wasn’t particularly strong”… Byakuya didn’t know how to respond to that.
Since when had Jūzō Biwa, a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, been considered a “good man”? And as for his strength, Jūzō was at least at the level of an elite jōnin, which was certainly not weak.
But compared to Nagato, it was true Jūzō wasn’t on the same level. Nagato and Byakuya were undoubtedly the two strongest members of the Akatsuki.
Nagato waved his hand and walked over to Jūzō. Before letting Jūzō accompany Byakuya on this mission, he wanted to teach him a few things to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Jūzō, who was already thoroughly confused, had no idea what was going on.
Having spent most of his time with Nagato, he wasn’t familiar with Sasori, but he did have some impression of Byakuya.
Though Byakuya was officially just a department head in Amegakure, his strength was formidable, and his status in the village seemed to subtly surpass that of Yahiko, the leader. In reality, Byakuya was the true power behind the scenes.
